Freddy Kempf, the pianist on this recording, became the youngest winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition in 1992 at age 15.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Chopin's Études, unlike earlier technical exercises, were conceived as ends in themselves, marking a significant shift in the genre's history.
Composition History
Chopin dedicated his Twelve Études, Op. 10, to his friend Franz Liszt, a prominent Parisian pianist who also composed his own formidable set of Études.
Cultural Impact
Chopin's Études are considered 'revolutionary' and paved the way for romantic and expressionist piano miniatures by composers from Robert Schumann to Anton Webern and beyond.
Performer Biography
Freddy Kempf's third prize at the 1998 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow caused public protests and was hailed by the Russian press, which proclaimed him 'the hero of the competition'.
Composition History
Chopin's Twelve Études, Op. 25, composed between 1832 and 1836, were dedicated to Countess Marie d'Agoult, Franz Liszt's companion and a leading figure in Parisian salons.
Critical Reception
Early admirers of Chopin's Études included Robert Schumann and his wife Clara Schumann (then Clara Wieck), who incorporated them into her concert repertoire by the mid-1830s.
