Composer of the Month (July, 2012): Frédéric Chopin

Frederic Chopin was a Polish composer that lived from 1810-1849. The majority of his pieces are for the piano. 

Chopin, unlike many of his colleagues, used generic titles for his pieces. In Chopin's compositions you find titles such as, Ballade, Prelude, Sonata, Waltz. etc., it was as if he were writing pure music and not trying to hide any compositional deficiencies by giving overly-creative titles (I've done that on more than one occasion, but I digress). 

I also love the unabashed virtuosity. Virtuosity is exciting, it keeps the audience awake and on their toes. 

My absolute favorite Chopin piece is the Ballade in G Minor. This piece is in my top 5 of all-time favorite pieces. My favorite performance is by the Russian virtuoso, Vladimir Horowitz.