Chopin Piano Works Complete 30: E minor Piano Concerto (Polish National Edition)

Author: (Polish) Jan Ekier
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: Professor Ekier visited China in 1983 and gave special lectures on Chopin at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Now, the Polish National Edition of the "Complete Works for Piano by Chopin" compiled by him is published in China, spreading his research findings on Chopin more widely and comprehensively. It is believed that this will once again attract attention from the music world. Chopin's works are the most performed in all piano literature but also the most tampered with. Sixty years ago, we didn’t understand what an "Urtext" was, and there were no Urtexts back then. We thought that as long as it was Chopin, any version was the same. Later, we realized it wasn’t that simple, and there were significant differences between various versions. Some were intentionally edited by compilers who believed they could "improve" Chopin’s original works (e.g., the Karl Klindworth edition [1830-1916]), while most were the result of misinformation, with people assuming it should be this way. In the mid-20th century, Poland published the Paderewski (Ignacy Jan Paderewski 1860-1941) edition, which largely clarified previous errors and pioneered a completely new style of Chopin performance. This version became popular internationally for over half a century, but it was not a strict "Urtext." It used a so-called "standardization" method to "standardize" (simplify) many subtle variations in Chopin’s manuscripts. Professor Ekier is today’s most authoritative expert on Chopin. He himself is a pianist and professor with decades of experience in performance and teaching, as well as a knowledgeable and rigorous scholar. It is most appropriate for him to lead the compilation of a new "Urtext" edition of Chopin. This new "Urtext" has been designated as the "National Edition" by the Polish government to signify its importance and authority. Professor Ekier not only based his edition on Chopin’s manuscripts and various first editions but also mastered many revisions and corrections made by Chopin during his teaching on student scores. As a result, his edition contains many new discoveries that differ greatly from what we are accustomed to hearing. It is believed that this will become another new milestone.