Preludes Op. 1 - No. 1 in B minor
Preludes Op. 1 - No. 2 in D minor
Preludes Op. 1 - No. 7 in C minor
Preludes Op. 1 - No. 8 in E flat minor
Masques Op. 34 - No. 1 Shéhérazade
Masques Op. 34 - No. 2 Tantris le Bouffon
Masques Op. 34 - No. 3 Sérénade de Don Juan
Mazurkas Op. 50 - No. 13 Moderato
Mazurkas Op. 50 - No. 14 Animato
Mazurkas Op. 50 - No. 15 Allegretto dolce
Mazurkas Op. 50 - No. 16 Allegramente - Vigoroso
Variations on a Polish Folk Theme Op. 10

"Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman returns to his roots to pay tribute to his compatriot Karol Szymanowski on the 140th anniversary of the composer's birth. Having studied his solo piano works for decades, Zimerman presents a new album of richly varied repertoire spanning the period from 1899 to the mid-1920s. His aim is to shed new light on this less familiar aspect of Szymanowski's output and help cement his reputation as one of the great composers of piano music" {Deutsche Grammophon}.

Just as the piano music of Alexander Scriabin was a corollary effect, extension or progression of the piano music of Frederic Chopin, the piano works of Polish composer Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937), could very well be perceived as the logical continuum and evolution of these two composers, with a pinch of Maurice Ravel added to the mix.

His early set of Preludes in particular, with their deep harmonic reach, are highly suggestive of Chopin's own set of Preludes, and I would even say more expressively and emotively expansive. As you move up the numbers you notice a broadening and deepening harmonic understanding. Krystian Zimerman, himself a superlative Chopin interpreter, very well captures and projects the deeply personal narrative beyond the notes on the page. The harmonic development achieved within the Masques Op. 34 and Mazurkas Op. 50 is already within Scriabin territory and beyond, and Krystian Zimerman fully reveals the composer's widening compositional process and technique within each one. And even within the Variations on a Polish Folk Theme Op. 10, composed when Szymanowski was barely into his early twenties, it's clearly evident that this composer was highly proficient and could build a mighty edifice upon the most basic material.

Over the years, Karol Szymanowski's piano music has been overlooked when compared to his impressive orchestral works. Hopefully this new reflective and highly expressive account by Krystian Zimerman will shed new light on these treasures of piano literature.