Chopin Polonaises & Bolero in Pure DSD 256 Stereo

“My love and passion for Chopin came – as is often the case – in my youth, when that wealth of bountiful, romantically beautiful music went straight to my young heart. His melodiousness was irresistible, like a delicious, overflowing box of assorted chocolates. The Polonaises in particular had that certain passionate, fiery appeal which also spoke to my teenage youth, and I have been playing most of these Polonaises and the Bolero for as long as 55 years. I have included them many, many times in recital programs all over the world these past 40 years, including Carnegie Hall in both my performances there. I also performed all six Polonaises in recitals throughout 2010 for the 200th anniversary of Chopin’s birth.

Above all, if no others are, these Polonaises are truly about the most iconic of all Chopin’s works! Indeed, 2 of them – the “Military” and the “Héroïque” are amongst the most universally famous, most recognizable, most beloved pieces of music in the world. From the two Op.26 Polonaises (1834/5) through to Op.53 (1842), we watch them grow in nobility, majesty, and originality, until reaching Op.53 – his ‘late period’, which represents his most perfect, rapturous, and sublime works.”

Gil Sullivan, Piano