"It's my little secret, but it also helps me focus," Prokopowicz said, referring to the long moment of silence which preceded his performance in the second round of the competition. "I'm glad I had ...

"Mazurkas Op. 50" is Szymanowski's second such prominent attempt, after the "Preludes Op. 1", to invoke the great Chopin tradition. On this page we present two articles on Karol Szymanowski's Twenty ...

The mazurka, a traditional Polish dance, acts as a siren to Poles far and wide. Janina Fialkowska, born in Canada but half-Polish, says that in playing the mazurkas of Chopin she has been afforded “a ...

If there’s one genre that captures the essence of Chopin, it’s surely the Mazurka. These triple-time dances seem modest on the surface; usually there’s an opening melody, a contrasting middle bit ...

Pianist Edward Auer has had a fine career, spanning more than 40 years now. He's always had a special place in his heart for Poland, and Poland's favorite musical son — Frederic Chopin. Auer won a ...

Two Mazurkas Op. 62 are Karol Szymanowski's last compositions. The first one dates from 1933, the other one was written the following year and is believed to have been commissioned by Sir Victor ...

The upcoming semi-finals introduce Chopin’s two mature piano sonatas and his Preludes Op 28 into the competition’s repertoire mix, along with groupings of Mazurkas by opus number. If you’ve read my ...

It’s more than 30 years since Vladimir Ashkenazy recorded Scriabin’s piano sonatas, a set that, despite some unevenness, remains one of the safest recommendations for these remarkable works. This new ...

Rafał Blechacz tells Jeremy Nicholas about his approach to recording these dance miniatures Rafał Blechacz first came to international prominence when he won the 2005 Chopin piano competition in ...

Pianist, teacher and author David Dubal hosts a weekly exploration of classical music's piano greats.