Hi-Res Downloads

192kHz/24-bit FLAC/ALAC, Linn Records CKD 455 (supplied by www.linnrecords.com)

Silver medallist in the 2000 Warsaw Chopin Competition, Argentinian pianist Ingrid Fliter has made two Chopin CDs for EMI and on Vai Audio there’s an earlier live recital. This is her first recording for Linn where she’s partnered by Munich born Jun Märkl, who skilfully animates Chopin’s not always persuasive orchestral scoring – those slow-movement cantabiles for bassoon! The piano is boldly upfront, as the mic placements seen in the Usher Hall session photos (in the booklet PDF) would imply. Fliter’s interpretations can easily withstand the scrutiny: her runs are a joy to hear; and I don’t know a more expressive recorded account of the Larghetto from Concerto No 2 (the better of the two works but in fact completed a year earlier). ‘In the great tradition, rich-toned and generous…’ said the Guardian review; a fine coupling. CB

Sound Quality: 85%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

Downloaded from Linn’s Studio Master store, this 192kHz rendering is just what it says on the tin. Of course, the natural bandwidth of the piano means that most of the musical energy resides in the first 10kHz of its ~80kHz bandwidth. PM