Secrets, Chopin's mature piano works László Borbély

• Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849): Fantasie in F Minor, Op. 49:
• 1 Chopin: Fantasie in F Minor, Op. 49 00:00
• Fantaisie-Impromptu, Op. post. 66:
• 2 Chopin: Fantaisie-Impromptu, Op. post. 66 (J. Fontana's version) 00:00
• Impromptu in G-Flat Major, Op. 51:
• 3 Chopin: Impromptu in G-Flat Major, Op. 51 00:00
• Barcarolle, Op. 60:
• 4 Chopin: Barcarolle, Op. 60 00:00
• Nocturne in B Major, Op. 62:
• 5 Chopin: Nocturne in B Major, Op. 62 No. 1 00:00
• 6 Chopin: Nocturne in E Major, Op. 62 No. 2 00:00
• Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op. 61:
• 7 Chopin: Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op. 61 00:00
• Total Runtime 00:00

Info for Secrets, Chopin's mature piano works

Why Chopin impresses his listeners and performers again and again is beyond explanation. However, as I wrote in the liner notes to this album, for me the relationship with Chopin is a highly ambivalent one. The reason for this lies perhaps most of all in Frédéric Chopin's endlessly complex personality. For Chopin, in contrast to the mainstream of his time, does nothing other than defy musical public opinion (public taste?), but he always does so, cryptically speaking, with his starting point being a far-reaching respect for and, above all, knowledge of the traditions (especially Bach and Mozart). And this is obvious if we consider that Chopin's music always strives for absolute harmony, which he fights for again and again.

But Chopin's struggle is very different from the heroic, titanic struggles of many of his contemporaries. Chopin's power is all-pervasive, and that is what impresses us, whether or not we consider ourselves to be classical music lovers. Chopin's music, then, simultaneously seeks to be still and yet still in motion. With him, nothing is ever 'ready', or, to put it somewhat more abstractly, to allude to the foregoing, his art is itself a mapping of the limits, of instability.

His work is always imbued with an improvisatory spirit, a desire to celebrate the moment. Chopin must therefore never be performed with an academic style. And although there are many legendary recordings of the works on this disc, this does not make the performer’s task any easier, but rather it should make him feel all the more empowered to reveal Chopin's musical language, and above all its underlying content, never with the arrogance of exposure, but with the sanctity of friendly secrecy.

The works on this album are not even close to each other along any particular concept. Rather, it was because I was approached as a performer, or rather held captive, for many years. (László Borbély)

László Borbély, Steinway Model D Concert Grand Piano, Hamburg

László Borbély
was born in 1984. In 2007 he got his diploma with honours (Master of Music in Performance and Teaching) then his doctoral degree (Doctor of Liberal Arts) at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music Budapest, where he is an assistant professor of Piano Faculty.

He played concerts at international festivals such Collegium Musicum Pommersfelden (Germany), Encuentro de Música y Academia de Santander (Spain), International Holland Music Sessions in Bergen (The Netherlands), TCU/Cliburn Institute in Fort Worth (USA), FestivaLiszt in Grottammare (Italy), Liszt Festival in Raiding (Austria), Liszt Festival in Bayreuth (Germany), International Bartók Festival Ankara (Turkey), International Conservatory Week Festival Saint Petersburg (Russia), Festival der Klänge in Vienna (Austria), CAFe Budapest Festival, Budapest Spring Festival, Day of Listening (Budapest), Tiszadob Piano Festival (Hungary), Beethoven Festival Martonvásár (Hungary), Arcus Temporum Festival Pannonhalma (Hungary) and International Bartók Festival Szombathely (Hungary).

He won numerous prizes at national and international competitions. He won 2nd Prize and a special prize for the best performance of the set piece at the EPTA International Piano Competition in Osijek (Croatia) in 2001. In the same year, he won the Great Prize of the national competition of secondary music schools in Békés-Tarhos. In 2002, he won the Yamaha Scholarship Award and also two 2nd and one 3rd prizes in different divisions of the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition where he won two special prizes too: prize for the „most artistic performance” and a special prize of the American Liszt Society. In 2003 he got the special prize of the Hungarian Ministry of Cultural Heritage at the national competition of the Hungarian Radio. Next Year he was first prizewinner at the Andor Földes national competition. In 2005 he won „Educational Award” at the London International Piano Competition. In 2006 he was 2nd prizewinner at the International Liszt-Bartók Piano Competition in Budapest where he got also a special prize of Budapest City. In 2009 he won 3rd prize and four special prizes at the National Haydn-Mendelssohn Piano Competition of the Hungarian Radio. He got the Annie Fischer Performers’ Scholarship three times (in 2008, 2009 and 2010). In 2009 he got „Junior Prima Prize”one of the most prestigious prize given for young artists.

He had lessons with Dmitrij Bashkirov, Gábor Csalog, Christopher Elton, Noel Flores, Péter Frankl, Márta Gulyás, Jan-Marisse Huizing, Zoltán Kocsis, György Kurtág, Claudio-Martinez Mehner, Piotr Paleczny, Murray Perrahia, Menahem Pressler, Ferenc Rados, Livia Rév, András Schiff, Tamás Ungár, Elisso Virsaladze, Mikhail Voskresensky, Tamás Vásáry and Rita Wagner.

He played concerts with prestigious artists such Zoltán Kocsis and the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Péter Csaba (violin), Barnabás Kelemen (violin), Lajos Lencsés (oboe), Alessandro Carbonare (clarinet), Lajos Rozmán (clarinet), Judit Rajk (voice), etc.

He has recitals regularly in Hungary and other countries too.

He made recordings for Hungarian Radio and TRT Ankara. His first solo CD released in 2016 (edited by: Bayer Music Group)

He took master classes in Geneve (Switzerland), Würzburg (Germany), Tbilisi (Georgia) and gave podium-lectures in Izmir (Turkey) and Saint Petersburg (Russia).

He is member of Metrum Ensemble.

Booklet for Secrets, Chopin's mature piano works