Chopin's musical background was severely classical, based on the music of Bach, Mozart, and Haydn, and he found Beethoven's work uncouth by comparison.
Composer Biography
Fryderyk Chopin, born in 1810 near Warsaw, was French by birth through his father, Nicolas Chopin, who had moved to Poland.
Performer Biography
Idil Biret, the pianist on this album, began piano lessons at age three and graduated from the Paris Conservatoire with three first prizes at fifteen.
Compositional Technique
Chopin elevated the Polish dance form, the Polonaise, to a new level of complexity and feeling, drawing inspiration from contemporary Italian opera and Polish music.
Interpretation
Chopin's rubato, or 'stolen time,' involved one hand playing strictly in time while the other, singing the melody, was freed from metric restraint to convey musical expression.
Interpretation
Chopin's conception of piano sound was based on the human voice, in contrast to Liszt, who attempted to reproduce the richness of an orchestral palette.
Composer Biography
Chopin's professional career was largely spent in Paris, where he established himself as a fashionable teacher and performer in wealthy homes.
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