not subjective, not distorted, not doctrinaire, and most important not mere mimicry of such authoritative Polish-born masters as Ignaz Friedman and Andrzej Wasowski. Somehow (I would love to know how) Halim speaks what is essentially a forgotten rhythmic language‚the language Chopin wrote the mazurkas in‚with the command and persuasiveness of a contemporary native speaker. The same is true of the two Polonaises, which have a tad more nationalist strut about them but are likewise realized with a kaleidoscopic variety of rhythms (and we remember that even Polish pianists have not sounded like this for the better part of a century). The nocturnes are multi-layered, with every line having an independent integrity, and realized with similar care. The sonata, saved for last, is the work of a more serious, ìpublicî Chopin, and it is played that way, with great attention to detail but also a fine sense of architecture.