We usually think of Chopin as the creator of exquisite miniatures: all those lovely preludes, mazurkas, and waltzes. But Chopin also has a bolder, visionary aspect, heard in the piano sonatas and in these eight exciting pieces. Whether or not the Ballades were actually written to express the content of narrative poems (a subject still debated by musicologists), they tell exciting stories. And the scherzos—Chopin uses that term to denote the contrasting content of each piece, not humorous qualities—are equally bold and large-scale in their conception. It takes a very wide range of pianistic abilities to do justice to these pieces. It's not enough to master their fearsome technical hurdles; the performer also has to give voice to the inner expressive qualities of the music, and to project equally well the stormier and more contemplative moments. Other pianists have given us memorable recordings of the music, but this disc captures Rubinstein at the height of his powers: every moment is alive with meaning. And the 1960s stereo still sounds excellent. —Leslie Gerber