Boris Berezovski

The two Etudes collections, opus 10 and opus 25, published in 1832 and 1837 respectively, illustrate Chopin's development from an autodidact on the piano to a virtuoso. Every etude covers a concrete technical keyboard problem, such as broken chords, successions of thirds, sixths, and octaves, or chromatic scales. Chopin took great pains to train the fingers that are naturally weaker, practising suppleness of the wrist, and mastering the other skills required for a complete command of the instrument. Yet Chopin's Etudes differ from those of his predecessors, such as Clementi and Czerny, by their great artistic value, which enables them to transcend their educational goal. Each Etude has a different musical character: opus 10 no. 3, for instance, has a lyrical and introverted tone, and opus 10 no. 12 - the so-called 'Révolutionnaire' - is explosively dramatic. This combination of efficient technique and romantic poetry is what gives Chopin's Etudes their undiminished force. Leopold Godowsky expressed his fascination with Chopin in fifty-three variations on the Etudes. He kept the framework of Chopin's compositions, but added spectacularly to their virtuosity in the form of rhythmical variations and contrapuntal condensation. This is Boris Berezovsky's forte. For this recital, he has made a selection from Godowsky's variations. He will play the original Etude by Chopin before each of Godowksy's variations. This is followed by the Etudes opus 8 by Alexander Scriabin, who followed Chopin's example in combining virtuosity with poetry.