David Fray: Chopin
£13.25
Currently out of stock at the UK suppliers. Available to order, but is likely to take longer than usual to despatch
Despatch Information
This despatch estimate is based on information from both our own stock and the UK supplier's stock.
If ordering multiple items, we will aim to send everything together so the longest despatch estimate will apply to the complete order.
If you would rather receive certain items more quickly, please place them on a separate order.
If any unexpected delays occur, we will keep you informed of progress via email and not allow other items on the order to be held up.
If you would prefer to receive everything together regardless of any delay, please let us know via email.
Pre-orders will be despatched as close as possible to the release date.
Label: Erato
Cat No: 9029589647
Format: CD
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Instrumental
Release Date: 3rd February 2017
Contents
Works
Impromptu no.3 in G flat major, op.51Mazurkas (51)
Waltzes (19)
Artists
David Fray (piano)Works
Impromptu no.3 in G flat major, op.51Mazurkas (51)
Waltzes (19)
Artists
David Fray (piano)About
“I had put Chopin to one side and wasn’t even sure whether I would play him again one day,” says the French pianist. Chopin’s music had been absent from Fray’s active repertoire for some 15 years before he recorded this recital. It takes its place in the catalogue of Erato recordings that Fray, now 35, has been building with care and reflection since 2008, and which also contains music by Bach, Mozart, Schubert and Boulez.
Sound/Video
Paused
-
1Chopin: Nocturne No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2
-
2Chopin: Nocturne No. 13 in C Minor, Op. 48 No. 1
-
3Chopin: Nocturne No. 16 in E-Flat Major, Op. 55 No. 2
-
4Chopin: Mazurka No. 41 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 63 No. 3
-
5Chopin: Nocturne No. 18 in E Major, Op. 62 No. 2
-
6Chopin: Mazurka No. 11 in E Minor, Op. 17 No. 2
-
7Chopin: Polonaise No. 7 in A-Flat Major, Op. 61, 'Polonaise-fantaisie'
-
8Chopin: Nocturne No. 15 in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1
-
9Chopin: Nocturne No. 14 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 48 No. 2
-
10Chopin: Impromptu No. 3 in G-Flat Major, Op. 51
-
11Chopin: Nocturne No. 10 in A-Flat Major, Op. 32 No. 2
-
12Chopin: Waltz No. 9 in A-Flat Major, Op. 69 No. 1, 'The Farewell Waltz '
-
13Chopin: Mazurka No. 40 in F Minor, Op. 63 No. 2
Europadisc Review
Fray’s way with Chopin is wistful and introspective, but alive to the inner drama of each piece. He lingers lovingly on the frequently profuse decorative figuration, stretching out the ornaments in the ‘Farewell’ Waltz, op.69 no.1 to winning effect. Yet it’s not just the rapt romanticism of his playing that holds the listener’s attention, but the skill with which he has gathered the pieces – ranging from early exercises in bel canto to the subtle complexities of the late masterpieces – together. Grouped by related keys, they sometimes seem to grow organically out of one another, as with the F sharp minor Nocturne and the G flat Impromptu, at others to complement each other, as with the F minor Nocturne that follows the Polonaise-Fantaisie. The three Mazurkas that feature in the programme are themselves of the nocturnal variety, so that, despite their distinctive rhythmic profile, they seem to slip effortlessly into the prevailing mood.
Fray is also skilful in tapping into the underlying turbulence of such works as the C minor Nocturne, op.48 no.1, and the E flat major Nocturne, op.55 no.2. No nuance seems to escape him, yet he retains an overarching poise and tranquillity, projecting the lines with voice-like clarity. His speeds may be on the slow side, but his expressive involvement with the music ensures that this never slips into over-indulgence. This is one of the dreamiest Chopin discs there has been for years.
It’s all very different from another new disc, from Maurizio Pollini on Deutsche Grammophon, which methodically surveys Chopin’s late works (grouped by opus number), again including the Polonaise-Fantaisie. Where Fray is transported by Chopin’s reveries (in a warm but sensitive acoustic to match), Pollini is more forthright, the recording more analytical and close-up. It is the older pianist who digs in to the textures, relishing their fullness rather than making them float, and although his playing may strike some as matter-of-fact, even prosaic, it’s just possible that, if you don’t respond to Fray’s wistfulness, Pollini’s straightforwardness may appeal to you instead. Both are undeniably fine artists, but on the basis of these two discs, it is Fray who is the more natural Chopin player, and his recording is one to cherish.
Error on this page? Let us know here
Need more information on this product? Click here