Rafal Blechacz toca Chopin en el Festival Klara, Bruselas, 2007: Una Transmisión Maravillosa.

Frydryk Chopin

Rafal Blechacz - piano

Palais des Beaux-Arts, Bruxelles (Klara Festival) 12 Sept 2007

This is simply a gorgeous recital. Chopin, played in such a way that dissolves the tightrope act of balancing a subjective interpretation with the replaying of oft-retreaded notes. Rafal Blechacz reminds me of early Ivan Moravec in this. The ungainly, dissonant, stranger side of the works is neither slighted nor paraded, and I feel nary a trace of schmaltzy moping. What is left is a great recital, clean and confident. 

The radio announcer (in french, appropriately enough) is there but you can program her out, if you wish. 

This concert includes my personal favorite Chopin composition: Barcarolle, opus 60, and a complete, unbroken stream of  what James Huneker considers "...Chopin's claim to immortality. Such range, such vision, such humanity! All shades of feeling are divined, all depth and altitudes of passion explored. If all Chopin, all music, were to be destroyed I should plead for the Preludes"...

Barcarolle en fa dièse majeur opus 60

Deux Nocturnes opus 62 (1846)

Trois Mazurkas opus 50 (1841-2)

Polonaise en la bémol majeur opus 53 (1842)

24 Préludes opus 28 (1836-9)

Mazurka en mi mineur opus 17/II (1832-3)

Valse en do mineur opus 64/II (1846-7)

Thanks to fadoze, music (and this artwork) from his torrent "FA2008-154"

fadoze! don't stab me for converting this to the dreaded lossy mp3! Had to spread the wealth...