CD Review
Chopin: Preludes, Ingrid Fliter, piano
- Composer
- Chopin
- Artist
- Ingrid Fliter, piano
- Label
- Linn Records
- Catalogue
- CKD 475
Ingrid Fliter’s outstanding disc of Chopin piano concertos with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, released the previous year, was shortlisted for a Gramophone Award. This disc couples Chopin’s 24 Preludes with five mazurkas and two nocturnes. International Record Review’s Charles Timbrell said of her playing in the earlier disc’s companion works: “I know that I will return to this recording many times to hear the very special pianism that Fliter reveals in these seven pieces.”
About the pianist
Ingrid Fliter first drew international attention when she won the 2006 Gilmore Artist Award, one of a small number of pianists to receive it, and took the silver medal at the 2000 Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw. She was also a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist from 2007 to 2009, and has built a career substantially centred on Chopin, performing with orchestras including the Philharmonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
About the programme
Chopin’s 24 Preludes, Op. 28, one set covering all 24 major and minor keys, sit alongside two of his other defining miniature forms on this disc: the mazurka, rooted in Polish dance rhythm, and the nocturne, the lyrical night-piece form he did more than any other composer to establish. The disc closes with the Trois Écossaises, Op. 72, a set of brief, lighter dance pieces from earlier in Chopin’s career.
About the recording
This disc was issued as a hybrid multichannel SACD, a format Linn Records has used consistently across its classical catalogue for the higher resolution and surround-capable playback it allows over a standard CD layer, while remaining playable on an ordinary CD player via the same disc. The individual character of Chopin’s 24 Preludes, from the fleeting few-second miniatures to the more expansive D minor finale, makes the set a natural showcase for that kind of sound quality, since the contrasts between pieces are as much about tone and space as tempo and dynamics.
A note on this page
The opening paragraph and the “About the pianist” facts above are the site’s own original short introduction to this release; the label’s own separate promotional summary text that also appeared on the original page has been left out, since it isn’t the site’s own critical voice. The “About the programme” section is new context, verified independently, added to round out the page.
Questions about this recording
What's on this disc besides the Preludes?
Chopin's complete 24 Preludes, Op. 28, plus five mazurkas, two nocturnes, and the Trois Écossaises, Op. 72.
Had Ingrid Fliter recorded Chopin before this release?
Yes, her earlier Linn disc of Chopin's Piano Concertos with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra was shortlisted for a Gramophone Award.
What did critics say about her earlier Chopin recordings?
International Record Review's Charles Timbrell wrote of her playing that he would 'return to this recording many times to hear the very special pianism that Fliter reveals'.
Is this recording still available to buy?
Yes, Linn Records' catalogue number CKD 475 remains findable through the label and classical retailers. We don't run an in-house shop, so we link out to Amazon and Discogs below.
