Maurizio Pollini – Chopin: Polonaises [Stereo] (The Original Source Series 45 RPM Edition)

(AAA) — Lacquers cut from the original analog master tapes by Sidney Meyer at Emil Berliner Studios.

Maurizio Pollini's recordings of the Polonaises, which have now achieved classic status, are now available as part of the Original Source series. Pollini's playing is characterized by both outstanding mastery and subtle poetry. His highest achievement is to suggest the immediacy of inspired improvisation while preserving the shapely unity of a preconceived whole. To ensure optimal audio quality, the work was remastered from the original 4-track tapes, cut into 45rpm and distributed over two LPs.

„Maurizio Pollini makes it virtually impossible to imagine Chopin's polonaises with greater clarity, power and resolution. With him there is not the slightest inaccuracy or slip-up: everything is ruthless, even frighteningly concentrated and reduced to the essentials.“ – Gramophone

The audiophile vinyl series The Original Source showcases outstanding recordings from the 1970's in a whole new sound quality. For this, the renowned Emil Berliner Studios remastered and edited the original four - and eight-track tapes using technologies developed specifically for the production of the series in 100% analog quality (AAA). The tonal differences from the original releases are considerable: greater clarity, more subtleties and improvements in frequency response, as well as less background noise, distortion and compression enable an audiophile listening experience like never before.

On 180g vinyl and in a deluxe gatefold edition with original covers and lyrics, copies of this series are released limited and numbered, accompanied by additional photographs and facsimiles of the recording logs and tape boxes.

Tracklisting:

LP 1

Side A
1. Chopin: Polonaise No. 1 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 26 No. 1
2. Chopin: Polonaise No. 2 in E-Flat Minor, Op. 26 No. 2

Side B
1. Chopin: Polonaise No. 3 in A Major, Op. 40 No. 1 „Military“
2. Chopin: Polonaise No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 40 No. 2

LP2

Side C
1. Chopin: Polonaise No. 5 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 44
2. Chopin: Polonaise No. 6 in A-Flat Major, Op. 53 „Heroic“

Side D
1. Chopin: Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-Flat Major, Op. 61

(Above description from DeutscheGrammophon.com)