Vingt-quatre Préludes op. 28 & Prélude op. 45

Hardly any cycle of piano pieces can match the magnetic attraction of Chopin’s “24 Préludes”, published in 1839. Schumann called them “sketches, beginnings of études, […] ruins, stray eagles pinions, all disorder and wild confusion”.Christoph Flamm has critically reevaluated the sources, bringing to light new readings of this well-known musical text. Hardy Rittner, a hammerklavier specialist and two-time winner of the ECHO Classic prize, who has recorded Brahms’ piano music andall of Chopin’s “Études” on period pianofortes, has supplemented Chopin’s fingering from a historically informed perspective. He also provides valuable notes on performance practice, especially with regard to pedalling, rubato, latent polyphony,legato and Chopin’s perception of sound.An aesthetically presented engraving and practical page-turns make this current edition indispensable for today’s scholars and performers.