The Chopin Currency - June 21st, 2008

Chopin News, Reviews, and Previews:

Joe Jackson @ Bridgewater Hall
Manchester Evening News - Manchester,England,UK

Raves for a live show - and new CD - by the "musically literate former Angry Young Man...: "Rain captures all that singular brew of bile and beauty which drove Jackson’s best work." - and apparently helps him find his inner Fryderyk...

The centrepiece was the new song Solo (So Low), introduced by its creator as “a bit of a wrist-slasher, but it does have its funny side..or maybe that’s just me”. Yes it is just you, Joe, for what the hushed crowd heard was one of the most striking hymns to loneliness ever sung, Jackson’s grand piano underpinning his bleak poetry with something akin to a Chopin piano study.

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Sixteen-year-old Fremont grad goes on to Julliard
Fremont Bulletin - California, United States

Local girl Ashley Hsu is packing her bags for the big city, wich help from the Chopin Foundation...

A talented pianist, Hsu has won multiple awards and scholarships, including a 2006-2007 scholarship from the Chopin Foundation of the United States for her performances of the works of Chopin. She is also the silver medalist in the 2008 Schimmel International Piano Competition where she competed against young artists from China, South Korea, Israel, Canada and other countries.

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Chopin in the Blogosphere:

Could it be the start of a trend? Playing the Eternal Sonata video game is sparking interest in Chopin's compositions?

oddly enough playing eternal sonata has got me into Chopin (3)
By ♪ ☆ Anonymous Popstar ☆ ♪
can anyone recommend some more songs from that stand out.

Music @4-ch - http://4-ch.net/music/index.html

What's the story, morning glory? What's the word, humming bird?
By Mew(Mew)
As much fun as the battle system was and how freakin' pretty Chopin is was, the game was...a little lacking. I didn't feel too attached to the characters, the story seemed a bit rushed, and the plot was a bit boring. ...
Mew - http://amewsed.livejournal.com/

The Chopin Currency: June 4th, 2008

Chopin News, Views, Reveiws and Previews:

Musical home of Chopin, Mendelssohn and Lou Reed? It's Glasgow, of Course!
Times Online - UK

"Glasgow civic officials are in Paris on a mission to convince UNESCO that the city deserves world City of Music status..."

Making his city's case, Mr Winter himself pointed out that Frédéric Chopin, the great composer, is said to have taken his first train ride in Glasgow, while his contemporary, Felix Mendelssohn, had been inspired by the countryside nearby - or to be more precise, Fingal's Cave on the Island of Staffa, more than 100 miles to the northwest.

The bid document itself employed an unashamedly broad and colourful brush to the city's musical heritage. Vienna had Mozart and Beethoven; New Orleans had jazz; but Glasgow cites artists ancient and modern including Simple Minds, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Clare Grogan and (to the confusion of any Austrians at the Unesco reception) Franz Ferdinand. Some of those name-checked were only visitors to the city, including the Move (from Birmingham), Oasis (Manchester) and Lou Reed (New York)

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Thus Far, PS3 Eternal Sonata Exclusive to Japan
Game Reviews - Phoenix,AZ,USA

Want to play the acclaimed Chopin-flavored video game on something besides an xBox? Rotsa ruck...

PS3 owners/lovers of eccentric RPGs based on the delusions of a dying composer are out of luck, unless you live in the Land of the Rising Sun that is. A Namco Bandai US spokesperson has stated that the PS3 version of Eternal Sonata, the RPG based on the fictional world dreamed up by a fever-wracked Chopin on his deathbed, "is only announced for... Japan right now."

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Chopin-related podcasts:

Chopin to Dr. Dre: The Sounds of the Carillon
By webhelp@kuow.org (KUOW 94.9 Public Radio)

Seattle public radio profile of "Carillonist" Charlotte Dyke, and her choice of music for the University of Washington's set of bells...

If you walk the UW campus on a weekday morning, you'll hear a tradition that is nearly 100 years old. There are tuned bells called the carillon. We meet a student who plays everything from Mozart to hip hop. ...

Sound Focus Podcast - /programs/sound_focus.asp

The Chopin Currency - June 2nd, 2008

Chopin News, Views, Reviews, and Previews:

'Chopin Manuscript' wins top Audie
Arizona Daily Star - Tucson,AZ,USA

And the winner is... The Audie Awards (the so-called "Oscars of the Audiobook Industry") hand out the top prize to The Chopin Manuscript -- a "serial thriller" named Audiobook of the Yearat the 13th annual Audie Awards banquet Friday in Los Angeles.

But don't go looking for "The Chopin Manuscript" on the bookshelf.

There is no print version.

For the first time ever, the top audio production is available only as a download from its producer, Audible Inc. Read by Alfred Molina, this World War II-era thriller revolves around the search for a document that may or may not have been connected to composer Frederic Chopin.

It is reported to have been hidden by the Nazis in Kosova. Nine best-selling mystery-thriller writers, headed by Jeffery Deaver, wrote "The Chopin Manuscript," which came out in serial form starting last September. This is very much the way Stephen King's "The Green Mile" debuted in 1996.

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Eternal Sonata Review
Game Reviews - Phoenix,AZ,USA

The Chopin-based video game gets high praise from the major game-review site TGM (8.5/10 overall)

Eternal Sonata, developed by Japanese studio tri-Crescendo and published by Namco, is a JRPG with a difference. It takes you on the final journey of famed Polish classical pianist Frederic Chopin through his final dream when lying in his bed just before dying in his house in Paris in 1849. It won’t come as a surprise to learn that the design team behind this captivating game are all musicians. Hiroya Hatsushiba is an audio programmer who has worked with fellow tri-Crescendo founder Motoi Sakuraba, who is in fact a composer, on many other JRPG’s including the likes off Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile for parent studio tri-Ace.

Eternal Sonata is one of those rare and wonderful games completely based on musical history. Throughout the game you will hear wonderful music from the famed pianist that the game is based on. In addition, there are some original songs that round off an amazing soundtrack....

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All-Robbins program doesn't miss a step
Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA

Another rave review for the Pacific Northwest Ballet production of two Chopin-based Jerome Robbins creations: "Into the Night, and "The Concert:"

One of the opening gambits of Peter Boal, as PNB artistic director, was "In the Night." It is among Robbins' most memorable ballets for its limpid moodiness and subtle shifts of tone. Three couples dance to Chopin's evanescent nocturnes, played with nuance by pianist Dianne Chilgren. The first is young and perfect; the second more formal and restrained, and the third restless and troubled. Pantastico and Olivier Wevers, who danced in the original cast, repeated their performances. They were a perfect realization of idealized love. The second couple, Ariana Lallone and Stanko Milov, were new to the roles, at least to me. They are a distinctive couple, and they offered distinctive dancing. The action of the third couple is realized more with the woman than the man. Nadeau, who danced in the original cast, was turbulent yet appealing. Karol Cruz was her able partner.

"The Concert" was given its PNB premiere at the fall gala. It was a sensation then and is so now. There is so much that is amusing or outright hilarious. It is supposed to be a parody of a concert, thus the name, but goes so far beyond those perimeters that one easily forgets the premise....

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All Robbins Showcases PNB's Acting Chops
Seattlest - Seattle,USA

Chopin in the Blogosphere:

Best Audio Book Of The Year
By M.J. Rose

Amazement at the Chopin Manuscript victory: "As one of our esteemed authors said - beating God and Harry Potter is one thing -- but beating Colbert? Now that's impressive."

The Chopin Manuscript is an original serialized thriller created exclusively for audio by a stellar list of thriller writers -- for a joint project between Audible.com and ITW - a project that Steve Feldber and I only imagined would ...
Buzz, Balls & Hype - http://mjroseblog.typepad.com/buzz_balls_hype/

The Chopin Currency - March 23, 2008

Today's Yundi Li Installment:

Yundi Li, pianist
Financial Times - London,England,UK

From the Financial Times, Yundi Li shares his fashion faves:

I wore this today because it's comfortable but tonight (in Hong Kong to accept the South China Morning Post and Harper's Bazaar Style Award for Performing Arts) I will wear a Gucci suit. I like Gucci because it's fashionable and modern. I also buy Dior Homme because it has a unique and special look that I love. A classical musician has no choice but to wear a traditional outfit when performing. Armani sponsors the tailcoat I wear for performances....

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Chopin News, Reviews, and Previews (Besides Yundi Li):

Frederica von Stade sings Pauline Viardot
San Francisco Chronicle - CA, USA

After all of the advance stories, a bona fide review of the Pauline Viardot program:

After performances in London and Paris, "Pauline Viardot and Friends" had its U.S. premiere Thursday at Herbst Theatre. With Marilyn Horne serving as armchair narrator and host, a la Alistair Cooke, the program unfolded as a genial, if sometimes labored, introduction to a figure who is surely new to most listeners. The emphasis landed where it belonged - on the variety of sweet-natured, charming, sometimes melodramatic and occasionally gripping music Viardot wrote.

Mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, soprano Melody Moore and baritone Vladimir Chernov performed 14 selections by Viardot, and three by other composers. The Viardot pieces ranged from airy meditations on nature and a winsome Chopin mazurka transcription to a feverish "Incantation" and a love duet from her operetta "Cendrillon.

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Canadian piano virtuoso Louis Lortie performs Chopin Etudes on the ...
Ottawa Start (press release) - Ottawa,ON,Canada

Preview of the Canadian pianist's March 31 appearance in Ottawa...

Following a recital by Canadian pianist Louis Lortie of Chopin Etudes in London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Financial Times wrote: “Better Chopin playing than this is not to be heard, not anywhere...."

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Chopin in the Blogosphere:

Review: Chopin Vodka

By cnull

From "The Essential Blog for the Discriminating Drinker:"

You’re a famous 19th century composer. What are the odds that someone is going to take your good name and turn it into a vodka 150 years later?

The connection is Poland, where Chopin lived and vodka was (allegedly) born. Chopin is a traditional potato vodka, from Polish potatoes. Despite the fancy, frosted glass bottle, it has a very traditional flavor for potato vodkas, too. ...

Drinkhacker.com - http://www.drinkhacker.com



eternal sonata

By david carlton

Another review of the video game...

I pretty much decided I had to play it as soon as I heard that it took place in the imagination of a dying Frederic Chopin; they didn’t do as much with that theme as they could have, but there were other compensating virtues. ...

malvasia bianca - http://malvasiabianca.org

The Chopin Currency - March 8, 2008

Chopin News, Reviews, and Previews:

Music and 'the Man'

In-depth profile of pianist Byron Janis, who describes his affinity for Chopin:

But it was a Polish composer who may have had the greatest influence: Chopin was always a favorite, and Janis returned the favor, credited with discovering two once-lost Chopin waltzes, a find called "the most dramatic musical discovery of our age."

At 80, Janis reflects: "It was a defining moment of my life; I felt like I was being led to them."

He has taken the lead since that 1967 discovery of the 1832 waltz works, which Chopin had written "for a lady friend; how he loved the women."
Jewish Exponent - Philadelphia,PA,USA
And Chopin has touched his lively life in many ways. The McKeesport, Pa., kid of Russian-Jewish heritage who was born Byron Yanks is a Yankee Doodle Dandy ...
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Two-Part Tribute to Byron Janis Begins March 8

More on Byron Janis....

Playbill.com - New York,NY,USA
At 6 PM March 10, "An Evening of Song with Pianist as Composer with a Touch of Chopin" will be offered. The concert will feature a host of theatre ...
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Chopin in the Blogosphere:

Room for improvement

Fascinating discussion on a music-instruction blogsite using a Chopin Etude to illustrate the teaching of harmony...

By Alan Coady
It’s of Chopin’s Etude Op 10 No 1. There are more professional performances of this on YouTube but many are so fast that it’s difficult to hear the detail. This one, although not entirely error-free does have a certain tenderness about ...
Alan Coady's Musical Blog - http://edubuzz.org/blogs/alancoady

Chopin
By That Canadian Guy(That Canadian Guy)
So apparently there is a videogame based loosely on Chopin's life. It's called 'Eternal Sonata'. Chopin is actually a playable character, and his music is found throughout. The character looks like Chopin as well. ...
Life, Love, and Everything In Between - http://madman-ramblings.blogspot.com/

Chopin in the Videosphere:

YouTube - Yundi Li plays Chopin Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2

Ignore the incorrectly-embedded title of it being "Op. 66"



Yundi Plays Chopin! ... Related Videos. Maurizio Pollini plays Chopin Nocturne no. 8 op. 27 no. 2. 04:43 From: joynes89. Views: 366648 ...

The Chopin Currency - March 3, 2008

Chopin News, Reviews, and Previews:

Eternal Sonata

Five-star review for new video game inspired by Chopin:

"The environments in Eternal Sonata are also stunning. Everything from a wide open field to the sewers below a city looks like something out of a beautiful dream world, which is precisely what this is.

Eternal Sonata takes place in a dream; the dream of famous composer Frederic Francois Chopin. Chopin is on his death bed and is in a state of intense dreaming. In his dream world, those who are terminally ill have the ability to use magic. Because of this, anyone who uses magic is shunned in the community.

Chopin enters the dream world not sure of where he is, or even if the world he is in is really a dream at all. He meets Polka, a terminally ill 14-year old girl who realizes she does not have much time to live. She is determined to go on a quest and help the world she lives in with the time that she has remaining. Chopin elects to go with her to find out where exactly he is. Along the way, an unlikely cast of characters join together on an epic quest.

If you can't tell by now, Eternal Sonata contains a lot of musically themed places and characters. This is highly appropriate, however, because of the incredible audio quality of the game. Eternal Sonata is beautiful, but it is also a game in which the sound quality is on the same level as the graphics.

Everything from characters' voices to the music of the game is crisp, clear, and incredibly well done. Scenes of tranquility are not only enhanced, but brought to life by the outstanding piano work, performed by Stanislav Bunin.

Eternal Sonata has incredible graphics, amazing sound, and one of the most original stories of any RPG...."

GameIndustry.com - Washington,DC,USA
Eternal Sonata takes place in a dream; the dream of famous composer Frédéric François Chopin. Chopin is on his death bed and is in a state of intense ...
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Chopin in the Photosphere:

Tomb of Chopin

Click on the link to see the Chopin memorial in Paris. "Everytime I have been to visit his tomb there have always been fresh flowers on it. ..."

By nobody@flickr.com (*~Laura~*)
Scanned from film, I've uploaded these pics from Pere Lachaise in Paris for my contact *wanderlust* aka Phoebe who is going to this awesome cemetary in a few weeks when she visits Paris! The tomb of Polish composer, Frédéric Chopin. ...
Photos from *~Laura~* - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lausanne/

The Chopin Currency - Feb. 13, 2008

Chopin Bicentennial (Chopin2010) News:

The Polish Minister for Culture and National Heritage Bogdan Zdrojewski has unveiled the main line of activities of his ministry, including the Chopin Bicentenary....

Culture ministry reveal plans

Thenews.pl - Warsaw,Poland
The programme of the Chopin Year in 2010, the bicentenary of the composer’s birth, is in the final stage of preparation. A thorough refurbishment of The ...
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Chopin News, Reviews, and Previews:

Amedeo Modigliani Quartet
Washington Post - United States
Pianist Jean-Fr¿d¿ric Neuberger, all of 21, has already made his Kennedy Center debut, recorded the complete Chopin etudes and appeared with top-tier ...
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Blechacz makes Rome debut
Thenews.pl - Warsaw,Poland
The programme included works by Mozart, Debussy, Karol Szymanowski and Chopin’ Preludes. It was the CD featuring Chopin’s Preludes – recorded under an ...
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Chopin in the Blogosphere:

Eternal Sonata
By BY: MAX PAGE
Eternal Sonata is the latest RPG from Tri-Crescendo, starring - of all potential heroes - Frederic Chopin. Yes, that Chopin - the Poet of the Piano, the famous composer who tragically died of tuberculosis aged only 39. ...
PCSTATS - http://www.PCSTATS.com

Living inside a snow globe
By Jeff and Mary(Jeff and Mary)
You can listen to an excerpt played by the great Artur Rubinstein here: http://www.amazon.com/Artur-Rubinstein-Chopin-Collection-Nocturnes/dp/B000003ENY. Click on "listen to samples" and scroll down to the bottom of the list, to #19. ...
Jeff and Mary's Excellent Adventure - http://jeffandmarysexcellentadventure.blogspot.com/

Chopin Currency - Jan. 23, 2008

Goode aces test of Chopin mazurkas
Chicago Tribune, United States - Jan 21, 2008
By John von Rhein | Tribune critic January 22, 2008 Richard Goode styled his absorbing recital Sunday at Orchestra Hall as a homage to Chopin, ...

Goode sounded great in Chopin Society recital Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription), MN - Jan 14, 2008 The pianist Richard Goode built a program around the music of Chopin, and delivered superbly. By LARRY FUCHSBERG, Special to the Star Tribune Richard ...

Eternal Sonata Netjak - Jan 22, 2008 Only a few have come close to emulating the poetry of life with a mechanical instrument; Frederic Francois Chopin is but one of them. ..

Howland Chamber Music Circle's Piano Festival 2008 Continues Putnam County News and Recorder (subscription), NY - Jan 22, 2008 ... in the Naumburg International Piano Competition, as well as special prizes of the Chopin Society in Warsaw, and the Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon. ...

Pianist's interpretations uneven but
Waterloo Record, Canada - Jan 21, 2008
Puzzlingly, Goode placed Chopin works at three different locations, forgoing the obvious ordering of performing them back-to-back. ...