The only problem with Pavel Kolesnikov's splendid new Chopin collection is that one would have liked the Russian pianist to have recorded all of the mazurkas rather than just the two dozen here.
These dances may not share the finessed elegance of the composer's popular nocturnes and waltzes, but theydo show a man locked into the sophisticated world of Parisian concert halls and salons, hearkening back to his Polish heritage. Little wonder American writer James Huneker described them as "dances of the soul."
Some may be surprised by the startling earthiness of these pieces, with ingenious harmonic and rhythmic touches that look forward to the folk-inspired music of Grieg and Bartok.
Kolesnikov's choices are revealing. Three sets of mazurkas are presented complete, if scattered through the disc. Yet, only one number has been selected from the final Opus 68 set, omitting Chopin's very last composition, a whispered F minor elegy, with vertiginous chromaticism that looks forward to Wagner's Tristan and Isolde.
Exquisitely recorded at Wyastone Estate's concert hall last year, Kolesnikov's special blend of artistry and imagination catches the individuality of each dance. A seven-minute C minor mazurka unfolds with a real sense of drama while the second A minor work on the disc, with finely gauged rubato, almost comes across as inspired improv.
It is easy to smirk at the purple prose that music has inspired, particularly in the 19th century. Chopin's friend Liszt, astonished at the scope of these pieces, heard gasping breath and stifled fears in one, whilst another had him borne into the heart of a whirlwind. The shadowy rhythms of yet another suggested two lovers gazing upon the first star of the evening.
Any interpretative scenarios that present-day listeners might concoct would doubtlessly be a good deal less fulsome but, such is the evocative power of these performances that creating your own stories may well be unavoidable.
What: Chopin, Mazurkas (Hyperion, through Ode Records) Rating: 5/5 Verdict: Young Russian pianist uncovers Chopin's Polish heritage
