The Chopin Currency - June 12th, 2008

Chopin News, Views, and Reviews:

Maurizio Pollini: when inspiration flows through to the third encore
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom

London critic finds the essence of the Italian artist's mastery in a brief Chopin etude:

When everything clicks in a Maurizio Pollini recital, as it did here, it can be an absorbing, revelatory experience. This was a vintage example of his fascinating pianism, combining as it does a focused intellect with poetic sensibility, and a passion tempered by reason.

You do not expect, nor do you get, anything gratuitously extrovert with Pollini, and there was no more acute example of his essential poise and stylistic awareness than in his second encore, Chopin's famous Revolutionary Study.

Where some might launch headlong into it with barnstorming bravura, Pollini was more circumspect, not to the detriment of the music's drama but with a care for colour that went way beyond mere technical virtuosity. [...]

Thoroughly in his element, Pollini played Chopin's Four Mazurkas Op 33 with a breathtaking mix of wistful melancholy and rhythmic impetus. In the B minor Scherzo, as in the G minor Ballade given as the third encore, his inspiration flowed seamlessly.

Pollini's rare artistry is restricted
This is London - London,England,UK

Same recital, entirely different view from the Evening Standard critic....

Undoubtedly one of the pianistic giants of his generation, Maurizio Pollini offers an increasingly frustrating experience in recital. Now in his mid-60s, he can still pack them in to the Festival Hall and bring them to their feet after three rousing encores. But a disengaged quality in his playing mars too much of what he does.

[...]

It has to be said, though, that Pollini’s technical mastery is no longer unassailable. That insecurity may well account for the scrambled, vertiginous nature of virtuoso passages, such as those of Chopin’s Scherzo No 1 in B minor. There was some impressive playing here, too: Pollini’s tone is always ingratiating and there were many wonderfully nuanced moments.

But once again expansive gestures were shunned, with the result that too much was flattened out and under-characterised

See all stories on this topic

Chopin in the Blogosphere:

Chopin is the Only Ring Tone for You
By Evan

I have a custom ring tone setup on my cell phone when my bride Amanda calls. Yesterday at work I thought I heard her calling … but it was just the internet radio?! How could she call me through the internet radio?
My guess is that my cell phone’s built in melody #7 is actually a version of Chopin’s Étude No. 5 in G-Flat Major “Black Keys.”

Wild.er - http://blog.evanwilder.com

Chopin in the YouTubeoSphere:

YouTube - Yundi Li - Chopin "Fantasie" Impromptu, Op. 66

Professionally shot and released DG video of the Fantasie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. 66 No. 1...

The Chopin Currency - May 21st, 2008

Chopin News, Reviews, and Previews

Must male pianists be pin-ups?
guardian.co.uk - UK

Provocative column from Guardian blogger about "making glamourpusses out of pianists..." The readers think it's more of a generation gap...

In the crisis-laden economy of classical music concerts, pianists today are often marketed as "hunka hunka burnin' loves," however inappropriately. A few years ago, I interviewed the talented, poetic young Chinese pianist Yundi Li in his New York manager's office. Then in his early 20s, gawky and skinny, with tousled hair under a baseball cap, Yundi looked like the provincial Chinese youth he was. I was amazed to see how his recording company packaged his remarkable CDs of Chopin and Liszt, adding heavy makeup and swooning poses for an androgynous look. Yundi Li's artistry was the same, but he became a different artist to look at.....

See all stories on this topic

Piano Lessons
Voice of San Diego - San Diego,CA,USA

Review of the San Diego premiere of "Beethoven As I Knew Him," the latest installment in Hershey Felder's trilogy of composer portraits....

First, Hershey Felder presented his fantastic one-man show, "George Gershwin Alone," and urged theater-goers to join in on a sing-along of Gershwin hits. It was like drawing flies to honey; the enthusiastic Felder inspired gleeful audience members young and old to sing their hearts out. It was a sight (and sound) to behold.

Then came Felder's portrayal of the emotionally intense Fredéric Chopin which gave audiences a peek into the cultural sophistication of the 19th century Parisian salon.

Now, the Old Globe presents the final installation (and world premiere) of Hershey Felder's "Composer Sonata" trilogy of one-man performances based on famous composers' lives with "Beethoven, As I Knew Him." [...]

A natural and engrossing storyteller, Felder was at his best during "Beethoven" at the piano bench. Using discourse and music, Felder took the audience through pieces like Beethoven's Fifth symphony, expounding on the famous fate-at-the-door theme. The "Moonlight" sonata rendering was exquisite. Throughout the night, Felder used anecdotes and visuals (conducting to the night sky of stars!) to enhance the overall musical performance.

Though starker and narrated at a more measured pace than both "Gershwin" and "Chopin," "Beethoven, As I Knew Him" offers a poignant introspection into the austere composer's beloved music....

See all stories on this topic

Prometheus celebrates a distinctive vision
Boston Globe - United States

20th-anniversary production by the Promotheus Dance Company of Boston gets high marks for everything but a Chopin-based performance...

The world premiere on the program, "Lignage," seems disappointingly tame in comparison. A work for eight women set to a series of Chopin preludes, it contrasts slow floor work with flurries of sweeping movement - swirling turns with arms outstretched, legs carving great arcs. The women roll, cradle one another, then rise in rushes about the stage. There are a lot of stops and starts, and it has the crowded, slightly aimless feel of a work created to showcase young dancers.

See all stories on this topic

The Chopin Currency - April 18th, 2008

Chopin News, Reviews, and Previews:

When Fame Can’t Cross the Atlantic
New York Times - United States

Fascinating story (and review) of Russian pianist Grigory Sokolov, lionized in Europe; barely known in America....

Classical music is supposedly universal. Language may still be a cultural barrier for writers and actors. Even visual artists, depending on the subjects they choose, won’t necessarily translate abroad.

That Mr. Sokolov, whose talent is beyond dispute, disproves this notion should remind us not only of our persistent parochialism but also of our delusions about technology. The Web, on which he can be found on YouTube, giving astonishing performances, clearly doesn’t substitute for hearing him live. Neither do discs, which, as a perfectionist, he stopped issuing in 1995 (this partly explains his American situation), although years ago Mr. Sokolov’s recordings sent me hunting for a chance to hear him in person. On one of those discs he played Chopin’s 24 Preludes with great sensitivity. He played them again the other night. It was, like all concerts likely to stay in the mind forever, nothing that could ever be captured digitally.

He gives about 60 solo recitals a year, so his manager told me; no chamber or orchestral music at the moment. He was born in Leningrad and won the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1966, at 16. Emil Gilels headed the jury. For a while Sol Hurok promoted him.

See all stories on this topic

Zimerman’s ovation in Rome
Thenews.pl - Warsaw,Poland

Returning to Rome, Krystian Zimerman surprises with a switch to Chopin...

The second part was taken up by an all-Chopin programme, instead of earlier-announced Brahms and Szymanowski.

The recital was Zimerman’s first appearance in Rome after a lapse of ten years. Some Poles in the audience remembered Zimerman’s concert and meeting with Pope John Paul II in the Vatican on Christmas Eve in 1980.

Fifty two year-old Krystian Zimerman is the winner of the Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1975. (mk)

See all stories on this topic

Yundi Li: Prokofiev/Ravel
Times Online - UK

Review (mostly positive) of Yundi Li's attempt to break out of his Chopin sterotype, along with the inevitable Lang Lang comparisions....

There comes a time in any young piano virtuoso’s life when the need mounts for breaking out of the core 19th-century repertoire into the wide, wild world beyond. You can’t always be wrapped around Chopin and Liszt. Alongside oriental trinkets, that smiling Chinese onslaught Lang Lang has become an improbable concert interpreter of the thickets of notes in Tippett’s Piano Concerto. For his second concerto CD, Yundi Li, Lang Lang’s compatriot (born the same year, too, 1982), has been more cautious. He has chosen Prokofiev No 2, in a Berlin live performance from May. [...]

The more Lang Lang’s performances drift into candelabra rhetoric – the Liberace style of playing – the greater the attraction of Yundi Li’s sobriety. Maybe this Prokofiev could be more tigerish, yet Yundi’s dizz dexterity and ability to shade colours within the composer’s dark and narrow band gave sufficient pleasure to me. To the Berlin audience also: the performance concludes with their roars of applause.

See all stories on this topic

The Chopin Currency - April 9, 2008

Chopin News, Reviews, and Previews:

Dave Brubeck wins medal for spreading jazz abroad
Reuters - USA

The legendary jazzman comes to Washington DC to be honored by the State Department - and to explain his connection to Chopin (including a visit to Poland a half-century ago. He says: "Now, I'm about to play a cold piano with cold hands. I would like to say about the piece that my mother was part Polish, and loved Chopin. When I went to visit the Chopin Museum I took that thought with me to the next concert. I tried to say to the Polish audience dziekuje, (thank you)...It's a hard thing."

"As a little girl I grew up on the sounds of Dave Brubeck because my dad was your biggest fan," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said at ceremony where Brubeck received the department's Ben Franklin Award for public diplomacy.

"Thank you for your patriotism and your leadership in representing America by introducing the language, the sounds and the spirit of jazz to new generations around the world," she added.

Best known for his quartet's 1959 hit "Take Five," Brubeck, 87, then sat down at a piano to play his improvisational piece "dziekuje," which means "thank you" in Polish, composed partly in memory of his mother's love for Polish composer Frederic Chopin.

Watch the video of Brubeck here - he appears about 24:00 in:

See all stories on this topic

Ohlsson's firm, eclectic recital
Washington Times - Washington,DC,USA

Kudos for an accomplished "industrial-strength" recital by 1970 Chopin Competition winner Garrick Ohlsson....

Mr. Ohlsson followed the Prokofiev with Frederic Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58. Composed in 1844, it is distinctive for its expansive structure which, like the Prokofiev, adds a fourth movement to the sonata form's conventional three.

The artist launched the Chopin with a stirring allegro maestoso, though we wish he hadn't skipped the repeat of the opening motif. The brief, rapid scherzo, which follows, oddly (or intentionally) foreshadowed the Scriabin sonata scheduled later on the program.

After a thoughtful "Largo" movement, Mr. Ohlsson's sweeping, majestic take on the finale was notable for its impeccably clean passagework.

See all stories on this topic

Kudos to music critic
MiamiHerald.com - Miami,FL,USA

How often do you see THIS headline? (The review in question is summarized in the April 3 Chopin Currency)

Re Lawrence A. Johnson's April 2 review, Yundi Li shows more fire than poetry: Hats off to your classical music critic for a well-balanced review.

As a long-standing member of the Chopin Council of Miami, it was very pleasing to read this well-written review, which gave an accurate description of this young pianist's performance. Congrats to Johnson, who has found favor with our classical enthusiasts in South Florida.

ROY S. TENN, Palmetto Bay

See all stories on this topic

Piano instructor to play in Poland
Henderson State University Oracle - Arkadelphia,AR,USA

Arkansas piano prof to head to Chopin's old Academy for the summer...

John Lee Roberts, instructor of piano and adjunct professor in the keyboard division at Henderson, will attend and perform at an intensive summer program in Warsaw, Poland this summer.

Roberts was invited by Dr. Andzej Dutkiewicz, professor of piano and head of Contemporary Music Studies at the Frederic Chopin Academy of Music as part of the academy's 10th Anniversary of "From Chopin to Gorecki -- Sources and Inspirations."

See all stories on this topic

The Chopin Currency - April 3, 2008

Chopin News, Previews, and Reviews....

Answering Bach’s Call With Color and Stamina
New York Times - United States

Chinese pianist Xiayin Wang impresses at Carnegie's Zankel Hall...

Even for the most gifted young pianist, it takes a lot to be noticed. Xiayin Wang, a doctoral student at the Manhattan School of Music, is clearly doing something right. In her native China, where she trained at the Shanghai Conservatory, Ms. Wang took first place in numerous competitions. Since her arrival here in 1997, she has added further prizes to her tally, played Carnegie Hall several times and released a well-regarded recital CD. [...]

She offered a well-wrought account of Scriabin’s Fantasy in B minor, the work of a young, earnest Chopin acolyte. She found considerably more poetry in Chopin’s Polonaise-Fantaisie in A flat, underscoring its affecting melancholy through the dreamy reverie of her opening bars and her beautifully flexible phrasing throughout.

See all stories on this topic

Yundi Li shows more fire than poetry
MiamiHerald.com - Miami,FL,USA

Mr. Li goes against type in Miami...

Winner of the International Chopin Competition in 2000, Li offered the Polish composer's four Op. 33 Mazurkas. The perennial Mazurka in D major had the whirl of the ballroom, Li's firmly pointed left-hand adding a rustic edge to the dance rhythms.

Yet while polished and well played, considering this artist's reputation in Chopin his Mazurkas were a disappointment -- generalized and lacking the individual touch and subtle coloring to raise them above any number of well-drilled performances.

Li's Nocturne in E flat major was sensitively done with a hushed glowing coda and he showed his Lisztian bona fides in a steel-fingered account of Schumann's song Widmung.

Chopin's Andante Spianato proved more successful, the cascading notes as fresh and even as a flowing spring. The ensuing Grand Polonaise Brillant was a deft melding of bravura and elegance, with Li sailing through the tortuous complexities of the coda with impressive panache.

See all stories on this topic

Japanese piano virtuoso Yu Kosuge’s Savannah debut
Connect Savannah.com - GA,USA

Thoughtful interview with the pianist enroute to her Savannah Music Festival debut, triggering memories of earlier visits to the USA...

A good friend of mine, a cellist and conductor, was at the Mayo clinic for cancer treatment. I went there to visit him after in 2005 after my recital at Carnegie Hall. They had three or four excellent grand pianos in the lobbies, and I played on every one of them. I particularly remember the moment when he and many of the other patients came downstairs to listen to me. They wanted to hear more and more. I played Chopin’s Nocturne, and I could see my friend’s tears.

He was a very bright person and he didn’t lose hope until the end, but I realized how much he really suffered. It was the last time I saw and could play for him. It wasn’t a concert but at moments like those it becomes clear that it is so important to share our love for music, and how beautiful what we do actually is.

See all stories on this topic

Ghostbusting at the Queen Anne Hotel Pt. 2: Haunted by Onions
SF Weekly - San Francisco,CA,USA

Chopin provides the soundtrack to a Poltergeist Pursuit in Frisco...

When last I left off, I was about to enter a haunted room in the Queen Anne Hotel (see last week's Bouncer for part one of this column) after drinking at the Hotel Majestic. I went there with the San Francisco Ghost Society because the hotel is supposedly haunted by the ghost of Mary Lake.

[...]

You'd think I'd be freaking during all of this, but I wasn't that surprised. I believe in ghosts, after all. Mostly I just lay there and snoozed to the strains of Chopin.

Then something terrifying happened.

See all stories on this topic

Chopin in the Blogosphere:

Since Day 1
By admin

From the Alternative Music Blog, a post-modern view of the music industry in Chopin's era..

I was talking with a young pianist the other day about composers like Paganini and Chopin, who tended to specialize on a particular instrument. Paganini was the business model for this era of composers and he took violin technique ‘where no man has gone before.’ He also wrote mostly violin pieces. No symphonies, not much chamber music; I can only think of a duet for violin and guitar.
Ditto for Chopin, only for piano. I can only think of a ‘cello sonata and the rest was piano music,solo piano pieces long and short and piano concertos.
I ventured my theory that this was due, in part, to the fact that the music business had already become extremely formatted....

dizzyobrian.org Alternatives in Music - http://www.dizzyobrian.org

It’s Chopin again
By admin

Music and memories triggered by Fryderyk, and a classic video to boot....

There was the sound of Chopin’s Nocturne No.2 in E flat major from apartment B part of the house when I came home. It was a little choppy, but it didn’t stop me from falling back to the year of 2002, the year that I was frantically trying to apply for a college in the US. I was taking buses and trains all over the place to take exams like SAT or TOEFL, and on those trips I’d listen to a CD that has a collection of Chopin’s music. With the music playing I’d be thinking about something like, “wow I’m traveling,” or “I’m so far away from home I’m independent now,” or “I wonder if that boy is thinking of me now” stuff like this.

art omelette - http://www.art-omelette.com/

A Fool's Day Squib
By Martin Langeland(Martin Langeland)

Memories of a classic April 1 gag starring Chopin and the CBC...

Chopin perform the Minute Waltz in something like 68 seconds. This was more than the title called for, but rather less than the vast majority of pianists managed, as somebody hastily sent to the disk library for examples proved.

Over and again was the wonder that we listened to Chopin himself.
And what did we think of that?

Then the canker worm raised its head. A listener called in to report that Bob might want to examine the mast head.

There it was: "Issue 0401." The rage for a lost penny wasn't in it.

Dum Luk's - http://dumluks.blogspot.com/

The Chopin Currency - April 1, 2008

Chopin News, Reviews, and Previews:

Pianist Yundi Li makes his Miami debut
MiamiHerald.com - Miami,FL,USA

Preview of the April 1 debut by our headline-grabbing pianist, who discusses his continuing connection to Chopin afer wininning the Chopin competition in Warsaw...

Yet Chopin will make up the bulk of Li's program, including four Mazurkas, the Nocturne in E flat major, and the Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise Brillante.

The pianist's Chopin has a tonal elegance, detailing and subtlety that raise it above even the most accomplished of today's keyboard artists. His Chopin is well represented with two solo discs and the First Piano Concerto coupled with that of Liszt.

Artur Rubinstein, Sviatoslav Richter, and Martha Argerich -- three musicians with very distinct Chopin styles -- have all been key influences. Yet Li's probing and interior Chopin is very much his own, and he believes his approach to the Polish composer's music has evolved in the eight years since his victory in Warsaw.

''I was just 18,'' says Li. ``It was very exciting and after that, that really started my career.

``There's a big difference because of course I've been playing so many different pieces [since then]. Now, [his Chopin playing] is more developed and I feel it's deeper and more mature.''

For an artist whose performances display such intense control and concentration, Li prefers a spontaneous approach, rarely tackling a work the same way. ''I will play each piece slightly differently, because every concert gives me a different feeling,'' he says.

''But I especially enjoy Chopin's music,'' says Li. ``I think he will be one of the most interesting composers for my life.''

See all stories on this topic

Chopin in the Blogosphere:

A couple of mostly inscrutable selections today, but since this blogs promises "All Things Chopin,"...follow link below for a short story called Shampoo ("Phrasing Chopin in Permanent Waves"). Meanwhile, over on Live Journal, our man Chopin is bound for the Krankenhaus, it seems...

English: Condolences Fiction Poems Essays Reviews Miscellaneous ...
By Rolf-Peter(Rolf-Peter)
Shampoo (phrasing Chopin in permanent waves) Feux Follets Diaboliques (my pianistic prowess challenged by the devil) Mombasa (the downfall of a pianistic empire) Pictures at an Exhibition (an accident at the conservatory) ...
try-out - http://wille3.blogspot.com/

thes1project @ 2008-03-30T22:56:00
By Frédéric-François Chopin(the S1 PROJECT)

I am going to the hospital. Alphonse, do you know any doctors that you trust?
the S1 PROJECT - http://community.livejournal.com/thes1project/

Chopin Downloads of Dubious Legality:

Janusz Olejniczak, Frederic Chopin - The Pianist: Music from the Motion Picture [Soundtrack]...
By Admin(Admin)
Free Mp3 Blogspot 1. Nocturne in C-Sharp minor (1830) 2. Nocturne in E minor, Op. 72, No. 1 3. Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, No. 1 4. Ballade No. 2 in F Major, Op. 38 5. Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23 6. Waltz No. 3 in A minor, Op. ...
Free Download Mp3 And Lyrics - http://gedug.blogspot.com/

Vivaldi - Opera Arias And Sinfonias - Emma Kirkby
By Chopin(Chopin)

From a newly-discovered music blog called "Cafe Chopin," which does not seem actually to include any Chopin...

Classical APE & CUE 1 CD, covers, Booklet 301 Mb Rs.com. Download.
Cafe Chopin - http://cafechopin.blogspot.com/

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....

See all stories on this topic

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.

See all stories on this topic

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...."

See all stories on this topic

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 22, 2008

Chopin & George Sand
Barre Montpelier Times Argus - Barre,VT,USA

A preview of a WordStage Vermont production of "Frédéric & George," — "an evening of letters, diaries, and memoirs penned by these two paradoxically matched lovers and some of their intimate circle."

"Mme. Sand, beware of Chopin! He is nothing less than a moral vampire!"

"You have no idea what Mme. Sand has managed to do with him in one summer! Consumption has seized that figure and turned it into a soul without a body. The poor creature does not see that this woman has the love of a vampire!"

See all stories on this topic

Young Chinese pianist shows his reverence for the masters
The Star-Ledger - NJ.com - Newark,NJ,USA

A preview of Yundi Li's scheduled appearances in Princeton and Newark, NJ, where he shares his knowledge of "rival" pianist Lang Lang:

Although there have been hints of rivalry between Li and Lang Lang, Li says they "bumped into each other at Beijing Airport, and it was the first time we met, about three years ago. We said, 'Let's go and hang around next time when we have time.' I think he's a talented pianist with his own style."

See all stories on this topic

Chopin to be performed at evening Dixie Forum ...
St. George Daily Spectrum - St. George,UT,US

A night of Chopin at Dixie State College in Utah, featuring DSC faculty member Dr. Nancy Allred and DSC alum Monica Hymas:

The duo will present “The Odyssey of Chopin’s Soul: The Four Ballades,” which will feature discussion on the history of these works. Hymas will perform Chopin’s "Ballade No. 1 in G Minor," and "Ballade No. 3 in A-flat Major," while Dr. Allred will perform "Ballade No. 2 in F Major" and "Ballade No. 4 in F Minor."

See all stories on this topic

Chopin in the Blogosphere:

ChopinConcerts in Castres

By LoGoRhythm(LoGoRhythm)

Blogger Lowri Blake muses on Chopin for cello in the south-west of France:

After a collection of short pieces and arrangements of music by Fauré, Debussy and Ravel, they played Chopin's Introduction and Polonaise Brillante Op.3. I was dreading hearing the usual souped- up fare (hybrid versions rewritten by various cellists who felt that the cello part was too unglamorous) but no, they gave a terrific account of the piece in its original form. Chopin's intention was to contrast the cello's beautiful melodic line with a more virtuosic piano part, not to compete with it.

brr brr brr...busy line - http://busyline.blogspot.com/

The Chopin Currency - March 20, 2008

Chopin News, Reviews, and Previews:

Opera's elite celebrate music of Viardot
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA

Another story on the Pauline Viardot stage show in San Francisco, with some fascinating insights from Marilyn Horne:

"She helped Wagner raise money for 'Tristan und Isolde.' She rewrote a lot of Chopin's music for voice - an entire book of mazurkas. Those were amazing things for a woman of that time."

See all stories on this topic

He fills halls and sells CDs, but marketing has triumphed over music
Globe and Mail - Canada

The Toronto critics continue to roast Yundi Li:

Chopin's Four Mazurkas, Op. 33 suffered the same insensitivities of style, with the addition of a failure to grasp the characteristic rhythm of the vigorous Polish dance form. Only the third of the four had any simplicity and command. All of these were accompanied by the subliminal but distinct sound of Arthur Rubenstein spinning in his grave....

He opened the slender first half of his program with Chopin's most shopworn Nocturne, the one in E flat, Op. 9, No. 2, and played it very badly indeed. ...
See all stories on this topic

Why Murray Perahia turned to Bach
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom

Nice article on peerless pianist Perahia's interest in JSB. Perahia notes he's not the only one:

Bach, as Perahia realises, had an impact on music not just in the 18th century, but throughout the Romantic era of the 19th and beyond. "Composers took Bach as their bedrock," he says, "whether it's Beethoven, Mozart, Schumann or Chopin.

"I don't think there was a day when Chopin wasn't playing Bach. When Schumann went into depression, he wrote fugues, and he always told his wife, Clara, to study Bach. It was an important part of their musical make-up....

See all stories on this topic

Chopin in the Blogosphere:

Betraying Bacon and Boating
By Jeremy Denk

Pianist and blogger Jeremy Denk (currently on the road with violinist Joshua Bell), waxes eloquent on Chopin's one-and-only Barcarolle:

Chopin writes a passage of drift which allows one motion to become another, a flight between ratios, a mysterious differential equation.

This transition is amazing partly because of its disengagement, because of the sensation that the foundations of the narrative have been removed. This transition is not essentially “musical.” It does not conform to the niceties of musical discourse, it does not attempt to be the smooth unnoticeable gearshift. Chopin deliberately removes us from the world of capital-M Music, in which he had allowed us to bathe.

I chose to program the Chopin Barcarolle (last week in lovely San Diego!) on the strength of a moment I wanted to seize, on a juicy crispy piece of bacon I once smelled in its interior. Ah, I remember the moment well: a student came in ...
- http://jeremydenk.net/blog

Eternal Sonata
By Kamisamaa(Kamisamaa)

An entry from Live Journal regarding Chopin's relationship with George Sand...

It is impossible to tell the story of Chopin’s life without the mention of this woman. George Sand was an extremely famous author in Paris who had already published numerous books. Her real name was Aurore Dudevant. ...
Recurring Reverie - http://kamisamaa99.livejournal.com/

Misc. Chopiniana:

Chopin Chorlton
By manchesterbars

Next time you're in Manchester, UK, ("the rock'n'goal capital of the world!") check out the Chopin Bar

Chopin - Manchester Road, Manchester, M21 9PG map classical music played in this new bar Hotels in Chorlton More bars in Chorlton, Manchester Top 10 bars and clubs in Manchester.
Manchester Bar Reviews - http://manchesterbars.wordpress.com/

The Chopin Currency: March 19, 2008

Chopin News, Rants, Raves, and Reviews:

Two piano stars, but only one dazzles
Toronto Star - Ontario, Canada

No, it's *not* Lang Lang; this time Yundi Li is being compared to "Macedonian wonder Simon Trpceski:"

Beneath the metallic glint of the Steinway was emptiness, like puff pastry without any custard filling.

Li has recorded Chopin before, and very beautifully at that, but his performances of a Nocturne and four Mazurkas from Op. 33 were not even phoned in, but text-messaged in, with vacuous emoticons substituting for the real thing.

It is possible that Li was having a bad night - or a bad first half. But I didn’t wait to find out more. Not when Trpceski, who has performed dazzlingly with both the Symphony and Music Toronto several times before, beckoned.

By the end of his strange and sharp-edged pairing of the Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante by Frédéric Chopin, I just wanted to get away. ...
See all stories on this topic

Cemetery Gates
Cleveland Free Times - Cleveland,OH,USA

Review of documentary film Forever:

A meditative, strangely beautiful documentary about the importance of art in life, Forever is set principally at France's fabled Pere-Lachaise cemetery. At Pere-Lachaise, visitors show up daily to pay their respects at the graves of everyone from Chopin and Moliere to Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde. Although running just 98 minutes, director Heddy Honigmann's film could conceivably go on for hours, even days. (It would make a fantastic gallery installation piece.)

See all stories on this topic

Chopin in the Blogosphere:

Free and legal MP3s from Grand Archives, Brooke Waggoner, and A ...
By Jeremy(Jeremy)

Profile of Nashville singer-songwriter Chopinaphile Brooke Waggoner:

Brooke Waggoner may be the only singer/songwriter in Nashville who cites Chopin as an influence, never mind both Chopin and ELO. So she is not a typical Nashville musician; she's from Louisiana but she's not a typical Louisiana musician ...

Fingertips - http://fingertipsmusic.blogspot.com/

an amateur classical music collection
By failed misanthrope(failed misanthrope)

From the "Failed Misanthrope's" latest blog entry, containing lots of Chopin:

I’m posting this because as a pseudo / wanna-be / dilettante classical music critic-listener, I feel that some sort of full disclosure is needed. Aside from a few sad facts—I was not a music major, I don’t play any instrument, I know very few musicians—these are the classical albums I listen to:

Chopin Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 and Complete Orchestral Works, Krystian Zimmerman, Claudio Arrau, etc., pianists (Deutsche Grammophon, 2 CD set) 81. Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1, Liszt Piano Concerto No. ...
The Failed Misanthrope - http://theamateurmisanthrope.blogspot.com/

The Chopin Currency - March 18th, 2008

Chopin News, Reviews, and Previews:

Belbin, Agosto taking a classical approach
Boston Globe - United States

Chopin turns out to be the missing ingredient in the ice-dancing tandem's Quest for Gold....

[Tanith] Belbin and [Ben] Agosto are the most successful dance team the US has had, and the Olympic silver medalists seem to break new ground every season. But when coach Igor Shpilband suggested they consider a classical piece for this year's free dance, they worried it might be too much of a stretch.

They turned down some Bach he suggested. When he came back with Chopin, though, they agreed to try it, and the flowing, romantic program has turned out to be the perfect showcase for their skills. It highlights their chemistry, expression, and speed, their traditional strengths. But it has also allowed them to show a maturity and depth of emotion they didn't have three or four years ago.

See all stories on this topic

Prince of the piano worthy of crown
Albany Times Union - Albany,NY,USA

Hey! It's another Yundi Li review!

"The 25-year-old piano prince then caught the audience's attention with his Chopin: four of the Mazurkas, followed by the well-known Nocturne in E flat and "Andante Spianato" and "Grande Polonaise." The Mazurkas are more relaxed and reflective pieces and quickly showed Yundi is more than a technically proficient virtuoso. He was particularly effective in the fourth number, which recalls the work of Robert Schumann, a friend of the composer."

The young Chinese musician won the International Chopin Competition some years ago, and has made four recordings for the prestigious Deutsche Gramophon ...
See all stories on this topic

Lang Lang delights, confounds with his individualism
Philadelphia Inquirer - Philadelphia,PA,USA

Hey! It's another Lang Lang review!

Sure, his recital of Schubert, Bartók, Debussy and Chopin was full of strangely mannered playing. But there's a trade-off: His ideas, all his own, are convincingly expressed...

....Here, on this night, marginalization of classical music was a specious myth. After a particularly convulsive and artless reading of Chopin's Polonaise in A flat major (Op. 53), "Heroic," an audience of seniors, teens, hipsters, nerds, 20ish Asian girls, aficionados, newbies, and a surprising number of 6- to 9-year-olds jumped to their feet. Whistles and cheers. Flowers. Flashbulbs.

Who else on the classical stage can claim as close a connection with as diverse a public? Right now, maybe no one.
See all stories on this topic

Chopin Videos:

Artur Rubinstein Plays Chopin Polonaise “Heroic”
By admin
Lovely excerpt from the 1947 movie Carnegie Hall. Great close-ups of Rubinstein's fingers in action, though the music is quite obviously dubbed...


From picture “Carnegie Hall”. ShareThis.
Next VDO - http://nextvdo.com/







Literary Chopin:

♯Six
By Frederic Francois Chopin(Frederic Francois Chopin)

Another installment from the pianopoet...

[Private//Easily Hackable] I have been thinking about that world again....The world I once called just a passing dream. Traveling in that world, I faded faster than it. It was mostly due to my physical state more so than my mental state ...
The piano is his way of life - http://pianopoet.livejournal.com/