Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23
Ballade No. 2 in F major, Op. 38
Ballade No. 3 in A flat major, Op. 47
Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52
Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48
Valse in E minor
Grande Valse brillante in F major, Op. 34
Nocturne in D flat major, Op. 27
Polonaise "Héroique" in A flat major, Op. 53
Polonaise-Fantaisie in A flat major, Op. 61

As I was listening to this new CD of various piano works of Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) performed by French pianist Jean-Paul Gasparian, I kept thinking to myself: "This must be a 'live' recording because you never quite get this much emotionally charged energy from a studio recording". But when I checked the liner notes and booklet I couldn't find any indication that this was in fact a 'live' recording. But yet during some of the more highly passionate and emotionally tense passages within this music, Jean-Paul Gasparian really gets fired up. So much so at times that I feared he would collapse under the nervous tension and lose his technical grip and narrative focus. But instead quite the opposite occurs. He captures and projects Chopin's passion and romantic ideal to such a feverish pitch that you hear and feel Chopin's total mastery of and kindred connection to the piano. Under the composer's hands the piano was not just an instrument but a channel through which to express life itself. And that is what Gasparian realizes so well and by doing so recreates Chopin's intent and brings each and every piece to life. I'm surprised the piano was still standing following the stupendous dynamic demands he imposes on it during the Polonaise "Héroique". Plus he can just as well bring out all of the poetic and harmonic voluptuousness embedded in the Nocturnes. This is Jean-Paul Gasparian's second only solo recording and a clear indication that he is a musical force to watch.