Teofil Kwiatkowski, "Portrait of Chopin", ca 1844, pen and ink wash, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Bibliothèque-musée de l'Opéra, photo: press release
Chopin was born on March 1st, 1810. In 1831 he went to France, where he was to live until his death in 1849. This was a period of great activity in the world of music and Chopin was soon identified as an outstanding artist. Berlioz described him as "a talent of an entirely different kind", and Liszt said that he represented "the essence of virtuosity." Yet even at the height of his fame and adulation, Chopin preferred to perform in salons and at small-scale gatherings rather than in the concert halls of Paris and other major international cities. He was happier in more intimate settings and the company of his close friends, including many Polish émigrés and Romantic artists.
This exhibition invites us to explore Chopin's musical world through manuscripts and rare editions from the Bibliothèque nationale de France, enhanced by paintings,drawings and instruments from the period. It leads us to the heart of "Chopin's workshop", exploring the process by which his music was created. Particular attention has been paid to sound and to audiovisual displays, notably in the tour designed for younger visitors. The exhibition also provides multimedia tools revealing the evolution ofindividual works through different versions.
The exhibition is designed three parts:
Pianopolis
In Chopin's days Paris was gripped by piano mania, both among professional musicians and amateur players, for whom the piano offered access to a more varied repertoire. The piano-makers took on a major role, enhancing their workshops with salons which then became important concert venues. Chopin gave his first Paris concert at the Pleyelsalons in 1832. Enthusiasm for the piano led to an expansion in piano teaching, for which Chopin was widely renowned. The exhibition reflects this development throughdisplays of teaching aids for both piano and other instruments, including those used by Chopin between 1839 and 1841, now in the collections of the Musée de la musique.
Circles of friends and artists
The musical life of the Romantic period was concentrated largely in the salons, where the social life of the upper classes was based. They acted as meeting points for thedifferent arts and, as the documents on display reveal, brought Chopin into contact with painters, authors and journalists. His meeting with George Sand was to prove the most significant, in terms of both the circles to which she introduced him and her own public and private engagements. Meanwhile Chopin's friendship with Delacroix allows us toexplore his relationship with the world of fine art.
Chopin's creative process
After 1835 Chopin largely gave up performing to large audiences in order to concentrate on composition. He began by writing short pieces such as mazurkas, nocturnes andétudes, which brought him instant fame, before moving on to longer compositions, notably polonaises and ballades. The display reveals how some of these pieces were composed, enabling us both to see and hear their evolution from first draft to completion. Different annotated editions of Chopin's works reveal his desire for his pupils to publicizehis work. Through them he was to become a cult figure and the stuff of myth and legend, as reflected in 19th-century reproductions of his death mask and his portrayal in 20thcentury film. Today he is regarded as one of the ultimate incarnations of the Romantic artist.
Exhibition curators:
- Jean-Jacques Eigeldinger, musicologist, University of Geneva and Chopin expert;
- Cécile Reynaud, curator at the Bibliothèque nationale de France;
- Thierry Maniguet, curator at the Musée de la musique.
Exhibition open from March 8 until June 6, 2010.
Organised by the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Musée de la musique.
The exhibition "Chopin - The Composer's Workshop" is accompannied by the series of concerts. This series has been organized in collaboration with the Fryderyk Chopin Institute, Warsaw. The concerts will take place in the Amphitheatre of the Cité de la musique and will be performed entirely on period instruments. The complete works for solo piano by Frédéric Chopin will be presented in a chronological order.
Musée de la musique
221, avenue Jean Jaurès
75019 Paris
Source: press release