Chopin Piano Sonatas - The Scotsman

Pianist Artur Pizarro's strong-minded approach to Chopin sits easily with the two monumental piano sonatas - Nos 2 and 3 - on his second Chopin disc for Scots-based Linn. From the brooding, often pejoratively positioned Funeral March of the B flat minor sonata to the grandiloquent opening of the B minor, Pizarro unravels their expressive worlds with an appealing mix of solid intelligence, malleable sensitivity and self-expressing bravado. He includes the flighty Variations Brillantes and ubiquitous F-sharp Barcarolle as succulent palate cleansers.