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I got some good advice here a while back on recordings (CDs) of Beethoven piano sonatas. I ended up getting the collected works by Pollini and have been enjoying them.

Now I would like some suggestions for performances (CDs) of works by Chopin, if you would care to share them. I understand that no one performer is "best" for everything Chopin wrote and I am willing to sample as needed.

Thanks in advance.

You won't go wrong with this big - and cheap - box:

https://www.amazon.com/Chopin-Compl...r=8-1&keywords=complete+chopin+17+cd

Zimerman in the concertos and ballades, Pollini in the polonaises & études & sonatas, Ashkenazy in the mazurkas and waltzes, Pires in the nocturnes, Blechacz in the préludes, Rostropovich & Argerich in the cello & piano works......

Hi, Stubbie -- Only intended as a quick "first shot", but I'll put in a vote for Ivan Moravec on much of Chopin's body of work. It's interesting that you bring it up, because I can't think of a pianist who specialized in "all" of Chopin -- unlike many others who've made a point of recording all Beethoven Sonatas, or all Bach keyboard music, etc.

Make sure to check out Pollini's recording of the first piano concerto with Kletkzi and the Philharmonia. Also Ashkenazy's etudes and Rubinstein's nocturnes.

I am a big fan of Andrei Gavrilov and Nadia Reisenberg

That's a really great set indeed.

I would also recommend the recordings by Guiovar Novaes.

I have enjoyed - Chopin: The Complete Works performed by Garrick Ohlsson. There are 16 CD's in the collection.

Ahh, I wondered if Ohlsson would come up. I'm rather curious what he made of the 1st piano sonata assuming he recorded it.

Thank you all for the suggestions. More?

Well you could go Kissin if that's your bag, or Horowitz, if that's your bag. You'll get some pretty "interesting" renditions from them. Personally I'm a Kissin fan, but never quite sure about Horowitz.

Ashkenasy.

Nikolai Petrov.

Martha Argerich.

Valentina Lisitsa.

I guess I have to mention Yuja Wang if you want slightly more pretty, playful interpretations.

I would tend to go Zimerman as my personal favourite, as it goes, but he's already been mentioned.

I have complete sets by both Rubinstein and Ohlsson, but the one I keep going back to is Rubinstein. But he didn't record the Etudes and I'm not sure I'm crazy about his Preludes. If I had to repurchase a Chopin collection from scratch, I'd get Rubinstein's complete collection. And Alfred Cortot - there's a remastered set that's really good, although it's not just Chopin. Between those two, that would be a nice Chopin collection.

I have all Rubinstein Chopin collections. Poilini Etudes, Zimerman Ballades & Concertos, Ashkenazy Waltz & Ballades, Arrau Nocturnes & Etudes, Lipati Waltz, Cortot Etudes, Argerich Concertos ,and some Horowitz

All those are great references but I don't necessary like all of their interpretations.

Dinu Lipatti’s small oeuvre of Chopin recordings is pure bliss. I also relish any Chopin played by Perahia.

Ivo Pogorelich is/was a controversial pianist but his interpretations are always very interesting and original. I actually like his Chopin a lot; his performances at the 1980 Chopin competition are unique and refreshing. No doubt his wife/piano teacher had an overwhelming influence on his playing since he seems to have fallen apart after her death (there is an interesting documentary on him with interviews of them both alluding to this).

Stanislav Bunin, Chopin gold medalist in 1985, is another Chopin player whose recordings I like a lot (in particular, the recordings of his playing during the Chopin competition -fabulous- no wonder he won). Some of his Bach playing is terrific as well.

You might be the only other person to mention this in the past 6 years.

I have really liked Dinu Lipatti’s waltzes, although I haven't spent as much time listening to Chopin's waltzes as some of his other works.

My first "real" introduction to Chopin was playing Ivo Pogorelich's Preludes over and over for about two years. I love them, but I may have more of a sentimental attachment to his version rather than a solid rationale for my preference.

I really like Brigitte Engerer's Nocturnes -- but when I play them side by side with Rubinstein, I can't choose which one I like better.

The best version of the main 14 waltzes - ever - is Krystian Zimerman's, which has brilliance and poetry in abudance plus witty touches, as well as plenty of ardour. Beside him, Lipatti sounds somewhat stiff and 'pushy'.

Unfortunately, Zimerman has suppressed any re-release of the recording (originally issued on LP and cassette tape), which will probably never see the light of day again. Luckily, I bought the tape when it came out....

While I'm here, I might as well list my favourite versions of the other categories:

Sonatas 2 & 3: Zimerman (live concert performances - still on YT?) and Pletnev for No.2
Études: Ashkenazy (first recording), Pollini (first recording) and Lisiecki
Polonaises: Pollini
Préludes: Pollini
Ballades, Barcarolle, Fantaisie, Andante spianato et grande polonaise: Zimerman
Scherzi: Pletnev (Carnegie Hall, live)
Impromptus: Ohlsson
Nocturnes: Pires
Mazurkas: Michelangeli (small selection only) and Ohlsson (complete)
Cello Sonata etc: Rostropovich & Argerich
Concertos: Zimerman (with his Polish Festival Orchestra) - if too idiosyncratic for your taste, he has also recorded them with Guilini and Kondrashin.

These are Zimerman's YT performances of the mature sonatas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWN9WC0NW3g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEU_rzYwTCo
The passion & sheer fury of the finale has to be heard to be believed - this is from his UK debut recital in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London in 1977, which was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. Unfortunately there is some strange distortion-like noise (possibly from a poor-quality cassette tape) in this YT sound, which wasn't on the BBC tape.

These are all wonderful suggestions. I actually like Kissin’s Concertos when he was 12. Pollini’s concerto is outstanding. Josef Hofmann on the second is quite good and anything done by Alfred Cortot.

Here I am, listening to it right now (yes, it's included in the boxed set) but I really can't give an opinion of it. Which probably means it's adequate. Or it may mean that I'm not an informed enough listener to know what I'm hearing.

I am a huge fan of Janina Fialkowska. I find her Chopin interpretations to really resonate with me. Her story is also very inspiring to me (she lost the use of one of her arms due to cancer for a long period of time, but fought to be able to play with both again.)

http://fialkowska.com/discography.html

I've found all of her albums available for streaming (I use Google PlayMusic.)