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:

Legend - Chopin: 14 Waltzes, Etc / François
Legend - Chopin: 14 Waltzes, Etc / François
Release Date: 07/19/2005   Label: Emi Classics  
Catalog: 58025   Number of Discs: 1
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Chopin: Piano Sonata No 2, 4 Scherzos / Simon Trpceski
Chopin: Piano Sonata No 2, 4 Scherzos / Simon Trpceski
Release Date: 01/16/2007   Label: Emi Classics  
Catalog: 75586   Number of Discs: 1
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Grieg, Chopin: Piano Concertos / Mustonen, Blomstedt
Grieg, Chopin: Piano Concertos / Mustonen, Blomstedt
Release Date: 02/20/1996   Label: Decca  
Catalog: 444518   Number of Discs: 1
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André Watts - A Chopin Recital
André Watts - A Chopin Recital
Release Date: 08/29/2007   Label: Emi Classics  
Catalog: 54151   Number of Discs: 1
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Chopin: Nocturnes / Fou Ts'ong
Chopin: Nocturnes / Fou Ts'ong
Release Date: 05/18/1993   Label: Sony Classical Essential Classics  
Catalog: 53249   Number of Discs: 2
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Work: Barcarolle for Piano in F sharp major, B 158/Op. 60

Browse 26-50 of 232 Available Recordings
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  • 26.
    Trilogie - Chopin, Debussy, Ravel / Samson Francois
    Trilogie - Chopin, Debussy, Ravel / Samson Francois
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 0283142 Release Date: 11/15/2011   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin,  Claude Debussy,  Maurice Ravel
    Performer:  Samson François
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  • 27.
    Rainlight: Evocations Of Water For Piano Solo / Jeremy Eskenazi
    Rainlight: Evocations Of Water For Piano Solo / Jeremy Eskenazi
    Label: Divine Art   Catalog: 25090 Release Date: 10/11/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Franz Liszt,  Alicia Grant,  Claude Debussy,  Ludwig van Beethoven  ... 
    Performer:  Jeremy Eskenazi
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  • 28.
    Romantic - Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Schubert, Schumann
    Romantic - Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Schubert, Schumann
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 2908500 Release Date: 10/11/2011   Number of Discs: 10
    Composer:  Robert Schumann,  Franz Schubert,  Johann Nepomuk Hummel,  Frédéric Chopin  ... 
    Performer:  Roger Vignoles,  Bernarda Fink,  Régis Pasquier,  Jean-Claude Pennetier  ... 
    Conductor:  Marcus Creed,  Philippe Herreweghe
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Wanderer Trio,  Berlin RIAS Chamber Chorus,  Collegium Vocale  ... 
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  • 29.
    Sviatoslav Richter Plays Haydn, Weber, Chopin & Debussy
    Sviatoslav Richter Plays Haydn, Weber, Chopin & Debussy
    Label: Ica Classics   Catalog: 5004 Release Date: 09/27/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Franz Joseph Haydn,  Carl Maria von Weber,  Robert Schumann,  Frédéric Chopin  ... 
    Performer:  Sviatoslav Richter
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  • 30.
    Chopin: Piano Works, Vol. 1 / Roberto Poli
    Chopin: Piano Works, Vol. 1 / Roberto Poli
    Label: Piano Classics   Catalog: 12 Release Date: 08/09/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Roberto Poli
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  • 31.
    Chopin: Complete Piano Works / Nikita Magaloff
    Chopin: Complete Piano Works / Nikita Magaloff
    Label: Newton Classics   Catalog: 8802076 Release Date: 07/26/2011   Number of Discs: 13
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Nikita Magaloff
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  • 32.
    Portrait
    Label: Terry Eder (Label)   Catalog: 172804 Release Date: 07/26/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Béla Bartók,  Claude Debussy,  Ernö von Dohnányi  ... 
    Performer:  Terry Eder
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  • 33.
    Chopin Recital / Anne-Marie McDermott
    Chopin Recital / Anne-Marie McDermott
    Label: Bridge   Catalog: 9359 Release Date: 07/12/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Anne-Marie McDermott
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  • 34.
    Nikita Magaloff, Pianist & Teacher - A Film By Therry Benizeau
    Nikita Magaloff, Pianist & Teacher - A Film By Therry Benizeau
    Label: Harmonia Mundi   Catalog: 9909040 Release Date: 07/12/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin,  Franz Schubert,  Robert Schumann,  Igor Stravinsky
    Performer:  Nikita Magaloff
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  • 35.
    Frederic Chopin: 24 Preludes / Florence Delaage
    Frederic Chopin: 24 Preludes / Florence Delaage
    Label: Indesens   Catalog: 31 Release Date: 06/14/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Florence Delaage
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  • 36.
    The Warsaw Recital - Daniel Barenboim Plays Chopin
    The Warsaw Recital - Daniel Barenboim Plays Chopin
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 001538402 Release Date: 05/03/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Daniel Barenboim
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  • 37.
    Chopin / Evgeni Bozhanov
    Chopin / Evgeni Bozhanov
    Label: Fuga Libera   Catalog: 579 Release Date: 03/08/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Evgeni Bozhanov
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  • 38.
    Daniel Barenboim - The Warsaw Recital
    Daniel Barenboim - The Warsaw Recital
    Label: Accentus   Catalog: 1020 Release Date: 01/25/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Daniel Barenboim
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  • 39.
    Samson Francois - L'edition Integrale [36-CD Set]
    Samson Francois - L'edition Integrale [36-CD Set]
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 46106 Release Date: 01/25/2011   Number of Discs: 36
    Composer:  Franz Liszt,  Robert Schumann,  Sergei Prokofiev,  Frédéric Chopin  ... 
    Performer:  Samson François,  Pierre Barbizet
    Conductor:  Constantin Silvestri,  Paul Kletzki,  Witold Rowicki,  André Cluytens
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Philharmonia Orchestra,  French National Radio Symphony Orchestra,  Orchestre de la Société du Conservatoire Paris
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  • 40.
    Chopin: Complete Nocturnes; Barcarolle; Berceuse / Feltsman
    Chopin: Complete Nocturnes; Barcarolle; Berceuse / Feltsman
    Label: Nimbus   Catalog: 6126 Release Date: 01/11/2011   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Vladimir Feltsman
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  • 41.
    Chopin: Ballada F-moll; Nokturny Es-dur, As-dur; Barkarola; Mazurki Op. 30
    Chopin: Ballada F-moll; Nokturny Es-dur, As-dur; Barkarola; Mazurki Op. 30
    Label: Fryderyk Chopin Society   Catalog: 613 Release Date: 01/10/2011   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Miroslav Kultyshev
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  • 42.
    Chopin: Complete Piano Works
    Chopin: Complete Piano Works
    Label: Brilliant Classics   Catalog: 94089 Release Date: 12/14/2010   Number of Discs: 15
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Bella Davidovich,  Louis Lortie,  Adam Harasiewicz,  Alwin Bär  ... 
    Conductor:  Dimiter Manolov,  Sir Neville Marriner,  Dmitri Kitayenko
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra,  Philharmonia Orchestra,  Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
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  • 43.
    Daniel Barenboim - The Warsaw Recital
    Daniel Barenboim - The Warsaw Recital
    Label: Accentus   Catalog: 20102 Release Date: 11/16/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Daniel Barenboim
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  • 44.
    111 - The Collector's Edition 2 [56-CD Set - Limited Edition]
    111 - The Collector's Edition 2 [56-CD Set - Limited Edition]
    Label: Deutsche Grammophon   Catalog: 4779142 Release Date: 11/09/2010   Number of Discs: 56
    Composer:  Georges Bizet,  Sergei Prokofiev,  Maurice Ravel,  Ludwig van Beethoven  ... 
    Performer:  Stuart Harling,  Robert Lloyd,  Sherrill Milnes,  Placido Domingo  ... 
    Conductor:  Claudio Abbado,  John Nelson,  Leonard Bernstein,  Jerzy Semkow  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Symphony Orchestra,  Ambrosian Singers,  George Watson's College Boys' Chorus  ... 
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  • 45.
    Chopin: Ballads; Barcarolle; Fantasie
    Chopin: Ballads; Barcarolle; Fantasie
    Label: Triton (Octavia)   Catalog: 58 Release Date: 11/09/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Sergei Edelmann
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  • 46.
    Best Of Classics - Bach, Beethoven, Strauss, Vivaldi, Dvorak, Chopin, Mozart
    Best Of Classics - Bach, Beethoven, Strauss, Vivaldi, Dvorak, Chopin, Mozart
    Label: Supraphon   Catalog: 4013 Release Date: 10/26/2010   Number of Discs: 10
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Antonín Dvorák,  Leos Janácek  ... 
    Performer:  Jiri Reinberger,  Jan Kalfus,  Miroslav Kejmar,  Zuzana Ruzicková  ... 
    Conductor:  Bohumil Kulínsky,  Jaroslav Krcek,  Milan Munclinger,  Josef Vlach  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Prague Children's Chorus,  Musica Bohemica,  Ars Rediviva  ... 
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  • 47.
    Frederic Chopin's Last Words
    Frederic Chopin's Last Words
    Label: Genuin Musikproduction   Catalog: 10190 Release Date: 10/26/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Elina Gotsouliak
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  • 48.
    Twilight - Chopin For Dreaming / Claudio Arrau
    Twilight - Chopin For Dreaming / Claudio Arrau
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 001480602 Release Date: 10/19/2010   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Claudio Arrau
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  • 49.
    Best Chopin 50
    Best Chopin 50
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 31666 Release Date: 10/12/2010   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Stephen Kovacevich,  Ingrid Fliter,  Dmitri Alexeev,  Dinu Lipatti  ... 
    Conductor:  Stanislaw Skrowaczewski,  Paul Kletzki,  Charles Dutoit,  Jerzy Maksymiuk
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Society of the Conservatory Concerts Orchestra,  Philharmonia Orchestra,  Montreal Symphony Orchestra  ... 
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  • 50.
    Chopin: Sonatas 2 & 3, Two Nocturnes, Berceuse, Barcarolle / Marc-Andre Hamelin
    Chopin: Sonatas 2 & 3, Two Nocturnes, Berceuse, Barcarolle / Marc-Andre Hamelin
    Label: Hyperion   Catalog: 30006 Release Date: 10/12/2010   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Marc-André Hamelin
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