Having explored the music of Schumann in three previous much-lauded recordings, Imogen Cooper now turns to the music of Chopin. Combining some of his greatest works, this album is a recital in itself. The experience and emotional wisdom that complement her prodigious virtuosity has brought her to re-explore this often-played repertoire. As she explains: ‘Chopin is surely one of the most intriguing composers we know. Fabulous writing for the piano, a complex and rich harmonic world, melody, garlands of sensuous and quicksilver sound, passion – and of course the perfect vehicle for showing off pianism.

For all these reasons, but above all for the last, we go through a crash course in our student years, his huge body of work keeping us constant company and teaching us the ropes as we take our first steps in becoming a pianist. The challenge comes in adult years when, as in all repertoire, we need to rethink, and to find solutions that probably eluded us earlier.’

On top of several concerts in Europe’s most prestigious venues, Imogen Cooper will tour all over the world this year, giving recitals that will include this recorded repertoire.