WorldView Episode 43: Frédéric Chopin

Welcome to another episode of WorldView, here on charlottesvilleclassical.org! This episode returns to regular programming, and features one work by American composer Victor Herbert and another from Frédéric Chopin, a native of Poland. Enjoy!

Born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin in 1810, Chopin grew up in Warsaw, Poland. Both of his parents were musicians, and the young prodigy grew up surrounded by composition and musical education. By the age of seven he was giving public concerts; his first recorded composition, a polonaise, was completed in 1817. Popular with the noble family of the then Russian-controlled region, Chopin spent considerable time working and performing in court before his departure for Europe in 1830. While traveling abroad in Austria, an armed uprising began against Russian forces and caused the composer to regret leaving his homeland. He would never return. 

Chopin spent much of the rest of his life in Paris, where he met fellow composers Franz Liszt, Hector Berlioz, and Friedrich Kalkbrenner.  He was a frequent guest in salons and concert halls across France, and became an immensely popular musical figure. A large segment of his legacy is his development of the nocturne, which was invented by Irish composer John Field (WorldView episode 6). He wrote 21 in total, and many are staples in modern piano repertoire. Chopin also worked to include traditional Polish influences in his works, including dances such as the mazurka and polonaise. This made him a prominent figure in the Polish nationalism movement. 

After a prolonged battle with multiple illnesses, Chopin passed away in October of 1849. Almost 3,000 mourners arrived to attend his funeral, but almost all were turned away from the private event. Chopin remains a world-renowned composer, as well as one of the greatest pianists of all time. He completed his second piano concerto, composed in F minor, in 1930; his “Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor” premiered simultaneously. In this episode, Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili performs Chopin’s second piano concerto, accompanied by conductor Paavo Jarvi and the Orchestre De Paris. 

WorldView Episode Forty-Three Playlist:

Victor HERBERT, “Serenade for String Orchestra, Op. 12”, {Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, Sebastian Tewinkel, Maximilian Hornun (clo)} - cpo

Frédéric CHOPIN, “Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 21”, {Khatia Buniatishvili (pf), Orchestre De Paris, Paavo Jarvi} - Sony Classical 

WorldView is a classical music radio show featuring composers from everywhere in the world - except Western Europe. Tune in to hear works by lesser-known artists such as Irving Fine and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, and widen your knowledge of classical music. Hinke Younger hosts each week’s episode of WorldView on Mondays at 9AM and 6PM (with a rebroadcast Saturdays at 2PM) on Charlottesvilleclassical.org.