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Showing posts from October 25, 2020

Józef Elsner and the Polish National Airs 2nd Festival of Romantic Works Warsaw, 13–15 October 2020

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  Pupils of Chopin Thursday 15th October 2020 19.30 Warsaw Kameralna Hubert Rutkowski - piano Broadwood historical piano (1846) on a loan from the collection of Andrzej Włodarczyk. Blüthner Modern Concert Grand This was a particularly interesting recital of charming pieces composed by unknown or forgotten but brilliant pupils of Chopin, played partly on an instrument favoured by him when visiting England. Chopin played a Broadwood , similar to this one, at his final concert at the Guildhall, London, in 1848. John Broadwood, the manufacturer,   greatly respected, appreciated and befriended Chopin, even on one occasion reserving two seats on a train for the composer, one to accommodate his feet as he felt poorly that travel day.   Adolf Gutmann (1819-1882)   In the accepted performance practice of the day Rutkowski 'preluded' (improvised) in the key before the piece. Gutmann, pianist and composer was born in Heidelberg in 1819. He moved to Paris in 1834 to take lesson