Maria Joao Pires Plays Chopin

Chopin was born on March 1, 1810, and we’re celebrating the 200th anniversary of his birth with a Chopin Birthday Bash this coming weekend, and with this extraordinary release by Maria João Pires.  She selected 2 CDs worth of her favorite Chopin, all works that were written in the last five years of the composer’s life.  Interestingly for a pianist, she chose the Sonata for Cello and Piano, which was the last of Chopin’s works to be published in his lifetime.  For this performance she chose to partner with Pavel Gomziakov, a young Russian cellist who was born in a town named Tchaikovsky.  In these nocturnes, mazurkas, waltzes and sonatas, Pires seems to transcend technique and bring forth an almost spiritual connection with the composer.  Indeed, she has said that she acts as a channel for the composer’s ideas.

Portuguese-born Pires has announced that she will close her performing career after a Japanese tour in 2011. She says that concertizing has worn her down, and she wants to spend her efforts on projects that use classical music to help underprivileged and abused children.  Last year she became a citizen of Brazil, and it’s there that her efforts are focused.

Pires records infrequently, and this release shows her at her mature best, topping a performing career of 60 years.