Brian Ganz Plays Chopin

What was it about the mazurka that was so alluring to Chopin? The dance form originated near Warsaw, the city of his childhood, so perhaps composing one was a kind of musical express visit to the land of his youth. Chopin imbues his mazurkas with an immense range of emotions, from sweet nostalgia to mysterious longing, from bitter despair to joyful celebration. Join pianist Brian Ganz, a prizewinner in the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium International Piano Competition, for the fifth recital in his quest to perform all of the composer’s works as he explores the many facets of this beguiling dance in Chopin’s music. “There isn’t much about Chopin that Brian Ganz doesn’t know. His delight and wonder in this music seem to grow, apparently without bounds, as time goes on.”
(The Washington Post)

Chopin    Four Mazurkas, Op. 24
               Polonaise in F-sharp minor, Op. 44
              Three Mazurkas, Op. 50
              Three Waltzes, Op. 64
              Two Nocturnes, Op. 15, Nos. 2, 3
              Three Mazurkas, Op. 59
              Rondo à la Mazur, Op. 5