Chopin: Zyczenie (The Maiden's Wish), Op. 74 No. 1 (Le souhait)

Dorothy Mields is one of the leading interpreters of 17th and 18th century music and is beloved by audiences and critics alike for her unique timbre and moving interpretations. She has flawless technique and an ethereal clarity to her voice. She has a steadily growing discography and her recordings have been well received; “marvellously expressive throughout” Gramophone.

The Polish soprano Urszula Cuvellier has studied both singing and the violin. Since 2001, she has been a soloist in the Choeur Symphonique de Paris. Anne Bozek teaches vocal accompaniment at the Paris Conservatoire and regularly gives masterclasses in Europe and Asia.

Both singers are closely connected with the Metropolitan Opera in New York and Covent Garden. Last year they recorded a set of Chopin Songs for the Frederyck Chopin Institute. Nelson Goerner is a great figure among contemporary pianists and is well known for his performances of the works of romantic composers, particularly Chopin’s.

The lied and Chopin’s world are not as far removed from each other as one might think at first. The Romantic lied, bel canto and Chopin’s piano works are in fact different ‘dialects’ derived from the the same style or mindset. Likewise of a vocal origin, the nocturnes, the folk-like mazurkas and the other small forms rendered immortal by the “poet of the piano”, can be regarded as songs without words. The appeal of works with words lies in the fact that frequently they offer the key to the closed world of a composer – maybe not the whole one but at least a small corner of it. Although it would be in vain to seek in Chopin’s songs for cues to the contextual background of his mysterious instrumental works belonging to the category of absolute music, the some twenty pieces throw new light on his well-known piano works.

Virtually all the pieces in this recital were written by pianist-composers rather than composer-pianists, the majority prominent at the turn of the century. And they are somehow part and parcel of a 19th-century tradition, a love of encores, of the teasing and delectable. They could also be considered an overspill from several great pianist’s careers, lavishly extending both style and technique.

"The most perfect piano playing conceivable" The Guardian

"A virtuoso who begins where others leave off" Washington Post

The Franco-Swiss pianist and conductor Alfred Cortot is regarded as one of the greatest 20th century musicians, especially renowned for his poetic insight into the Romantic period piano works and is particularly associated with those of Chopin. A must for enthusiasts of piano music and great performances.

Paderewski was perhaps the most famous, and certainly the most highly paid, pianist who ever lived. In the years between 1890 and the First World War his fame reached levels now only reserved for the biggest pop stars and when he became prime-minister of Poland after the end of the war his deification was complete. He resumed his career in the 1920’s and continued to perform until his death. Unfortunately most of his recordings were made later in life and do not capture his playing in its prime, a fact which has somewhat damaged his posthumous reputation, so it is particularly important that these earliest recordings, which can redress the balance, are made available complete for the first time. This is playing very different in style from what we are used to today, but aside from its historic importance, taken on its own terms it is quite clear what a great communicator Padereswki was. And it’s good to be reminded in works like Liszt’s La Leggierezza study that at this point in his career there was nothing lacking in technique either.

Several titles included are taken from Paderewski’s own test pressings of unissued discs held at the International Piano Archive, University of Maryland, and this is their first release. A must for collectors!