Heaven's soundtrack

Absolutely beautiful piano pieces composed by Chopin and played with supreme skill and emotional intensity by pianist Ivan Moravec.

This particular release includes all 19 of Chopin's nocturnes, here recording in 1965 by Moravec. The sound quality is rich, free of hiss or distortion. Each note played is clearly and cleanly captured.

The included booklet contains a track listing and a 6-page 1965 essay on the composer by James Lyons, then editor of The American Record Guide.

No amount of praise I could give this music would come close to matching that already bestowed upon Chopin, but I do have to say that this is some of the most moving stuff I've ever had the pleasure to hear.

And I'm not a classical geek by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, I primarily listen to rock, electronic, blues, jazz, some country, and some hip-hop. Until a few weeks ago my only exposure to classical music was the ubiquitous stuff used in pop culture like Beethoven's Fifth. But this music by Chopin has inspired me to give a closer look to the genre. I hope you will, too, and to that end I can't recommend this two-CD set enough.

10/10