Alexeev takes only 1'48'' over the so-called 'Minute' Waltz as against Ashkenazy's 1'50'', and is also slightly faster in a couple of the posthumous extras too. For the rest, the most startling difference between these two Russian contenders is Alexeev's liking for leisurely tempos. He presents an older, more reflective Chopin, whereas from Ashkenazy we meet a composer at once more impressionable and lighter on his toes. Sometimes I prefer Alexeev's greater simplicity, his ability to integrate contrasting sections into a unified whole. At other times I prefer Ashkenazy's immediacy, his livelier fantasy and charm. Both performances, in their very different ways, are distinguished enough to justify buying them both, though don't forget that an earlier generation, namely Lipatti (EMI) and Rubinstein (RCA) have found their way on to CD too. As for the quality of sound, I was a little more aware on the Decca CD that Ashkenazy's (initially LP) waltzes had been recorded at very different times in very different places, some more warm than others. alexeev, who completed his own set in a Highgate church on two consecutive days in November 1984, emerges consistently mellow. '