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Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849)
Complete Preludes
Robert Schumann
Papillons Op.2
Claudio Arrau, piano
PTC 5186 165
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DSD remastered
THE MINIATURE IN THE CYCLE
In
just 40 minutes, the cosmos was created. To be sure, here we are talking
solely about a pianistic cosmos: yet it is one that still, more than 170
years after its creation, remains breath-taking and arouses many diverse
emotions, including unlimited admiration. The oeuvre in question is Frédéric Chopin’s
Preludes, Op. 28. He wrote these 24 pianistic miniatures between 1836 and 1839,
modelling them on the Preludes by Johann Sebastian Bach. However, he did not
retain their “prologue-type” character: on the contrary, the
variety of the works is more an indication of a secondary meaning of this
term, i.e. fantasizing.
Among the greatest composers of the 19th century, Chopin is probably the
only one to write more or less exclusively for “his” instrument, the
piano. During a period of some 20 years, he composed almost 200 solo works.
Not a huge output, compared to other extremely prolific composers of the day
(whose names and works have now justifiably been forgotten). Chopin polished
away at his compositions, until each one was defined by its own unmistakable
personality. In order to classify the special distinctive features of his sound,
one should probably not only emphasize the international character of his particular
piano style, but also – and especially – point out the various
compositional stages through which he went in his diverse roles of improviser,
pianist, piano teacher and composer. Together, these blended into a highly
potent mixture. German musicologists have generally tended to categorize Chopin
rashly as a “salon composer”, and thus make it impossible to view
his music without prejudice. However, although Chopin most certainly encountered
audiences for his music in the salon, the quality of his works undoubtedly
soars far above that environment. Thus the “Chopineske” is the
successful synthesis of a musical world view, which combines the operatic
sweetness of Bellini, the calculated effect of Rossini, the contrapuntal
gravity of Bach, as well as the harmony of Wagner in a jaunty, daring and
calculating fashion.
The Preludes Op. 28 are monothematic and the nuclei of their motifs frequently
comprise only one bar (at times, in fact, of only part of a bar), from which
the works are then developed. The order of the 24 Preludes was determined (at
a later date) according to the quint circle and the related minor keys. This
brings up the question, especially for interpreters, of whether or not this
is a cycle. Many pianists consciously select individual pieces from the opus:
however, they tend to overlook the fact that this entire opus of Don Quichote-type
works is dominated by an all-encompassing sense of drama, thanks to its contrast
and expression. The pieces alternate continuously between triumph and despair,
brilliance and darkness, excitement and composure.
The Prelude Op. 45, dating from 1841, is light years away from Op. 28 as
regards style of composition. It is an “overcast” and poetic
masterpiece, a bitter-sweet anticipation of the late Intermezzi by Brahms,
interrupted by agonizing and tormenting transitions, a kaleidoscopic cadenza,
and a coda of well-nigh operatic drama and declamation.
Robert Schumann wrote his Papillons, Op. 2 between 1829 and 1832. The cycle
consists of 12 concise fantasy images, based on notes from his study books,
in which he jotted down his musical ideas. The aphoristic Schmetterlinge
(= butterflies) received an additional cachet thanks to the literary association
with Jean Paul’s Die Flegeljahren (= the years of adolescence). The two
final chapters of the novel are entitled “Larven-Tanz” (= dance
of the masks) and “Brief – Nachtwandler – Traum” (=
letter – sleepwalker – dream). Here, Schumann demonstrates to the
listener his “new approach to the variation form”: thus he presents
the individual miniatures (dance, ballroom, masks) as strongly contrasting,
yet derives both motif and theme from a common source. The thematic material
of the waltz in No. 1 determines the course of the remainder of the work,
in which Schumann varies all elements and levels of the music, and as such
subjects the character and development of the moods to a permanent transformation.
| FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN Complete Preludes | ||
| 24 Preludes Op. 28 | ||
| 1 | Prelude No.1 in C | 0. 43 |
| 2 | Prelude No.2 in A minor | 1. 50 |
| 3 | Prelude No.3 in G | 1. 04 |
| 4 | Prelude No.4 in E minor | 2. 01 |
| 5 | Prelude No.5 in D | 0. 41 |
| 6 | Prelude No.6 in B minor | 2. 20 |
| 7 | Prelude No.7 in A | 0. 53 |
| 8 | Prelude No.8 in F sharp minor | 1. 59 |
| 9 | Prelude No.9 in E | 1. 26 |
| 10 | Prelude No.10 in C sharp minor | 0. 34 |
| 11 | Prelude No.11 in B | 0. 41 |
| 12 | Prelude No.12 in G sharp minor | 1. 08 |
| 13 | Prelude No.13 in F sharp | 3. 14 |
| 14 | Prelude No.14 in E flat minor | 0. 48 |
| 15 | relude No.15 in D flat "Raindrop | 5. 32 |
| 16 | Prelude No.16 in B flat minor | 1. 10 |
| 17 | Prelude No.17 in A flat | 3. 27 |
| 18 | Prelude No.18 in F minor | 0. 59 |
| 19 | Prelude No.19 in E flat | 1. 21 |
| 20 | Prelude No.20 in C minor | 1. 46 |
| 21 | Prelude No.21 in B flat | 2. 10 |
| 22 | Prelude No.22 in G minor | 0. 54 |
| 23 | Prelude No.23 in F | 1. 01 |
| 24 | Prelude No.24 in D minor | 2. 27 |
| 25 | Prelude No.25 in C sharp minor, Op. 45 | 5. 30 |
| 26 | Prelude No.26 in A flat, Op. posth. | 0. 57 |
| ROBERT SCHUMANN | ||
| 27 | Papillons Op.2 | 15. 54 |
Total playing-time: |
62. 50 |
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