Byron Janis Plays Chopin - Waltzes, Nocturnes & Mazurkas

This disc marked the return of Byron Janis to recordings after more than two decades. His career was curtailed by arthritis, but he can still play short recitals and he decided to try recording again after a long absence. Those who followed Janis's career will notice the absence of any of Chopin's more virtuosic music from this program, a bit surprising because he made his reputation with the most difficult music in the repertoire. As if expression had been pent up in him for decades, he goes musically out to the edge in these works, taking lots of chances and risking excess. His chances and risks work, at least for this listener; I find the disc full of insight and beauty. --Leslie Gerber