Chopin I Love / Œuvres pour piano

Description

SOMM Recordings is delighted to collaborate once again with one of the greatest pianists of our time, Peter Donohoe. A joint winner of the Tchaikovsky International Competition in 1982, Donohoe has performed with all the major London orchestras as well as several European and American orchestras, and at the BBC Proms no less than 18 times. His impressive discography with SOMM includes the complete Sonatas of Prokofiev and Scriabin, as well as the complete Piano Sonatas of Mozart. “Donohoe seems to take the older Beethoven as his interpretative trajectory with a gloveless spontaneity that gives these magical scores a captivating vitality and freshness...” (BBC Music Magazine, Choice) “Donohoe plays these pieces with a personal involvement that is as touching as it is fascinating and finely considered.” (Gramophone) Donohoe has also recorded with SOMM the highly regarded 2nd and 3rd Sonatas (2023) and Waltzes (2024) of Chopin. Today, this latest release is The Chopin I Love, a title he borrowed from one of the most formative recordings of his youth, an LP by Arthur Rubinstein. Donohoe's personal selections represent works that have always resonated deeply with him, while showcasing some of the most demanding, unique, and significant piano repertoire ever written. The most important works in this collection are the Preludes, Op. 28, whose technical demands firmly place them among Chopin's most virtuosic works. Although Chopin did not necessarily intend for the 24 Preludes — one in each key — to be played as a group, they are here performed as a complete cycle, offering a fascinating and satisfying listening experience. Chopin wrote another unique Prelude, Op. 45, which is a longer and more detailed study than the individual numbers of the entire Opus 28, except for the Prelude “Raindrop.” Chopin's Barcarolle Op. 60, inspired by the lilting rhythm of the traditional folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers, is another of his most demanding compositions. It is also one of his last major works, alongside his Polonaise-Fantasy, Op. 61. The distinctive sound of Chopin often includes the national flavor of his native Poland, and this piece draws its character from Polish dance, while the fantasy brings its harmonic complexity and intricate form. For Peter Donohoe, the 2 Nocturnes, Op. 62, represent the culmination of the musical form, these intimately expressive works being Chopin's last compositions in this genre. The 3 Scottish Pieces, Op. 72 No. 3, which conclude this recital, were among the first pieces Donohoe ever encountered, and were therefore pivotal for him. He says, “The fact that they are far less serious than all the other works here does not diminish their originality and charm in any way.”