Frederic Chopin: Nocturnes Nr.1-21 / Lisiecki

Jan Lisiecki

Frédéric Chopin's Nocturnes are among the most beautiful and popular works of piano music. For his new album, Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki returns to Chopin's music with a recording of all the Nocturnes, following Chopin: Études (2013) and Works for Piano & Orchestra (2017) The pianist is often celebrated for his masterfully sensitive and sophisticated readings. His latest release not only captures the spirit of Chopin's keyboard artistry, it is also a document of the time in which it was made. "I am the first to question why we record something that has been recorded so many endless times," Lisiecki says. "But music only lives when it's played and it's always new when we hear it, that's true even for a recording. I still had something to say with this album." Chopin filtered the essence of song into his Nocturnes. He was inspired by the expressiveness of Italian opera and the freedom of Polish folk music. As a child, Lisiecki was particularly enchanted by the yearning melody of Opus 9 No. 1. The piece - the first of 21 the composer wrote between the late 1820s and 1847 - allowed a glimpse into a vast universe of emotions, musical gestures and timbres. It paved the way for the brilliant student to explore the lyrical side of his instrument. Lisiecki most recently wowed audiences with his award-winning Beethoven Lieder album, released last year with Matthias Goerne. Along with his closeness to Chopin's music, this immersion in the world of song has surely informed his interpretations of the lyrical, confessional Nocturnes, works that he believes are made for intimate listening and are probably best heard and perceived alone at night. "These remarkable pieces invite you to think and feel whatever you want. There is no 'right' - only what they trigger in you," says the pianist. Reviews "In his new album Lisiecki, now a proud 26 years old, now devotes himself to another group of Chopin's works, the Nocturnes. And again with convincing results (and in convincing surround sound). ... a rating very close to five stars. What is the old pianist's wisdom? Playing fast and loud is no art, it only shows itself in the quiet. Lisiecki can play fast, loud and quiet." (Fono Forum, September 2021)

Price: $34.98

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