The Chopin I Love

Frederic Chopin (Composer), Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Jean-Yves Thibaudet
• Composer: Frederic Chopin
• Audio CD (January 11, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B00002MXNE
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,815 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #2 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Ballads
  • #60 in Music > Classical > Chamber Music > General
  • #77 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Classical (c.1770-1830) > Forms & Genres

Track Listings

1. Polonaise In A Flat Major, Op.53 'Heroique'

2. Waltz In D Flat Major, Op.64 No.1 'Minute'

3. Prelude In E Minor, Op. 28 No. 4

4. Mazurka In F Minor, Op.68 No.4

5. Grande Valse brillante In E Flat Major, Op.18

6. Nocturne In B Flat Minor, Op.9 No.1

7. Scherzo No.2 In B Flat Minor, Op.31

8. Barcarolle In F Sharp Major, Op.60

9. Nocturne In E Flat Major, Op.9 No.2

10. Etude In F Major, Op.25 No.3

11. Mazurka In B Flat Major, Op.7 No.1

12. Ballade No.1 In G Minor, Op.23

13. Etude In A Flat Major, Op.25 No.1 'Aeolian'

14. Etude In C Minor, Op.10 No. 12 'Revolutionary'

15. Prelude In D Minor, Op.28 No.24

16. Prelude In D Flat Major, Op.28 No. 15 'Raindrop'

17. Etude In F Major, Op.25 No.3

18. Nocturne In C Sharp Minor, Op. Posth.

19. Prelude In D Minor, Op. 28 No. 24

Editorial Reviews

THIBAUDET JEAN-YVES PLAYS CHOPIN

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Than 5 Stars, January 14, 2000

By 

Dale Chapman (San Ramon, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Chopin I Love (Audio CD)

This disc is extraordinary. I am allowing myself to get more and more excited about what is turning out to be a brilliant career. When Thibaudet emerged on the scene several years ago with his performances of French music (Ravel, Debussy), one had to ask himself if Thibaudet would turn out to be a flash in the pan. Sure, the French music was nice, but what else could he do? But then Thibaudet, much to my pleasure, has confirmed his legitimacy with several discs which span a wide variety of repetoire. And then this absolutely sparkling disc of Chopin emerges...

The selection matters only a whit (okay, there are a few requisite "hits"); rather, the wondrous thing is how his charm & personality radiate throughout the disc. It is this ebullient glow which separates this disc from the competition.

As far as I'm concerned, Thibaudet has established himself as one of the premier pianists of our age. I put him in a catagory with the likes of Mitsuko Uchida and Andras Schiff, far above the madding crowd of prima donnas and prodigies.

Purchasing this disc should be a no-brainer.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We want more!, June 5, 2000

By 

Itamar Axelrod (Haifa Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Chopin I Love (Audio CD)

At first I was suprised to see that Thibaudet released a Chopin recital.But since I loved his liszt and Debussy recordings I bought it - it was "love at first sight".

He is very strong in the Preludes,Nocturnes and the Waltzs.

The pieces that are played on the old piano sound amazing - a nice touch.

The recording is warm and not to close - the piano sounds vivid and full.

I hope this is just a small taste of Chopin's piano works from Thibaudet and that he is planning to release more (the complete Preludes would be nice).

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something new, something old for Chopin lovers, April 13, 2000

By 

Gordon Stevens (Rochester, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Chopin I Love (Audio CD)

This all-Chopin studio recital offers first-class playing by a performer I am rapidly learning to admire, and I would recommend it to beginning listeners as much as to lifelong music lovers. The father of one of my students was a professor at the Eastman School of Music and some years back he wrote a book about French music which included Chopin. His premise was simple enough: Chopin's father was French and Chopin spent almost his adult life living and performing in France, composing "French-style" salon music, so it is French music. I confess that, until my discussions with this man, I never thought of Chopin as French. The polonaise, the mazurka, etc. were Polish, weren't they? But then, listen to the delicacy of the music. Is the music really the embodiment of Polish dances and folk songs, or is it something else, very different? Sense the truth: it's French music on the most sophisticated level imaginable. Then understand why I find this pianist, already known for his interpretations of other fine French music, so perfectly suited to live inside of the music of the greatest master of the piano. Jean-Yves Thibaudet has a prodigious technique which effortlessly executes the most difficult passages in the Revolutionary etude, the Scherzo number 2, the wonderful first Ballade, and the other etudes, but in the most delicate, sentimental sections of the noctures presented here, or in the whimsical, melodious mazurkas, or the noble Grande valse brillante in E flat major, he performs with sensitivity and care equal in importance in this music. I personally favor collections of Chopin which offer a complete set of the etudes, the preludes, the mazurkas, or whatever, and hope that sometime soon Mr. Thibaudet will issue sets of this kind, as he is definitely a performer who has something to say in this area. With the new complete Chopin edition from Deutsche Grammophon, the historic and compulsory offerings of almost all of Chopin's piano works by the "official spokesman" of the composer, Artur Rubinstein, and the various other fine sets of Chopin pieces from just about every pianist to listen to, it might seem that one more Chopin collection is unnecessary, but I believe there is much to be enjoyed from this pianist's personal insights into the music. Chopin himself admitted that he never played any of his pieces the same way twice, and if one listens to Vladimir Horowitz's rendition of the Mazurka Op. 17, No. 4, beside Rubinstein's, I am convinced you see what I mean. Thibudet's "Raindrop" prelude was especially memorable on this disc, and I loved hearing the four pieces played on one of Chopin's own pianos! As was to be expected, the antique piano struggled a little with sound generation, but the pieces sounded surprisingly good, and I almost think I liked them better than the sound available on the modern pianofortes: there was a quaint, warm, old-fashioned sound to the early instrument. Shutting my eyes, I imagined Chopin sitting at this piano, surrounded by loving friends and admirers in a cosy room in a villa in Paris, listening quietly as their frail romantic hero opened his soul to them through this incredible music. It is said that Chopin favored upright pianos over grands, and that he was inclined to avoid technical brilliance in favor of lyrical sound quality, but his music is not effeminate. Just listen to the strength and nobility in the more robust pieces on this disc for proof. Jean-Yves Thibaudet, or his producer, have chosen a rich selection of pieces which offer the very best mixture of essences of Chopin's musical outpouring. If there are any reservations about the disc, it might be the inclusion of the "heroic" polonaise, which, though a great work, is too-often included in these kinds of recitals, and perhaps also, the "minute" waltz. For the collector who is searching for a first recording of Chopin, however, this would present no problem, and the rest of us will still enjoy the performances of these two works. For me, though, the highlight of the disc was the 17th track which featured, from the Etudes, Opus 25, number 3 in F major, played on Chopin's own piano. Just to own the four tracks recorded on Chopin's piano is reason enough to buy the disc!