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| |  | DVD-CD-VIDEO | Home » » The Chopin Collection | | | | | | | Description: | | All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed. | | | Product Details: | | | Audio CD Release Date:
| October 07, 1991 | | Studio:
| RCA Victor Europe / BMG | | Composer:
| Frederic Chopin | | Number Of Discs:
| 11 | | Format:
| Box set, Import | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 42 reviews |
| | | Track Listing: | | | 1. | Nocturnes, Op. 9 No. 1 In B-Flat Minor | | 2. | Nocturnes, Op. 9 No. 2 In E-Flat | | 3. | Nocturnes, Op. 9 No. 3 In B | | 4. | Nocturnes, Op. 15 No. 1 In F | | 5. | Nocturnes, Op. 15 No. 2 In F-Sharp | | 6. | Nocturnes, Op. 15 No. 3 In G Minor | | 7. | Nocturnes, Op. 27 No. 1 In C-Sharp Minor | | 8. | Nocturnes, Op. 27 No. 2 In D-Flat | | 9. | Nocturnes, Op. 32 No. 1 In B | | 10. | Nocturnes, Op. 32 No. 2 In A-Flat | | 11. | Nocturnes, Op. 37 No. 1 In G-Minor | | 12. | Nocturnes, Op. 37 Nocturnes, Op. 37 | | 13. | Nocturnes, Op. 48 No. 1 In C Minor | | 14. | Nocturnes, Op. 48 No. 2 In F-Sharp Minor | | 15. | Nocturnes, Op. 55 No. 1 In F Minor | | 16. | Nocturnes, Op. 55 No. 2 In E-Flat | | 17. | Nocturnes, Op. 62 No. 1 In B | | 18. | Nocturnes, Op. 62 No. 2 In E | | 19. | Nocturnes, Op. 72: No. 1 In E Minor | | 20. | Mazurkas, Op. 6 No. 1 In F-Sharp Minor | | 21. | Mazurkas, Op. 6 No. 2 In C-Sharp Minor | | 22. | Mazurkas, Op. 6 No. 3 In E | | 23. | Mazurkas, Op. 6 No. 4 In E- Flat Minor | | 24. | Mazurkas, Op. 7 No. 1 In B-Flat | | 25. | Mazurkas, Op. 7 No. 2 In A Minor | | 26. | Mazurkas, Op. 7 No. 3 In F Minor | | 27. | Mazurkas, Op. 7 No. 4 In A-Flat | | 28. | Mazurkas, Op. 7 No. 5 In C | | 29. | Mazurkas, Op. 17 No. 1 In B-Flat | | 30. | Mazurkas, Op. 17 No. 2 In E Minor | | 31. | Mazurkas, Op. 17 No. 3 In A-Flat | | 32. | Mazurkas, Op. 17 No. 4 In A Minor | | 33. | Mazurkas, Op. 24 No. 1 In G Minor | | 34. | Mazurkas, Op. 24 No. 2 In C | | 35. | Mazurkas, Op. 24 No. 3 In A-Flat | | 36. | Mazurkas, Op. 24no. 4 In B-Flat | | 37. | Mazurkas, Op. 30 No. 1 In C Minor | | 38. | Mazurkas, Op. 30 No. 2 In B Minor | | 39. | Mazurkas, Op. 30 No. 3 In D-Flat | | 40. | Mazurkas, Op. 30 No. 4 In C-Sharp Minor | | 41. | Mazurkas, Op. 33 No. 1 In G-Sharp Minor | | 42. | Mazurkas, Op. 33 No. 2 In D | | 43. | Mazurkas, Op. 33 No. 3 In C | | 44. | Mazurkas, Op. 33 No. 4 In B Minor | | 45. | Mazurkas, Op. 41 No. 1 In C-Sharp Minor | | 46. | Mazurkas, Op. 41 No. 2 In E Minor | | 47. | Mazurkas, Op. 41 No. 3 In B | | 48. | Mazurkas, Op. 41 No. 4 In A-Flat | | 49. | Mazurkas, Op. 50 No. 1 In G | | 50. | Mazurkas, Op. 50 No. 2 In A-Flat | | 51. | Mazurkas, Op. 50 No. 3 In C-Sharp Minor | | 52. | Mazurkas, Op. 56 No. 1 In B | | 53. | Mazurkas, Op. 56 No. 2 In C | | 54. | Mazurkas, Op. 56 No. 3 In C Minor | | 55. | Mazurkas, Op. 59 No. 1 In A Minor | | 56. | Mazurkas, Op. 59 No. 2 In A-Flat | | 57. | Mazurkas, Op. 59 No. 3 In F-Sharp Minor | | 58. | Mazurkas, Op. 63 No. 1 In B | | 59. | Mazurkas, Op. 63 No. 2 In F Minor | | 60. | Mazurkas, Op. 63 No. 3 In C-Sharp Minor | | 61. | Mazurkas, Opus Posthumous Opus Posthumous In A Minor "À Emile Gaillard" | | 62. | Mazurkas, Opus Posthumous Opus Posthumous In A Minor "Notre Temps" | | 63. | Mazurkas, Op. 67 No. 1 In G | | 64. | Mazurkas, Op. 67 No. 2 In G Minor | | 65. | Mazurkas, Op. 67 No. 3 In C | | 66. | Mazurkas, Op. 67 No. 4 In A Minor | | 67. | Mazurkas, Op. 68 No. 1 In C | | 68. | Mazurkas, Op. 68 No. 2 In A Minor | | 69. | Mazurkas, Op. 68 No. 3 In F | | 70. | Mazurkas, Op. 68 No. 4 In F Minor | | 71. | Ballades No. 1, Op. 23 In G Minor | | 72. | Ballades No. 2, Op. 38 In F | | 73. | Ballades No. 3, Op. 47 In A-Flat | | 74. | Ballades No. 4, Op. 52 In F Minor | | 75. | Scherzos No.1, Op. 20 In B Minor | | 76. | Scherzos No. 2, Op. 31 In B-Flat Minor | | 77. | Scherzos No. 3, Op. 39 In C-Sharp Minor | | 78. | Scherzos No. 4, Op. 54 In E | | 79. | Polonaises, Op. 26 No. 1 In C-Sharp Minor | | 80. | Polonaises, Op. 26 No. 2 In E-Flat Minor | | 81. | Polonaises, Op. 40 No. 1 In A "Military | | 82. | Polonaises, Op. 40 No. 2 In C Minor | | 83. | Polonaise, Op. 44 In F-Sharp Minor | | 84. | Polonaise, Op. 53 In A-Flat "Heroic | | 85. | Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op. 61 In A-Flat | | 86. | Sonata No. 2, Op. 35 In B-Flat Minor "Funeral March" Grave; Doppio Movimento | | 87. | Sonata No. 2, Op. 35 In B-Flat Minor "Funeral March" Scherzo | | 88. | Sonata No. 2, Op. 35 In B-Flat Minor "Funeral March Marche FunÈBre: Lento | | 89. | Sonata No. 2, Op. 35 In B-Flat Minor "Funeral March" Finale: Presto | | 90. | Sonata No. 3, Op. 58 In B Minor Allegro Maestoso | | 91. | Sonata No. 3, Op. 58 In B Minor Scherzo: Molto Vivace | | 92. | Sonata No. 3, Op. 58 In B Minor Largo | | 93. | Sonata No. 3, Op. 58 In B Minor Finale: Presto, Non Tanto | | 94. | Fantaisie, Op. 49 In F Minor | | 95. | Concerto No. 1, Op. 11 In E Minor Allegro Maestoso | | 96. | Concerto No. 1, Op. 11 In E Minor Romance: Larghetto | | 97. | Concerto No. 1, Op. 11 In E Minor Rondo: Vivace | | 98. | Concerto No. 2, Op. 21 In F Minor Maestoso | | 99. | Concerto No. 2, Op. 21 In F Minor Larghetto | | 100. | Concerto No. 2, Op. 21 In F Minor Allegro Vivace | | 101. | Waltz Op. 18, In E-Flat ("Grande Valse Brillante") | | 102. | Waltzes, Op. 34 No. 1 In A-Flat "Valse Brillante" | | 103. | Waltzes, Op. 34 No. 2 In A Minor "Valse Brillante" | | 104. | Waltzes, Op. 34 No. 3 In F "Valse Brillante" | | 105. | Waltz, Op. 42 In A-Flat "Two-Four" | | 106. | Waltzes, Op. 64 No. 1, "Minute", In D-Flat | | 107. | Waltzes, Op. 64 No. 2 In C-Sharp Minor | | 108. | Waltzes, Op. 64 No. 3 In A-Flat | | 109. | Waltzes, Op. 69 No. 1 In A-Flat "L'adieu" | | 110. | Waltzes, Op. 69 No. 2 In B Minor | | 111. | Waltzes, Op. 70 No. 1 In G-Flat | | 112. | Waltzes, Op. 70 No. 2 In F Minor | | 113. | Waltzes, Op. 70 No. 3 In D-Flat | | 114. | Waltz, Opus Posthumous In E Minor | | 115. | Impromptus No. 1, Op. 29 In A-Flat | | 116. | Impromptus No. 2, Op. 36 In F-Sharp | | 117. | Impromptus No. 3, Op. 51 In G-Flat | | 118. | Impromptus No. 4, Op. 66 In C-Sharp Minor "Fantaisie-Impromptu" | | 119. | Barcarolle, Op. 60 | | 120. | Trois Nouvelles ÉTudes, Opus Posthumous | | 121. | Bolero, Op. 19 | | 122. | Berceuse, Op. 57 | | 123. | Tarantelle, Op. 43 | | 124. | Andante Spianato And Grand Polonaise, Op. 22 In E-Flat | | 125. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 1 In C | | 126. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 2 In A Minor | | 127. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 3 In G | | 128. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 4 In E Minor | | 129. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 5 In D | | 130. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 6 In B Minor | | 131. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 7 In A | | 132. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 8 In F-Sharp Minor | | 133. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 9 In E | | 134. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 10 In C-Sharp Minor | | 135. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 11 In B-Major | | 136. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 12 In G-Sharp Minor | | 137. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 13 In F-Sharp | | 138. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 14 In E-Flat Minor | | 139. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 15 In D-Flat "Raindrop | | 140. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 16 In B-Flat Minor | | 141. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 17 In A-Flat | | 142. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 18 In F Minor | | 143. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 19 In E-Flat | | 144. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 20 In C Minor | | 145. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 21 In B-Flat | | 146. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 22 In G Minor | | 147. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 23 In F | | 148. | Preludes, Op. 28 Prelude No. 24 In D Minor | | 149. | Sonata No. 2 In B-Flat Minor, Op. 35 "Funeral March" Grave; Doppio Movimento | | 150. | Sonata No. 2 In B-Flat Minor, Op. 35 "Funeral March" Scherzo | | 151. | Sonata No. 2 In B-Flat Minor, Op. 35 "Funeral March" Marche FunÈBre: Lento | | 152. | Sonata No. 2 In B-Flat Minor, Op. 35 "Funeral March" Finale: Presto | | 153. | Berceuse, Op. 57 | | 154. | Barcarolle, Op. 60 | |
| | | Customer Reviews: | |
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135 of 144 found the following review helpful:
 The "Gold Standard" for ChopinOct 17, 2007
By What's in a name?
This 11 CD set is absolutely fabulous. Artur Rubinstein was a great pianist, and he was at his best with Chopin. You simply will not hear better performances of Chopin than these. That is not just *my* opinion; he is widely regarded as one of the greatest interpreters of Chopin of all time. Just do a quick online search if you doubt this, and look at reviews of his other CD releases of Chopin pieces here at Amazon.com.
This is all of the pieces of Chopin that Rubinstein recorded, though it is not all of the recordings he did of Chopin (he recorded some pieces more than once; many of his earlier mono recordings are not included), and it is not all of the pieces that Chopin wrote (because Rubinstein never recorded all of what Chopin wrote). If one wants all of the works of Chopin, one should still buy this set, but one would need to buy a few other CDs of other people performing the few pieces of Chopin that Rubinstein never recorded.
10 of the 11 discs were recorded in the late 1950's & 1960's in good quality stereo sound (though obviously not as high fidelity as is possible now). The last disc was recorded in the 1940's, so the sound is not great, and is mono. Nevertheless, it is still listenable, and the performances are still superb.
It comes with a nice, informative, multi-lingual booklet. English is one of the included languages.
You should buy this set before they raise the price; it is great. This set would be worth buying even if they charged normal retail prices for the CDs (which would be somewhere around $200 for this many discs). I bought an earlier release of this set for around $100 some years ago, and was very happy with the deal. (My brother bought a set of this release, so I know about this particular release, too, and that it includes a multi-lingual booklet, etc.) At the price Amazon is currently selling it, buy before they change their minds and charge what it is really worth!
If you like Chopin, the only way you could possibly be disappointed with this is if you must have current state of the art sound quality, or you have deviant taste in how Chopin should be performed. There simply is no other way you could be dissatisfied.
139 of 152 found the following review helpful:
 Gorgeous, UNBEATABLE VALUE, but NOT THE BEST Out ThereJan 31, 2009
By Gengler
It's somewhat dismaying to read reviews that begin with something like "Obviously, Rubinstein was a great famous pianist, and this is one of the greatest Chopin recordings EVER!" Clearly, there's no argument with the opening - Rubinstein was one of the titans of the keyboard during the 20th century, and many of his recordings still provide tremendous enjoyment. But for this listener, these justly famous recordings of Chopin - far from complete - are neither the finest examples of this pianist's legacy nor the finest recordings of the works themselves.
I highly recommend this set for the casual listener, who wants to have some Chopin in his or her collection. You can pick it up on amazon currently for about $21 (for 11 discs!!) For that price, this set will sate your appetite, and provide hours - if not a lifetime - of listening pleasure.
For the student of music, or piano, or simply the more discerning listener/collector, this set should be - and needs to be - heard in context. Rubinstein was in his "early" senior years when the recordings were made. Gone is the flamboyance, and risk taking of his youth. In its place was a golden, burnished piano tone, and careful - oh so careful - playing. Careful is good. Careful is meticulous. Careful is boring.
There are those who will jump all over me for suggesting this (particularly those who end the first sentence of their review with the word "EVER!") but there is a monotony associated with this set of recordings - a beautiful monotony to be sure, but a monotony none the less. The playing works for the beautiful Nocturnes and Waltzes, but is far less successful for, say, the Mazurkas which sound like cocktail hour at a senior center.
After two or three discs all the playing begins to sound the same. By five discs it sounds like an interminable concert of notes written by Chopin. Halfway through, you may fall asleep. Beauty without drama has a tendency to become deadly. For fans of Rubinstein - and I count myself as one of his bigger ones out there, I strongly suggest you explore the recently re-issued remasters from the Rubinstein Collection. While sound quality of the earliest recordings in the series varies - the 1930s recordings of the Mazurkas for example - most of the discs sound very, very good. It's the playing, the musicianship, that is in a different league. You can practically see the townsfolk dance to these Mazurkas as you listen to Rubinstein's gleeful, swinging playing from his youth.
These justly famous recordings from the 1960s - Rubinstein's only stereo recordings of Chopin - do not represent this great artist in his prime - this is the playing of an elder stateman. For pop fans, it would be like gaining your inital exposure to Paul McCartney through a listen of Chaos and Confusion In The Backyard and wondering what all the fuss over Beatlemania was about. It's pretty, yet bland - and hardly memorable. Unfortunately, this is true of Rubinstein's final recordings of Chopin as well.
(Although Rubinstein was capable of stupendous playing in his later years, he seldom attained such heights in the controlled legacy atmosphere of the studio. Check out his famous Carnegie Hall concert Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 42or the rarer, and God-like playing of his 1960s Moscow concert Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 62: Recital in Moscow. Better yet, WATCH Rubinstein in Moscow on this recently issued DVD of the performance Classic Archive: Artur Rubinstein - The Legendary Moscow Recital
In conclusion - this is a fine introductory purchase, or second set for the bookshelf. For lovers of the piano however, I strongly urge readers to heed the advice of another reviewer for this listing C. Pontis Tholin (as I did) and explore Garrick Ohlsson's magnificent traversal of Chopin music - all of it. Ohllson's recordings dust off this music and take it out of the salon. His performances sparkle, and provide each and every work with a distinquishing sparkle and personality, bringing Chopin to life as never before. Complete Works Truly revelatory. If you're interested, make sure you check out the pricing at amazon.com/uk. (NOTE - 6/10 - The Ohlsson set is routinely listed on Amazon for about $62 from an overseasl vendor who is reliable - I know because I purchased a set from this vendor as gift for a friend! - At this price, the Hyperion set is a steal)
For Rubinstein lovers, let me also recommend Harvey Sachs' great biography of the master, which you can currently pick up on amazon for a little over a dollar. A great read, Sachs' biography will further your appreciation of this great artist and his music.
51 of 53 found the following review helpful:
Can't Afford Not to Own This SetJan 07, 2008
By J. Grant
"Reviews for the average Joe"
There may be better (according to your taste) individual recordings of Chopin's works contained in this set, but not that much better, and certainly not at this price. Artists such as Arrau (Etudes, which aren't in this set & his darker Nocturnes), Moravec's Ballades, Michelangeli's Sonata No.2, Kapell's Mazurkas & Pollini's Preludes come to mind. That being said, Rubinstein's interpretations of all of these works are also outstanding, and nobody can touch him on the Waltzes (well, maybe Lipatti). The only minor disappointment of this set is the subpar recording quality of the Preludes, but the playing of them is still very nice and quite listenable. If you don't already own these works, this is definately the place to start (especially at less than $3 a CD), and if you don't know Rubinstein's sophisticated and aristrocratic readings of Chopin, you must see what you're missing. Highly recommended.
**At the time I printed this review the price was $27.99**
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
 Rubinstein's stereos were not his best playingSep 08, 2010
By kaream
Rubinstein made studio recordings of Chopin's piano works during three distinct periods: early recordings during 1928-1939, a more mature series of mono recordings from 1946 to 1958, and then a series of stereo retakes from 1959 to 1967. I largely agree with G Engler's review for the thoughtful comments on Rubinstein's playing at various phases in his career.
The more extensive and relatively complete sets of the named genres are dated as follows:
--Scherzos: 1932, 1949, and 1959;
--Polonaises: 1934-35, 1950-51, and 1964;
--Nocturnes: 1936-37, 1949-50, and 1965;
--Mazurkas: 1938-39, 1952-53, and 1965-66;
--Waltzes: 1953, and 1963; and
--Impromptus: 1953-54, and 1964.
(I'm aware of only the 1959 complete set of the Ballades.)
To some extent I can understand people's desire for the very best recording technology, but to me this is always of *much* less consequence than the playing itself. I'm willing to put up with some pretty mediocre audio quality for listening to musicianship that strikes me as sympathetically reflecting the composer's background, intent and mood, but I have no time for the best SACD renditions of many popular and acclaimed performers I can think of. Music is never just notes to be played, no matter how technically skillful the performer.
None of Rubinstein's different Chopin recordings can be considered "youthful" - he was already 40 years old when he began these earliest recordings. Nevertheless there are clearly many stylistic differences between his playing in the 1930s and that of the two later series. Unfortunately - and it is indeed unfortunate - by the time Rubinstein began re-recording much of his Chopin in stereo, to replace the mostly discontinued monos that can now be difficult to find, his playing had become, as Engler says, careful, polished, and bland.
But I don't think this description is true of his second mono series. I find the earliest recordings from the 1930s to be both interesting and generally exciting, but if there's such a thing as "definitive" Rubinstein playing Chopin, it's the work he did from the mid-1940s to the mid-'50s. By then his style had settled down, and he knew how he wanted to approach the various pieces, but he still retained his verve and élan that tend to go missing in the later stereos, even though stylistically the two later sets are generally quite similar. For all that the stereos may be more pleasing to audiophiles, the mid-period mono series has much more satisfying playing.
In a way we have Rubinstein to look to for our present sense of what Chopin should sound like. In their own times, Paderewski and then Cortot were each held out to be the most Chopinesque of interpreters - but neither sounds much like the other, or much like Rubinstein, and both can seem foreign to our modern ears. Most Chopin that we now hear is directly descended from Rubinstein's pioneering interpretation and playing.
-------------------
Addendum:
Several reviewers have noted (or complained) that unlike some newer recordings of Chopin by other pianists, various musical genres and individual pieces are missing from this box, or from other sources of Rubinstein's playing. The explanation for this is simple. Rubinstein played and recorded before RCA and other labels started demanding that performers record complete-absolutely-everything of a composer, and thus he played only those pieces that he personally liked and felt comfortable with.
He did record, specifically as sets, the 4 Ballades, the 4 Scherzos, the 51 Mazurkas, 19 of the 21 Nocturnes, 14 of the 19 Waltzes, and 7 of the various Polonaises. He made one recording, in 1946, of 24 of the 26 Preludes; and he never recorded either of the two sets of Etudes at all. Most of these pieces were written by Chopin at different times, and have been given different opus numbers; it's not conceivable that Chopin ever imagined anyone playing, or listening to, more than two hours of mazurkas at one sitting, one right after another.
Much of Rubinstein's Schumann and virtually all of his Brahms piano pieces are sublime - more than any other pianist I know of, Rubinstein manages to inhabit the living spirit of Brahms - but here he was far choosier in which pieces he wanted to play and felt entirely comfortable with. He recorded this and that from here and there - so that altogether there are very few of them, and none at all of the Brahms as a set.
Just enjoy what he chose to give us - and wish that the "outdated" second mono series of Chopin were not so difficult to find and collect. This is not Rubinstein's fault, but rather a lack of due appreciation by RCA.
22 of 25 found the following review helpful:
One for the agesFeb 08, 2008
By Mark Hennicke
Perhaps no other pianist is so indelibly linked to one composer's music than Artur Rubinstein is to the works of Chopin. One might think of Glenn Gould & Bach, but even the renowned Canadian virtuoso's recordings of JSB are not held in such high esteem as Rubinstein's Chopin catalog. Rubinstein has such an affinity for this music,and performs the works with such a master's touch, that the listener immediately developes an especially affectionate bond with this marvellous 11-cd set from RCA Victor.These performances are some of the absolutely great treasures in the history of recorded music. They have such a wide appeal that they instantly become a must have for your cd library, made all the more tempting by the super-bargain price offered on this re-mastered box set.
Highly recommended & definitely not to be missed!
See all 42 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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