I grew up listening to Chopin. Much as I hate the idea of having - or listing - a 'favourite' anything, I think he has to remain my favourite composer. There are so many memories woven into my experience of this music. Apparently when I was super sick as a baby, my parents found that only Chopin would put me to sleep. The best song we sang in our school choir has to have been an arrangement of 'So Deep Is The Night' - from the 'Tristesse' Etude. Through my few short years of learning the piano, it was always in the hope of playing Chopin that I practiced. One afternoon my brother heard me playing the Raindrop Prelude and didn't believe that it was me playing - what a great compliment! (Second only to the examiner who, after my performance of the same piece for the Leaving Cert, smiled and said "wow. You must really love Chopin.") In Japan, I spent a number of rather homesick evenings banging on the grand piano we had in the basement of the dorms, trying to get back into piano shape - again, with Chopin - turning negative into positive.
By chance my iTunes shuffled its way to the second movement of the first piano concerto this morning. I don't know it nearly as well as the first, but it was so beautiful I played it twice. Quelle surprise. I hope you have a beautiful day.
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