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Why couple the Preludes with the Second Sonata?
The sonata is symptomatic of my relationship with Chopin. For many years the
first and fourth movements were set works at the Marguerite Long Competition,
at which I was a prizewinner. What’s more, when I was a student, this score was
regarded as a passport to gain entry to a professional career: it’s very dense, and
sets considerable technical challenges. On this recording, it allows us to offer
a contrasting counterpoint to the Preludes, a series of miniatures that are akin
to sketches. The theme of the Second Sonata is perhaps not very optimistic –
the search for the loved one through the prism of death – but it is an extremely
passionate piece, far from despairing. I’m touched not only by its dark colouring,
but above all by the light it diffuses. The second motif of the Funeral March is
heavenly!
CHOPIN_24 PRÉLUDES / SONATA No 2