The Schwetzingen Festival concerts were dedicated to Chopin in 1999 on the 150th anniversary of his death. Four pianists were invited to the event. Three of them-Lilya Zilberstein, Anatole Ugorski, and Andrei Gavrilov-were 'stars' of Deutsche Grammophon. The fourth was Idil Biret, who had not attained 'star' status as it was only available to those with contracts with the so-called "major" record labels. But she had been the first pianist ever to record the complete works of Chopin for solo piano and with piano and orchestra for Naxos, received a Grand Prix du Disque Fr�d�ric Chopin in Warsaw in 1995 for this, and was to be decorated with one of the highest orders of Poland by President Kaczynsky in 2007. Idil Biret did something no other pianist could do. Dr. Peter Stieber wrote: "Your own Chopin evening was then the breath-taking testimony of a great artist. We all could experience together how in your hands the wonderful music of Chopin begun truly to blossom."

There's a wealth of character in his playing, which is deeply poetic and dignified (BBC Music Magazine of MC3102 Chopin Ballades & Impromptus) "Kvapil is considered the finest exponent of Czech piano music... A performer with such a specialized repertoire can be unfairly 'tagged'... and Kvapil's release of three Beethoven piano sonatas will certainly correct that idea." (International Record Review of MC 147 Beethoven Sonatas 10, 17, 21)

Czech Grand Master Radoslav Kvapil who made his name bringing to the Western World the vast wealth of Czech piano works from Vorisek and Dussek through to Dvorak and Janacek, here presents recent studio recordings of this cornerstone of the piano repertoire. He brings a unique insight from a lifeti me of performing.

2018 release from the French classical pianist.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Pavel Kolesnikov’s deep affinity with the music of Chopin is once again on display: immaculate performances—and an intelligently planned recital, which builds towards the epic F minor Fantasy—can only enhance the listener’s appreciation of this much-loved repertoire.

-----

REVIEW:

Kolesnikov’s Chopin is exquisite, and this disc, a delicious sequence of confections, is one of the most enjoyable Chopin recitals of recent vintage.

– BBC Record Review

Classical Music

Gerrit Zitterbart is a highly capable pianist who takes on a great deal. His cleverly assembled Chopin recital [...] leaves nothing to be desired and sets a shining example of musical creativity. Nothing of melodic, harmonic or rhythmical significance has been left out; compositional idiosyncrasies have been presented in a precise and decisive way, contexts sensitively and cleverly outlined. There's not a moment of tedium. (Der Musikmarkt)

Chopin's four Ballades are among the greatest of his works, as is the Fantasia in F minor also included on this disk. The Ballades were composed between 1835 and 1843 and are generally believed to be based upon works by the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz. This is music in the style of the medieval troubador, with singing lyrical sections alternating with music of wild passions, big chords, chromatic passages, and virtuosic runs. The first and fourth ballades, in G minor and F minor, tend to be more stormy and passionate while the second and third, in F major and A flat major are more reflective and lyrical. Biret gives a beautiful rendition of this music with beautiful, free rhythm, attention to dynamics and phrasing, and a full use of the resources of the piano. She captures magnificently the wild, virtuosic concluding passages in the first and fourth ballades.

Classical Music

Richter Archives, Vol. 2: Chopin Recitals 1954-1977 (Live)

Chopin: Nocturnes

Chopin: Waltzes Nos. 1-19 - Ecossaises, Op. 72 - Tarantelle,

Chopin: Preludes

Among forms that Chopin made his own was the Nocturne, at one time synonymous with the Serenade, but with the Irish pianist John Field and Chopin, his successor, a lyrical piano piece offering, nominally at least, a poetic vision of the night. Field wrote eighteen piano pieces with this title between the years 1814 and 1835 and these introduced a new form of piano music that was developed not only in the Nocturne but in other separate movements for piano throughout the century. Two nocturnes were published in 1840 by Eug�ne-Th�odore Troupenas, who briefly replaced Schlesinger, whom Chopin now accused of sharp practice in disposing of one of his German copyrights, giving vent, in private correspondence, to his rooted anti-semiotic suspicions. The G minor Nocturne, Opus 37, No. 1, encloses a tranquil chordal E flat major section, and is followed by a G major Nocturne, with a lilting secondary episode. By 1841 disagreement with Schlesinger had been put aside and he published a set of two nocturnes, the first in C minor and the second in F sharp minor, dedicated to Chopin's pupil Laure Duperr�. Opus 48, No.1, moves forward to a central C major section of gentler character, increasing in excitement as the opening material returns. The F sharp minor Nocturne that completes the set moves into a relatively sombre D flat major section of some harmonic complexity. Two more nocturnes were published by Schlesinger in 1844, dedicated to Jane Stirling, a middle-aged Scottish pupil of Chopin whose nuptial ambitions outweighed her musical talent. It was through her that Chopin travelled in 1848 to London and to Scotland and to an endless round of tedious social visits that lasted seven months, until he could escape back to Paris again, his health now much worse. In 1844, however, Chopin was still involved with George Sand, although their relationship had it's difficulties as her two children, Maurice and Solange, grew up and used him in their own rivalries and jealousies. The F minor Nocturne, Opus 55, No. 1, allows the opening material to re-appear in more elaborate form in conclusion. It is followed by a second, the Nocturne in E flat, marked by it's use of a second melodic voice, accompanying the first. Chopin wrote his last two nocturnes in 1846 and they were published in the same year by Brandus, who had bought Maurice Schlesinger's business and was later to acquire Troupenas. They were dedicated to another of the composer's piano pupils, Mlle. de K�nneritz. Opus 62, No.1, in B major, is introduced by two chords, the first suggesting another tonality. There is an A flat major central section and an elaborated return of the material of the opening section. The final work, the Nocturne in E major, has a secondary episode with a more energetic accompanying figure. The two nocturnes were written in the autumn of 1846 at Nohant, which Chopin only left in November to return alone to Paris, giving rise to rumors about a quarrel with George Sand, with whom he quarreled definitively the following year, after her daughter's marriage.

Classical Music

CHOPIN: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2

Classical Music

Chopin: Études, Nocturnes & Piano Sonata No. 2

This set contains both ADD and DDD recordings.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Includes work(s) by Frédéric Chopin.