Music and Vinyl: Chopin - Polonaises Op.40 1 & 2

The 1976 recording by Maurizio Pollini of Polonaises by Frédéric Chopin is one of the latest to get Deutsche Grammophon's Original Source treatment - remastering from the original 4-track tapes by Emil Berliner Studios. This playlist of FAQ videos from EBS makes for a fascinating look at the project.

For this release, the album has been spread over 4 sides playing at 45rpm for additional clarity. Side 2 contains the two Opus 40 Polonaises. No.1 in A major gained the nickname Military, and if this is heroic in nature, then No.2 in C minor is tragic.

Back in 2019 I posted a performance of the Military polonaise by John Ogdon.