Frederyk Chopin (22 Feb or 1 March 1810 - 17 October 1849)

Called the master of the piano, he is a composer easily identified and adored by performers and audiences, a composer from Poland whose music crosses the barriers between different cultures.  His short life is usually divided into the Warsaw period up to 1830 and the Paris period up to his death, similarly to his output, whose youthful period was the time when he lived and worked in exile.  Chopin's legacy comprises over 150 opus works which were highly innovative in terms of technique and expression.  His waltzes, preludes, etudes, polonaises and mazurkas, as well as six works for piano with orchestra, have assured him an everlasting place in the world's cultural heritage.

15 selections performed by:
Halina Czerny-Stefańska fortepian / piano (1-4, 15),
Regina Smendzianka fortepian / piano (5-7),
Lidia Grychtołówna fortepian / piano (8-9),
Witold Małcużyński fortepian / piano (10-12),
Bolesław Woytowicz fortepian / piano (13-14),
Witold Rowicki dyrygent / conductor (15),
Orkiestra Symfoniczna Filharmonii Narodowej w Warszawie / Warsaw Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra (15)

1. Polonez As-dur op.53 (6'32")
2. Preludium A-dur op.28 nr 7 (0'52")
3. Preludium e-moll op.28 nr 4 (2'10")