Classical Music Playlist, July 22, 2026
Frédéric Chopin at 25 (1835) by his fiancée Maria Wodzińska
Frédéric Chopin avoided writing for orchestra or voice and focused primarily on works for solo piano his entire life. But that focus benefited his legacy because in his short time (1810-1849), he left us an entire catalog of masterworks for the instrument that have never stopped being influential. Nonetheless, in his day a pianist was expected to compose orchestral showpieces for themselves. So before he was twenty, Chopin wrote two piano concertos. Some say the orchestral writing in these concertos is uninteresting, while others note that the simplicity of the orchestral support intentionally serves to highlight the complexity of the solo. His e-minor Concerto was well received at its premiere in Poland and later in France where one review said that “There is spirit in these melodies, there is fantasy in these passages, and everywhere there is originality.” It’s today’s Midday Masterpiece.
