Jean-Philippe Collard returns to Chopin after 33 years of silence. It has taken him decades to feel comfortable with the composer. Today he is confident in his approach to this repertory and has no qualms about his interpretative options. Chopin’s music gives him two very powerful impressions. First of all, it interprets the sensation of being in love, an aspect he finds fascinating. Moreover, his language speeds up the process of communication between artist and audience. He sees this disc as a break, a renewal. All his previous records were released on EMI. Today he has changed labels, repertory, sound engineer . . . These developments enable him to escape a certain routine, to put himself on the line. There are countless benchmark versions in this repertory, but the French pianist has not sought to measure himself against them, and his approach to the composer is honest and totally sincere. Chopin represents a genuine challenge, for which Jean-Philippe Collard has identified a style that is his alone.
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