Emmanuelle Swiercz-Lamoure CHOPIN Valses

“Waltz” comes from the German verb “walzen” meaning to revolve, and by extension to dance in a circle. And a circle is de ned by three points, just as a waltz is de ned by its three beats. So is Chopin inviting us to a round dance? Yes, in some cases, like the Grande valse brillante (op. 18); but no, most of his waltzes, unlike those of the Strauss family, are not meant to be danced to; or rather yes, they are, but in the kind of romantic party we might conjure up in our imagination, like that curious night in Le Grand Meaulnes, perhaps.

It was that aura of mysterious contrast that persuaded me to carry out this project to record the complete waltzes, albeit at the risk of adding yet another to the countless versions of the most often-played works of the most famous composer for the piano. On the other hand, the fact that Chopin published only eight waltzes in his lifetime (out of 15 known in the 19th century and at least 20 today) continues to raise questions about his intentions. For example, is the A minor waltz on track 19 of this album really his last, composed around 1848 but not published until 1955? As poignant as a rainbow seen through tears... (Emmanuelle Swiercz-Lamoure)

Emmanuelle Swiercz CHOPIN Nocturnes

Emmanuelle Swiercz started the piano at 9. Two years later she gave her first performance with an orchestra. At the age of 16 she was unanimously accepted by the jury of the National Superior Conservatory of music and dance in Paris into the classes of Michel Béroff, Denis Pascal and Marie-Françoise Bucquet. In 1999, after graduating with distinction, she took part in proficiency courses and simultaneously attended master-classes with György Sebök, György Kurtág, Dmitri Bashkirov, Leon Fleisher and Murray Perahia. 

Emmanuelle was sponsored by the Foundation of the French Group Banques Populaires, by the Cziffra Foundation, by the Musical Forum of Normandy, and by the Musical Patronage of SocGen. She won the second prize at the Ricardo Viñes International Competition and the International Music Tournament in Rome, the third Prize at the Città di Camaiore International Competition; she was awarded “Prix Spécial” at the Maria-Canals International Competition. In addition, with the backing of the Musical Patronage of SocGen, Emmanuelle and four other pianists recorded all the piano sonatas by Alexander Scriabin.