Help Us Decide if Chopin’s ‘Marche Funèbre’ Played Backwards Is More Morose Than the Original

The third movement of Frédéric Chopin’s Sonata No. 2 in B Flat Minor, Op. 35 – better known as his “Marche funèbre,” or funeral march – is one of the most iconic pieces of music ever written about death. Historians believe this somber movement was inspired, at least in part, by the November Uprising, a Polish rebellion against the Russian …

Video: Pianist Vassily Primakov Plays Chopin and Rachmaninoff

The Pregnant Buffalo Lounge, a subterranean space at the Chopin Theatre was home to the second WFMT Cabaret.

Why Chopin Composed Fewer Works for Piano and Orchestra Than You Can Count on Your Two Hands

The majority of Chopin’s surviving works are for the piano. Surprisingly, however, the composer only left us with two piano concertos and a handful of other works for piano and orchestra. Polish-Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki, who recorded Chopin: Works for Piano and Orchestra for Deutsche Grammophon, reflected on these works and why Chopin didn’t write more of them. Expanding the …

Watch WFMT Listener Favorite, Pianist Vera Gornostaeva, Play 12 Chopin Mazurkas

One of Russia’s greatest pianists, Vera Gornostaeva, was virtually unknown outside of her native country for most of her career. She taught at the Moscow Conservatory, earned the title of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, had a popular television program, Open Piano, and trained dozens of prize-winning pianists. Yet for most of her life, she was never permitted to …

Hearing Rachmaninoff Play Chopin Will Make You Fall in Love With Your Favorite Pieces All Over Again

In addition to an influential composer, Sergei Rachmaninoff was a fine conductor and magnificent pianist who enjoyed playing music by Liszt, Schubert, and Chopin.

Playlist: 8 Chopin Recordings Every Music Lover Should Own

If you love the music of Frédéric Chopin and are looking to expand your recording collection, here are a few albums you might want to consider. These 8 recordings feature 8 different pianists performing 8 different genres, giving you an appreciation for the diversity of Chopin’s works and the musicians who perform them.

Watch ‘Do You Speak Chopin?’ – Emmy-Winning Filmmaker Marian Marzynski’s Newest Doc

Emmy Award-winning filmmaker’s Marian Marzynski newest documentary is Do You Speak Chopin?. Marzynski’s love letter to Chopin is centered around the “Chopin Olympics” of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland.

Classical and Jazz: How Composer and Musician Paquito D’Rivera Thrives in Both Realms

A fourteen-time Grammy Award winner, Cuban-born saxophonist and clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera is revered in both the jazz and classical worlds.

Stanisław Moniuszko: The Most Famous Polish Composer You Don’t Know (But Should)

Stanisław Moniuszko may not be a household name today, the composer is literally the face of Polish opera… a statue of him rests outside of the Warsaw Opera House.