Happy Birthday, Frédéric Chopin

The Polish virtuoso pianist and composer Frédéric Chopin was born on this day in 1810. Chopin was a composer who wrote, almost exclusively, for the piano. His stylistic and harmonic innovations influenced later Romantic composers. Additionally, his music has been associated with Polish nationalism. In 1939, as Nazi troops advanced on Warsaw, Chopin’s music was played continuously on Polish radio.

In a recent post, I offered a few thoughts on Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto. Other great Chopin performances can be found throughout The Listeners’ Club archive, including recordings by Maria João Pires, Ivan Moravec, and Krystian Zimerman. Today, let’s add Russian pianist Grigory Sokolov to that list. We’ll start with Chopin’s Mazurka No 2 in A minor, Op 68. Listening to this short piece is like entering a dream. Alternating between A minor and its relative C major, it’s music filled with quiet melancholy and sensuousness. A mazurka is a traditional Polish folk dance in triple meter (usually at a lively tempo) with accents on the second and third beats.

Here is Sokolov’s performance of the famous Fantasie-Impromptu op. 66 from a 2005 recital in Paris. Splashy, expansive keyboard fireworks alternate with one of the most beautiful and memorable melodies ever written. As with the A minor Mazurka above, there’s a fascinating sense of duality in this music: the spirited, larger-than-life outward and the contemplative inward.

Recordings

  • Grigory Sokolov’s complete discography iTune

About Timothy Judd

A native of Upstate New York, Timothy Judd has been a member of the Richmond Symphony violin section since 2001. He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where he earned the degrees Bachelor of Music and Master of Music, studying with world renowned Ukrainian-American violinist Oleh Krysa.

The son of public school music educators, Timothy Judd began violin lessons at the age of four through Eastman’s Community Education Division. He was a student of Anastasia Jempelis, one of the earliest champions of the Suzuki method in the United States.

A passionate teacher, Mr. Judd has maintained a private violin studio in the Richmond area since 2002 and has been active coaching chamber music and numerous youth orchestra sectionals.

In his free time, Timothy Judd enjoys working out with Richmond’s popular SEAL Team Physical Training program.

2 thoughts on “Happy Birthday, Frédéric Chopin”

  1. Dear Timothy, thanks once again for this…I really enjoy all your posts (some more than others, I admit, but all very informative and helpful). I usually forward these Chopin sites on to an 86 year old Chopin maniac who just adores them!
    Thank you for taking the time to present these…I am well retired now from teaching music but still have my wits about me and find researching things very stimulating…usually lieder with my baritone, but Chopin has always been my main love with the piano repertoire.

    best wishes, Melbourne Australia

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