Jan Lisiecki releases new album of Frédéric Chopin's Complete Nocturnes

When you begin playing an instrument, there is music that draws you in and propels you – those works you aspire to one day, maybe, hopefully play. Many of these will be challenging, technically demanding pieces, to which your early abilities will be no match. But Chopin's Nocturnes can provide an early introduction to the kaleidoscope of his inventive and enthralling music. It is thus that I was introduced

to Chopin at a young age, with his first Nocturne (Op.9/1), spending many hours searching for the secrets hidden within. I was enamoured, and through the years of becoming better acquainted with my instrument – a process that continues to this day – Chopin's Nocturnes have kept me company.

They embody what I cherish most in his music: the yearning, captivating melody, the framework he provides for flexibility, the endless fresh ideas. Chopin was a master of the piano, using its full range of tonal possibilities while spinning long, melodic, cantabile phrases over a rich harmonization.

The Nocturnes hail from the night – a magical time of endless possibilities – and present a personal story from the interpreter to the listener. They are a canvas, a sphere to dive deep into one's own emotions and thoughts.

Yet, most importantly, they remain elegant and simple. After all, as Chopin himself said: "Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art".

Jan Lisiecki

Source: CD Booklet

Jan Lisiecki releases new album of Chopin's Complete Nocturnes

By Ellie Palmer

Pianist Magazine — August 16, 2021

This is the pianist's eighth release on the Deutsche Grammophon label.

Recorded in October 2020 at Berlin's historic Meistersaal – Chopin: Complete Nocturnes not only captures the spirit of Chopin's pianism, but also represents the time and circumstances in which it was made, as Lisiecki himself explains: "I'm the first to question why we should record something that has been recorded many times before. But music only lives through performance and is different every time we hear it, even when it's a recording. I think there was something for me to say with this album. It reflects on the last year and my thoughts on that as well as on the escape and understanding that music gives us".

It was through the Nocturnes that the Canadian first discovered Chopin – he recalls falling in love with Op.9 No.1 as a child and being enchanted by its yearning melody. The piece, the first of 21 nocturnes the composer wrote between the late 1820s and 1847, offered a glimpse of a vast universe of emotions, expressions, musical gestures and tonal colours. It also prepared the way for the brilliant student to explore the piano's lyrical side.

It was one thing for the young Jan to play the notes of the simpler Nocturnes, quite another for him to understand their ethos. A turning point came when his teacher asked him to name the three elements of music. Melody and harmony instantly sprang to mind. But the third eluded him. "I thought about it and eventually said ‘line’", remembers Lisiecki. "Rhythm had completely escaped me! It was the least important thing for me when I was 11 or 12. Since then, of course, I've come to appreciate just how vital it is: rhythm serves the melodic line."

Chopin, he adds, far exceeded the boundaries of what his contemporaries considered possible on the piano, especially in terms of the singing line. Unlike the human voice, the piano can play the longest melody without the need to take a breath; like a singer, the pianist has to shape phrases and give emotional light to melodies. "Chopin's music flows by itself in a sense, but you need to feel instinctively where things are placed", he says. "It's about striking the balance between allowing the music to flow naturally and knowing subconsciously where it should go."

At 26 years old, the pianist can already count some of the world's best orchestras among his list of collaborations. He's worked with the likes of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Filarmonica della Scala, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra for performances at Carnegie Hall and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. Lisiecki has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Staatskapelle Dresden, Orchestre de Paris, Bavarian Radio Symphony and London Symphony Orchestra.

Source: pianistmagazine.com

Chopin's Complete Nocturnes by Jan Lisiecki – Review

By Azusa Ueno

The Classic Review — August 27, 2021

In Jan Lisiecki's own forward to his release of the Chopin Nocturnes, he includes a quotation from the composer: "Simplicity is the final achievement". While these works collectively embrace many different personas, what Chopin may have been pointing to was the simple beauty that lies at the heart of each. And indeed, he communicates this to us – wistfully and sometimes passionately – but always directly.

The Op.15 Nocturnes are among the composer's earliest; however, they already show his proclivity for creating multidimensionality despite the straightforward relationships between textures and lines. The No.1 in F major (track 4), for instance, is not musically complicated per se, and the performer adds to this simplicity a peaceful and innocent charm. The opening has us almost convinced that it's an extended, soothing lullaby. An unexpected surprise awaits, however, in the form of a brief but tempestuous middle section. The pianist's juxtaposition of these characters is stark and effective, and they appear to embody two different sides of the night.

Lisiecki's performance of the No.2 in F sharp major (track 5) has a delightfully improvisatory feel to it, and not just through the melody's fluid embellishments. The work as a whole flows naturally, embracing the piece's coy personality as well as its bit of drama. Despite the clear compositional divide between sections, we're never made to feel that they really exist: each moment plays its role in building a larger story.

The well-loved Op.27 No.2 (track 8) is, in some ways, hard to pull off well despite its friendly and inviting nature. Play it too quickly, and it sounds brusque; too slowly, and it drags into oblivion. This interpretation gets the balance just right: while it's on the slower side, it is not at all analytical or pedantic. The contemplation in Lisiecki's delivery lets us experience what is comforting and reassuring. There are some interesting comparisons to be made here, including Maurizio Pollini's equally solid 2005 DG recording. Not only is Pollini's version considerably faster, but it's also more extroverted with some "snap" and flair in the dotted rhythms of the minor-key moments.

Op.48 shows a pianist who has explored the possibilities that each work in the set has to offer. In the No.1 C minor (track 13), for example, Lisiecki displays an impressive sensitivity (though deft changes in tone quality) to the composer's equally stunning use of harmonic color. There are some nice bends and twists in the rubato, but he is mindful to keep it from sounding maudlin or contrived. Here, too, the element of simplicity comes through perfectly by way of his evocative cantabile melody. The recapitulation does take the agitato to a greater level than I would have necessarily preferred, but the result is still convincing. We now hear the same opening melody in a much more turbulent light – one that speaks powerfully to the finale's sweeping passion.

Though the following F sharp minor (track 14) may be less dramatic, the performer approaches it with equal attention to detail. The opening section is steeped in plaintiveness, but the interpretation also draws out an inquisitiveness: Lisiecki's melodies seem to be in thoughtful search of something. At the same time, however, he retains the communicative character of the lines. The accompaniment is a gentle but supportive whisper against the upper voice, which shines through beautifully.

The sound engineering helps bring out the minute shades and nuances of both pianist and piano. The fact that the album was recorded in a studio as opposed to a larger concert hall also gives the impression of an instrument up-close, which is quite appropriate for the intimate nature of this genre. The liner notes are the only thing I found a bit disappointing, as they fall somewhat short in breadth. Certain nocturnes are discussed in some detail but others are more or less passed over with general commentary that needs more insight. This aside, the album spotlights Lisiecki's insightful artistry and the rapport and affinity he has for the music. An album to savor.

Source: theclassicreview.com

Photos by Stefano Galuzzi

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