Valentina Lisitsa - Chopin (2022) [Hi-Res]

Newly-signed leading artist on naïve, Valentina Lisitsa offers a new performance of Chopin’s four Scherzos, her core repertoire since the beginning of her career. Those long, highly virtuosic and expressive works are milestones in Chopin’s output and were composed over a decade, between 1831 and 1842.

In those pieces, Valentina Lisitsa sees "some of the most beautiful melodies ever written, even by Chopin. Two of the Scherzos – No. 2 and No. 4 – do have a "happy ending"; the Fourth is particularly luminous and joyful. When you add No. 1 and No. 3, which are brooding and tragic, the complete set is full of contrasts and characters. Chopin follows in the line of Beethoven (and foreshadows Brahms) in his Scherzos – they aren’t "humorous", as the title seems to imply, but rather whirlwind "moments" with sharp outlines and lean textures, displaying very clearly defined and contrasting characters".

The recording also features the Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Brillante, the former being among the most famous and popular piano pieces.