I'd like to put in a different point of view from what's been said
so far.

I've heard only two of the Nimbus CDs in the series; "The Polish
Virtuoso" and "Hoffmann plays Chopin."  I think the first one is dazzling
and the second one not quite as good, but still very good.  I've heard
several attempts to re-create piano rolls and reissue them, going back to
the days of LPs and cassette tapes.  These Nimbus CDs are the first I've
ever heard that aren't mechanical and jerky-sounding, and I find the
dynamic range and its application to the music very convincing, too.
Perhaps these aren't perfect re-creations of the playing of the artists
they represent, but they do sound like human playing.

I played the Polish Virtuoso for a friend of mine who is a performing
concert pianist with a great interest in virtuoso playing of the past.
I didn't tell him it was done by piano rolls; he thought he was hearing
actual recordings of Hofmann, Paderewski, et al, and was astounded when
I informed him what it really was.  He thought the reproduction was
superb, and that he could detect Josef Hofmann's particular style, which
he is familiar with from 78s and LP re-recordings.

The criticisms I've seen on MMD have focused on technicalities; since we
know how these machines work and are visualizing them clacking away while
we listen, it's natural for us to focus on the machine's performance, and
allow the music to pass by almost unheard.  But if we try to forget that
we're listening to machine-made music and pretend it's a human perform-
ance, a different appreciation can result.  For me, the Nimbus CDs make
it easier to have this experience than any other piano roll recordings
I've ever heard.

Larry Lobel
Virtuoso Piano Service