Emanuel Ax Performs Chopin

Emanual Ax performs Chopin

Frederic Chopin was born in Poland of a Polish mother. Frederic Chopin was born in Poland but spent most of his creative life in France (Jonson, A). Chopin’s social life played a large part of his life in Paris. His longest relationship with a woman lasted for about ten years with a woman named George Sand. It is said that George acted as a mother figure in Frederic’s life. Frederic Chopin died at the age of 39 due to tuberculosis.

Prior to seeing this concert I had never heard any of Frederic Chopin’s pieces. I saw Emanual Ax perform Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, Opus 13, Opus 22, and Opus 2. The music I heard was beautiful. I found that Emanual Ax was a very skilled pianist. He played the pieces on an Erard piano which one would have used in Chopin’s time in the mid 19th century. I couldn’t tell the difference between this piano and a regular one, they all sound the same to me. The music was full of different dynamics and different tempos. Not only was the pianist exquisite but the symphony that played along with him was excellent as well. All of the music gave a range of emotions that varied from uplifting to depressing which shows how talented Chopin really was. I don’t know for sure what the music was about or what images the music was trying to portray, I can only speculate, but I know

the emotions that it gave. I remember during the Opus 2, Variations on La Ci Darem La Mano,

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the orchestra started out playing a section that sounded very eerie but then led into an uplifting part played by the piano using high notes. The piece made me think of someone walking up a very dismal path that led to a creepy castle atop a hill, played by the orchestra. On the exterior the castle was morbid having gargoyles on it but when the individual walked in there was a great dance and everyone was well dressed and the interior of this castle atop this hill was magnificent, played by the piano. Historians say that much of Frederic Chopin’s music was influenced by Bach. I found it interesting that even in Chopin’s Concertos the orchestra is dominated by the piano. These were