LDV98-9

21 FRANÇOIS-FRÉDÉRIC GUY I practised for hours on this Pleyel. It projects the sound with a clarity as powerful and direct as the timpani in ‘Baroque’ orchestras, if I may venture the comparison. In fact, I have the feeling that I have recovered a certain degree of ‘truth’ belonging to a bygone era without appearing totally anachronistic in relation to our time. And finally, it was a very precious aid during the recording sessions to enjoy the constant presence of Marion Lainé – whom I thank very warmly for her loving preparation of this jewel and who took care to maintain the instrument at its maximum possibilities almost non-stop. Because it must be emphasised that the action of an instrument like this one calls for constant, highly specific adjustments, and the piano technician requires extremely precise musical knowledge of Chopin’s style. Once again, art meets and merges with craftsmanship. Which edition did you choose? I use several editions. There is no single truth in the case of Chopin’s music. What with editors who sometimes take such liberties that they distort the work, and Chopin himself who modified his scores from one version to the next, one must study all the valid sources. In the manuscript of the B minor Sonata, many slurs are missing and some accidentals are unclear. Musicologists and performers have been arguing for years about questionable notes that occur, for example, when Chopin wrote a change into the copy of one of his pupils. I use the Wiener Urtext edition for the nocturnes, études and ballades, the Salabert edition annotated by Cortot, whose poetic comments are invaluable and always inspiring, and the Paderewski edition for the Fantasie , the Polonaise-Fantaisie and the Fantaisie-Impromptu . It’s therefore up to the performer to make choices, which should always be . . . Chopin’s!