Maurizio Pollini burst onto the world's music scene by winning the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1960. Arthur Rubinstein, who led the jury, declared Pollini the winner of the competition, allegedly saying: "that boy can play the piano better than any of us." Soon afterwards, he made this peerless recording of Frederic Chopin's Concerto No. 1 in E Minor Op. 11 for EMI in April 1960, his first commercial recording.

In The Gramophone's original November 1960 review, R.F. remarked: "Orchestral accompaniment and balance are worthy of the solo playing. I have never heard the opening given with such fire. The orchestra stays on its toes throughout, and Kletzki makes a splendid job of following every variation of tempo. I do not ever expect to hear the concerto played better..."