This is a collection of as many links to Chopin performances on the web as I could find, along with a smattering of information about the compositions.
Opus: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 14 · 15 · 16 · 17 · 18 · 19 · 20 · 21 · 22 · 23 · 24 · 25 · 26 · 27 · 28 · 29 · 30 · 31 · 32 · 33 · 34 · 35 · 36 · 37 · 38 · 39 · 40 · 41 · 42 · 43 · 44 · 45 · 46 · 47 · 48 · 49 · 50 · 51 · 52 · 53 · 54 · 55 · 56 · 57 · 58 · 59 · 60 · 61 · 62 · 63 · 64 · 65 · 66 · 67 · 68 · 69 · 70 · 71 · 72 · 73 · 74
Rondo in C Minor: by the Chopin Project
Variations on "La ci darem la mano" from Mozart's Opera "Don Giovanni" in B-flat major (1827)
Introduction and Polonaise brillante in C major
Piano Sonata No. 1 in C minor
Rondo à la Mazur in F major (1826)
Four Mazurkas
No. 1: by John Bell Young
No. 2: Mazurka in C Sharp: by the Chopin Project
Five Mazurkas
No. 1: Mazurka in B-flat major
No. 2: Mazurka in A minor
No. 3: Mazurka in F minor
No. 4: Mazurka in A-flat major
No. 5: Mazurka in C major
Trio for Violin, Cello & Piano in G minor
Three Nocturnes
No. 1: Nocturne in B Flat Minor
by Vadim Chaimovich, on keyboard. Public domain.
No. 2: Nocturne in E Flat
by Sergio Calligaris, by the Chopin Project
Sweet piece, bearing repeated listening.
No. 3: Nocturne in B Major
Twelve Études
All 12 Études: by Martha Goldstein. The Piano Society has performances of all the Études in Op. 10, by various pianists. My favourites are by: Ståhlbrand (No. 1), Ståhlbrand (No. 2), Bertoglio (No. 3), Sinadinovic (No. 4), Bertoglio (No. 5), Ståhlbrand (No. 6), Fournet (No. 7), Hillman (No. 8), Kingma (No. 9), Bertoglio (No. 10), Bertoglio (No. 11), and Kingma (No. 12).
No. 1: Etude in C Major: Carlos Gardels, on keyboard. Public domain. by John Bell Young, in concert.
No. 2: Etude in A Minor: by the Chopin Project
No. 11: Etude: by the Chopin Project
No. 12: Étude in C Minor: by Sergio Calligaris. This was dedicated “son ami Franz Liszt”.
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in E minor (1830)
Variations brillantes in B-flat major on "Je vends des Scapulaires" from Hérold's "Ludóvic"
Fantasia on Polish Airs in A major (1828) / Mazurka in A Minor??
by Donald Betts, on keyboard. Public domain.
Rondo à la Krakowiak in F major (1828)
Three Nocturnes
No. 1: Nocturne in F Major: the Chopin Project. Composed in (1830-1831). Takes you rather by surprise! You could almost call it delicate.
No. 2: Nocturne in F-Sharp major (1830-1831): by John Bell Young, by Paul Cantrell (has an annoying introduction voiceover)
No. 3: Nocturne in G Minor: the Chopin Project
Rondo in E-Flat Major (1832)
Four Mazurkas
No 4: Mazurka in A Minor: by E. Helling, by R. Ståhlbrand. Both of these recordings are too quiet; the Ståhlbrand performance and recording is better.
This is quite a clever mazurka, in that it has some of the background ambience of the minor pieces in The Preludes, and then a sprinkling of mazurka magic on top, developing the piece into something else entirely.
Grande Valse brilliante in E-Flat Major. Composed in 1833.
Waltz in E Flat: the Chopin Project. Surely one of the best Chopin waltzes, and perhaps pieces in general.
Bolero in C major/A major
Scherzo No. 1 in B minor (1831). by John Bell Young, by Cecile Licad
Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor. Composed in 1829-1830. Cf. Wikipedia.
Nico Snel conducts the Seattle Philharmonic: I, II, III. These recordings are unfortunately somewhat quiet, and the playing too ornamentedly slow for my liking. The piano sounds wishy-washy too.
A stunning and beautiful piece of work that more than bears repeated listening.
Part I: Andante spianato in G major
Part II: Grande Polonaise brillante in E-flat major
Both Parts: by Debbie Hu, a very good performace. CC-BY-SA-2.0.
“The Grande Polonaise brillante in E-flat, set for piano and orchestra, was written first, in 1830-31. In 1834, Chopin wrote an Andante spianato in G, for piano solo, which he added to the start of the piece, and joined the two parts with a fanfare-like sequence. The combined work was published in 1836 as Op. 22, and was dedicated to Madame d'Este.” (Wikipedia)
‘Chopin's Op. 22 is most often called "Grande Polonaise Brillante preceded by Andante Spianato". The first part, Andante Spianato, is a lengthy piano solo, which segues into the Grande Polonaise, which is a piece in the Polonaise style, composed for Piano and Orchestra. In this respect, it is best to classify the entire opus under "Piano with Orchestra", because the solo part can be played alone, but it is an extract of the entire work as a whole.’ (Wikipedia)
Ballade No. 1, in G Minor
by the Chopin Project. by Donald Betts, keyboard. Public domain. Piano Society: A. Pfaul, B. Stehlik, M. Hawley (the piano seems out of tune, and the tempo is weird; sound quality isn't very good either).
The other Ballades are Op. 38 (Ballade 2), Op. 47 (Ballade 3), and Op. 52 (Ballade 4).
Four Mazurkas
All 12 Études, by Martha Goldstein.
No. 1 (Aeolian Harp)
Étude in A Major: by Donald Betts, keyboard. Public domain.
‘This piece is a solo piano work, which Chopin composed in 1838. Its romanticized names are "Aeolian Harp," for Schumann's description of it, and "The Shepherd Boy," for Chopin's advice to a pupil to picture a shepherd boy refuging in a grotto to avoid a storm playing the melody on his flute.’ musopen
No. 2 (The Bees) “a portrait of Maria's soul”, No. 3 (The Horseman), No. 4, No. 5 (Wrong Note), No. 6 (Thirds)
No. 7 (Cello)
No. 8 (Sixths), No. 9 (Butterfly), No. 10 (Octaves), No. 11 (Winter Wind)
No. 12 (Ocean)
Etude in C Minor: Donald Betts, on keyboard. Public domain.
‘This was the last of Chopin's formal studies of the piano, and was first published in 1837. This work, also known as the "Ocean", is a series of rising and falling arpeggios in various Chord progressions from C minor. In addition, its opening bars recall the chord structure of the opening bars of the second prelude of the first book of the Well-Tempered Clavier.’ (musopen)
Two Polonaises — see Polonaises Op. 26 (Chopin), Wikipedia. Composed in 1836, and dedicated to Josef Dessauer.
No. 1: Polonaise in C-Sharp Minor: by Sergio Calligaris. The Piano Society has performances by Robson, Breemer, and Coleman — I think I like the Robson version most of all, followed by Coleman.
No. 2: Polonaise in E-flat Minor. The Piano Society has performances by Breemer and Bisotti — the Breemer version is best, as the Bisotti version has major clipping.
“Chopin's first two Polonaises, in G minor and B flat major (which are identical in form), already have in the Introductions a rhythmic formula characteristic of the polonaise (the beginning bar - the so called polonaise rhythm, an eighth and two sixteenths). This formula allows the listener to unmistakably tell the polonaise from other dance compositions in three-four time.” (everything2)
Two Nocturnes
No. 2: Nocturne in D Flat Major
by Paul Pitman, on keyboard. Public domain.
The Preludes
1. Agitato - C major — Fast, rising, complex, sublime *
2. Lento - A minor — Gloomy, memorably pensive, downcast mining beat
3. Vivace - G major — Exceptionally fast, gliding, sprightly exclamation *
4. Largo - E minor — No. 2's country house counterpart
5. Molto allegro - D major — Swirling, breaking into and out of melody *
6. Lento assai - B minor — On the brink of developing, then morphs
7. Andantino - A major — Famous as a jingle, a piece in the danceroom
8. Molto agitato - F-sharp minor — Attenuated swirls
9. Largo - E major — An affirmative sweeping piece with lurking impressionism *
10. Molto allegro - C-sharp minor — Caterpillars sprinting down a drainpipe *
11. Vivace - B major — Affirmative horseplay with a romantic centre *
12. Presto - G-sharp minor — The journalist in a comic quandry
13. Lento - F-sharp major — Reading the newspaper at home
14. Allegro - E-flat minor — The journalist's secretive brother
15. Sostenuto - D-flat major "Raindrop Prelude" — Movement of a troupe of cloud *
16. Presto con fuoco - B-flat minor — Wandering swiftly in geometries
17. Allegretto - A-flat major — The mountains being painted pastel tones *
18. Molto allegro - F minor — Crescents in the demonstrative mode
19. Vivace - E-flat major — The canals of venice, and the houses
20. Largo - C minor — The King's concert room passions *
21. Cantabile - B-flat major — The elemental fantasies *
22. Molto agitato - G minor — The cyclists and their routes *
23. Moderato - F major — Exquisite subjunction *
24. Allegro appasionato - D minor — Messages passed back and forth in war
Impromptu No. 1, in A Flat: by the Chopin Project
Four Mazurkas
Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor (1837)
Two Nocturnes
Four Mazurkas
No. 2: Mazurka in D: Robin Alciatore. This recording has an annoying stereo balance, but is otherwise crisp. Not entirely sure about the playing.
No. 2: Mazurka No. 23(?): by Lubka Kolessa, Welte-Mignon, 1928. Very crisp recording.
Three Waltzes
No. 1: Valse brillante in A-Flat Major (1835): by Sergio Calligaris, by John Bell Young. The Young performance is very good, but the recording quality is sadly very poor with background hiss and strange swirling acoustics. The Piano Society has a performance by Vetter, which has wonderful tone and expression.
No. 2: Waltz in A Minor (1831): by Polina Khatsko for the Chopin Project — a very good performance. by John Bell Young — badly recorded. The Piano Society has a performance by Vetter, though I prefer Khatsko's performance.
No. 3: Grande Valse brillante in F Major (1838): by Paul Pitman, on keyboard — a good performance and recording. Public Domain. The piece is slightly reminiscent of Opus 18, the Waltz in Eb Major.
Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor. Movement number 3 is the famous "Funeral March"
By Paul Pitman: I, II, III, IV. Keyboard, public domain.
Impromptu No. 2, in F-Sharp Major: by Sergio Calligaris, by the Chopin Project
Two Nocturnes
Ballade No. 2 in F Major. Composed in 1838.
The Piano Society has a performance by Pfaul — a bit slow, but the interpretation is interesting, and it's a good recording. by Kristian Banatzianou. The Banatzianou performance is rather good (despite an error or two), and well recorded (despite some pops and crackles).
“Robert Schumann dedicated his Kreisleriana (Op. 16) to Chopin. Returning the honour, Chopin dedicated his second ballade to his German companion. He composed it in Majorca, in 1838. A work of perfect proportion, it opens with a slow and magical episode that quickly turns into a tempest, presto con fuoco, a wild, magnificent outburst. In the words of composer Alan Rawsthorne, at the end of the coda the andantino theme becomes ‘a whispered reminder of the very opening,’ which ‘vibrates in the memory.’” (Chopin Music)
Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor. Composed in 1839.
by Paul Pitman, on keyboard. Public domain.
Two Polonaises
Four Mazurkas
Trois Nouvelles Études, Wikipedia. They were all composed in 1839.
Trois Nouvelles Études Nos. 2 in A Flat Major: by Donald Betts, keyboard. Public domain. Martha Goldstein, playing on an Erard (1851). CC-BY-SA-2.0.
‘This was the second of Chopin's "Trois Nouvelles Études" composed in 1839 as a contribution to the piano instruction book by Ignaz Moscheles and François-Joseph Fétis, Méthode des méthodes de piano. The piece in A-flat major develops students' facility with 2-on-3 polyrhythms while showing none of the technical flash of most of the composer's Études Op. 10 and 25. Its melody sits upon a series of chords in the right hand with a simple bass in the left hand. It was also the last piece Franz Liszt was heard playing before he died.’ (musopen)
Score, public domain.
Waltz No. 5 in A-Flat Major: by the Chopin Project
Tarantelle in A-flat major
Polonaise in F-Sharp Minor
Prélude in C-Sharp Minor
Allegro de Concert in A major
Ballade No. 3, in Ab Minor
by the Chopin Project. Piano Society: M. Alianello, J. Grant. musopen: by Paul Pitman, keyboard. Good and crisp. Says keyboard, but sounds like a piano to me. Public domain!
Two Nocturnes
No. 1: Nocturne in C Minor: by the Chopin Project
Fantaisie in F Minor
by Fredrick Pritchard (Warning: WMA)
“The Fantasie in F-minor of Frederic Chopin is considered by many to be among the greatest single-movement works for the piano ever to be written. It is certainly among Chopin's greatest.” (Wikipedia)
Three Mazurkas
Impromptu No. 3 in G-Flat Major: by Sergio Calligaris
Ballade No. 4
Piano Society: R. Hokanson, K. E. Jensen, J. Kingma, H. Sung, I. Klyuev
The other ballades are Op. 23 (Ballade 1), Op. 38 (Ballade 2), and Op. 47 (Ballade 3).
Polonaise in A-Flat Major (Heroic). Composed in 1842.
Paul Pitman, on keyboard. Public domain. by Piano Paradise. by Sergio Calligaris. The Piano Society has performances by Gan, Kingma, Kopp, and Mar — the Kingma performance and recording is the best, but the Mar performance is quite listenable too. This is one of Chopin's most famous and popular pieces.
“Although the piece is labeled as a polonaise, it has little to do with the typical polonaise style. It presents two sections with a polonaise rhythm, but most of it has no particular polonaise attribute.” (Wikipedia)
Scherzo No. 4 in E major (1843)
Two Nocturnes. Composed in October 1843, and dedicated to Mlle. J.W. Stirling.
No. 1: Nocturne in F Minor. by Arthur Rubinstein (superb). by Paul Cantrell (has an annoying introductory voiceover). The Piano Society has a performance by Robson which is way too quiet.
No. 2: Nocturne in E-Flat Major: by Donald Betts, on keyboard. Public domain. The Piano Society has performances by Bisotti, Levine, and Pechácek (terrible hissing on the track). It's hard to choose between the Betts, Bisotti, and Levine versions, but I'd probably go for the Levine version. Bisotti plays it quite slow, and the Betts recording quality isn't as good.
“This nocturne lies at the apogee of its form. It is an application of the greatest depth, containing a melody of infinite natural quality. Its development and flow are breathtaking. This nocturne was composed in October 1843 and published in 1844; it is dedicated to Jane Stirling, a devoted pupil.” (Chopin Music)
Three Mazurkas
Berceuse in D-flat major
Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor. The Scherzo: by John Bell Young. The Finale, Presto non tanto: by John Bell Young.
Three Mazurkas
Barcarolle in F-sharp major: by the Chopin Project 1, Chopin Project 2, John Bell Young
Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat major: by John Bell Young
Two Nocturnes (No. 17 & 18). Composed in 1846.
No. 1: Nocturne in B Major: by the Chopin Project. The Piano Society has performances by Thomas and Lebenstedt — the Thomas version is my favourite.
No. 2: Nocturne in E Flat Major: by Donald Betts, on keyboard. Public domain. The Piano Society has performances by Alianello, Bisotti, and Robson. I don't like this played excruciatingly slow; Betts and Bisotti take eight minues to meander through it, and Alianello takes seven. Robson takes six and plays moderately well, but even this lingers too much. Best performed in five.
“a luminous and melting composition” (darnbi)
Three Mazurkas
Three Waltzes. Nos. 1 & 2 were composed in 1846-1847, and No. 3 in c. 1840. They were dedicated to Mme. la Comtesse Delphine Potocka.
No. 1: Waltz in D-Flat Major (Minute Waltz). by Peter Gerwinski. GNU licence. by Muriel Nguyen Xuan. GNU license.
‘Camille Bourniquel, one of Chopin's biographers, reminds the reader that Chopin, with this waltz, was trying to depict a dog chasing its tail; indeed, Chopin originally named the piece "Petit chien" (Little Dog).’ (Wikipedia)
No. 2: Waltz in C Sharp Minor (1846): by the Chopin Project
No 3: Waltz in A-Flat Major
Cello Sonata in G minor (1845–46)
Fantaisie-Impromptu
by Dario Fernandez Torre, GNU license. by Muriel Nguyen Xuan. The Piano Society has performances by Hammer, Kopp, Mar, and Villeneuve. The Kopp and Mar versions are terribly recorded, and the Hammer version is recorded well but has numerous mistakes. The Villeneuve version has a mistake or two, but is pretty good.
Four Mazurkas (1835/1846/1849)
No. 1: Mazurka in G Major. Piano Society: C. Breemer. Robust and yet elegant.
No. 2: Mazurka in G Minor. Piano Society: C. Breemer, D. Griner. The Breemer performance is recorded closely but is warm and listenable; whereas the Griner version is more technical, and yet the playing more emphatic and bright, almost like he's splashing some of the chords. Wonderful theme, development, and technical interest, whilst managing to impart an overall delicate semblance; a very beautiful mazurka.
No. 3: Mazurka in C Major. Piano Society: C. Breemer. Good performance, but close and with some clipping. Very subtle piece, as if it's not quite sure about something; but quite straightforward in a way too.
No. 4: Mazurka in A Minor. Piano Society: C. Breemer, C. Coleman. Simple themes evolve.
Four Mazurkas (1827/1829)
No. 1: Mazurka in C Minor: by C. Breemer, Piano Society — Crisp, close recording, with a bit of crackle from the clipping. Lively piece.
No. 2: Mazurka in A Minor: by Xiaofeng Wu — Crisp performance, and good well-balanced recording. by C. Breemer, piano society — Another crisp performance and well-balanced recording; a closer recording though. This is one of my favourite Chopin pieces.
No. 3: Mazurka in F Major: by C. Breemer, Piano Society — Good, close recording, with not as much clipping as on No. 1 it seems. Very thematic piece, like it could be an old fashioned ballad; and then with a segue into a brief fantasy part before returning to the main theme.
No. 4: Mazurka in F Minor. Piano Society: by C. Breemer, M. Alianello. The Alianello recording is slightly cleaner, but without as much warmth. Wandering, speculative piece.
Two Waltzes. Composed in 1835.
No 1: Waltz in A-Flat Major: by the Chopin Project. The Piano Society has a performance by Alianello, which is good.
No 2: Waltz in B Minor. The Piano Society has performances by Vetter, Robson, and Villeneuve. The Robson version is badly recorded. The Vetter version is the best for tone, but the Villeneuve performance is just wonderful, and he actually uses the tone of the piano to good, even startling, effect.
Three Waltzes
No. 1: Waltz in G-Flat Major.
No. 2: Waltz in F Minor: by the Chopin Project. Great waltz.
No. 3: Waltz in D-Flat Major. The Piano Society has performances by Robson and Carnevale. The Carnevale version is slightly better, I think. This is one of my favourite waltzes. Quality of playing makes a huge difference to its impact.
Three Polonaises
No. 1: Nocturne in E Major (Nocturne No. 19)
No. 2: Marche funèbre (1829)
No. 3: Trois Ecossaises (1830)
Rondo in C Major, two pianos (1828)
19 Vocal Songs
No 1. "The Maiden's Wish". by Bryan E. Young / The Wish (Życzenie) (1829)
No. 2 Spring (Wiosna) (1838)
No. 3 The Sad River (Smutna Rzeka) (1831)
No. 4 Merrymaking (Hulanka) (1830)
No. 5 What She Likes (Gdzie lubi) (1829)
No. 6 Out of My Sight (Precz z moich oczu) (1830)
No. 7 The Messenger (Poseł) (1830)
No. 8 Handsome Lad (Śliczny chłopiec) (1841)
No. 9 Melody (Melodia) (1847)
No. 10 The Warrior (Wojak) (1830)
No. 11 The Double-End (Dwojaki koniec) (1845)
No. 12 My Darling (Moja pieszczotka) (1837)
No. 13 I Want What I Have Not (Nie ma czego trzeba) (1845)
No. 14 The Ring (Pierścień) (1836)
No. 15 The Bridegroom (Narzeczony) (1831)
No. 16 Lithuanian Song (Piosnka litewska) (1831)
No. 17 Leaves are Falling, Hymn from the Tomb (Śpiew z mogiłki) (1836)
No. 18 Enchantment (Czary) (1830)
No. 19 Reverie (Dumka) (1840)