On his ninth album on the Decca label, internationally renowned British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor celebrates Chopin’s genius with two of his most profound and contrasting works: the Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor and the Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor. Composed five years apart, these masterpieces showcase the range of Chopin’s emotional and musical brilliance.

Grosvenor comments, “The brooding Second Sonata is widely known for its Funeral March, but it also shows Chopin as a trailblazer, with the Finale: Presto hinting at modernism. It stands out in Chopin’s work as something truly unique.” By contrast, the Third Sonata, written at the height of Chopin’s career in 1844, blends dazzling piano technique with beautiful, flowing melodies, showing the composer at his most refined and expressive. Four shorter works round out the album: the Ballade No. 1, the Berceuse in D-flat major, and two Nocturnes written shortly before the Third Sonata — Nocturne No. 1 in F Minor and No. 2 in E-flat Major.