Lossless is available in FLAC and ALAC (For Mac). You select on the download page.
When you purchase a lossless format, we include the MP3 free of charge
Please note: On Mp3 format an unavoidable click may be heard on segue track breaks, to avoid this issue please select lossless
Buy CD
P&P for single unit's: UK=£1.83, EU=£4.1, World=£7
Why not buy the whole Album?
Your selections total more than the whole disc price.
FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN
(1810-1849)
1.
Nocturne, Op. 27 No. 1
5:51
in C sharp minor - in cis-Moll - en ut dièse mineur
À Mme la Comtesse d'Appony
Larghetto - Più mosso - Tempo I - Adagio
2.
Impromptu, Op. 66
4:56
(Fantaisie-Impromptu)
in C sharp-minor - in cis-Moll - en ut dièse mineur
Allegro agitato - Largo - Moderato cantabile - Tempo I (Allegro agitato)
3.
Nocturne, Op. 32 No. 2
5:37
in A flat major - in As-Dur - en la bémol majeur
À Mme la Baronne de Billing, née de Courbonne
Lento - Appassionato - Lento
4.
Impromptu, Op. 29
3:58
in A flat major - in As-Dur - en la bémol majeur
À Mlle Caroline de Lobau
Allegro assai, quasi presto
5.
Nocturne, Op. 48 No. 2
6:28
in F sharp minor - in fis-Moll - en fa dièse mineur
À Mlle Laura Duperré
Andantino - Molto più lento - Tempo I
6.
Impromptu, Op. 36
5:26
in F sharp major - in Fis-Dur - en fa dièse majeur
Andantino
7.
Nocturne, Op. 27 No. 2
6:00
in D flat major - in Des-Dur - en ré bémol majeur
À Mme la Comtesse d'Appony
Lento sostenuto
8.
Impromptu, Op. 51
4:51
in G flat major - in Ges-Dur - en sol bémol majeur
À Mme la Comtesse Esterházy, née Comtesse Batthyany
Allegro vivace
9.
Nocturne, Op. 9 No. 3
6:43
in B major - in H-Dur - en si majeur
À Mme Camille Pleyel
Allegretto - Agitato - Tempo I - Adagio
Sonata, Op. 58
26:27
in B minor - in h-Moll - en si mineur
À Mme la Comtesse E. de Perthuis
10.
Allegro maestoso
9:17
11.
Scherzo. Molto vivace
2:41
12.
Largo
8:52
13.
Finale. Presto, non tanto - Agitato
5:27
Total time: 76:41
Solo:Louis Lortie piano
7 and 8 June 2013
Notes
Louis Lortie here gives us the third volume in his ongoing Chopin project. Throughout the series his guiding principle has been to emulate the recital practice of the great romantic pianists, who might play a short improvisation before a major work in order to set the audience in the right frame of mind. On this album Lortie plays the four Impromptus and the Piano Sonata in B minor, introducing each with a Chopin Nocturne (typically of an improvisatory character) in the same or a related key.
Of all the Impromptus, the first and most famous was actually withdrawn from the public during Chopin’s lifetime. Published posthumously as Fantaisie-Impromptu, it set the mould for the unpretentious pieces that followed, all striving more toward casual entertainment than high artistic expression. The third and last of Chopin’s Piano Sonatas, Op. 58 in B minor was composed in 1845. While its four-movement design reflects a traditional approach, the appearance of imitative counterpoint, chromatic harmonies, and heightened rhythmic tension mark it as an inspired masterwork of Chopin’s late creative period.
Lortie’s previous two volumes have received extremely high praise, the magazine Pianist claiming of Vol. 2 that ‘his selected nocturnes are probably not bettered by any living pianist’.
Please login to post a review
Reviews
“… Chandos has again graced Lortie with splendid recorded sound that faithfully captures his distinctive pianistic palette. .. strongly recommended to fans of Chopin and Lortie alike,”
James A Altena – Fanfare – September/October 2014
***** (Exceptional Album)
Luca Segalla – Musica magazine (Italy) – July/August 2014
"... You only have to listen to that most popular of the Nocturnes, Op 9 No 3, to appreciate Lortie’s thoughtful approach the sound from Potton hall is exceptionally fine - Lortie plays a Fazioli grand." Sound Quality: 90%
Christopher Breunig - Hi-Fi News - June 2014
Intsrumental Choice
Performance ***** Recording ****
“…Lortie is a model Chopinist – eloquent but never sentimental … this is Chopin playing of an exceptionally high order…”
Jeremy Siepmann – BBC Music magazine – July 2014
“… I try to listen to new recordings two or three times before pulling out the score. When I do finally follow the notes listening to Lortie, my admiration redoubles as I observe the reverent exactitude with which he carries out Chopin’s meticulous indications. The Chandos people have captured a round limpid, true-to-life sound with great care and expertise. I have no idea if the series will extend to the Mazurkas and Polonaises, but I certainly hope it does.”
Patrick Rucker - International Record Review - May 2014
“… Lortie’s Chopin playing has a wonderful, penetrating directness about it; there’s not a trace of dreamy indulgence in any of the nocturnes, though all their decorative tracery shines out with a sharp-cut brilliance, and the impromptus dance and divert without a trace of self-consciousness. The sonata, though, is made of much tougher stuff, once again doing nothing purely for show, and culminating in a titanic account of the finale; it’s hard to think of a better one on disc in recent times.” ****
Andrew Clements – The Guardian – 25 April 2014
Media Downloads
Whenever possible we provide a high resolution CD cover image and a PDF version of the CD booklet for you to download and keep