Russian Piano School, Vol. 17
If you are already a fan of Ashkenazy's piano playing, then this CD may not be interesting to you. To my ears most of Ashkenazy's Chopin recordings have seemed sterile and lifeless, with all the right ideas but no passion behind them. So it's fascinating to return to this recording, among the few he made before leaving the USSR, to hear the pianist who aroused so much excitement when he was still in his teens. It's not the most mature Chopin playing, perhaps, but the impulse behind the playing is palpable. And the Liszt is spectacular! -- Leslie Gerber

