​Frédéric Chopin: a life as a thousand miniatures

Chopin is a master of miniatures. Waltzes, mazurkas, polonaises, études: these are different moments in life, different ways of “living.”

• The waltz is a romantic way, a dialogue with a beloved: it can be a detached dance, full of expression, a brilliant fireworks display of feelings, and even a dance with a dog to the tune of George Sand in the waltz “Petit Chen.”
• The polonaise is formal and heroic.
• Mazurka – deeply personal, nervous, aristocratic.
• Étude – rapid but melodic. A perfectly planned flow of feelings, which nevertheless bursts out of the chest rather than communicating in a mannerly way.
• Prelude – a small but very vivid impression, a moment that has left a mark on the soul.
• Nocturne – contemplation, self-reflection, and the free flight of dreams.

Chopin’s style and technique develop in his miniatures. Chopin himself changes and matures.

But even when it comes to large forms: sonatas, ballads; works in which composers express their life credo or recount major events, like writers in novels; Chopin still tells these stories through the genres of his miniatures.

The nostalgia and romanticism of the waltz is replaced by the impetuosity of the étude, the improvisational nature of the nocturne, and the pride and power of the polonaise: a person’s destiny is broken down into his genres.

In a program dedicated to Frédéric Chopin, Timofei Kazantsev will introduce you to these genres and then show how they grow into the composer’s greatest works.

Moderated piano concerto in two parts
Duration: 100 minutes

Program:

• Selected miniatures: Nocturnes, Waltzes, Preludes, Études
• Ballads 1-4