 |
Press Releases
The Chopin Experience on Radio 3
|
BBC Radio 3 is to broadcast every note written by the great Polish composer Frédéric Chopin in The Chopin Experience during the weekend of 17 and 18 May 2008.
The Chopin Experience will also explore aspects of his troubled life, investigate the endless appeal of his music, survey the great interpretations of his work, delve into the folk music of his native Poland which so influenced his composition, look at the contemporary Polish scene and explore his continuing legacy.
There will be performances, discussions and contributions from a wide range of pianists, fans and experts as well as a dedicated website.
One of the greatest of 19th century composers, Chopin revolutionised piano music and is regarded as the quintessential Romantic composer.
His music embodies the expressive and technical characteristics of the piano more than any other composer, and combines a gift for melody with an adventurous and rich sense of harmony.
As a child prodigy in Poland his technical brilliance was evident early, but later he avoided public concerts.
He settled in Paris from 1831, not knowing that he would remain in exile for the rest of his life.
A difficult relationship with the French novelist George Sand coloured his whole existence, as did his long battle with depression and tuberculosis, which ended his life in 1849 when he was just 39.
The Chopin Experience builds on the successes of Radio 3's other composer celebrations, including The Beethoven Experience, Bach Christmas and The Tchaikovsky Experience, and this time shapes the celebrations primarily through the station's existing strands and programmes.
CD Review focuses on interpretations of Chopin, with a survey of the available recordings of the Second Piano Sonata in Building A Library.
The actual pianos played and owned by Chopin are the subject of The Early Music Show, while Discovering Music explores in depth his four ballades.
Iain Burnside's Sunday morning show focuses on Paris, the scene of Chopin's greatest triumphs.
Weekend Breakfast offers a selection of Chopin's greatest works alongside music by composers influenced by him.
Music Matters goes to Warsaw to discover Chopin's legacy in his homeland.
Even the non-classical strands are to be involved: World Routes showcases modern Polish musicians who are keeping alive the folk traditions that Chopin found so inspirational, and Jazz Line-Up invites eminent jazz artists to improvise on Chopin.
In the build-up to the weekend, Chopin is Composer Of The Week (12-16 May).
This will also be available as a podcast offering an introduction to Chopin's tragic life story, and the enigma of how he achieved such astounding range and variety in works, all of which include the piano.
On Sunday 18 May, Radio 3's Sarah Walker will present a recital of Chopin's 24 Preludes and 3rd Sonata in a specially recorded concert by Nikolai Demidenko, which will include an interview with Demidenko.
Throughout the weekend there are opportunities to hear the greatest Chopin recordings from the likes of Alfred Cortot, Vladimir Horowitz, Artur Rubinstein, Ignaz Friedman, Krystian Zimerman and others.
His set of 24 Etudes will be broadcast in unbroken sequence featuring 24 different pianists, all leading interpreters of Chopin.
Chopin's songs for voice and piano are introduced by Polish voices from the UK – paralleling Chopin's own experience of life in exile.
Special programmes in The Chopin Experience are led by Rob's Chopin Salon on Saturday evening. Joining Rob Cowan in the studio are acclaimed pianist and conductor Tamás Vásáry, pianist Stephen Kovacevich, critic and commentator Dermot Clinch, and live from Warsaw is Polish historian and Chopin biographer Adam Zamoyski.
With recorded contributions from renowned Chopin interpreters, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Fou Ts'ong and Piotr Anderszewski, they will be getting under the surface of some of the bigger issues that surround this enigmatic composer – his supposed Romanticism, the influence of exile in his life and music, his role as a nationalist composer, and how changing performance practice has altered our impression of some of his greatest works.
Erica Worth, editor of Pianist magazine, joins the salon to talk about the frustrations and joys of playing Chopin as an amateur pianist.
Sarah Walker presents Chopin's complete nocturnes late on Saturday evening and travels to Majorca to explore the locations where Chopin and George Sand's romantic break turned sour in a chilly winter, and Chopin consoled himself by writing the Preludes.
A dedicated The Chopin Experience website will feature video piano lessons by top pianist and teacher David Owen Norris, for those who want to try their hand at some of Chopin's more approachable pieces.
There will also be a Chopin timeline and map with a wide variety of pictures and information, plus the opportunity for music lovers to test their Chopin knowledge with an interactive quiz.
Rob Cowan, Tom Service and guests round off the weekend on Sunday by taking stock and bringing together listeners' reactions and ideas.
VB
|
Printable version
