Firma Melodiya presents a complete set of recordings of Frédéric Chopin's mazurkas performed by Yakov Flier.
Chopin's mazurkas are an inexhaustible wealth of images and moods, which is attractive for both a not that knowledgeable lover of music and a sophisticated connoisseur. Images of a distant and dear homeland, lyrical contemplation, a gross folk dance, poetic sketches, the rustle of ballroom gowns and the rattle of spurs – Chopin put his whole soul, inspired fantasy and artistic skills into these miniatures, many of which are as deep and serious as his sonatas and ballads. A lot of pianists included Chopin's mazurkas in their repertoire, but only few of them had the courage to play them all.
Yakov Flier was one of the most prominent representatives of the Soviet pianistic school and a successor of the Russian Chopinists' tradition. A performer and professor who educated a whole galaxy of bright students, Flier combined romantic spirituality with classical commensurateness, virtuosic freedom with a genuine artistic prowess. Chopin's mazurkas became Yakov Flier's last recording, his swan song where the artist achieve a new degree of musical depth, bright figurativeness and fine realization of "chamber' romantic pianism.
