Chopin: Polonaise No. 6 in A flat major, Op. 53 'Héroïque' (Heroic)

Emil Gilels played a sonata by Scarlatti at his first public concert in 1929 and included them in his tours to the West in the 1950s. These recordings present a splendid group of the composer’s widely contrasting moods. Gilels was a true virtuoso in the Lisztian tradition, combining musical integrity with rarely equalled technique. The Fantasia was one of the works with which he won the First Soviet All-Union Competition in 1933, while his recordings of the Hungarian Rhapsodies and three works by Chopin are full of character and personality. A recently discovered notebook in which Gilels logged some of his recording sessions has made the dating of these recordings more accurate in this edition.

Ward Marston, audio restoration engineer

Polonaise: almost always, as soon as the word is uttered, it conjures up the name of Frédéric Chopin. And what could be more natural with a creative genius who was constantly attracted to the genre? His first work, published in Warsaw, was entitled ‘Polonaise for pianoforte dedicated to her Excellency the Countess Victoire Skarbek by Friderik Chopin, aged eight years’; and right up to the concluding Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op.61, fourteen other similar compositions had punctuated the all-too-brief career of the Polish maestro. Before Chopin, a number of musicians had devoted themselves to the polonaise since its appearance in the sixteenth century under the name of ‘Polish Dance’, before assuming that simply of ‘Polonaise’ (‘Polish’) in the following century. Gradually this dance in triple time had extended its influence to the whole of Europe. Undoubtedly some admirable polonaises had been written, but at the expense of the original essence of a proud, manly and noble dance. To Frédéric Chopin fell the honour of reviving that initial virility – of recreating the polonaise.

Franz Liszt had not been mistaken when, shortly after the premature death of his friend, he wrote: ‘His Polonaises... are among his most inspired creations; in no way do they remind us of those over-ornate, pretty-pretty pieces à la Pompadour... Their vigorous rhythm sets us quivering; it rouses us from our usual torpid indifference. The noblest sentiments of the Poland of old come to life in them. A sense of firm determination allied to gravity is what strikes us from the start. For the most part soldierly in spirit, they express gallantry and valour on a note of simplicity which typifies these qualities in a warrior nation. They exude a calm and thoughtful strength, and we feel we are back with those Poles of earlier days depicted in their chronicles.’

There could be no better commentary to introduce the Polonaise in A flat Op.53 (1843), one of Chopin’s most celebrated achievements whose usual nickname, the ‘Heroic’, sums up manly determination and fervour and a distinctly narrative character which has led some to detect in it an underlying programme. The ‘Military’ Polonaise in A major, Op.40 No.1 (1838), again paints a portrait of a valiant and combative people, an image which owes much to a rising melodic pattern and a verticality of composition issuing from vast and powerful chords. In complete contrast, the Polonaise in C minor, Op.40 No.2 (1839), is notable for its mood of distress. Is this not the bitterness and despondency of defeat at the close of day, seemingly born of the bass notes underlying the sombre chords from the right hand?

Four years before these two works of perfection Chopin had completed the two Polonaises Op.26. Created by a composer only twenty-five years old, they underline just how early in his career he had acquired a quite inimitable idiom. What vigour, indeed, in the first of these, in C sharp minor, which, if it does not make a clean break with the somewhat ornate manner of the polonaises of his even earlier youth (cf. Opus 71), already demonstrates an impressive authority. As for the second, the drama prefigured in the pianissimo of its opening bars is subsequently developed with an imagination expressed in sound which is astonishingly modern. The Polonaise in F sharp minor, Op.44 (1841) remains undoubtedly one of Chopin’s most enigmatic and disconcerting pieces. Its originality lies in its association of the polonaise with Chopin’s other favourite dance, the mazurka, and this association generates a strange atmosphere which Liszt, again, has wonderfully defined: ‘It is like the recounting of a dream in the first glimmering of a grey and misty winter dawn, a dream that follows a long, sleepless night, a dream-poem intermingling impression and reality which have no connection with one another, but which curiously coalesce.’

Published posthumously by Julien Fontana in 1871, the three Polonaises Op.71 – in D minor, B flat and F minor respectively – were written before their composer had finally left Poland. They are therefore the work of an adolescent who dazzled the aristocrats of Warsaw with his extraordinary talents. If here we are still far removed from the dramatic impact of the works which were to follow, we cannot fail to respond to the freshness and pianistic inventiveness of three compositions of great promise, made evident in a distinctive sense for contrast (No.1) or full-flavoured popular appeal (No.2).

As the orchestra plays an extremely limited and secondary role the Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante in E flat can be performed without detriment on the solo piano. This work, so rich in lyricism and sparkle, was written between 1830 and 1834 and crowns that period of stylistic brilliance begun before his departure from Poland. Imbued with all the insouciance of a young composer intent on winning over his public, this work derives its impact from the contrast between the peaceful atmosphere and half-toned cantabile of the Andante, and the triumphant high spirits of the polonaise which follows.

With the Polonaise-Fantaisie in A flat, Op.61 (1846), Chopin made his last incursion into the world of the polonaise. The listener must not be put off by the evident multiformity of a masterpiece which is remarkable for the variety and complexity of the feelings and moods it expresses. The Polonaise-Fantaisie belongs among those works one gradually gets to grips with, constantly improving one’s appreciation of the inexhaustible wealth of poetry and the compositional audacities which, as with the fourth Ballade, place it among its author’s most visionary achievements.

Two releases on Deutsche Grammophon will be devoted to Chopin: a solo recital recorded in Warsaw, with deeply-felt Waltzes, a Polonaise, a Fantasia, a Nocturne and the B flat minor Sonata, as well as Chopin’s two piano concertos, accompanied by the Staatskapelle Berlin under Andris Nelsons, captured live at the Ruhr Piano Festival in July 2010.

YUNDI - Live In Beijing, a spectacular concert in the extraordinary new venue of the National Centre of the Performing Arts in Beijing. Here he gives a live recital, recorded for EMI Classics, of works by Chopin, including his great Sonata no.2. His encores are Chinese works which have been incredibly popular in his recitals around the world.

Yundi is famed throughout his homeland since his win in the Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 2000, where he was the first Chinese pianist to win the competition, as well as the youngest ever winner.

The first live performance available commercially globally from Beijing’s latest performing arts venue

A unique live recording of one of the great young Chopin pianists, performed in his homeland where he is a superstar. This recording will capture the energy and thrill of a very special live performance in a sensational new venue.

Since the competition that catapulted Yundi onto the international stage, his recitals and appearances with orchestras in Europe, Asia and the United States have been hailed by critics extolling his precise, crystalline technique, keyboard fluidity and boundless enthusiasm. His personality and artistry appeal to audiences of all ages and he is an icon in his native China, where he has inspired millions of young people, who refer to him as the "Prince of the Piano."

2 CD & DVD.

Lang Lang’s first recording for Sony, the start of a new exclusive long-term partnership - recorded live at Vienna’s prestigious Musikverein in 2010.

Lang Lang:

Heralded as the “hottest artist on the classical music planet” by the New York Times, 28- year-old Lang Lang began playing the piano at the age of 3, gave his first public recital aged 5, and won first prize at the Tchaikovsky International Young Musicians Competition at the age of 13. Since then he has become a global phenomenon, playing sold out recitals and concerts in every major city in the world.

Testimony to his success, Lang Lang recently appeared in the 2009 Time 100 – Time Magazine's annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. In 2008, over 5 billion people viewed Lang Lang’s performance in Beijing’s opening ceremony for the Olympic Games, and he has inspired over 40 million Chinese children to take up the piano – a phenomenon coined by The Today Show as "the Lang Lang effect." More recently, Lang Lang was chosen as an official worldwide ambassador to the 2010 Shanghai Expo. He has performed at prestigious events including at The White House and The Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony.

Continuing his presence on the world stage, Lang Lang was featured at the 2008 Grammy Awards and the 2009 Classical Brit Awards, pairing up with jazz great, Herbie Hancock, for an astounding performance that was broadcast live to 45 million viewers worldwide.

Lang Lang has made it his mission to share classical music around the world, with an emphasis on training children and young musicians through education, outreach programs, master classes and financial support. He launched the Lang Lang International Music Foundation in New York with the support of UNICEF. In May 2009, Lang Lang and his three chosen young scholars from the foundation performed together on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

In addition to his numerous commitments, Lang Lang holds the title of the first Ambassador of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. His role in this groundbreaking project created by YouTube and Google reflects his devotion to building new audiences and bringing classical music to young people worldwide. A brand in himself, Lang Lang has become the face of numerous global campaigns. Steinway has created five versions of the “Lang Lang Steinway” designed for early music education - the first time in Steinway’s 150-year history that an artist’s name has been used to produce pianos. He is a global brand ambassador for the entire Sony Corporation, including its Electronics arm, with whom he anticipates achieving innovative and creative possibilities for the future. Lang Lang also holds brand partnerships with Audi Automobiles and Aegon's worldwide financial services, amongst others.Lang Lang’s performance clothes are provided by Versace.

In February 2010, Lang Lang joined Sony Music Entertainment as an exclusive recording artist.

Idealised by romantic myth, Frédéric Chopin is one of the most celebrated composers in history. This virtuoso pianist devoted his whole output to his instrument and developed a unique style which made him “an extraordinary artist” (Berlioz). Here the musicians of harmonia mundi present some of his most famous pieces, a glimpse of the inner world of this genius who “made use of art solely to fulfil his own tragic destiny” (Liszt).