Chopin: The Piano Concertos

Review ". . . one of the most finely honed pianists of his generation . . . The playing itself is full of flair and charm . . . [and] sparkles with wit and character. With brisk tempos he conveys both serious intent and huge enjoyment, giving the music shape and driving momentum . . . this is a young man's view of a young man's music. Do hear him." -- BBC Music Magazine, London, December 2008 (CD review) Product Description After his successful Deutsche Grammophon debut recording of Chopin Preludes, Rafał Blechacz returns to the composer who helped make him famous with this all-new recording of Chopin's Piano Concertos nos. 1 & 2. As the winner of the 2005 International Chopin Competition at the young age of only 20, Blechacz was awarded not only the rarely given first prize but also all four special prizes for best sonata, mazurka, concerto and polonaise performances. Since then, Blechacz has performed in Europe, Japan and North America to critical acclaim and has already ensured himself a huge following among piano aficionados. These two concertos, cornerstones of every pianist's repertory, are especially central to Rafał Blechacz's introduction to the world-stage. He performed the E minor concerto at the 2005 Chopin Competition and has used both works for numerable memorable debuts around the world. His affinity with Chopin runs deeper than just their shared nationality: Blechacz possesses an exceptional intelligence that gives him an in-depth understanding of the music he performs and a degree of perception that allows him to infallibly grasp the aesthetic and spiritual dimensions of the compositions he interprets. For this recording Blechacz is joined by Polish conductor Jerzy Semkow and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. About the Artist Rafał Blechacz was born in Nakło nad Notecią, Poland, on 30 June 1985. At the age of five he began to learn the piano at a local music centre and three years later enrolled at Bydgoszcz's Artur Rubinstein Music School. Between 1996 and 1999 he won the top awards at a number of Polish national piano competitions. He completed his studies at the Feliks Nowowiejski Music Academy in Bydgoszcz with Professor Katarzyna Popowa-Zydron in May 2007. 2002 Rafał Blechacz is awarded the second prize at the Artur Rubinstein International Competition for Young Pianists in Bydgoszcz 2003 Co-winner of the International Piano Competition in Hamamatsu, Japan 2004 Wins first prize at the International Piano Competition in Morocco 2005 Awarded first prize at the 15th Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw, and three special prizes: the Polish Radio Award for "Best Performance of the Mazurkas", the Polish Chopin Society Award for "Best Polonaise Performance", and the Warsaw Philharmonic Award for "Best Concerto Performance". Addition¬ally, he wins the prize founded by Krystian Zimerman for "Best Sonata Per¬formance" 2006 Performances include Chopin's Piano Concerto no. 2 with the National Philhar¬monic Orchestra under Antoni Wit at the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, and Chopin's First Piano Concerto with the Tonhalle Orchestra under David Zinman in Zurich and with the Radio Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra under Arild Remmereit at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In November he undertakes a 12-concert recital tour of Japan. Blechacz appears to great acclaim at Poland's Chopin Festival, Ruhr Piano Festival, Verbier and La Roque d'Anthéron. In May Rafał Blechacz signs an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon 2007 Rafał Blechacz performs Chopin's Piano Concerto no. 1 with the Russian National Orchestra led by Mikhail Pletnev on tour in Japan, with the Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra in Poznan, Poland, and with the Tivoli Symphony Orchestra in Copen¬hagen; Chopin's Concertos nos. 1 and 2 with the Orchestre du Capitole de Tou¬louse on tour in Germany and in Toulouse. Recital tours of Poland, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands; further recitals at London's Wigmore Hall (broadcast by the BBC), at the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid and in Zaragoza, the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, at Vienna's Konzerthaus, in Ferrara and in Vilnius, Lithuania. His solo debut recording of works by Chopin was very well received by the critics and reached "platinum" status in Poland; in France the music magazine Diapason elected it a Diapason Découverte [Diapason Discovery] 2008 Concerts performing Chopin's Piano Concerto no. 1 with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonia under Charles Dutoit; Chopin's Piano Concerto no. 2 with the Berne Symphony Orchestra in Switzerland and the New York Philharmonic under Marin Alsop in New York's Carnegie Hall; Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto no. 2 with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam and the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona at the city's Auditori. Recital tours of Italy, Switzerland and the USA; further recitals in Paris, Narbonne, Dortmund and Vancouver. Festival appearances at the Gilmo
ASIN: B002GJ3MQ2
VSKU: DBV.B002GJ3MQ2.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra|Frédéric François Chopin|Jerzy Semkow|Rafal Blechacz
Binding: Audio cd
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Condition Notes: Individually inspected: Guaranteed to play perfectly or your money back. Case may show wear and may be in library packaging. Ships Fast!