Chopin put the finishing touches on his Preludes Op. 28 on a small Pleyel piano, a cottage instrument shipped from France to Majorca.
Composer Biography
Chopin was hostile to artificial teaching devices like the 'chiroplast' or 'dactylion', recommending his pupils use their intelligence in practicing.
Composition History
Chopin revised or finished most of his Preludes Op. 28 during an ill-fated stay in Majorca with George Sand in the winter of 1838-1839.
Composer Biography
George Sand, a novelist and Chopin's companion, described him as a man commanded by habit, for whom any change was a tremendous event.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Chopin, like Debussy, elevated the prelude to a standalone piece, conceiving each as a commentary on his moods and aspirations, rather than an atmospheric sketch.
Performer Biography
Philippe Giusiano, the performer on this album, won the Thirteenth International Frederic Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1995, after first competing at age 17.
Compositional Technique
Chopin's Preludes Op. 28 are rooted in Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier, which Chopin studied daily, and are organized according to the twelve notes of the chromatic scale.
