Triumphal return for Philadelphians

Albany Times Union – Albany,NY,USA

The Philadelphia Orchestra launches its 43rd summer season in Saratoga Springs.   Bravos for the Beethoven, but the orchestra’s reading of a Chopin concerto with Emanuel Ax is in need of some Posturpedic treatment…

Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21 featured soloist Emanuel Ax, whose pearly tone and always elegant touch can show off the composer’s solo repertoire to wondrous effect. But with Chopin’s billowy soft orchestration, it was just too much cushy comfort. One needs some firm back support as well as a soft place to rest the head.

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Philadelphia Orchestra puts on a terrific show in debut

Schenectady Gazette – Schenectady,NY,USA

Same concert by Chief Conductor Charles Dutoit and the Philadelphia Orchestra; different takeaway from the Schenectady paper…

Ax was a superb interpreter of the Chopin. His fluid streams of notes were flawless and he gave the phrases much room to breath.

His dynamics were especially delicate and he didn’t hesitate to be forceful when the music called for it.

That energy lent a vigorous quality, which was a nice balance to the filagree.

In the slow second movement, Ax etched the sublime melody like the craftsman he is.

There was much delicacy in his very finished phrases.

The final movement was virtuosic, speedy and very charming in its sometime use of dance styles, such as the mazurka.

Throughout, Dutoit was the perfect partner.

The orchestra knew how to keep its balances and yet provided exuberant support when called for.

Ax was very pleased with the result as was the crowd, which gave everyone a standing ovation, long applause and several curtain calls.

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Lang Lang keys up Olympic gig

Variety – Los Angeles,CA,USA

Expect to see lots of stories on this subject in coming days…

Lang, who records for Deutsche Grammophon, has famously been filmed playing Chopin using an orange. With daring references to kung fu and videogames peppering his discussions of the great composers, Lang has made classical music accessible to many in China, which has some 30 million piano students.

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Lang Lang: Virtuoso pianist or ‘flashy’ showman?

Independent – London,England,UK

A preview of the celebrity and controversy surrounding Lang Lang, as he prepares to perform at the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Tiannenmen Square on Friday  UK daily reveals the early career-molding Chopin influence on the world’s most recognizable Chinese pianist…

He played the complete Chopin études at 13, and won the Tchaikovsky junior competition in Japan with Chopin’s E minor concerto. That work has always meant a lot to him, he says, “though at 13 I was too young to understand the pathos of Chopin’s love for that girl, which she didn’t return. My father told me not to think about the emotional situation, just to think about a beautiful landscape – and about my mother! That worked very well.” Chopin chimes perfectly with what he now describes as his crusade: he’s always trying to reach young audiences, “and Chopin is the perfect composer for that. His music is so universal that even people who don’t like classical music like it.”

Poland Rejects Testing Chopin’s Heart

By admin

From the Current World News blog, Polish officials say “Nevermore!” to the idea of exhuming Chopin’s heart for testing…

Scientists want to see if composer Frederic Chopin — whose heart rests in a Warsaw church, preserved in alcohol since his 1849 death — died of cystic fibrosis instead of tuberculosis, as was thought at the time. But Poland thinks this is no excuse to disturb one of its key relics. “The heart lies in a jar sealed inside a pillar at Warsaw’s Holy Cross Church _ and the only time it has been removed was for safekeeping during World War II.

Before it was returned in 1951, a doctor examined the heart and found it perfectly preserved in an alcohol that many think is cognac. Chopin died in France, where his body is buried, but he asked that his heart be sent to his homeland.