Chopin the Ungrateful

Chopin the Ungrateful. A CD by Anna Dębowska, as part of our Chopin the Ungrateful project, was released in April 2016. It is a concept album, structured thematically, and as such consists of four parts:

Part One – For Frédéric Chopin – includes three works that Jane W. Stirling practiced under the supervision of Chopin: Polonaise in C sharp minor op. 26 No. 1, Nocturne in F major op. 15 No. 1, and Ballade in A flat major op. 47. Part Two – For Jane Stirling – includes two Nocturnes op. 55: in F minor No. 1 and in E flat major No. 2, dedicated by Chopin to his special pupil. Part Three – For Frédéric Chopin and Jane Stirling – includes a compilation of Chopin’s works (Polonaise-Fantaisie in A flat major op. 61, Nocturne in D flat major op. 27 No. 2 and Ballade in F minor op. 52) never performed by Jane W. Stirling, selected by Anna Dębowska to express her admiration for Chopin’s genius and the gratitude, we Poles should have for this incredible woman, for what she did for Chopin, the gratitude that Chopin seldom expressed. The final part – Mourning – includes Prelude in C minor No. 20 op. 28, which Jane Stirling repeatedly performed to herself after Chopin’s death, perhaps to relieve her sorrow.

The CD includes two bonus tracks – Nocturnes op. 55: in F minor No. 1 and in E flat major No. 2 – performed on Jane Stirling’s authentic Pleyel Grand Pianoforte on which Chopin played in Scotland in 1848 – the piano, which carries Chopin’s dated signature Fr. Chopin 15 novembre 1848, which indicates he had this very piano with him one day before his last public performance in Guildhall in London.