Frédéric Chopin's piano music is so well-known, it seems strange that a few of his works for solo piano are underplayed and may actually be unfamiliar to some listeners. The music he composed prior to 1830 during his years in Warsaw is certainly less famous than the music he wrote after his decisive move to Paris in 1832, which stimulated his career as a pianist and productivity as a composer. However, even though the early works may seem a little facile and superficial in comparison with the mature masterpieces, they clearly show
Chopin's refined tastes and his preference for the Classical style, particularly that of Mozart. For this 2009 recording, pianist
Costantino Mastroprimiano plays a
Graf pianoforte that was made in Vienna in 1826, so the smaller sounding instrument gives an idea of what
Chopin might have heard while playing his fledgling works for his first audiences. This piano has a slightly metallic quality and its action produces a soft clicking noise that is sometimes obvious in these performances, though as period keyboards go, this antique keyboard has a remarkably full-bodied tone that is easy for modern listeners to appreciate. There is little to be said in the way of interpretation, for
Mastroprimiano plays the music with clean execution and proper early Romantic period style, but he avoids overplaying for effect or injecting too much personality, considering that the composer himself would have abhorred any signs of self-indulgence. Brilliant's sound is crisp and focused.