A downward adjustment of volume is necessary when following Ashkenazy's Decca performances with Pollini's, the latter being loud, hard-toned, of consistently surpassing brilliance. Ashkenazy draws poetry even from Op. 10 No. 2, which is mainly an exercise for the outer fingers of the right hand, whereas with Pollini one is more aware of the mechanical element, as in Op. 10 No. 8. In Op. 10 No. 4 Pollini evokes Horowitz (RCA Victrola VH002, 4/74—nla), and in such pieces has an advantage, as Ashkenazy does in, for example, the nocturnal Op. 25 No. 7. Pollini is usually faster, in a few cases considerably so, as his 4'50'' against Ashkenazy's 5'46'' in Op. 25 No. 7 or 2'03'' against Ashkenazy's 3'16'' in Op. 10 No. 10, the arpeggio Etude, indicate.
In some instances, such as the 'black keys' Etude, Op. 10 No. 5, one feels Pollini's brillinace is excessive, although this is partly a matter of the brittle tone of DG's recording, somewhat accentuated by CD. The Decca is a truer recording of piano sound. Sometimes Pollini unduly dramatizes small events, yet in the Revolutionary Etude, Op. 10 No. 12, as JW said when reviewing the LP, he glories in the music's violence, whereas it is Ashkenazy who is more sensitive to the work's drama.
In the last three overwhelming pieces of Op. 25, also, one feels that the tensions run deeper in Ashkenazy's interpretations. At best, Pollini is very exciting, Ashkenazy very moving. Both are essential to a comprehensive Chopin collection, but Ashkenazy's is the disc I play more often.'