Adventures in Classical Music| Music appreciation for Chopin

Instructor: Piano Professor Andrew Zolinsky from the Royal College of Music

Highlight: This one-month music course explores the broadest music repertoire of Chopin. You will listen to some of his greatest works performed by Piano Professor, Andrew Zolinsky, at the Royal College of Music, who is also the instructor and course designer of this Chopin series. Each class will have a 15-minute Q&A session at the end.

Chopin’s music and his status as one of music’s earliest superstars have made him a leading symbol of the Romantic era. In Andrew’s first series of lectures, he will focus on the piano music of Chopin. Over the course of his journey, he will talk about the influences on his music, how life and art reflect each other in his music, and about his amazing harmonic innovations.
Andrew will also dispel the criticisms that were levelled at him as more successful in the smaller scale works (Waltzes, Mazurkas, etc) and not as successful in larger scale works such as the Sonatas.

Some of Chopin’s greatest creations, for instance, the Ballades No.1 and No.4, Scherzo No.3 in C Sharp Minor, the 2nd and 3rd Sonatas, the Nocturnes, the 24 Preludes, the Barcarolle and the Polonaise-Fantasy will be covered. And in discussing these works, Andrew will also look at more performance-related issues such as understanding Chopin’s often very detailed and complex phrasing and his pedalling.

The course is designed for those who are interested in and enjoy listening to classical music and piano music, beginners and experienced listeners alike. Let’s explore these illuminating sessions with a renewed love and respect for the beautiful, dramatic and amazingly innovative music of Chopin.

* This price is for the whole Chopin series, which contains six weekly classes commencing from middle Feb 2021 .