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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart “Before God, I tell you that your son is the greatest composer known to me.“ These were the words of Joseph Haydn upon meeting Mozart’s father. This “greatest composer” indeed went on to become the outstanding musical genius of his time. During his relatively short life, the childlike and ebullient Mozart was a prolific composer who never surrendered his artistic freedom, and it is due to this deep individuality of spirit that we are today blessed with music of such brilliance.

Fantasia No. 3 in D minor, K. 397 was composed by Mozart for solo piano in 1782. Despite being unfinished at Mozart's death, the piece is nonetheless one of his more popular compositions for the piano. Because of its somewhat unusual rhythm, its constantly changing tempo and its complete lack of any recognizable musical form (as indicated by the "Fantasy" title), the Fantasia is considered to be a relatively challenging piece to perform. The original manuscript has not survived and the final measures of the piece have been lost. The ending as it currently exists is believed to have been written by August Eberhard Müller, a contemporary Mozart admirer.

Piano Sonata No. 8 in A Minor K310 was composed in 1778 and is the first of only two Mozart piano sonatas to have been composed in a minor key. Written around the time of the death of Mozart's mother, it is the darkest of his piano sonatas. The last movement in particular has an obsessive, haunted quality about it, heightened near the end by the interruption of the relentless drive to the conclusion by repeated and quiet falling passages.

Frédéric Chopin
More than any other composer, Chopin has become associated with the pianoforte and he was widely regarded as the leading piano virtuoso of his day. Remarkably, however, because of his dislike of large audiences, Chopin gave only 30 public performances throughout his entire life. Always a kind, courteous and considerate person, no one, having met Chopin, could fail to like him and in spite of a tormented love life and frequent bouts of illness, Chopin has left us with many beautiful and memorable compositions.

Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23 is the first of Chopin's four ballades. It was composed in 1835-36 during the composer's early days in Paris and is dedicated to Monsieur le Baron de Stockhausen, Hanoverian ambassador to France, and reportedly inspired by Adam Mickiewicz's poem Konrad Wallenrod. Chopin seemed to have been fond of the piece; in a letter to Heinrich Dorn, Robert Schumann commented that, "I received a new Ballade from Chopin. It seems to be a work closest to his genius (although not the most ingenious) and I told him that I like it best of all his compositions. After quite a lengthy silence he replied with emphasis, “I am happy to hear this since I too like it most and hold it dearest.”

Étude No. 8 in F major Op. 10 is a technical study that has been nicknamed the "Sunshine" etude. This work follows on from No. 7 as being primarily another work concerned with counterpoint. In this case, however, the principal melody is in the left hand, the secondary being embedded in the arpeggios of the right hand.

Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20 is a composition for solo piano written by Chopin in 1835 and dedicated to Thomas Albrecht. The tempo is marked with "Presto con fuoco" and the piece is very dark, dramatic and lively.

Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise, Op. 22 is the last of Chopin’s works on this CD. The Andante Spianato he composed in 1834, having already completed the Grande Polonaise in 1831 during his unhappy stay in Vienna. Both works were published together in Paris in 1836. Chopin performed the complete work in Paris on 26 April 1835. The introductory Andante Spianato for piano solo, in its poetic harmony, is Chopin at his best, his life-long love of Polish dance forms where used in his Polonaises of sometimes heroic dimensions.
 

 

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)  

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Fantasia No. 3 in D minor, K. 397

Piano Sonata No. 8 in A Minor K310

Allegro maestoso
Andante cantabile
Presto

Frédéric Chopin
(1810-1849)
Ballade No.1 in G Minor Op.23
Etude No.8 in F Major Op.10
Minute Waltz No.1 in D Flat Major Op.64
Scherzo No.1 in B Minor Op.20
Waltz No.2 in C Sharp Minor Op. 64
Andante Spianato & Grande Polonaise Brillande Op.22

6:54
 

4:04
7:09
2:51


10:02
2:06
1:47
9:18
3:55
14:12

Playing time 62:41

download digital quality  MPEG3 sound sample
   
  MP3 sample from CD: Chopin track no. 7: Minute Waltz

Miloš Mihajlović, Piano Forte



Digital Recording
CD Recorded in Lucky Sound Studio, Belgrade 12/2009
 BAM 2046 ® & © 2010 Bel Air Music LLC  All rights reserved. Made in EU.

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