Chopin: Variations on Mozart's 'La ci darem la mano' in B flat major, Op. 2

Using the new Polish National Chopin Edition, acclaimed pianist Eldar Nebolsin and Poland’s national orchestra conducted by the renowned Polish conductor Antoni Wit, here present fresh interpretations of Chopin’s great works for piano and orchestra.

AUDIO Recorded and edited in HIGH DEFINITION 24-bit, 88.2 kHz PCM Surround.

Presented in HIGH DEFINITION 24-BIT 96 KHZ

DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 Surround

PCM Stereo 2.0

Total Running Time: 62.53

Using the new Polish National Chopin Edition, acclaimed pianist Eldar Nebolsin and Poland’s national orchestra conducted by the renowned Polish conductor Antoni Wit, here present fresh interpretations of Chopin’s great works for piano and orchestra.

The Second Piano Concerto was written before the first and completed in 1830, the year in which the composer set out for Vienna and then Paris. Chopin’s Variations on Là ci darem la mano, bear witness to his admiration for Mozart, instilled by his earliest teacher, the Bohemian Wojciech Žywny.

The Grande Polonaise brillante in E flat, Op. 22, was written in Vienna, and later augmented with the introductory Andante spianato.

Demidenko is famous for his perfomances of the Russian concerto repertoire. On this CD, he performs the works of Chopin with passion and artistry. These performances were recorded live at the Witold Polish Radio Concert Studio in Warsaw in 2008.

The CD includes young Chopin’s three masterpieces, composed in Warsaw in the years 1827-29, as well as Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise in the version for piano and orchestra. The music is performed by Nelson Goerner and the Orchestra of the 18th Century conducted by Frans Brüggen. There is a bonus - the Polish national anthem Mazurek Dabrowskiego for the first time played on period instruments.

Fantasy on Polish Airs in A major, Op. 13 was recorded during a concert held on 30 August 2006 at the Grand Theatre – National Opera. Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise brillante, Op. 22, Variations in B flat major on ‘Là ci darem la mano’ from Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Op. 2, Rondo à la Krakowiak, in F major, Op. 14 were recorded in Witold Lutoslawski Polish Radio Concert Studio, Warsaw, 11 November 2007.

Anthony Goldstone here presents a collection of paraphrases, transcriptions and variations from opera for solo piano.

The medium of opera has been the vehicle for some of the most passionate music, and the most beautiful melodies, ever written. Pianists are no more immune from passion than anyone else, and – despite the piano’s percussive

method of sound production, or it may be because of it – they have been eager to accept, from whatever source, every opportunity to render a wonderful tune. It is no surprise that pianist-composers have plundered the treasures of opera for the benefit of their fellows. All melodies ultimately spring from the voice, and, no matter how ornate the costumes in which ever more adventurous composer-virtuosos have cloaked them, the challenge for the executant is to phrase them in such a way as not to invite detrimental comparison with the “real thing”.

Sometimes composers have distilled an opera into a manageable length for a piano piece; sometimes they have shamelessly cherry-picked. The comment attributed to Rossini regarding Wagner’s operas – that they contain fine moments but awful quarter-hours – is perhaps extreme, but it is self-evident that in any extended theatre piece there will be comparative highlights and longueurs. Moreover, at the piano the often wearisome plots can be ignored.

Anthony Goldstone is recognised as one of Britain’s most respected pianists. Goldstone’s completions and realisations of several works by Schubert and Mozart have been greeted with enthusiasm by musicologists and listeners alike.