Secrets of Chopin’s Piano

In times when much is said about crisis – of culture, identity, technology – music too raises questions about authenticity and the future. One possible answer may be to look back. In the 1980s, Nikolaus Harnoncourt advocated a return to the sources: historically informed performance was meant to help us understand the music of the past – and restore its power of expression.

Today, baroque and classical instruments are no longer a curiosity, but Romanticism – and especially Chopin’s piano – still sparks controversy. Old pianos are sometimes considered “worse” because they are quieter or less spectacular. But does “more even” and “louder” really mean “better”?

In fact, in the 19th century, there were many types of pianos: square, upright, hybrid – each with its unique construction and sound. Beethoven experimented with instruments by Stein, Walter, Érard, and Broadwood, seeking an ever more resonant tone. Chopin preferred a subtle, colorful, “speaking” sound – and particularly valued Pleyels. At that time, the piano was like today’s premium-class car: choosing a specific model was a matter of style, taste, and means.

It is precisely such instruments – their sound and character – that will be the protagonists of this evening. We will hear not only the music of Chopin and Beethoven, but also Feliks Janiewicz, a forgotten Polish violinist and composer who made a career in England, and a youthful symphony by Mendelssohn, written before his 14th birthday.

The concert will be preceded by a seminar led by Marek Bracha and Michał Bruliński – an introduction to the world of historical pianos and historically informed performance. It is a chance not only to hear, but also to understand why it is worth playing today as it was played in the past – and what this can tell us about ourselves.

On behalf of all the performers, the concert organizers, and myself, I wish you that the discovery of the secrets of Chopin’s pianos will inspire you to continue fruitful exploration. I believe that a historically informed interpretive perspective will allow us to rediscover together these works that we know so well, and that reflecting on the role of musical instruments in the creative process will encourage us to explore new aesthetic horizons.

I also believe, following Nikolaus Harnoncourt and his many successors, that a moment’s respite from electronically mediated sound and turning our ears to the music of the past in its authentic sonic form will be for you not only a valuable historical and aesthetic experience, but also a cathartic remedy for all dimensions of crisis.

Michał Bruliński

Chopin's Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22, performed on an 1837 Erard piano by Aleksandra Świgut: