Listening to Janusz Olejniczak’s two-disc set of Mazurkas is like stepping back in time, to an age when interpretation of this most idiosyncratic corner of Chopin’s oeuvre was richly evocative, spontaneously evanescent and, above all, deeply personal. On occasion I was reminded of the insightful conviction Maryla Jonas brought to these dances. Yet Olejniczak’s readings are by no means overly indulgent or eccentric, nor do they seem mere reminiscences of old ways and means. Olejniczak doesn’t shy from a liberal application of rubato, but it is invariably born of the life of the phrase and never threatens a sure-footed dance pulse. Consistent with the Fryderyk Chopin Institute’s ‘Real Chopin’ series, Olejniczak uses a beautiful, straight-strung 1849 Erard, which the engineers have faithfully captured in all its delicate variety of colour and nuance.

Of so many highlights, the following will perhaps hint at the piquant atmosphere of these performances. The exquisite phrasing so prominent in the Op 6 set is especially evident in the aristocratically restrained No 1. Effusively joyful Mazurkas such as Op 17 No 1, Op 33 No 2 and Op 63 No 1 maintain an irresistible lilt, though the high spirits of Op 24 No 1 are tempered by wistful nostalgia. The men’s stamping dance, Op 41 No 3, is robust and tinged with subtle wit. Devastating tragedy in Op 56 No 3 in C minor is underscored by an ineffable sense of not knowing where to turn. Rhetorical poise lends Op 17 No 2 heart-rending eloquence. The deservedly famous F minor Mazurka, Op 63 No 2, avoids tears in favour of a quiet dignity, despite its pervasive sadness. Embellishments are executed with extraordinary finesse throughout.

As Jeffrey Kallberg reminds us, Chopin wasn’t transmitting folk music in the ethnographic sense of Bartók or Kodály but creating what we have come to consider a characteristic Polish sound. The variety of approaches invited by the Mazurkas is evident in two excellent traversals that have appeared recently, those of Dmitri Alexeev and Pavel Kolesnikov. Olejniczak’s performances are no less strikingly original and, through his use of a historical instrument, complementary. All three may be considered worthy representatives in a proud tradition that includes Rosenthal, Koczalski, Hofmann and Rubinstein.