'There are the notes, there is what is behind the notes and there is what is between the notes' Ignaz Friedman Profile of the Reviewer Michael Moran https://en.gravatar.c atom/mjcmoran#pic-0 My contribution is a modest one (and even anachronistically written down in pen when there was time to do this). I was much constrained by the mechanics of life - eating, sleeping, writing, my birthday (!) note-taking during the long performance day and travelling from my home to the Warsaw Filharmonia which lasted from 09.00 am to 11 pm. There were two hours for lunch and aural rest from detailed and tiring analytical listening to these masterpieces, performed by some of the most brilliant young pianists in the world today. Miodowa Street, Warsaw - Bernado Bellotto (1722-1780) Now that the competition is over and if you are interested in Chopin's youth in Warsaw, the period of his stile brillante works, you might like to watch these documentary films of me strolling aroun...
Please Click on Photographs to Enlarge - a far superior result Chopin in the Drawing Room of Prince Antoni Radziwill, Henryk Siemieradzki 1887 And so the 16th International Fryderyk Chopin Competition begins in Warsaw, arguably the most important event in the Chopin Year 2010. It runs from 30 September - 23 October 2010 I can hardly believe that five years have passed since I attended every single performance by every pianist in 2005. I shall not be doing that again this year. I have heard rather too much Chopin already in this bicentenary year. In 2005 I found the decision of the jury and the politicking as the pianists moved from stage to stage absolutely inexplicable to the point of questioning my own musical judgement. I now know a great deal more of what transpires ‘behind the scenes’ at this competition and I am afraid it is not as straightforward a contest as it appears. I have a suspicion that many young pianists of outstanding talent a...
Duszniki Zdrój formerly Bad Reinerz in Silesia Please read and remember as we continue the intense enjoyment of this creative side of the coin of human nature How fortunate we are to be here in the beautiful, natural rural surroundings of Duszniki Zdrój in Poland http://www.michael-moran.com/2025/08/hiroshima-marks-80-years-since-atomic.html World-renowned musicians and pianists have been assembled to play at the 80th Anniversary Duszniki-Zdrój International Chopin Festival 1-9 August 2025 The longest-running international piano festival in the world with great traditions Detailed Program The book of the festival in both English and Polish with detailed artists biographies and detailed programmes plus interesting essays on Chopin and quotations from his letters are available to download here. Simply too detailed to post here https://app.box.com/s/8kqacwwufq3zr70ekldbxja8o3jp4s1z Official Website: http://festival.pl/en/front-english/ The biogra...