The Mazurkas, like the Polonaises, are the compositions closest to Chopin’s Polish roots. In fact, many Chopin scholars say the Mazurkas are Chopin at his most personal, experimental, and confessional: “In his Mazurkas, you get to know the very soul of Poland and Chopin never forgot his home land or the poor farmers singing the Mazurkas during the time of harvest. Chopin started his composing with a Polonaise and ended with a Mazurka, thus closing the circle.” – PianoSociety.com This is also what makes people study Chopin’s 58+ Mazurkas intently. Check out The Mazurka Project – a British site offering comparative study of 3000 recordings of Chopin Mazurkas!
Listen to Xiaofeng Wu perform Chopin’s Mazurka in A minor, Op. 68, No.2 in concert at the University of Michigan’s Britton Recital Hall.Get the music at Sheet Music Plus.
