Schumann described Chopin’s works as “cannons buried in flowers”. Contained in Chopin’s music are painful moments, suffering, longing and much drama. Similarly to Mozart, the external impression may be one of pure beauty, elegance, exuberance or joy but, deep down, there is something else entirely, a sort of imprecise discomfort, a certain malaise. The contrast between these two facets makes Chopin’s music very grounded and approachable, since every individual can relate to these juxtapositions.
Jan Lisiecki, “Chantez, chantez”: Jan Lisiecki on how Chopin made the piano sing”, Bachtrack, 20 March 2020, https://bachtrack.com/feature-jan-lisiecki-chopin-romantics-month-march-2020, accessed 25 August 2020.
Jan Lisiecki on Chopin
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True greatness
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