Ashkenazy is a joy to hear
Like every other Chopin CD that he's done, Ashkenazy is again marvelous. There is none better. It's that simple.

Not a Good Choice for Polonaises
The only value I see in this cd is that it contains some posthumous polonaises which were written by Chopin in his teens, along with other miscellaneous pieces which are hard to find. But these minor pieces are really of interest for the collector. For the mature polonaises, I will not return to listen to these recordings. Ashkenazy plays the enthusiastic fortes with insensitivity and lack of emotion. For example if you compare his rendition of the "Military" polonaise with the recording by Rubinstein on RCA, you will stop listening. Also, for some strange reason he omits the Andante spianato and Grande polonaise, Op. 22. Ashkenazy includes the famous Berceuse and Barcarolle, which gives the illusion of being a great bargain. But outside of the miscellaneous pieces, the mature Polonaises and famous pieces could fit on one disk. So this is really not a bargain. I recommend any recording by Rubinstein over the present cd, particularly the one on RCA or the 1930s EMI recording. I don't particularly care much for Pollini's recording of the Polonaises, but it is better than Ashkenazy. For the Barcarolle I recommend Dinu Lipatti, and for the Berceuse, Solomon. Ashkenazy in general has a mixed bag of recordings. Some of them, e.g. the Rachmaninov Preludes and the Chopin Ballades and Scherzi, are outstanding and near definitive. But if someone were to ask me for an example of a poor Ashkenazy recording, the present cd is the first example I would give.

Utterly powerful
Out of all the Chopin interpreters, I think Vladimir Ashkenazy tops them all. I first heard Ashkenazy's Chopin in college when I listened to his recordings of the Nocturnes, and from then on, I've been addicted. Ashkenazy takes each of Chopin's mediums--Nocturnes, Ballades, Polonaises--and gives them each a sense of individuality, a life all of their own. And his interpretations of the Polonaises are utterly unbelievable, as there is such force and such fierce passion behind the music, such a fiery enormity that doesn't waver even for a moment. Under Ashkenazy's skilled hands, the Polonaises virtually come alive. No one could have done them better.