Chopin Preludes - Piano Works

Chopin has played an important role in Aimi Kobayashi's international career since she reached the finals of the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. For her new Chopin album she has crafted a programme of three préludes, an étude, a polonaise, a fantaisie and the celebrated Fantaisie-impromptu.

"Chopin has been with me since I started playing the piano as a child," says Kobayashi. "In Japan, where I grew up, it is impossible to avoid Chopin's music. He is one of the most popular composers, and all pianists start playing and getting to know his music from a very young age."

Speaking of the Préludes, she says: "It is always very interesting to approach works that are conceived as parts of a greater whole - like Bach's Preludes and Fugues or Debussy's Préludes. Each Chopin prélude is individual, and each is in a different tonality, so the colours and characters are completely different, and since the structure of each prélude is relatively open, there is a lot of freedom for interpretation."