Reductions of orchestral works for amateur and domestic use were common through the nineteenth century, and Christopher Morley notes in the booklet to this little British release that many such reductions exist for the two piano concertos the young Frédéric Chopin composed early in his career. Other composers (Mozart, for example), actually wrote string quartet versions of their piano concertos. And the orchestral parts of Chopin's two concertos are essentially simple, with little detailed interaction with the solo part. ...
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Reductions of orchestral works for amateur and domestic use were common through the nineteenth century, and Christopher Morley notes in the booklet to this little British release that many such reductions exist for the two piano concertos the young Frédéric Chopin composed early in his career. Other composers (Mozart, for example), actually wrote string quartet versions of their piano concertos. And the orchestral parts of Chopin's two concertos are essentially simple, with little detailed interaction with the solo part. Still and all, the two reductions of Chopin's concertos recorded here, for string quartet and piano, create quite an unusual effect and stand somehow apart from the long tradition of such arrangements. The string quartet renderings are contemporary, made by pianist Bartlomiez Kominek, seem to increase the importance of the orchestral passages beyond the Bellini-like introductory function they have in the full version. Especially in the slow movements, they divert the listener's...
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