Kempff's 1962 recording of Mozart's C minor Fantasy and the 1973 Schumann Kinderszenen are full of ravishing tints and improvisatory nuances. Listeners used to muscular, virtuoso-oriented Brahms playing should give Kempff's line-oriented classicism in the E-flat minor Scherzo and Op. 119 piano pieces a fair trial. The B major Op. 9 No. 3 Nocturne and Third Impromptu show Kempff's erratic Chopin legacy in its best light, while the intimately scaled, subtly shaded Three Klavierstücke uphold the pianist's well-deserved Schubert reputation.

Those who claim that Kempff was more of a musician than a pianist are directed to the 1950 Decca Liszt Two St. Francis Legends. Listen to No. 1's multi-colored trills and awesomely controlled apreggio fountains, or notice how Kempff storms through No. 2's turbulent left-hand patterns without a safety net. No doubt about it: Liszt's Legends are Kempff's legends, and alone are worth this wonderful anthology's price.

-- Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com