Notes and Editorial Reviews
Elegantly mixing the miniature and large-scale, the radiant and despondent, Thibaudet shows himself a genial, stylish and enviably fleet Chopin pianist. The Second Scherzo's tumultuous passions are reeled off with an easy and immaculate brio that takes account of both lightness and irony, while in shorter offerings such as the F major Etude, Op. 25 No. 3 or the early B flat Mazurka he is delightfully piquant and engaging. The G minor Ballade, too, is given an exceptional performance, at 5'07 as effortlessly articulate as a humming-bird's wings, and if the Barcarolle (most subtle and elusive of all Chopin's masterpieces) is more restless than poised, it is
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rarely without character or involvement. Thibaudet ends with two revolutions rather than a single outburst (the fist-shaking D minor Prelude as well as the Op. 10 No. 12 C minor Etude) before commencing a short further recital played on Chopin's Broadwood piano. The effect - almost as if Chopin's ghost had suddenly materialized - is touching and eerie, with the D minor Prelude, making a second appearance, sounding doubly thunderous rather than muted. The recordings, like the performances, are brilliant and refined and James McMillan's striking photograph of the pianist is a compensation for some waggish and ill-focused notes entitled 'French Polish'. Hopefully this fascinating disc is a trailer or prelude to more Chopin. On this evidence Thibaudet could give us outstanding sets of, say, the Preludes (replacing an early Denon recording, 4/88 - nla), Ballades and Scherzos.
--Gramophone Magazine Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Polonaise for Piano in A flat major, B 147/Op. 53 "Heroic" by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1842; Paris, France
Date of Recording: 02/1999
Venue: The Colosseum, Watford, England
Length: 6 Minutes 30 Secs.
2.
Waltzes (3) for Piano, B 164/Op. 64: no 1 in D flat major "Minute Waltz" by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1846-1847; Paris, France
Date of Recording: 02/1999
Venue: The Colosseum, Watford, England
Length: 1 Minutes 50 Secs.
3.
Preludes (24) for Piano, Op. 28: no 4 in E minor by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1836-1839; Paris, France
Date of Recording: 02/1999
Venue: The Colosseum, Watford, England
Length: 2 Minutes 26 Secs.
4.
Mazurkas (4) for Piano, Op. 68: no 4 in F minor, B 168 by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1849; Paris, France
Date of Recording: 02/1999
Venue: The Colosseum, Watford, England
Length: 1 Minutes 51 Secs.
5.
Waltz for Piano in E flat major, B 62/Op. 18 "Grande valse brillante" by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1831; Poland
Date of Recording: 02/1999
Venue: The Colosseum, Watford, England
Length: 4 Minutes 58 Secs.
6.
Nocturnes (3) for Piano, B 54/Op. 9: no 1 in B flat minor by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1830-1831; Poland
Date of Recording: 02/1999
Venue: The Colosseum, Watford, England
Length: 5 Minutes 18 Secs.
7.
Scherzo for Piano no 2 in B flat minor/D flat major, B 111/Op. 31 by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1837; Paris, France
Date of Recording: 02/1999
Venue: The Colosseum, Watford, England
Length: 9 Minutes 27 Secs.
8.
Barcarolle for Piano in F sharp major, B 158/Op. 60 by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1845-1846; Paris, France
Date of Recording: 02/1999
Venue: The Colosseum, Watford, England
Length: 7 Minutes 53 Secs.
9.
Nocturnes (3) for Piano, B 54/Op. 9: no 2 in E flat major by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1830-1831; Poland
Date of Recording: 02/1999
Venue: The Colosseum, Watford, England
Length: 3 Minutes 52 Secs.
10.
Etudes (12) for Piano, Op. 25: no 3 in F major by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1832-1836; Paris, France
Date of Recording: 02/1999
Venue: Hatchlands Park, Surrey, England
Length: 1 Minutes 33 Secs.
11.
Mazurkas (5) for Piano, B 61/Op. 7: no 1 in B flat major by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1831; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 02/1999
Venue: The Colosseum, Watford, England
Length: 2 Minutes 1 Secs.
12.
Ballade for Piano no 1 in G minor, B 66/Op. 23 by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1831-1835
Date of Recording: 02/1999
Venue: The Colosseum, Watford, England
Length: 8 Minutes 44 Secs.
13.
Etudes (12) for Piano, Op. 25: no 1 in A flat major by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1836; Paris, France
Date of Recording: 02/1999
Venue: The Colosseum, Watford, England
Length: 2 Minutes 10 Secs.
14.
Etudes (12) for Piano, Op. 10: no 12 in C minor, B 67 "Revolutionary" by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1830; Poland
Date of Recording: 02/1999
Venue: The Colosseum, Watford, England
Length: 2 Minutes 27 Secs.
15.
Preludes (24) for Piano, Op. 28: no 24 in D minor by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1836-1839; Paris, France
Date of Recording: 02/1999
Venue: Hatchlands Park, Surrey, England
Length: 2 Minutes 9 Secs.
16.
Preludes (24) for Piano, Op. 28: no 15 in D flat major "Raindrop" by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1838-1839; Paris, France
Date of Recording: 02/1999
Venue: Hatchlands Park, Surrey, England
Length: 6 Minutes 25 Secs.
17.
Nocturne for Piano in C sharp minor, B 49 by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Date of Recording: 02/1999
Venue: Hatchlands Park, Surrey, England
Length: 3 Minutes 42 Secs.
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