For Frédéric Chopin, the mazurka became a deeply personal statement of his feelings as an émigré Polish composer living in Paris.
Performer Biography
Peter Jablonski, the pianist on this recording, was discovered by Claudio Abbado and Vladimir Ashkenazy and signed by Decca at age 17.
Interpretation
Chopin's pupils noted that he never played his own works the same way twice, encouraging them to trust their musical intuition and put their soul into the music.
Composition History
The mazurka is the only form that Chopin composed regularly throughout his life, from some of his very first compositions to his last.
Historical Context
The mazurka, a Polish country dance from the Mazovia region, dates back to at least the sixteenth century and spread to ballrooms across Europe and America.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Chopin almost never used authentic folk material in his mazurkas, preferring to create his own folk-like themes to capture the spirit of the dance.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Chopin's creative genius elevated the country dance into an art form, inspiring composers like Glinka, Balakirev, Debussy, and Scriabin.
