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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Classic Library - Chopin: Waltzes, Impromptus / Rubinstein
Classic Library - Chopin: Waltzes, Impromptus / Rubinstein
Release Date: 04/20/2004   Label: Rca Victor Red Seal  
Catalog: 59422   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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Work: Grande valse brillante, Op. 18

Browse 176-187 of 187 Available Recordings
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  • 176.
    Chopin: Valses / Jean-Bernard Pommier
    Chopin: Valses / Jean-Bernard Pommier
    Label: Erato   Catalog: 92887 Release Date: 02/08/1994   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Jean-Bernard Pommier
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  • 177.
    My First Recital / Ruth Laredo
    My First Recital / Ruth Laredo
    Label: Ess.a.y Recordings   Catalog: 1006 Release Date: 07/15/1993   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Sergei Prokofiev,  Robert Schumann,  Claude Debussy,  Frédéric Chopin  ... 
    Performer:  Ruth Laredo
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  • 178.
    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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  • 179.
    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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  • 180.
    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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  • 181.
    Chopin - Greatest Hits
    Chopin - Greatest Hits
    Label: Rca   Catalog: 60830 Release Date: 09/06/1991   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Robert Leonardy,  Peter Serkin,  Géza Anda,  Emanuel Ax  ... 
    Conductor:  Eugene Ormandy
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Philadelphia Orchestra
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  • 182.
    The Best Of Chopin
    The Best Of Chopin
    Label: Rca Victrola   Catalog: 60770 Release Date: 06/06/1991   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  John Browning,  Peter Serkin,  Géza Anda,  Emanuel Ax  ... 
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  • 183.
    Chopin: 14 Waltzes, Piano Sonata No 3 / Alexander Brailowsky
    Chopin: 14 Waltzes, Piano Sonata No 3 / Alexander Brailowsky
    Label: Sony Classical Essential Classics   Catalog: 46346 Release Date: 04/05/1991   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Alexander Brailowsky
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  • 184.
    Chopin: Waltzes / Vladimir Ashkenazy
    Chopin: Waltzes / Vladimir Ashkenazy
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 414600 Release Date: 10/25/1990   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Vladimir Ashkenazy
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  • 185.
    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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  • 186.
    Chopin: Waltzes / Claudio Arrau
    Chopin: Waltzes / Claudio Arrau
    Label: Philips   Catalog: 4000252 Release Date: 06/01/1983   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Claudio Arrau
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  • 187.
    Chopin: Les Dix-neuf Valses / Setrak
    Chopin: Les Dix-neuf Valses / Setrak
    Label: Solstice Records   Catalog: 13 Release Date: 03/24/1981   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Frédéric Chopin
    Performer:  Setrak
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