Frédéric Chopin

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Biography

Born: 1810   Died: 1849   Period: Romantic
Frédéric Chopin has long been recognized as one of the most significant and individual composers of the Romantic age. The bulk of his reputation rests on small-scale works that in other hands would have been mere salon trifles: waltzes, nocturnes, preludes, mazurkas, and polonaises (the last-named two groups reflecting his fervent Polish nationalism). These works link poetically expressive melody and restless harmony to high technical demands. Read more Even his etudes survive as highly appealing concert pieces by emphasizing musical as well as technical values.

His birth date is a matter of controversy; the town registration of his birth specifies February 22, but Chopin always gave the date as March 1. His father was French, his mother Polish; he was raised in Warsaw by a family that mingled with intellectuals and members of the middle and upper classes, and as a teenager he spent two summers in the country, where he was exposed to Polish folk music. By the age of eight he was recognized as a child prodigy, performing in elegant salons and beginning to write his own pieces. Early on he studied composition with Josef Elsner, then took classes in various other music subjects as well as art and literature at the Warsaw Lyceum. In 1826 he enrolled at the University of Warsaw. He gave his first recital in Vienna in 1829, and over the next few years he performed at home and through much of German and Austria as well as in Paris. Feeling limited by Warsaw's cultural provincialism and uncomfortable with the publicity surrounding his performances there, he settled in Paris in 1832 and established himself as an exorbitantly paid piano teacher. In Paris he composed extensively, but limited his performances mainly to private salons.

In 1838 he began an affair with French novelist George Sand. The couple, along with Sand's children, spent a harsh winter in Majorca, where Chopin's health plummeted and he was diagnosed with consumption (tuberculosis). Chopin settled in with Sand in France, composing steadily although his increasing perfectionism slowed his output. By the mid-1840s, though, his health and romantic situation both had deteriorated. The affair ended in 1847 after, among other things, Sand had portrayed their relationship unflatteringly in her 1846 novel Lucrezia Floriani. Chopin then made an extended visit to the British Isles, but returned to Paris to die in 1849. Read less

Featured Frédéric Chopin CDs & DVDs:

Chopin: The Mazurkas / Mirian Conti
Chopin: The Mazurkas / Mirian Conti
Release Date: 11/09/2010   Label: Steinway & Sons  
Catalog: 30003   Number of Discs: 2
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Chopin: Etudes / Maurizio Pollini
Chopin: Etudes / Maurizio Pollini
Release Date: 10/25/1990   Label: Deutsche Grammophon  
Catalog: 413794   Number of Discs: 1
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Grieg, Chopin, Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos / Rubinstein
Grieg, Chopin, Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos / Rubinstein
Release Date: 09/12/2006   Label: Deutsche Grammophon  
Catalog: 000673109  
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Chopin Complete Edition [17-CD Set]
Chopin Complete Edition [17-CD Set]
Release Date: 01/26/2010   Label: Deutsche Grammophon  
Catalog: 001382602   Number of Discs: 17
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Chopin 200th Anniversary Edition - Complete Works
Chopin 200th Anniversary Edition - Complete Works
Release Date: 01/26/2010   Label: Emi Classics  
Catalog: 67117   Number of Discs: 16
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Work: Nocturne for Piano in E flat major, Op. 9 no 2

Browse 276-298 of 298 Available Recordings
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  • 276.
    Chopin - Greatest Hits
    Chopin - Greatest Hits
    Label: Sony   Catalog: 64057 Release Date: 08/09/1994   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Cecile Licad,  Emanuel Ax,  Philippe Entremont,  Cyprien Katsaris  ... 
    Conductor:  André Previn,  Eugene Ormandy
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Philharmonic Orchestra,  Philadelphia Orchestra
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  • 277.
    Popular & Serious Music For Cello & Piano / Lavotha, Aberg
    Popular & Serious Music For Cello & Piano / Lavotha, Aberg
    Label: Bis   Catalog: 72 Release Date: 02/22/1994   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Bohuslav Martinu,  Ingvar Lidholm,  Frédéric Chopin,  Ernst Toch  ... 
    Performer:  Elémér Lavotha,  Kerstin Ĺberg
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  • 278.
    Chopin: Famous Piano Music
    Chopin: Famous Piano Music
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 550291 Release Date: 02/15/1994   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Irina Zaritskaya,  Balázs Szokolay,  István Székely,  Péter Nagy
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  • 279.
    Romantic Piano Favourites Vol 5 / Balázs Szokolay
    Romantic Piano Favourites Vol 5 / Balázs Szokolay
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8550168 Release Date: 02/15/1994   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Strauss Jr.,  Gustav Lange,  Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky,  Leon Jessel  ... 
    Performer:  Balázs Szokolay
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  • 280.
    Parents - The Lullaby Album
    Parents - The Lullaby Album
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 64897 Release Date: 10/12/1993   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Erik Satie,  Frédéric Chopin,  Robert Schumann,  Christoph W. Gluck  ... 
    Performer:  Tzimon Barto,  Alexis Weissenberg,  Christopher Parkening,  Nancy Allen  ... 
    Conductor:  Michel Plasson,  Sir Charles Groves,  Sir Neville Marriner,  Roger Wagner
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Toulouse Capitole Orchestra,  Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra,  Academy of St. Martin in the Fields  ... 
    CD: $11.99
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  • 281.
    The Recorded Cello - Volume 2
    The Recorded Cello - Volume 2
    Label: Pearl   Catalog: 9984 Release Date: 01/21/1993   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  David Popper,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  François Couperin,  Camille Saint-Saëns  ... 
    Performer:  Alfred Newberry,  George Henschel,  Beatrice Harrison,  Paul Tortelier  ... 
    Conductor:  Francis Cebron,  Clemens Krauss,  Sir Hamilton Harty
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Orchestra,  Pro Arte String Quartet,  Stradivari String Quartet  ... 
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  • 282.
    Favourite Chopin / Vladimir Ashkenazy
    Favourite Chopin / Vladimir Ashkenazy
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 436389 Release Date: 01/19/1993   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Vladimir Ashkenazy
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  • 283.
    Chopin: Nocturnes & Waltzes / Vladimir Ashkenazy
    Chopin: Nocturnes & Waltzes / Vladimir Ashkenazy
    Label: London/Decca Jubilee   Catalog: 430751 Release Date: 12/15/1992   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Vladimir Ashkenazy
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  • 284.
    Prima Voce - Maria Ivogun
    Prima Voce - Maria Ivogun
    Label: Nimbus   Catalog: 7832 Release Date: 12/02/1992   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Gioachino Rossini,  Johann Strauss Jr.,  Traditional,  Fritz Kreisler  ... 
    Performer:  Maria Ivogün,  Michael Raucheisen
    Conductor:  Leo Blech
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Berlin State Opera Orchestra
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  • 285.
    Piano Classics - Popular Works For Solo Piano / O'Conor
    Piano Classics - Popular Works For Solo Piano / O'Conor
    Label: Telarc   Catalog: 80313 Release Date: 11/17/1992   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Claude Debussy,  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Edvard Grieg,  Robert Schumann  ... 
    Performer:  John O'Conor
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  • 286.
    Chopin: Piano Works / Alfred Cortot
    Chopin: Piano Works / Alfred Cortot
    Label: Emi Laser Series   Catalog: 67359 Release Date: 01/23/1992   Number of Discs: 6
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Alfred Cortot
    Conductor:  Sir John Barbirolli
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Orchestra
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  • 287.
    Bach, Chopin, Beethoven / Mieczyslaw Horszowski
    Bach, Chopin, Beethoven / Mieczyslaw Horszowski
    Label: Nonesuch   Catalog: 79232 Release Date: 06/25/1991   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Frédéric Chopin,  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Mieczyslaw Horszowski
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  • 288.
    Chopin: Nocturnes / Ivan Moravec
    Chopin: Nocturnes / Ivan Moravec
    Label: Nonesuch   Catalog: 79233 Release Date: 06/25/1991   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Ivan Moravec
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  • 289.
    Horowitz Plays Chopin Vol 2
    Horowitz Plays Chopin Vol 2
    Label: Rca Victor Gold Seal   Catalog: 60376 Release Date: 04/05/1991   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Vladimir Horowitz
    CD: $8.99
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  • 290.
    Chopin: Nocturnes / Sandor Falvay
    Chopin: Nocturnes / Sandor Falvay
    Label: Naxos   Catalog: 8550257 Release Date: 03/15/1990   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Sándor Falvai
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  • 291.
    Humoresque - Favorite Violin Encores / Isaac Stern
    Humoresque - Favorite Violin Encores / Isaac Stern
    Label: Cbs Masterworks Digital Masters   Catalog: 45816 Release Date: 03/09/1990   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Aaron Copland,  Franz Schubert,  Antonín Dvorák,  Sergei Rachmaninov  ... 
    Performer:  Isaac Stern
    Conductor:  Milton Katims,  Frank Brieff
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Columbia Symphony Orchestra
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  • 292.
    Chopin Favorites / Vladimir Ashkenazy
    Chopin Favorites / Vladimir Ashkenazy
    Label: London/Decca Jubilee   Catalog: 4177982 Release Date: 01/19/1990   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Vladimir Ashkenazy
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  • 293.
    Sweet Dreams - Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Ravel, Grieg, Et Al
    Sweet Dreams - Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Ravel, Grieg, Et Al
    Label: Cbs Masterworks Digital Masters   Catalog: 44998 Release Date: 09/12/1989   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Engelbert Humperdinck,  Claude Debussy,  Robert Schumann,  Maurice Ravel  ... 
    Performer:  Frederica Von Stade
    Conductor:  Thomas Schippers,  Eugene Ormandy,  Percy Faith,  Bruno Walter  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Columbia Symphony Orchestra,  Philadelphia Orchestra,  Percy Faith & His Orchestra  ... 
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  • 294.
    James Galway - Serenade
    James Galway - Serenade
    Label: Rca Victor Red Seal   Catalog: 60033 Release Date: 06/28/1989   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Claude Debussy,  Riccardo Drigo,  Gabriel Fauré,  Sergei Rachmaninov  ... 
    Performer:  James Galway,  Marisa Robles,  Ayako Shinozaki,  Kazuhito Yamashita  ... 
    Conductor:  James Galway,  Charles Gerhardt,  Charles Dutoit,  Hiroyuki Iwaki  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Chamber Orchestra of Europe,  National Philharmonic Orchestra,  Royal Philharmonic Orchestra  ... 
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  • 295.
    Concerto / Richard Clayderman
    Concerto / Richard Clayderman
    Label: Cbs Masterworks   Catalog: 44739 Release Date: 05/26/1989   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Gershwin,  Erik Satie,  Sergei Rachmaninov,  Frédéric Chopin  ... 
    Performer:  Richard Clayderman
    Conductor:  Roger Berthier
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 296.
    Traumerei: Die Schonsten Romantischen Klavierstucke
    Traumerei: Die Schonsten Romantischen Klavierstucke
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 4237822 Release Date: 03/28/1988   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Claude Debussy,  Frédéric Chopin,  Robert Schumann,  Franz Liszt  ... 
    Performer:  Tamás Vásáry,  Wilhelm Kempff,  Martha Argerich,  Géza Anda  ... 
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  • 297.
    Chopin: Nocturnes - Selections / Daniel Barenboim
    Chopin: Nocturnes - Selections / Daniel Barenboim
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 4151172 Release Date: 05/20/1985   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Daniel Barenboim
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  • 298.
    Solomon - The Complete Recordings Of Chopin
    Solomon - The Complete Recordings Of Chopin
    Label: Testament   Catalog: 1030 Release Date: 02/1994   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Solomon
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