The last of Chopin’s three sonatas for piano was finished in 1844. The piano writing is at once perfect for the instrument and taxing for the pianist because everything is so clear that even the smallest fluff or misjudgement of dynamics makes itself heard.
Chopin’s Preludes have come to be regarded as one of the monuments of the early Romantic movement in music, he worked on the Preludes between 1836 and 1839 but it’s possible some of them were in his mind before that. The idea of a set of 24 pieces in all keys obviously stems from Bach’s ‘48’, but Chopin has gone about the task in his own way.
Nick Van Bloss’s early musical training began as a chorister at Westminster Abbey and was followed by studies at the Royal College of Music with Yonty Solomon. In 1994, aged 26, Nick van Bloss played a televised recital in Poland at the Chopin Festival. This proved to be his last public appearance before he retired from playing completely for 15 years. In April 2009, van Bloss made a 'comeback' concert at London's Cadogan Hall, playing a concerto by Bach and Beethoven's 'Emperor' Concerto with the English Chamber Orchestra. The concert, uniformly reviewed as a 'Triumph' by London's critics, attracted massive media interest from all over the globe. Since then, Nick van Bloss has performed in the United States, Japan, Sweden, Austria, with the English Chamber Orchestra, and conducted concertos from the keyboard. His recording schedule, as part of a long-term relationship with Nimbus Records, will include Beethoven’s ‘Diabelli Variations’ and selected Sonatas, a CD of Sonatas by Mozart, and a recording of several Piano Concertos by Mozart with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, directed by van Bloss from the piano. A feature film about his life is currently in development.
