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SOMM Recordings

The Chopin I Love

$20.99

Details

Composer
Frederic Chopin
Artist
Peter Donohoe
Format
CD
Label
SOMM Recordings
Released
Jul 17, 2026
Catalog #
SOMMCD0726
UPC
748871072626

About

SOMM Recordings is delighted to collaborate once again with one of the foremost pianists of our time, Peter Donohoe. A joint winner of the 1982 International Tchaikovsky Competition, Donohoe has performed with all the major London orchestras and multiple European and American orchestras, as well as at the BBC Proms no less than 18 times. His impressive discography on SOMM includes the complete Prokofiev and Scriabin Sonatas, as well as the complete Mozart Piano Sonatas. "Donohoe appears to take early Beethoven as his interpretive trajectory with a gloves-off spontaneity that imbues these magical scores with a compelling vitality and freshness..." (BBC Music Magazine, Choice) "Donohoe plays these pieces with a personal involvement that is as touching as it is fascinating and finely considered." (Gramophone) Donohoe also recorded with SOMM the highly regarded 2nd and 3rd Sonatas (2023) and Waltzes (2024) by Chopin. Now, this latest release is The Chopin I Love, a title he borrowed from one of the most formative recordings of his youth, an LP of Arthur Rubinstein. Donohoe's personal selections represent works which have always resonated very much with him, as well as representing some of the most challenging, unique, and significant repertoire for piano ever written. The most substantial works in this collection are the Preludes, Op. 28, whose technical demands place them firmly amongst Chopin's most virtuosic works. Although Chopin did not necessarily intend for all 24 Preludes-one in each key-to be played as a group, they are performed here as a complete cycle, which makes for a fascinating and satisfying listening experience. Chopin wrote a further single Prelude, Op. 45, which is a longer and more detailed study than the individual numbers in the Opus 28 set, with the exception of the "Raindrop" Prelude. Chopin's Barcarolle, Op. 60, inspired by the rocking rhythm of the traditional folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers, is another of his more demanding compositions. It is also one of his last major compositions, along with his Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op. 61. Chopin's distinctive sound often includes the national flavour of his native Poland, and this piece takes it's character from the Polish dance, while the fantaisie provides it's harmonic complexity and intricate form. For Peter Donohoe, the 2 Nocturnes, Op. 62, are the culmination of the musical form, these intimately expressive works being Chopin's final compositions in the genre. The 3 Écossaises, Op. 72 No. 3, which close this recital, were amongst the first pieces Donohoe ever knew and were therefore seminal for him. He says, "That they are much less serious than any of the other works here does not detract from their originality and charm." Included as a download is Donohoe's performance of Chopin's Berceuse, a lullaby he composed late in life, which remains one of the composer's most beloved pieces.

Tracklist 31 tracks

  1. 1 No. 1 in C Major 00:38
    Track
    1
    Title
    No. 1 in C Major
    Duration
    00:38
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  2. 2 No. 2 in A Minor 02:11
    Track
    2
    Title
    No. 2 in A Minor
    Duration
    02:11
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  3. 3 No. 3 in G Major 01:03
    Track
    3
    Title
    No. 3 in G Major
    Duration
    01:03
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  4. 4 No. 4 in E Minor 01:49
    Track
    4
    Title
    No. 4 in E Minor
    Duration
    01:49
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  5. 5 No. 5 in D Major 00:39
    Track
    5
    Title
    No. 5 in D Major
    Duration
    00:39
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  6. 6 No. 6 in B Minor 01:50
    Track
    6
    Title
    No. 6 in B Minor
    Duration
    01:50
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  7. 7 No. 7 in A Major 00:44
    Track
    7
    Title
    No. 7 in A Major
    Duration
    00:44
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  8. 8 No. 8 in F-Sharp Minor 01:59
    Track
    8
    Title
    No. 8 in F-Sharp Minor
    Duration
    01:59
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  9. 9 No. 9 in E Major 01:08
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 9 in E Major
    Duration
    01:08
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  10. 10 No. 10 in C-Sharp Minor 00:30
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 10 in C-Sharp Minor
    Duration
    00:30
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  11. 11 No. 11 in B Major 00:41
    Track
    11
    Title
    No. 11 in B Major
    Duration
    00:41
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  12. 12 No. 12 in G-Sharp Minor 01:12
    Track
    12
    Title
    No. 12 in G-Sharp Minor
    Duration
    01:12
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  13. 13 No. 13 in F-Sharp Major 02:44
    Track
    13
    Title
    No. 13 in F-Sharp Major
    Duration
    02:44
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  14. 14 No. 14 in E-Flat Minor 00:36
    Track
    14
    Title
    No. 14 in E-Flat Minor
    Duration
    00:36
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  15. 15 No. 15 in D-Flat Major, "Raindrop" 04:33
    Track
    15
    Title
    No. 15 in D-Flat Major, "Raindrop"
    Duration
    04:33
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  16. 16 No. 16 in B-Flat Minor 01:12
    Track
    16
    Title
    No. 16 in B-Flat Minor
    Duration
    01:12
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  17. 17 No. 17 in A-Flat Major 02:47
    Track
    17
    Title
    No. 17 in A-Flat Major
    Duration
    02:47
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  18. 18 No. 18 in F Minor 00:56
    Track
    18
    Title
    No. 18 in F Minor
    Duration
    00:56
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  19. 19 No. 19 in E-Flat Major 01:29
    Track
    19
    Title
    No. 19 in E-Flat Major
    Duration
    01:29
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  20. 20 No. 20 in C Minor 01:51
    Track
    20
    Title
    No. 20 in C Minor
    Duration
    01:51
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  21. 21 No. 21 in B-Flat Major 02:03
    Track
    21
    Title
    No. 21 in B-Flat Major
    Duration
    02:03
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  22. 22 No. 22 in G Minor 00:47
    Track
    22
    Title
    No. 22 in G Minor
    Duration
    00:47
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  23. 23 No. 23 in F Major 00:59
    Track
    23
    Title
    No. 23 in F Major
    Duration
    00:59
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  24. 24 No. 24 in D Minor 02:42
    Track
    24
    Title
    No. 24 in D Minor
    Duration
    02:42
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  25. 25 Prelude No. 25 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 45 04:31
    Track
    25
    Title
    Prelude No. 25 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 45
    Duration
    04:31
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  26. 26 Barcarolle in F-Sharp Major, Op. 60 08:42
    Track
    26
    Title
    Barcarolle in F-Sharp Major, Op. 60
    Duration
    08:42
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  27. 27 Polonaise No. 7 in A-Flat Major, Op. 61, "Polonaise-fantaisie" 12:47
    Track
    27
    Title
    Polonaise No. 7 in A-Flat Major, Op. 61, "Polonaise-fantaisie"
    Duration
    12:47
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  28. 28 Nocturne No. 17 in B Major, Op. 62, No. 1 07:01
    Track
    28
    Title
    Nocturne No. 17 in B Major, Op. 62, No. 1
    Duration
    07:01
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  29. 29 Nocturne No. 18 in E Major, Op. 62, No. 2 05:42
    Track
    29
    Title
    Nocturne No. 18 in E Major, Op. 62, No. 2
    Duration
    05:42
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  30. 30 3 Ecossaises, Op. 72, No. 3 02:05
    Track
    30
    Title
    3 Ecossaises, Op. 72, No. 3
    Duration
    02:05
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe
  31. 31 Berceuse in D-Flat Major, Op. 57 04:20
    Track
    31
    Title
    Berceuse in D-Flat Major, Op. 57
    Duration
    04:20
    Composer
    Frédéric Chopin
    Performer
    Peter Donohoe