Credits:

Yokoyama Yukio

Description:

Paderewski won international fame as a pianist, and with his overwhelming popularity and charisma, led the newly born Poland to independence and became its first prime minister. He is also known as the editor of the "Paderewski Edition," a score with easy-to-understand explanations of Chopin's playing, and the composer of the lovely piano piece "Menuetto. Born in 1860, 50 years after Chopin's birth (the same year as Mahler), Paderewski's style is rich in poetic sentiment with a romantic flavor. The lovely beauty of the two "Miscellanies" on this album is unforgettable once you hear them. On the other hand, the "Piano Sonata" in three movements is a full-fledged work with an impressive dramatic progression and melancholy mood, and requires a high level of technique to perform. The great appeal of this piece is that it is performed by Yukio Yokoyama, one of Japan's leading pianists and president of the Japan Paderewski Society, and two promising young musicians, Yukine Kuroki and Mao Fujita. (C)RS