Chopin: Piano Concertos

Argentinian pianist Ingrid Fliter and German conductor Jun Märkl, working with an orchestra that's rather smaller than the norm for this repertoire, are at one in taking a lighter than usual approach to Chopin's two youthful piano concertos. Märkl ensures that there's no sense of stodge in Chopin's much criticised orchestration, and he often secures a kind of chamber music-like interplay between wind solos and pianist. Fluidity and freedom are Fliter's hallmarks, and she often caresses and curves time with a sense of magic that eliminates the rigidity of the barline. She creates the illusion of having all the time in the world to weave her spells, always trying to eliminate any sense of deja-vu in the music's patterns. Thoroughly refreshing. url.ie/55bm