For the sixth volume of his Chopin project, the Canadian pianist Louis Lortie has built a program that includes works from the earliest to the latest periods in the composer’s life, all of which have connection with or focus on Chopin’s Polish identity. The Hommage à Mozart, Op. 2 is a brilliant set of variations on Là ci darem la mano from Don Giovanni. The two Polonaises, Op. 40 date from the late 1830s, and contain some of his most openly nationalistic writing. Lortie concludes the album with Chopin’s Fantaisie, Op. 49, from 1841. These works are interspersed with four sets of Mazurkas. Chopin continued to compose them throughout his life, transforming the Polish dance form into some of his most dazzling and memorable compositions.
Louis Lortie Plays Chopin, Volume 6
