Faces of Chopin: Preludes & Nocturnes

Chopin played Nocturnes and Preludes in every recital he gave. The Preludes were first misunderstood as fragments, but in them we find the very essence of Chopin’s style. He organized them into a cycle that is his largest work -just one of the puzzling contradictions on which his music thrives. Over his lifetime, Chopin transformed the Nocturne. Starting out by adapting Field’s invention and fusing it with Bellini’s operatic style, he created a sound world that transcends the boundaries of rhythm, melody and harmony. Drawing on his intimate knowledge of the Polish and Russian schools of Chopin playing and his own experience of performing and recording these works, Valentin Schiedermair presents a performer’s inside view.

Schumann’s Piano Music

Few pianists have resisted the lure of Carnaval, Kreisleriana, the SymphonicStudies, the Fantasy or the Sonatas but many have foundered on a bewildering array of pianistic and musical problems: The sheer awkwardness of the hand positions, stretches, leaps and endurance feats required, the often wilfully contradictory performance directions and the many complex questions posed by pieces that in concert can easily shatter into so many incoherent fragments. Schumann’s piano music presents a unique challenge. Valentin Schiedermair explains and demonstrates how these problems can be tackled from the Abegg-Variations to the larger works.

Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas

Beethoven interpretation is one of the cornerstones of a pianist’s art. Understanding the musical language of the sonatas requires a creative insight into their composition as well as an understanding of their historical and biographical background. Listening to great Beethoven players in recital and on recordings has shaped Schiedermair’s modern approach to the sonatas which avoids both romantic exaggeration and analytical coldness but meets their emotional and intellectual challenge head on.