FREDERIC CHOPIN
"Grande Polonaise Brillante" op.22
KRYSTIAN ZIMERMAN and CARLO GIULINI
Los Angeles Orchestra1979

Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante in E-flat major, Op. 22, was composed by Frédéric Chopin between 1830 and 1834. The Grande Polonaise brillante in E-flat, set for piano and orchestra, was written first, in 1830-31. In 1834, Chopin wrote an Andante spianato in G, for piano solo, which he added to the start of the piece, and joined the two parts with a fanfare-like sequence. The combined work was published in 1836 as Op. 22, and was dedicated to Madame d'Este.The Grande Polonaise brillante is a work for piano and orchestra, although the piano part is often played on its own. The Andante spianato (spianato means "even, or smooth") for solo piano was composed as an introduction to the Polonaise after Chopin received a long-awaited invitation to perform in one of Habanecks Conservatoire Concerts in Paris. The combined work was premiered by the composer there on April 26, 1835.The quiet rippling effects of this introductory section are borne in a gentle 6/8, rounded with a chordal trio in C major, and a more processional 3/4. The very serene middle section is not a trio, but only a contrasting episode to complement the overall texture of the movement. Not being a trio, it is not in C major but remains in G major.

KRYSTIAN ZIMERMAN :
It came as a shock to the six-year-old Krystian Zimerman when he discovered that not every household has a piano. Until then, he had assumed that playing the piano occupied the same position in life as eating, drinking and sleeping. It was also at the age of six that he made his first appearance on television in his native Poland, playing his own compositions.
Attending the Music Academy in Katowice, Zimerman studied with Andrzej Jasinski who remained his only teacher after his very first lessons from his father. Two months after completing his high-school studies, at the age of 18, Zimerman became the youngest ever winner of the prestigeous Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1975. Although he had already performed widely both in Poland and abroad after winning several other competitions, giving concerts in Vienna, Copenhagen and several eastern European countries, the Chopin prize was a major breakthrough and catapulted the young musician into the forefront of the international music circuit.
His greatest luck in life, Zimerman feels, has been to meet and learn from great musicians, Arthur Rubinstein, with whom he developed an early friendship, was an important musical influence, and Zimerman`s work in concerts and recordings with conductors such as Bernstein, Giulini and Karajan formed landmarks in his career. More recently, Witold Lutoslawski dedicated his Piano Concerto to Zimerman, who gave its premiere in 1989.
Zimerman`s repertoire extends through solo piano music, concertos and chamber music; his aim in all of these is not to specialise in one composer or style, but to keep the range broad, from Bach to Lutoslawski. Rather than allowing himself to be labelled `a Beethoven player` he put Beethoven to one side and worked instead on Brahms, always preferring to avoid the dangers of musical pigeon-holing.
It can take a number of years for Zimerman to prepare a piece for the concert platform: his method of working involves studying a wide range of pieces at any one time, each of which will be at a different stage of acquaintance or readiness. Having lived with a work such as the Brahms Piano Concerto No 2 or the Liszt B minor Sonata for 10 years helps to produce a mature, fully thought-out interpretation. This working structure is characteristic of his belief in long-term investment - whether in practising, concert planning, or decision-making in day-to-day life.
He limits his concerts to not more than 50 per year, also working on between one and three records per year on his exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon. Many of his recordings have won awards, including the Gramophone Award, the Grand Priz du Disque, the Edison, the Diapaison d`or and a Grammy nomination. Although a prizewinner on a number of occasions and a participant in various competitions in the early part of his career, Zimerman remains firmly opposed to the idea of competitions as a method of musical selection and refuses all invitations to sit on juries for international piano competitions.
Beyond the piano, Zimerman`s interests range from playing the organ to electronics via psychology. (less info)