Edited from the sources by Christian Ubber-Regarded as the highlight among Chopin's polonaises the great Polonaise in A flat major Op. 53 has also become known as 'octave polonaise' because of the distinctive octave passages in the middle section. As was customary at that time the work was published in a German English and French first edition each. There also exists an autograph which served as an engraver's copy for the German first edition. Some personal copies of Chopin's pupils occasionally contain entries of the composer thus providing additional information e.g. original fingerings. Unfortunately all three first editions contain a different not always reliabletext. The new edition of Wiener Urtext Edition is based substantially on the autograph and the – to a large extent – carefully revised German first edition yet also takes some variants of the French first edition into account which give the impression of a last-hand version. The problems with regard to the sources and transmission are explained in detail in the preface and the critical notes. Variants containing a specific component with regard to the performance practice are commented on in the notes on interpretation.
SKU: HL.132303
UPC: 884088971373.
All of the Polonaises included in this volume were written during Chopin's childhood and youthful years, through to the earliest of the Polonaises prepared personally for printing by the composer (op. 22 and 26). This strict division into two groups has no correlation with other Chopin categories: Mazurkas or Waltzes not published by Chopin came into being during his entire period of creative activity at the same time as those he made for publication. Both groups of Polonaises complement each other in a particular way, together giving an understandable cross-section of the whole of Chopins creativity from Polonaise B WN1, being his first surviving compositional attempt for the Polonaise-Fantasy op.61, which belongs to the group of masterpieces crowning his last creative period. The collective publication of his Polonaises till now, which present them in the order of finding and publication gives, from this perspective, a totally chaotic impression. [from source commentary]. Includes Polonaises: in B flat major, G minor, A flat major, G sharp minor, D minor, F minor, B flat minor, G flat major.
