Franco-Lebanese pianist and composer Abdel Rahman el Bacha has had a distinguished career since his win, in 1978, at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition, an international event held in Brussels for outstanding musicians at the start of their career. His French training shows on this elegant and stylish album, which combines Chopin’s four scherzi and four ballades, works that were composed at the same time. The scherzi are sparkling and transcendental, while the ballades are like old stories told to friends—and el Bacha is a generous guide to them all. There’s a clarity to his playing that admits a wonderfully appealing poetry and fantasy.