Chopin: Piano Works

This is already our third encounter with the great Polish composer Fryderyk Chopin – an encounter, in fact, that is as unusual as his music, which has delighted people around the world for over one hundred and fifty years. In Fryderyk’s day, not everybody was able to listen to his works. To hear one of his concerts they would have had to travel to where he lived – in his early years that meant going to Warsaw, and later even further, i.e. to Paris. Today, all we have to do is listen to one of his albums and imagine that the genius composer is playing especially for us.

For the sixth volume of his Chopin project, the Canadian pianist and exclusive Chandos Artist Louis Lortie has built a programme that includes works from the earliest to the latest periods in the composer’s life, all of which have connection with or focus on Chopin’s Polish identity. The Hommage à Mozart, Op. 2 is a brilliant set of variations on ‘Là ci darem la mano’ from Don Giovanni. Chopin composed it originally for piano and orchestra, in 1827, when he was just seventeen, and later made this arrangement for solo piano (a common practice at the time). The two Polonaises, Op. 40 date from the late 1830s, and contain some of his most openly nationalistic writing. The first – nicknamed ‘Military’ – evokes sentiments of national identity and pride, whilst the second, more melancholy work portrays feelings evoked by Poland’s vanished statehood. Lortie concludes the album with Chopin’s Fantaisie, Op. 49, from 1841. This work exemplifies the brilliant improvisatory style of Chopin’s writing for piano. These works are interspersed with four sets of Mazurkas, Opp. 6, 24, 41, and 67. Chopin almost single-handedly introduced the Mazurka to Paris when he arrived there in the late 1820s, and continued to compose them throughout his life, transforming the Polish dance form into some of his most dazzling and memorable compositions.

REVIEW:

At moments on this disc, a seasoned sort of beauty takes hold of our ears, wherein a keyboard’s conjuring casts an airy, aural spell. In the battle of dark and light, Lortie’s own brand of luminescence wins out every time.

– The Whole Note (Canada)

"After Debussy and Schumann, Nelson Goerner comes back to the composer who revealed him to the great audience of recorded music: Chopin. His first Chopin recordings won him high praise and countless distinctions (3 Diapasons d’Or!): ‘Everything he touches seems 'right’ wrote Gramophone in a recent issue. Nicknamed ‘the great poet of the piano’, he now attacks Chopin’s 24 Préludes, which he chose to record live, in a single go, in Poland where he is particularly appreciated and considered an essential pillar of the Chopin Institute. As a complement, Nelson Goerner opts for the Barcarolle Op. 60, the Polonaise Op. 44 and the Berceuse op.57.

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REVIEW:

This is a disc that can only solidify Goerner's reputation as one of the outstanding Chopin exponents of his generation. His interpretations are never less than original, deeply considered, and filled with characteristic detail. That they also exhibit rare qualities of wisdom and discernment make him someone to return to, again and again.

– Gramophone

The Etudes of Frederic Chopin certainly need no introduction. Italian pianist Sebastian Di Bin plays these magnificent works with wonderful elan. Sebastian Di Bin was born in Udine. He is considered internationally one of the greatest pianists of his generation. He formally debuted at 11 years old with Ljubic’s Slovenicum Orchestra at a concert in Udine’s Parliament Hall. He has won numerous awards including the Golden Price First Prize at the San Jose International Piano Competition in California and the Fourth Prize at the prestigious Twelfth UNISA International Piano Competition in Pretoria in South Africa. His previous album for Centaur, released in 2015, received worldwide critical acclaim.

Classical Music

A unique collection of recordings from the radio archives from 1982-1986, documenting the short yet brilliant career of the diva Ewa Gawronska, endowed with a beautiful soprano. Her unusual musicality, excellent vocal technique and repertoire consisting of famous arias and songs will not leave any listener indifferent. An album for long-time admirers of the artist's talent and for those who, thanks to recordings, have a chance to get to know one of the most beautiful voices of the operatic stage.

Other than the piano, there were few instruments on which Chopin focused his attention, which makes this album featuring cellist Anne Gastinel something of a rarity – all the more so in the hands of this iconic French cellist and her partner Claire Désert, veterans of countless concerts and recordings over several decades. Their united voice – as always, remote from the chorus of the mundane and the media-fixated – is a subtle, inspired cantilena. For here it is all about the singing voice that Chopin declared to be his model, overtly influenced as he was by Italian bel canto opera. Gastinel savors every moment, not only with the sense of refinement she shares with the greatest singers, but with a palpable musical breathing, sensitively illuminated at the piano by Désert, an accompanist in the noblest sense.

Julia Kociuban is considered as one of the leading polish pianists of her generation. Her debut solo album ‘Schumann, Chopin, Bacewicz’ was praised by critics as one of the most interesting Polish piano debuts of the past years. Her two albums with Bacewicz and Tansman Piano Concertos and Quintets were nominated for the Polish Music Industry Prize ‘Fryderyk’. She has already been invited to perform in renowned European concert halls including the Herkulessall in Munich, the Konzerthaus of Vienna and of Berlin and the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg. She has also performed in America and Asia and at the most known international music festivals in the world, including La Rouge d’Antheron, La Folle Journée, Kissinger Sommer, The Young Euro Classic Piano Festival, and The Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival.

Kociuban graduated from the Royal College of Music in London, Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg and Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw where she studied with Dmitri Alexeev, Pavel Gililov and Piotr Paleczny. In 2019 she received her doctoral degree in music, and a year later she completed postgraduate studies for cultural managers at the Warsaw School of Economics. Alongside her solo career Julia Kociuban teaches at the Bacewicz University of Music in Lodz (Poland). She is also a founder and director of BISMA Bacewicz International Summer Music Academy. On the present release she presents a showcase of Polish Polonaises.

Chopin - Récital 4

Fourteen years after her victory at the XVI International Chopin Piano Competition, Yulianna Avdeeva documents her journey with the music of Frederic Chopin. Voyage focuses on his late works, all composed while surrounded by nature, and Avdeeva has recorded them at the rustic Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana, against the serene backdrop of the Beartooth Mountains. A pianist of fiery temperament and virtuosity, Avdeeva plays with power, conviction, and sensibility, having won over audiences all over the world. She returns to PENTA-TONE after her acclaimed label debut with Resilience (2023).

Accomplished Brazilian pianist Eliane Rodrigues interprets Chopin with a highly combustible melange of precision, expressiveness and dynamism on her newest release, DREAMSCAPE. With her trademark crystal-clear tone and larger-than-life interpretation, Rodrigues brings Late-Romantic grandeur to the Romantic composer. The juxtaposition of Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 with his famous Preludes op. 28 impressively highlights one of the greatest strengths of Rodrigues: her ability to coax orchestral colors from seemingly straightforward solo piano pieces. The shades and hues she manages to produce unveil an entirely new facet of the Polish composer's works: a sense of spatial vastness and exuberance.

After the big success with Bach, Viviane Chassot presents her favourite accordion pieces by Chopin, Satie, Yann Tiersen, etc.

After a first Brahms recital that made a great impression (Alpha 851) and Mozart concertos (Alpha 1039) praised by the press for their naturalness (Gramophone) and fluidity (Le Monde), Jonathan Fournel, winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition at the age of 27 and now an important figure on the international stage, has decided to record a programme that he has already performed extensively in concert: "I like Chopin's 3rd Sonata because the melodic lines don't need any embellishments, they're already beautiful - in the same way that the Mona Lisa doesn't need any make-up. The same is true for Szymanowski's more virtuoso pieces. Szymanowski is a bit like a Scriabin who developed at full speed and who at times approached the Viennese style. I like that because there's research to be done inside, but it's not virtuosity � la Rachmaninov. What I like about these composers is that every element counts and expresses something."

Cellist Louise Dubin's new collection of French cello works include pieces by masters Debussy, Faure and Koechlin, side by side with rarities by the lesser known Auguste Franchomme (1808-1884), and contemporary composer Philippe Hersant (b. 1948). Ms. Dubin's last award-winning album was devoted to the compositions of Franchomme. This new recording features both Franchomme's arrangements and original compositions.

This refreshed Chopin Edition from Brilliant Classics retains many of the definitive recordings from its predecessor of 2015, but boasting some exciting updates. The Concertos and piano concertante music are consolidated in a bright new cycle from Czechia, recorded last autumn by Siberian superstar Ekaterina Litvintseva and the KFPar under Mardirossian. Schmitt-Leonardy’s sonatas are joined by No. 1 – recorded late in 2015, and therefore just missing inclusion in the previous edition – bringing the complete cycle under his fingers. Alwin Bär’s own Scherzi performances are reunited with his iconic 1998 recording of the Barcarolle, Fantasy and Berceuse. The Études are featured in a stunning complete cycle recorded in 2014 by the phenomenal Chopinist and 2023 OPUS KLASSIK double-nominee Zlata Chochieva. Finally the complete Nocturnes are given over to another noted young Chopin interpreter: the 2018 Geza Anda winner Claire Huangci, who recorded the set two years earlier, in 2016.

REVIEW:

In 2015 Brilliant Classics issued a complete Chopin edition culled from both original productions and licensed recordings from other labels, and featuring a variety of musicians. The label’s revised 2023 Chopin edition retains roughly two-thirds of the contents, while substituting about six CDs worth of alternative performances. Is it “new and improved”? Mostly yes. Here is a rundown of the contents:

Discs 1 & 2: The 2015 Chopin box featured Eva Kupiec in the two concertos (amazingly conducted by Stanislaw Skrowaczewski), with Abbey Simon in the other concerted works. Here we have less individual yet elegantly transparent performances of the entire Chopin piano/orchestra oeuvre with Ekaterina Litvintseva, supported by Vahan Mardirossian leading the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice.

Discs 3 & 4: The well-played chamber works with violinist Duccio Ceccanti, cellist Vittorio Ceccanti, and pianist Simone Gragnani are held over from 2015. So are Anna Haase’s slightly tremulous yet heartfelt Polish songs, superbly accompanied by Lucius Rühl.

Disc 5: Zlata Chochieva’s Etudes count among my top five recommendations in these works, wisely replacing Alessandro Deljavan’s mannered and overloaded readings.

Disc 6: As before, we have Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy’s intelligently paced and imaginatively detailed Ballades and Impromptus.

Disc 7: Folke Nauta’s broad and sonorous readings of the standard seven Polonaises are back, along with his rather underplayed Andante spianato e Grande polonaise.

Disc 8: The youthful Polonaises plus unimportant minor works like the Bourées, the Largo in E-flat, and the Fugue again turn up in Alessandra Ammaro’s splendid and mindfully virtuosic renditions.

Disc 9: The label replaces Fred Oldenburg’s good, workmanlike recording of the First sonata with a superior version from Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy, while retaining the latter’s wonderful Second and Third sonatas. Recently I compared his recording of the Second sonata’s strange Finale next to those of Horowitz and Rubinstein, and actually found Schmitt-Leonardy’s creative inflections more engaging (sound clip).

Disc 10: In place of Ivan Moravec’s Four Scherzos (originally issued by Dorian), we have Alwin Bär’s scintillating 1998 cycle, coupled with his equally compelling Fantasy in F minor and Barcarolle, along with a rather fussy Berceuse.

Disc 11: A hodgepodge of performances. I raved in detail about Schmitt-Leonardy’s reference-worthy Op. 28 Preludes when they first came out. Paolo Giacometti shines in the C-sharp minor Prelude Op. 45, Oldenburg serves up the Three Ecossaises quite well, while Marian Mika plays two versions each of the Waltz in F minor Op. 70 No. 2 and the Funeral March Op. 72 No. 2 using alternative texts.

Discs 12 & 13: Rem Urasin’s Mazurka cycle evokes the high rhetoric and subjectivity of pianists like Jean-Marc Luisada and Andrew Rangell, minus their eccentricity. Just don’t expect lightness, humor, or snappy embellishments.

Discs 14 & 15: Claire Huangci’s rippling and graceful pianism in the Nocturnes differs from the seasoned drama of the Earl Wild cycle that appeared in the 2015 box. The Duo Pianistico di Firenze’s Rondo Op. 73 and Variations in D fill out CD 15.

Disc 16: Alessandro Deljavan works overtime trying to emulate the great Romantic pianists, yet his lurching phrasings and contrived voicings throughout the Waltzes often belabor the obvious and fail to ring true. The piano itself sounds poorly regulated, and doesn’t always hold its tuning.

Disc 17: Frank van de Laar basically picks up the slack, playing the Rondos, the Variations brilliantes Op. 12, the Bolero Op. 19, the Allegro de concert Op. 46, and the Tarantella Op. 43 with plenty of finesse and good taste, if not quite matching Vladimir Ashkenazy’s ebullience.

For its attractive price tag and overall consistency (have Rubinstein’s Waltzes and Mazurkas handy, though!) Brilliant Classics’ 2023 Chopin Edition holds its own alongside similar multi-artist complete Chopin collections on other labels featuring bigger names. It should appeal to general music lovers just getting started with Chopin’s music who wish to take a deep dive into the composer’s oeuvre.

-- ClassicsToday.com (Jed Distler)

Mao Fujita follows up his 'acclaimed' debut album on Sony Classical, the complete Mozart Piano Sonatas, with a similarly ambitious recording project, 'Preludes'; three complete sets of 24 preludes by Chopin, Scriabin, and 20th century Japanese composer Akio Yashiro. This album represents a fascinating exploration of three different but intricately connected worlds, each full of poetic diversity, volcanic energy and atmospheric stillness. Each of these three sets are in perfect symmetry with each other, each containing 24 short preludes, one for each major and minor key. But it is Chopin's preludes that form the axis around which these other two sets of preludes orbit. Chopin's Preludes, Op. 28 (1839) broke all expectations of the term 'prelude', elevating the form from small, often-improvised, introductory pieces to singular works in their own right, and in this Op. 28 set, presented as a spinning constellation of self-contained ideas and emotions, and some of the most enduring and loved piano pieces in the repertoire. Scriabin's Preludes, Op. 11 (1888-96) echo Chopin's set in so many ways - the number of preludes, the ordering of the keys, the concept of the prelude as a short, but significant work - but is certainly no copy, rather more a descendant, an extension, hyper expressive, each prelude an intricate miniature world of it's own. The third set of preludes is perhaps the most intriguing. A world premier recording of the 24 Preludes (1945) by Japanese composer Akio Yashiro. Taking Chopin's model even further, Yashiro creates a highly idiomatic and original work, written when only 15 years old. This is the most personal work on the album for Mao Fujita, with a relationship to the composer's widow, and presenting the work for the first time as a commercial studio recording. Or as Mao puts it, "the Chopin and the Scriabin are the fish and the rice, the base, but the Yashiro is the wasabi, just as vital, and that special kick to create something delicious."

Paolo Restani's new recording effort, the result of a constant and very personal research work, guides the listener through various frameworks of piano literature, cornerstones of the history of music. The album opens with two paraphrases of Liszt from Verdi: the first from Aida, Danza sacra e duetto finale S. 436, and the second from Rigoletto, Paraphrase de Concert S. 434, concentrated on the wonderful quartet of Act IV, where the different moods of the protagonists intertwine. From the world of Verdi we move on to Wagner with the Solemn March to the Holy Grail from Act I of Parsifal. This journey into the dynamism of a fascinating universe of references and relationships ends with the performance of four Nocturnes by Chopin (123 and Nocturnes in C sharp min. Op. posth.) and, again by Chopin, the most famous of Polonaise, the Polonaise in A flat. Magg. Op. 53 "Heroique" from 1842, with it's extraordinary central section. A recording that allows you to rediscover musical jewels, entrusted to the wise mastery of Paolo Restani.

The long-lived Abbey Simon (1920-2019) was a pianist in the great Romantic tradition. His repertoire centered on Chopin, Schumann, Rachmaninoff, and Ravel, and he had a virtuoso technique which he employed with effortless ease coupled with a smooth, clear sound.

His recording of Chopin’s complete works for piano and orchestra has been a classic since its first release in 1973. Newly remastered from the original tapes these performances now sound better than ever. Volume 1 of Chopin’s complete works for piano and orchestra with soloist Abbey Simon can be heard on VOX-NX-3032CD.

Learn more about this recording on the Naxos Classical Spotlight podcast!

The great American pianist Abbey Simon was an eloquent exponent of Chopin’s works, and these classic Vox recording from 1972 are a fitting testament to his artistry. Produced by the legendary Elite Recordings team of Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz who made some of the finest sounding examples of orchestral recordings.

Chilean virtuoso Claudio Arrau, (1903-1991) was one of the greatest and most recorded pianists of all time. His musical talent was recognized from an early age and he played his first recital at age five. At age eight the Chilean government awarded him a grant for study in Berlin with Waldemar Lutsch and Martin Krause who was a student of Franz Liszt and whose teaching and influence were greatly significant on Arrau. Arrau's adolescent career flourished in Germany - his formal Berlin debut of 1914 was followed by tours of Germany and Scandinavia. He won the Liszt prize for the second time in 1920. The same year he played his Berlin Philharmonic debut with conductor Karl Muck. Also in 1920, he made his London debut. In 1923 and 1924 he came to the United States. In 1926 Arrau returned to the Stern Conservatory in Berlin as a professor of piano, a position which he held until 1940. In 1927 he won the Concours International de Pianists in Geneva. He returned to the USA with a 1941 Carnegie Hall recital receiving rave reviews, which effectively re-launched his American career. DOREMI is pleased to present here Claudio Arrau in two concerts of Chopin and Liszt: two concertos from Copenhagen with the Danish Radio Orchestra (September 1967), and his recital at the Helsinki Festival in September, 1972 which includes Liszt's Sonata in B Minor.

Hailed as an “irresistibly fluid” by The New York Times and “illuminating” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, pianist Eric Zuber releases his debut album, The Young Chopin, with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and conductor Wilbur Lin. The release celebrates the early piano repertoire of Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849), including his Variations on ‘Là ci darem la mano’ from Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Op. 2; Andante spianato & Grande polonaise brillante, Op. 22; and his Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11.

Zuber writes, “The ingenuity of [Chopin’s early] piano writing shows a complete technical understanding of the craft of the instrument, and the seductive beauty of his melodic and harmonic writing is second to none. And to think he was only 17 when he wrote the variations as a school assignment! These early compositions are tremendously difficult from a technical perspective, and Chopin was clearly seeking to showcase his abilities as a pianist. Yet, there is little of the empty displays of virtuosity that appear in the works of some of his contemporaries. Everything serves a purpose to create a clear emotional effect.”

Juxtaposing recordings of two composers on one album, one of which is known all over the world and the other completely forgotten, is surprising and requires breaking mental patterns. Fryderyk Chopin (1810–1849) needs not be introduced to anyone; his oeuvre is performed, admired and commented almost all over the globe. In turn, we know almost nothing about Florian Stanislaw Miladowski (1819–1889). Therefore, the DUX initiative, which restores the memory of this forgotten output by putting it in the context of an era whose best showcase is Chopin’s music, is all the more valuable. It is no coincidence that the works presented on the album represent similar music genres, belonging to romantic resources, intimate in their reception. We can find here mazurkas, impromptus and the Polonaise in B-flat Major by Miladowski as well as mazurkas and nocturnes by Chopin. The latter is better represented on our two-disc album: we will also find here four Scherzi and the Variations in D Major on Là ci darem la mano from the opera Don Giovanni by Mozart. Therefore, listeners can prepare for a genuine piano feast, in which two different individuals, two voices from the past speak a similar musical language, testifying to the era of romanticism with their music. Lukasz Kwiatkowski, a talented young Polish pianist with many prizes, honorable mentions and performances with famous orchestras under his belt, will play the piano. He also develops his musical passions by working as a scientist – he is associated with the Academy of Music in Lódz as a researcher and lecturer.

"Almost everything that Chopin ever wrote is still played. Chopin influenced the entire last half of the nineteenth century and continues to influence composers even today. From Liszt to Wagner, from Moszkowski to the young Scriabin, or from Ernesto Nazareth to Tom Jobim, Chopin is still alive as a composer without borders in time and space who never left us and will never do so." -Marcelo Bratke

Marcelo Bratke, one of Brazil’s finest pianists, has performed in some of the world’s most renowned venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Salzburg Festival, Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Konzerthaus in Berlin and Suntory Hall in Tokyo. He started his piano studies at the age of fourteen and due to a severe visual impairment he was unable to read scores properly, developing his own method of learning music based on his auditive memory capacity. Ten months after his first piano lesson, he made his debut with the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Eleazar de Carvalho and was awarded the ‘Revelation Prize’ by the São Paulo Critics’ Association.

Bratke believes music is an important contribution to society and in 2008 he founded Camerata Brasil, an orchestra formed of young musicians from impoverished areas of Brazilian society, performing with them more than 300 concerts in Brazil, Argentina, Japan, United Kingdom, Serbia, South Korea, Netherlands and in the US where their concert at Carnegie Hall was highly acclaimed by both the public and the critics of The New York Times, New York Post and Concert Net USA.

This second and final volume of Chopin’s Mazurkas by Peter Jablonski includes the composer's Mazurkas Nos. 30-51 alongside six posthumous mazurkas. For Chopin, the Mazurkas became a deeply personal, intimate statement of his feelings as an émigré Polish composer living in Paris. From some of his very first compositions to his last, it is the only form that Chopin composed regularly throughout his life. Similarly, Chopin’s Mazurkas have followed Peter Jablonski throughout his entire career as a pianist in nearly every solo recital. This album also includes Chopin’s final composition that was written just few weeks before his death, the Mazurka No. 49 in F minor (1849).