Even When The Composer is Well-Known....

Although I seem to write mainly about little-known composers, part of my self-imposed mandate is to examine lesser-known works by well-known composers.  And it's fascinating to see how every composer you can think of has these little-heard pieces, sometimes small and insignificant, but sometimes of such scale and power that you have to wonder how they ever got overlooked.

Today's example contains some of the most poetic music of Chopin.  The "poet of the piano" of course composed hundreds of works for his beloved instrument, and it's only natural that quite a few would remain unknown.

It seems to me that pianists who want to display the poetry of Chopin at full tilt in live recital generally head for the Nocturnes.  Other pianists, knowing their audiences' predilection for pianistic fireworks, take on the Scherzi, Preludes, Ballades, or Polonaises -- or the Sonatas.  That leaves the Mazurkas as the poor sisters of the Chopin oeuvre -- well-known by name but not nearly as often heard.

I've just been listening through the two well-packed Decca CDs that contain Vladimir Ashkenazy's complete survey of all 69 of Chopin's Mazurkas.  Only a few are well-known to me, and I suspect that is because they are contained in the Royal Conservatory of Music's examination lists -- so I heard those few in all the piano recitals I attended while I was a student.

The mazurka is a traditional Polish dance form in triple time, but unlike the waltz or valse it has the accent on the second or third beat of the bar.  It's generally in a lively tempo.  Now, before you sit down to listen to (or play through) Chopin, discard that definition!

There seems not much doubt, from the character of the music, that Chopin was intent on broadening the definition of mazurka.  Some of his dances have an unmistakable first-beat emphasis.  The typical um-pa-pa bass of the Viennese waltz is very clearly present in a number of these pieces.  Some are slow, wistful, dreamy, every bit as poetic as the Nocturnes.  Others are hectic and propulsive in a way that brings them close to the Scherzi.  As in all of Chopin's music, interesting and unusual harmonies and key sequences abound -- and memorable melodies are found everywhere.  The one characteristic that does derive from the traditional dance form is the frequent repetition of sections of melody.

These Mazurkas are, on the whole, relatively short -- and that may be another reason for their relative neglect by virtuoso pianists, who often want to stun their audiences with the sheer scale and scope of what they are playing.  However, if my description makes this music sound boring, tedious, or repetitive, I can only assure you that Chopin's Mazurkas are anything but that.  A succession of 69 pieces in triple time could get tedious, but I can listen to these works by the hour!  Others might prefer to dip in for shorter spans of time, and that's fine too.  The important thing is to give the entire collection its day in the sun.  If you simply jump to the well-known half-dozen pieces you will be cheating yourself out of some marvellous music.

And since Ashkenazy is, for me, the pre-eminent Chopin pianist of the modern era, I saw no reason to look anywhere else when his album came to hand.  Nor was I in the least disappointed -- rather, I was enthralled.  Other Chopin lovers will have their own favourite pianists, too, and that is as it should be.  But do give the complete Chopin Mazurkas your time, and I think you will find yourself making some new musical friends just as I have done!