As Chopin once in his etudes
Miraculously conjured
Parks, groves, graves and solitudes -
A living wonder.
(Boris Pasternak)
Frédéric Chopin's etudes are a unique combination of virtuoso technique and artistic supertasks. It is not without reason that no compulsory programme of any international competition can do without them. Each of the etudes is an 'exercise' in one of the types of piano technique while sounding like a bright and image-bearing piece.
Twelve etudes of Op. 10 were composed during 1828-1832 and dedicated to Franz Liszt. Twelve etudes of Op. 25 were published in 1836. Nearly all pianists of the world have Chopin's etudes in their repertoire, but only a few of them have the courage to play both of the opuses in their entirety.
Firma Melodiya presents twenty-four etudes by Chopin performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy, one of the greatest pianists of modern times. What makes these recordings especially interesting is that they were made in 1959 by then a 22-year-old pianist. With his world triumphs still ahead (although Ashkenazy had received a second prize at the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw and won the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Brussels), Ashkenazy's pianism already appears in full possession of virtuosic and artistic mastery.
"The young pianist is not just an owner of phenomenally deft, strong and superbly trained fingers, he also profiecinatly wields a diverse and beautiful palette of piano sounds," wrote one of the reviewers in those days.
