Chopin Preludes for Piano : Eric Zivian

Chopin Preludes for Piano by Eric Zivian

Eric Zivian : Chopin Preludes for Piano.
Virtuoso fortepianist plays chopin.

Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) wrote most of his 24 Preludes in 1839 while on the island of Mallorca trying to recover from the poor health that plagued him during most of his short life. He was there with his companion, the writer George Sand, and her two children, taking a break from their life in Paris. This was considered his most prolific period, in spite of the unusual, bitterly cold weather they experienced during their stay on the island. The Preludes, 24 short compositions in all the major and minor keys, inspired by Bach's Well-Tempered Klavier, were met with mixed reviews from critics of Chopin's time, but Liszt wrote: "they are poetic preludes, analogous to those of a great contemporary poet, who cradles the soul in golden dreams, and elevates it to the regions of the ideal." (1841). Many of the Preludes are less than a minute in length, though a few extend to several minutes.

Chopin began writing Polonaises as a young child in his native Poland. He was immediately recognized as a prodigy and compared favorably with the master Polonaise composer, Oginski. After leaving Poland at the age of 20, he spent the rest of his life in Paris, but he remained fiercely patriotic and was especially moved by the tragedy of the failed Polish uprising of 1830. The raw and powerful Polonaise in F# Minor, op. 44, was composed in 1841. It is a wonderful example of Chopin's ability to take a simple patriotic dance-form and bring to it an extraordinary originality and expressive force. One special feature of this Polonaise is Chopin's use of a gentle mazurka (another Polish dance) as a middle section.

The Barcarolle in F# Major, opus 60 was composed in 1845-46. A Barcarolle is a Venetian gondola song. Of Chopin's Barcarolle, Ravel said: "Through his brilliant passages one perceives profound, enchanting harmonies. Always there is the hidden meaning which is translated into poetry of intense despair....The Barcarolle is the synthesis of the expressive and sumptuous art of this great Slav."

Most of Chopin's mature music was composed on a French fortepiano by Pleyel, but Chopin was also partial to Graf style Viennese pianos he had performed on in 1830 when he made his very successful debut in Vienna. On this recording Eric Zivian plays an original Graf style fortepiano by Anton Rausch, built in Vienna in 1841.

Recorded by John Buckman for ToneGnome Piano Recordings

Songs:

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Release date: 9/18/2010
Eric Zivian lives in California USA

Tagged as: Classical, Romantic Era, Instrumental, Composer: Frederic Chopin, John Buckman Signature Series, Classical Piano

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