COMPOSERS: Chopin
LABELS: Philips Duo
WORKS: Mazurkas, Opp. 6, 7, 17, 24, 30, 33, 41, 50, 56, 59, 63, 67 & 68; Impromptus; Berceuse in D flat, Op. 57
PERFORMER: Alexander Uninsky (piano)
CATALOGUE NO: 442 574-2 ADD (1960/71)
Alexander Uninsky was never a real frontliner among pianists, even in his own day, but he played better than a lot who were. Today his name is barely remembered, if at all, and it’s therefore doubly disappointing that Philips provides no information about him in this beautifully remastered and rewarding collection. Born in Kiev in 1910, Uninsky’s affinity with Chopin was soon evident and in 1932 he won first prize at the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Listening to his playing here, recorded more than three decades ago, it’s not hard to see why. If not quite in the Horowitz, Rubinstein, Friedman class, he was nevertheless a supremely elegant and pianistically subtle virtuoso, who always put the music first and deserved more recognition than he was given. Maybe this two-disc set will help to redress the balance. Jeremy Siepmann
Chopin: Mazurkas, Opp. 6, 7, 17, 24, 30, 33, 41, 50, 56, 59, 63, 67 & 68; Impromptus; Berceuse in D flat, Op. 57
Alexander Uninsky was never a real frontliner among pianists, even in his own day, but he played better than a lot who were. Today his name is barely remembered, if at all, and it’s therefore doubly disappointing that Philips provides no information about him in this beautifully remastered and rewarding collection. Born in Kiev in 1910, Uninsky’s affinity with Chopin was soon evident and in 1932 he won first prize at the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Listening to his playing here, recorded more than three decades ago, it’s not hard to see why.
Our rating
5
Published: January 20, 2012 at 3:13 pm