Chopin: Ballades Nos 2 & 4, Scherzo No. 4 et al

Featuring

Anna Zassimova
Frédéric Chopin

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Composition History

Some of Chopin's posthumously published works, including some on this album, were given fanciful opus numbers (Opp. 66-74) by his friend Julian Fontana in 1855.

Compositional Technique

Chopin's mazurkas are not intended for dancing; instead, they stylize and recreate Polish folklore through three original dance types: the kujawiak, oberek, and mazur.

Composer Biography

Chopin is considered the actual inventor of the 'Tristan chord,' which can be found in several of his mazurkas.

Performer Biography

Anna Zassimova, the performer, is also a painter and holds diplomas in both music and plastic arts.

Composer Biography

George Sand, Chopin's mistress and companion for ten years, is credited with providing the emotional stability that may have enabled his aesthetic evolution.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Chopin's music is described as defying the passage of time, lively, sensitive, and capable of revealing all facets of the human soul.

Compositional Technique

Chopin often used a technique of highlighting the imaginary timbre of a 'piano-cello' in the left hand, as heard in the Waltz in A flat major, Op. 64 No. 3.