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Jan Lisiecki

preludes

Deutsche Grammophon
Release Date: March 14, 2025

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Jan Lisiecki - Moving Classics Interview
TEATRO E/O MUSICA, CHIUDE RASSEGNA
1 CHOPIN - Prelude in A-Flat Major, KK IVb_7. Presto con leggierezza  
2 J. S. BACH - The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1_ Prelude No. 1 in C Major, BWV 846  
3 RACHMANINOFF - 10 Preludes, Op. 23_ No. 3 in D Minor. Tempo di minuetto  
4 MESSIAEN - Pre´ludes_ I. La colombe  
5 II. Chant d'extase dans un paysage triste  
6 III. Le nombre le´ger  
7 CHOPIN - Prelude in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 45. Sostenuto  
8 RACHMANINOFF - Prelude in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 3 No. 2  
9 GO´RECKI - 4 Preludes, Op. 1_ No. 1 Molto Agitato  
10 No. 4 Molto allegro quasi presto  
11 J. S. BACH - The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1_ Prelude No. 2 in C Minor, BWV 847  
12 RACHMANINOFF - 10 Preludes, Op. 23_ No. 5 in G Minor. Alla marcia  
13 CHOPIN - 24 Preludes, Op. 28_ No. 1 in C Major. Agitato  
14 No. 2 in A Minor. Lento  
15 No. 3 in G Major. Vivace  
16 No. 4 in E Minor. Largo  
17 No. 5 in D Major. Molto allegro  
18 No. 6 in B Minor. Lento assai  
19 No. 7 in A Major. Andantino  
20 No. 8 in F-Sharp Minor. Molto agitato  
21 No. 9 in E Major. Largo  
22 No. 10 in C-Sharp Minor. Molto allegro  
23 No. 11 in B Major. Vivace  
24 No. 12 in G-Sharp Minor. Presto  
25 No. 13 in F-Sharp Major. Lento  
26 No. 14 in E-Flat Minor. Allegro  
27 No. 15 in D-Flat Major _Raindrop Prelude  
28 No. 16 in B-Flat Minor. Presto con fuoco  
29 No. 17 in A-Flat Major. Allegretto  
30 No. 18 in F Minor. Molto allegro  
31 No. 19 in E-Flat Major. Vivace  
32 No. 20 in C Minor. Largo  
33 No. 21 in B-Flat Major. Cantabile  
34 No. 22 in G Minor. Molto agitato  
35 No. 23 in F Major. Moderato  
36 No. 24 in D Minor. Allegro appassionato  
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The New York Times, reviewing Lisiecki’s Preludes programme at his Carnegie Hall recital debut in March 2024
Can a recital be composed entirely of preludes, by definition and tradition introductory works, and still be profound? This was the question pianist Jan Lisiecki pondered while conceiving his current recital programme, which forms the basis for his latest Deutsche Grammophon recording. In his capable hands, the answer, clearly, is yes, as listeners will discover from an album that compares and contrasts Chopin’s exceptional Op. 28 cycle with preludes by Bach, Rachmaninoff, Messiaen and Górecki. Jan Lisiecki: preludes comes out in all formats today. 

As Lisiecki notes, it was Chopin who transformed the prelude into a genre in its own right, “embracing its ability to establish a mood and be taken out of context, so to speak”. The 24 preludes of Op. 28, showcasing each key in turn, were the starting point for his recital programme and album and his recent live interpretations have garnered critical acclaim. Reviewing his Wigmore Hall recital in July, Bachtrack hailed “a landmark performance” which “demonstrated the finest qualities of this much admired pianist: a keen poetic sense, good taste and an unflashy technical strength”.

Lisiecki underlines the way in which Chopin set the prelude free by including two more examples by the composer. The album opens with the light and lively Prelude in A flat major, KK IVb/7, and also features the much longer and more meditative Prelude in C sharp minor, Op. 45.

  • Jan Lisiecki - Night Music makes 'CBC's 22 favourite Canadian classical albums of 2022'
    Posted At: December 8, 2022
    CBC writes…Like all years, 2022 has had its ups and downs. The COVID-19 pandemic continued to disrupt concert activity, although to a lesser degree than during the previous two years. On the positive side of the ledger, there was a steady stream of new music from Canada's classical musicians, keeping us both busy and entertained all year long. While Quebec, home to Canada's two biggest classical music label...

  • The night theme is a complex universe explored by Jan Lisiecki / Radio Romania Muzical
    Posted At: May 13, 2022
    Following a critically-acclaimed recording of Chopin's Complete Nocturnes, which cemented his status as one of classical music’s favourite pianists, Jan Lisiecki presents a brand new digital and visual album inspired by Night Music, released today 18 February. With this project, the Canadian-born pianist and former Gramophone Young Artist of the Year, continues to explore the universe of night music with wo...

  • On 'Night,' Jan Lisiecki leans into his impressive touch, interpretative creativity and familiarity with the canon / theWholeNote
    Posted At: May 2, 2022
    Following a critically-acclaimed recording of Chopin's Complete Nocturnes, which cemented his status as one of classical music’s favourite pianists, Jan Lisiecki presents a brand new digital and visual album inspired by Night Music, released today 18 February. With this project, the Canadian-born pianist and former Gramophone Young Artist of the Year, continues to explore the universe of night music with wo...

  • Jan Lisiecki - Night Music is the WFMT: Featured New Release
    Posted At: February 22, 2022
    Following a critically-acclaimed recording of Chopin's Complete Nocturnes, which cemented his status as one of classical music’s favourite pianists, Jan Lisiecki presents a brand new digital and visual album inspired by Night Music, released today 18 February. With this project, the Canadian-born pianist and former Gramophone Young Artist of the Year, continues to explore the universe of night music with wo...

  • Jan Lisiecki explores the universe of night music with works by Mozart, Ravel, Schumann and Paderewski / Pianist
    Posted At: February 21, 2022
    “A player of exceptional poise and refinement.” - BBC Music MagazineFollowing a critically-acclaimed recording of Chopin's Complete Nocturnes, which cemented his status as one of classical music’s favourite pianists, Jan Lisiecki presents a brand new digital and visual album inspired by Night Music, released today 18 February. With this project, the Canadian-born pianist and former Gramophone Young Artist o...

  • RTE lyric fm presents Jan Lisiecki playin Chopin Nocturnes
    Posted At: September 3, 2021

    For his eighth and latest Deutsche Grammophon album, Canadian pianist extraordinaire Jan Lisiecki has chosen to return to the music of Frédéric Chopin. Following on from Works for Piano & Orchestra (2017) and Chopin: Études (2013), Chopin: Complete Nocturnes is now set for international release on 13 August 2021 and...

  • Jan Lisiecki: Chopin Complete Nocturnes is the 98.7WFMT 'Featured New Release'
    Posted At: August 24, 2021

    98.7WFMT Lisa Flynn writes....It was through the Nocturnes that pianist Jan Lisiecki first discovered the music of Chopin – he recalls falling in love with Op. 9, No. 1 as a child and being enchanted by its yearning melody. The piece, the first of 21 Nocturnes the composer wrote between the late 1820s and 1847, offered a glimpse of a vast universe of emotions, expressions, musical gestures, and ton...

  • These are highly intimate readings of the Chopin Nocturnes by Jan Lisiecki / Classical Music Sentinel
    Posted At: August 24, 2021

    Classical Music Sentinel's Jean-Yves Duperron writes..... One of the reviews I posted during the early days of this website was of a live recording on the Fryderyk Chopin Institute label by the then 14 year old Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki, of the Chopin Piano Concertos which I thought exhibited all of the maturity and expressive perspective of a seasoned musician. Fast forward twelve years and...

  • Jan Lisiecki - Chopin Complete Nocturnes is NDR: CD of the week
    Posted At: August 22, 2021

    NDR's Marcus Stäbler writes.....Jan Lisiecki was celebrated by the audience at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. A new double album has now been released in which the young pianist plays all of Chopin's nocturnes. The music creeps softly into your ear. She hesitates for a moment, pauses and takes another swing before continuing. You need a particularly gentle touch and a feeling for...

  • Jan Lisiecki - Beethoven Complete Piano Concertos gets JUNO Award nomination
    Posted At: January 29, 2020

    In anticipation of Beethoven's 250th birthday this year, Jan LIsiecki presented a full cycle of Beethoven's five piano concertos, accompanied by the Academy of St Martin in the Fields for his 2019 recording. Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 has particularly played a significant role in Lisiecki's career. In 2013, he performed the work with Orchestra Mozart und...

  • Jan Lisiecki - Mendelssohn makes Gramophone 'Recordings of the Year 2019'
    Posted At: December 17, 2019

    It's become a Gramophone institution, our annual Recordings of the Year. The past 12 months, or 13 issues in Gramophone's calendar, have once again brought their fair share of stunning recordings. Jan Lisiecki's effervescent DG album of the two Mendelssohn piano concertos (April) – a terrific confirmation that making him our Young Artist of the Year way back in 2013 (and he's only 24 now!) was ...

  • 90.9WETA: Album of the Week celebrates Beethoven's 249th birthday with new Jan Lisiecki, ASM - Complete Piano Concertos
    Posted At: December 2, 2019

    December is Beethoven Month here at Classical WETA: Wash DC, and in celebration of his 249th birthday on December 16th. Album of the Week launches these festivities with a new set of the five Beethoven piano concertos: Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki conducts the Academy of St Martin in the Fields from the keyboard in a 3-CD collection from Deutsche Grammophon, taken from live performances in Berlin. R...

  • Jan Lisiecki turns his attention to the complete set of Beethoven Concertos / WFMT: Featured New Release
    Posted At: November 6, 2019

    Beethoven has proved a serendipitous theme in Jan Lisiecki's remarkable rise to international renown. The young pianist now turns his attention to the complete set of concertos, recorded live over the course of a week at the Berlin Konzerthaus with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Lisiecki believes that the composer did not conceive the piano concertos as a cycle of their own. "In spite of this,"...

  • Jan Lisiecki - Beethoven Complete Piano Concertos makes PublicRadio90: Classiclectic - Genre Fluid Fridays
    Posted At: October 18, 2019

    Genre Fluid Fridays on Classiclectic: Music exploration and discovery through the lens of classically-minded composers and musicians.  Explore beyond the horizon of classical music, Fridays on Public Radio 90, beginning just after 9:30am ET.  This time we savor new recordings of Mozart, Elgar and Beethoven, and explore the music of Michael Vincent Waller, Jan Garbarek & The Hillia...

  • New Orleans Public Radio surveys all five Beethoven Piano Concertos from Jan Lisiecki & The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
    Posted At: October 7, 2019

    The young Canadian-born pianist Jan Lisiecki filled in for Murray Perahia at a series of concerts in December, 2018. But, rather than playing the same concertos that Perahia had programmed for those concerts, Lisiecki instead requested that the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields join him for a complete reading of the five Beethoven concertos. As the arrangements were made and the contracts signed, L...

  • Jan Lisiecki records ambitious 3-CD set of Beethoven concertos, returns home to perform with CPO / Calgary Herald
    Posted At: October 2, 2019

    When Jan Lisiecki was asked to take the place of American pianist Murray Perahia for a series of concerts last year in Berlin, he made what may have seemed like an odd request of promoters. Perahia was to play Ludwig Van Beethoven's five piano concertos. Lisiecki was asked which of the five he would like to perform as a replacement. For the 24-year-old Calgary pianist, it was a strange question. Usually,...

  • Jan Lisiecki discusses Mendelssohn with 89.3WQED: Pittsburgh
    Posted At: August 19, 2019

    Acclaimed 23-year-old Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki joined forces with the conductorless Orpheus Chamber Orchestra for his Mendelssohn release on Deutsche Grammophon. The album explores a pair of early Romantic masterpieces: Mendelssohn's Piano Concertos in G minor and D minor, complemented with a selection of Mendelssohn's most brilliant pieces for solo piano: the Variations sérieuse...

  • Jan Lisiecki's latest album, with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, is an energetic, sparkling tribute to Felix Mendelssohn. / 99.5WCRB - Boston
    Posted At: July 12, 2019

    More often than not, conversations about Mendelssohn revel in his exemplary compositional skills as a mere teenager. With 24-year-old pianist Jan Lisiecki's latest album, we get a chance to explore a variety of Mendelssohn's brilliant works for piano, which reveal his ability to straddle the line between the Classical and Romantic styles of writing. Like Mendelssohn, Lisiecki debuted at the age of 9,...

  • Jan Lisiecki continues his exploration of Romanticism with new Mendelssohn piano concertos / All Classical Portland
    Posted At: July 10, 2019

    Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki continues his exploration of, an interest in the different facets of Romanticism, following his Chopin CD with this new one of Mendelssohn's piano concertos. The concertos anchor the CD, but are not the only highlight: Lisiecki tells me (in our conversation), that from the beginning he wanted to incorporate the "Serious Variations", and the "Rondo Capriccioso", which capture...

  • Jan Lisiecki brings Mendelssohn's masterpieces to life / New Classical Tracks
    Posted At: May 29, 2019

    "Mendelssohn wrote very elaborate music. It's music that has a lot of notes to say a very simple thing. And I love that because once you've overcome all the notes, everything comes to light - it becomes so simple, as if it was always in front of you." Jan Lisiecki is a 23-year-old Canadian-born pianist who's recorded works by Mozart, Chopin, Schumann. On his latest release, he's divin...

  • Jan Lisiecki discusses Mendelssohn with Spokane Public Radio
    Posted At: May 28, 2019

    Acclaimed 23-year-old Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki joins forces with the conductorless Orpheus Chamber Orchestra to release his new Deutsche Grammophon recording. The album explores a pair of early Romantic masterpieces: Mendelssohn's Piano Concertos in G minor and D minor, complemented with a selection of Mendelssohn's most brilliant pieces for solo piano: the Variations sérieuses, the R...

  • Jan Lisiecki discusses Mendelssohn with classical radio
    Posted At: March 6, 2019

    Acclaimed 23-year-old Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki joins forces with the conductorless Orpheus Chamber Orchestra to release his new Deutsche Grammophon recording. The album explores a pair of early Romantic masterpieces: Mendelssohn's Piano Concertos in G minor and D minor, complemented with a selection of Mendelssohn's most brilliant pieces for solo piano: the Variations sérieuses, the R...

  • Jan Lisiecki - Mendelssohn is the WFMT: Featured New Release
    Posted At: March 3, 2019

    For his latest Deutsche Grammophon album, Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki explores a pair of early Romantic masterpieces: Mendelssohn's Piano Concertos in G minor and D minor, in which he is accompanied by the internationally acclaimed Orpheus Chamber Orchestra of New York. He complements the two concertos with a selection of some of Mendelssohn's most brilliant pieces for solo piano: the Variations s&eacu...

  • Jan Lisiecki - Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No 1 makes the Gramophone: Listening Room
    Posted At: February 10, 2019

    Mendelssohn, who died at 38, was a superb pianist as well as a great composer and conductor, and as a reminder of his keyboard skills (and those of the young Polish-Canadian Jan Lisiecki - whom I spoke to recently for a Gramophone Podcast), DG has released album of the two piano concertos and two of his finest solo works. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: ...

  • Jan Lisiecki explores a pair of early Romantic masterpieces on new DG recording
    Posted At: February 8, 2019

    For his latest Deutsche Grammophon album, Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki explores a pair of early Romantic masterpieces: Mendelssohn's Piano Concertos in G minor and D minor, in which he is accompanied by the internationally acclaimed Orpheus Chamber Orchestra of New York. He complements the two concertos with a selection of some of Mendelssohn's most brilliant pieces for solo piano: the Variation...

  • Jan Lisiecki - Mendelssohn is this week's GRAMOPHONE podcast
    Posted At: February 5, 2019

    Jan Lisiecki, Gramophone's Young Artist of 2013, has reached the venerable age of 23, and has just released an album for DG that contains Mendelssohn's two piano concertos alongside two major solo works. The Canadian pianist joins forces with the conductorless Orpheus Chamber Orchestra to release a pair of early Romantic masterpieces: Mendelssohn's Piano Concertos in G minor and D minor, ...

  • Urbanski and Lisiecki impart nuanced coherency and completeness in ISO performance of Grieg and Brahms / NUVO
    Posted At: November 5, 2018

    Saturday's Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) concert at Hilbert Circle Theatre-the second over the weekend-satisfied the demands of high expectation while squelching any lingering apprehension concerning the hype. If you add up the ages of Music Director Krzysztof Urbanski, who is in his eighth season with the ISO, and soloist Jan Lisiecki, you still fall short of the average concert goer's number of...

  • Jan Lisiecki makes his BSO debut with Britten Chopin Mendelssohn / 99.5WCRB
    Posted At: April 20, 2018

    WCRB brings you performances from Symphony Hall in Boston every Saturday at 8pm, with host Ron Della Chiesa. A Young Star's BSO Debut through Chopin with Jan Lisiecki, piano and Tugan Sokhiev, conductor, on Saturday, April 21, 2018 (encore Monday, April 30). Program includes BRITTEN Simple Symphony CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 1 MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 4, Italian Hear previews with Lis...

  • Jan Lisiecki receives ECHO KLASSIK Award for Concert Recording (19th Century Music)
    Posted At: July 27, 2017

    Jan Lisiecki | Ndr Elbphilharmonie Orchester | Krzysztof Urbański receives the ECHO KLASSIK Award for Concert Recording (19th Century Music). The ECHO KLASSIK trophies will be handed out on Sunday, 29 October 2017 during a gala event in the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall in Hamburg.  All of the artists receiving an ECHO KLASSIK this year have made outstanding contributions to Classical M...

  • Jan Lisiecki interview with KUAF - Of Note
    Posted At: July 14, 2017

    At the young age of 22, Polish-Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki already claims seven years as a recording artist on Deutsche Grammophon. His latest, Chopin: Works for Piano & Orchestra, marks his second release exploring a composer near and dear to him. "It has the capability to pierce through any armor and go directly to your heart," Lisiecki says of Chopin's music. The alb...

  • Jan Lisiecki set for Montreal Chamber Music Festival / McGill Tribune
    Posted At: June 13, 2017

    Twenty-two-year-old Calgary pianist Jan Lisiecki is far from being a slacker. After making his orchestral debut at age nine, the musician rose to international fame once The Fryderyk Chopin Institute released a recording of his live renditions of Chopin's piano concertos. Four albums later, he now performs roughly 80 times per year. In the past month alone, he has played in six countries, with appearance...

  • Jan Lisiecki shares Chopin rarities on New Classical Tracks
    Posted At: April 5, 2017

    p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px} New Classical Tracks is a Syndicated Feature airing Nationally on Classical 24 & Statewide on Minnesota Public Radio. Listen to Julie Amacher's Feature with Jan Lisiecki. READ THE TRANSCRIPT "This was probably my most challenging recording to date - even more challenging than the Chopin Etudes," says ...

  • Jan Lisiecki blends his artistry with humanitarian work / The Christian Science Monitor
    Posted At: April 1, 2017

    Jan Lisiecki has fit a lot into his young life. At 22, he's a world-renowned classical pianist – and he's made it a priority to blend his artistry with humanitarian work, especially involving children. Hailing from Calgary, Alberta, Mr. Lisiecki has worked with UNICEF for almost a decade and has been a UNICEF Canada ambassador since 2012. He raises funds through charity recitals, holding several a ...

  • Jan Lisiecki chats with Classical Purdue about Chopin - Works for Piano and Orchestra
    Posted At: March 22, 2017

    Jan Lisiecki just turned 22 years old and has now released his fifth recording, Chopin: Works for Piano and Orchestra. The album comprises pieces in the so-called "brilliant style," a form of virtuosic pianism cultivated in the early 1800s by some of the leading performer-composers of the day, including Hummel, Kalkbrenner and Moscheles. During his formative years in Warsaw, Chopin applied the style to s...

  • Jan Lisiecki interview with All Classical Portland
    Posted At: March 21, 2017

    The Canadian pianist, Jan Lisiecki (lee-SHYETS-kee) first garnered the attention of critics in 2010 (the bicentenary of Chopin's birth) with a recording of the Polish composer's piano concertos. The recording caught Deutsche Grammophon's attention, and they signed the teen pianist right away. Mozart and Schumann works soon followed. Now Lisiecki (whose parents are Polish) returns to his roots, so to spea...

  • A conversation with Jan Lisiecki on ideastream 104.9: Classical WCLV - Cleveland
    Posted At: March 13, 2017

    You may remember his poetic Chopin Piano Concerto No.1 last spring at Severance Hall with the Cleveland Orchestra and conductor Antoni Wit.  Jan Lisiecki, the young Canadian pianist who takes his Polish heritage to heart, now has a fourth Deutsche Grammophon recording (just released Friday, March 10th), Chopin's lesser-known works for piano and orchestra, including the Andante spianato & Grande ...
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