Bernd Glemser broke a record by winning 17 competitions and special prizes in a row, using the prize money to buy his first grand piano.
Performer Biography
In 1996, Bernd Glemser was the first Western musician to perform live on nationwide television in China, playing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1.
Performer Biography
Bernd Glemser has a particular affinity for the works of Sergej Rachmaninov and played in the 2007 movie 'Spiderman 3'.
Composition History
Chopin began work on Scherzo No. 1 in B minor in Vienna during Christmas 1830, while a revolutionary uprising was occurring in Poland.
Performer Biography
Bernd Glemser, the pianist on this album, was appointed Germany's youngest professor in 1989 while still a student.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Chopin was inspired by Adam Mickiewicz, founder of the Polish Romantic Movement, whose 'Ballads and Romances' claimed that new poetry could derive from folk songs.
Historical Context
Chopin's homeland, Poland, had vanished from the map as an independent state in 1795 due to the Third Partition of Poland.
