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Background: The French pianist Samson François (1924-1970) recorded three complete Chopin sequences: the ballades, which brought him his first great success on record, the nocturnes and the polonaises. François learned his Chopin from Alfred Cortot, from whom he inherited a visionary style which suits the polonaises particularly well. (By an irony, Cortot himself played these works relatively rarely and recorded almost none of them.)

Above all, these polonaises achieve a dramatic tension that sets them apart from other contemporary versions on disc: neither Rubinstein, supremely elegant as always, nor Stefan Askenaze, who cherishes the dance element, approach these works with such intensity. The couplings are a handful of late works recorded at the end of sessions devoted to the nocturnes: the Trois Nouvelles Etudes, the Tarentelle, the Fantaisie in F minor and the F sharp Barcarolle share the same overcast outlook, and to that extent are a perfect foil to the often exuberant polonaises. François played all the Chopin that was published in his day: even the C major Rondo for two pianos of 1828, reworked for four hands from an earlier solo piece, and recorded here with the pianist’s lifelong friend Pierre Barbizet.

CATALOGUE NR: 2126952
RECORD LABEL: EMI Great Recordings
FORMAT: 2 CD Set
PRICE: £ 14.19 including VAT, or £ 12.34 excluding VAT
RELEASE DATE: 08-Sep-2008

COMPOSER: Frederic Chopin
TITLE: Polonaises
TRACKS: Polonaise No.1 in C sharp minor op.26 No.1. Polonaise No.2 in E flat minor op.26 No.2. Polonaise No.3 in A op.40 No.1 'Military'. Polonaise No.4 in C minor op.40 No.2. Polonaise No.5 in F sharp minor op.44. Polonaise No.6 in A flat op.53 'Heroic'. Polonaise No.7 in A flat op.61 'Polonaise-fantaisie'. Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise in E flat op.22. Polonaises op.71 : No.1 in D minor / No.2 in B flat / No.3 in F minor. Fantaisie in F minor op.49. Tarentelle in A flat op.43. Barcarolle in F sharp op.60. Trois Nouvelles Etudes for Moscheles' Methode : No.1 in F minor / No.2 in D flat / No.3 in A flat. Rondo in C for two pianos op.73 (with Pierre Barbizet).
ARTISTS: Samson Francois      

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: polonaises recorded in this stereo version in the Salle Wagam 1968 and 1969 - all tracks are newly transferred and remastered to ART standard at Abbey Road Studios

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Other titles to consider:

• Polonaises
• Chamber Music
• Samson Francois

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