Chopin: Nocturnes

Linn

Ingrid Fliter’s fondness for Chopin is implicit in the highly personalised poeticism of her recordings to date, and in this intriguing survey of the Nocturnes – ordered in such a way as to create an organic sequence in which key relations and mood swings hold you in thrall to the end – the Argentine-born pianist applies the same affectionate originality that marks her out as an inspired performer.

There is finesse and a natural flexibility that allows every phrase to sing, but there is also a thankful lack of superficiality. Fliter applies robust tone quality in every quarter, which could so easily tip the balance towards heavy-handedness, but which actually imbues every single moment with shapeliness and selfbelief.

More than anything, though, these are a series of performances governed by an eager sense of wondrous exploration. There is both fresh naivety and mature authority.