The musical soul of the US now stricken through New Orleans' tragedy, we grieve in ways it seems even music might dare not address. But may I recommend Chopin's mazurkas as played by William Kapell. The dark, dreamy harmonies of these Polish dance tunes mourn and embrace the tragic ironies of life with dignity.
Great art can be like narcolepsy, abducting the beholder into a near dream state, and so it is with Kapell's interpretations of Chopin's neglected works - the mazurkas, with their subtle harmonies seemingly borrowed from angels. Not a few believed that until Kapell, no one really understood Chopin's intentions. In 1995 when the recording series was finally released (42 years after Kapell`s death), all previous interpretations of the mazurkas were stood on their heads.
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