My recommendations for Chopin recordings

The New York Times recently came out with its recommended Chopin recordings on this, his bicentennial year.  Here are my recommendations (links are to my reviews):

* Concertos: Zimerman - Primakov
* Ballades: Rubinstein - Perahia
* Etudes: Perahia - Wild
* Impromptus: Rubinstein (1960s version) - Perahia
* Mazurkas: Rubinstein (1930s version) - Ohlsson (also, selected Mazurkas from Horowitz and Kapell)
* Nocturnes: Rubinstein (1930s version) - Pires
* Polonaises: Rubinstein (1950s version) - Ohlsson [Ohlsson's version also includes rarely heard early polonaises]
* Preludes: Argerich - Ohlsson
* Scherzos: Rubinstein (1930s version) - Pogorelich (because every piano collection should have some unadulterated wierdness)
* Sonata No. 1: Why bother? But if you must, go with Ohlsson or Ashkenazy.  (Addendum, 2014: Primakov now reigns supreme in this work.
* Sonata No. 2: Rubinstein (1960s version) - Horowitz (1962 version)
* Sonata No. 3: Kapell - Rubinstein
* Waltzes: Lipatti - Rubinstein (preferably both the 1953 and 1963 versions, which are very different from each other)

Miscellaneous compositions:
* Trois Nouvelle Etudes: Rubinstein (1958 version preferably over 1960s version)
* Introduction and Rondo, Op. 16: Horowitz
* Berceuse: Rubinstein (1958) - Cherkassky


Arthur Rubinstein and Vladimir Horowitz.  Two giants of Chopin interpretation with vastly diverging styles.