Chopin, though not composing operas, is considered one of the greatest 'vocal composers' on the piano in the 19th century, transferring bel canto melodiousness and virtuosic ornamentation to the instrument.
Compositional Technique
Chopin is the founder of the piano ballade as a genre, refraining from giving them specific programmatic titles.
Compositional Technique
Chopin's later works are characterized by both adherence to tradition and radical handling of harmony, timbre, and texture, as well as expanding and innovating genres.
Composer Biography
Chopin left his homeland Poland in 1830 and never returned, settling in Paris at the end of 1831 for the rest of his life.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in May 2012 at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, using a Steinway & Sons D-274 piano.
Composition History
Chopin started writing his Preludes op 28 in Paris in 1835 and completed them in Valdemossa, Majorica (1838-1839), where he had a copy of Bach's 'Das Wohltemperierte Klavier'.
Performer Biography
Pianist Ralf Taal (b. 1974) is part of a new generation of Estonian pianists who emerged in the 1990s and quickly gained a leading position.
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Chopin & Schumann: Piano Works (Live)
Robert Lortat: The Chopin Recordings (Recorded 1928 & 1931)
