Chopin Waltzes

Acclaimed as one of the greatest interpreters of Mozart, Portuguese pianist Maria-João Pires is an artist who combines exquisite stylistic refinement with a serious effort to plumb the intellectual complexities and spiritual depths of music. Refusing to conform to the traditional image of a concert virtuoso, Pires emphasizes the spiritual dimensions of music, always searching for hidden meanings which may elude the analytical performer. This remarkable reverence toward works of music, clearly manifested in her performances of Mozart, was made explicit by her remark that, as a performer, she acts as a channel for the composer's ideas.

Popular Japanese pianist Nakamichi Ikuyo represent the Chopin's waltz collection. Needless to say, Waltzes is the most popular work among Chopin piano works. The most famous 14 waltzs centered on the published works in his lifetime, added three waltzs were published after his death. The essence waltz of Chopin, the Nakamichi considered to have been hidden in the shadow of the brilliant melody "composer of his own soul confession", a little bit different waltz image of Chopin as ever shown sympathy to the depth of the shadow we raised draw. In addition, first disc played on the 1842 made Pleyel, for the second disc she's using the Steinway modern piano, which was playing the waltz of the same 17 songs.

British pianist Simon Mulligan is, according to The Times of London ‘the most abundantly gifted of pianists’, to Steinway & Sons he is ‘the world’s most versatile pianist’; Pulitzer prizewinning composer Paul Moravec calls him ‘a pianist with complete mastery of the instrument’, while Herbie Hancock says ‘You have a phenomenal touch, man!’ In addition to his extensive discography and vast repertoire, Mulligan’s solo work gains praise from critics and audiences alike, and his collaborations include performances and recordings with Yehudi Menuhin, Joshua Bell, Leonard Slatkin and Sting.He has performed all over the world, most notably at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Wigmore Hall and Royal Albert Hall in London, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, as well as private performances for Her Majesty the Queen and President Barack Obama. His keen interest in film composition led to a long association with composer Michael Kamen, culminating in his performance on the soundtrack to Spielberg’s Band of Brothers. He has led his own jazz quartet since he was thirteen, which has performed in major international festivals. His eclectic work has led to profiles in Downbeat, JazzTimes, BBC Music, Classic fM, and Gramophone magazines, among others.Simon is a recipient of the prestigious Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Music, and his teachers include Alexander Kelly, Murray Perahia, Alfred Brendel and Alexis Weissenberg.

Faulkner studierte Klavier und Komposition an der Chetham’s School of Music, bevor er mit einem akademischen Stipendium ein Musikstudium (2009–12) an der Christ Church, University of Oxford aufnahm.

The year 2020 was a strange, lonely year for many of us, due to the spreading corona virus. (…) Music was something that gave this comfort, taking our minds away and transporting us to different worlds. I, for instance, found myself diving into the music of Chopin. His music had an important place in my life from early childhood and I worked extensively on various pieces with my parents, who were my teachers at that time in Kiev.

The Waltzes are perhaps Chopin's lighter works, even though they remain distant from the world of dance-music written for the ball room. Just as his mazurkas, Chopin’s waltzes were not conceived for dancing. Chopin’s first waltz dates to 1824, when he was fourteen; the last he wrote was the last piece for solo piano he published, in 1847.Although Chopin seems to have written many waltzes, in reality only eight were published during his lifetime (Opp. 18, 34, 42, 64); several others were lost, and some are still - sadly - in private hands.In this album the listener will find the alternative versions of the Waltzes Op. 69 and Op. 70 No. 2. The piece marked “Sostenuto,” in 3/4, can also be considered a waltz, despite its less complex development, and was included.Italian pianist Vittorio Forte is a well-known name in France, where he has an active performance activity. His pianism is characterized by elegance, excellent control, and a marked virtuosic character.The recording, fully natural, took place using two pairs of Brüel & Kjær microphones.

The Waltzes are perhaps Chopin's lighter works, even though they remain distant from the world of dance-music written for the ball room. Just as his mazurkas, Chopin’s waltzes were not conceived for dancing. Chopin’s first waltz dates to 1824, when he was fourteen; the last he wrote was the last piece for solo piano he published, in 1847.

British pianist Simon Mulligan is, according to The Times of London ‘the most abundantly gifted of pianists’, to Steinway & Sons he is ‘the world’s most versatile pianist’; Pulitzer prizewinning composer Paul Moravec calls him ‘a pianist with complete mastery of the instrument’, while Herbie Hancock says ‘You have a phenomenal touch, man!