MP3 Mélodie Zhao - Chopin 24 Etudes at 13

The youngest person ever to record Chopin's 24 Etudes - summit of the piano repertoire, with fine musicality & stunning technique. The Swiss pianist wrote the commentary herself in French. German-English-Chinese translations. Widely acclaimed.

24 MP3 Songs in this album (59:44) !
Related styles: CLASSICAL: Piano solo, CLASSICAL: Chopin

People who are interested in Glenn Gould Maurizio Pollini Vladimir Ashkenazy should consider this download.


Details:
* Rich and colourful sound of a Bösendorfer Imperial 290
* Recorded in the Tibor Varga Foundation Studio in Switzerland
* Made & Printed in Germany
* "Favorite CD" (Coup de coeur du disquaire) of Le Menestrel, the historic record store of Geneva, as per its recommendation appeared in the Tribune de Genève on Jan 9, 2009.
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UPCOMING CONCERTS

February 15, 2009 - 21h15 * Hotel Edelweiss, Sils-Maria/St-Moritz, Switzerland.
CD Dedication after her recital

March 18, 2009 - 19h30 * Eglise Française, Murten, Switzerland

March 29, 2009 - 17h * Vieux Moulin Cultural Center, St-Prex, Switzerland. Semi-recital & soloist with Divertimento conducted by Jan Dobrzelewski

June 10, 2009 - 20h30 * Victoria Hall, Geneva, Switzerland - CHOPIN Concerto Nr. 2 with Geneva Symphonic Orchestra conducted by Hervé Klopfenstein
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THE STORY of this CD

The 24 Caprices of Paganini are considered as the summit of the art of violin playing; in the same way, the 24 Etudes of Chopin are considered as the acme of piano performance.

In April 2006, whilst giving a master class in Switzerland, the eminent violin professor Yaoji Lin discovered Mélodie Zhao, then aged 11. Impressed by her marvellous execution on the piano, he affirmed, âWhether in terms of ability or musicality, Mélodie is absolutely a remarkable talent.â At the same time, he handed a gift to her: a CD of Paganiniâs 24 Caprices recorded by one of his students, Tianwa Yang, when she was 13. He encouraged Mélodie to record Chopinâs 24 Etudes also at the age of 13, convinced that she would be capable of realizing such a project, unique for anyone so young. Tianwa Yangâs CD was an inspiration for Mélodie as proof that the art of music and the zenith of interpretation are not only for adults, but can also be mastered by teenagers who pursue the ideal of musical perfection.

During 2006, Mélodie somewhat extended her repertoire with baroque, classic, romantic, impressionist and contemporary works. In parallel, guided by her violin teacher father, Mélodie added to her muscular training regime with The Pianist Virtuoso in 60 Exercises by Hanon, amongst others. This led to a rapid progress in her technical capacity and laid a solid foundation for her to master the 24 Etudes relatively quickly.

In January 2007, Mélodie started to work systematically on the 12 Etudes op.10 of Chopin, in addition to and without hindering her normal studies at the Geneva Conservatory. By the end of June, she had already mastered the 12 etudes. In July, she attended a thorough master class on op.10 with Jean-Jacques Balet. Mid-August 2007, at 12 years old, Mélodie Zhao included the 12 Etudes op.10 in her recital program in the Festival Les Sommets du Classique in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, and played them again in her Easter recital the following year.

Starting in February 2008, Mélodie began to work on op.25 under the instruction of Pascal Devoyon. By May, she was proficient in all 12 etudes. During these months, Prof. Devoyon provided many very detailed and enlivening lessons on each of the 24 Etudes, which allowed Melodie to make radical and substantial further progress in technique as well as in musicality. On the 29th June 2008, she gave a recital of Chopinâs 24 Etudes in the Kammersaal at the Berlin University of Arts, organized by Prof. Devoyon.

The recording of this CD, realized by award-winning sound engineer Jean-Claude Gaberel, has taken 18 hours over 3 days, from the 22nd to the 24th July 2008, at the Studio Tibor Varga in the Valais, Switzerland. The commentary in the booklet is written in French by Mélodie Zhao herself. It is an exercise based on her profound study of the two opus. She combines her personal experiences with her own point of view on the Chopin etudes, whilst recording concisely their musical essence and the main technical problems posed in these works.

Chopinâs 24 Etudes performed and analysed by a 13-year-old â this is by its very nature significant. âIt is not my intention to create a miracleâ Mélodie Zhao said. âI would simply like to show how these studies can be played and put into words by a teenager.â

One has to say that she has succeeded.

Ying Wu
(N.B. The writer is pianist, professor and the Dean of Piano Faculty of the Central Conservatory of Music of China)
Translated from Chinese by Howe Yin Zhao
Proofread by Christopher Watts
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BIOGRAPHIE

The Swiss pianist of Chinese origin, Mélodie Zhao, was born on 7th September 1994 in Gruyère, Switzerland. At two and a half years old, she wanted to learn the piano. Her grandfather started to teach her basic music theory while her grandmother gave her her first piano lessons. In the 1960s, grandfather Jing Tian edited the teaching manuels of the National Brass Ensemble of China, a band of one thousand men of which he was the instructor-in-chief and conductor. According to his grand-daughterâs psychological and physical conditions, he tailored a personalised musical study plan for her. Mélodie has perfect pitch; before the age of five, she had fun making out instantly and precisely by ear chords of up to six notes from the piano. Having an absolute pitch is very helpful for her musical studies.

At the age of two years and ten months, Mélodie began piano lessons with Jiaquan Chen, professor at the Central Conservatory of Music of China in Beijing. At five, Mélodie learned with Jin Ju. At 9, she entered Geneva Conservatory of Music, in the class of Mayumi Kameda. At 12, she accomplished in advance the superior music theory course with the best result of the Conservatory. In October 2007, Mélodie Zhao started her Bachelorâs degree at 13, at the Music University of Geneva, in the class of Pascal Devoyon, who is also professor at the University of Arts of Berlin. She also benefited from the teaching of Ying Wu and of Shikun Liu. At his Masterclass in Geneva in December 2008, András Schiff praised Mélodie Zhao's playing as "Fantastic!". She earned a Migros Culture Percentage Study Prize for music 2009, and is selected at the same time as the "Migros Culture Percentage Soloist".

Mélodie is assisted daily in her musical practice by her father Yuan Zhao, former violon teacher at the Central Conservatory of Music of China where he graduated. His guidance is crucial to her rapid progress.

Mélodie has delighted in the pleasures of stage performance since she was six, when she made her first public appearance at the Christmas concert of the French School of Beijing, where her solo performance earned a standing ovation and requests for her autograph from her fellow schoolmates. At 8, she gave a semi solo recital with her violonist father. At 10, she gave her first complete solo recital at the Salle des Abeilles of the Palais de lâAthénée in Geneva, with a programme of 70 minutes. At the same age, she performed as soloist with the Orchestra of Geneva Conservatoryâs Music School as a First Laureate of the âBach Concerto Competitionâ. At 12, Mélodie played in a live broadcast programme on French Swiss Radio. At 13, she performed as soloist with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra conducted by Muhai Tang, as well as with Belgorod Symphonic Orchestra from Russia. In mid-April 2008, star presenter of France2 TV Jean-Luc Delarue invited Mélodie Zhao to âTOUTE UNE HISTOIREâ, a programme with a large audience in several French-speaking countries, to talk about her musical undertakings as a young talent. In June 2008, Phoenix TV made a coverage of Mélodie Zhaoâs fundraising recital in Museum Franz Gertsch, Switzerland, in favour of the earthquake orphans in Sichuan, China. The experience of about thirty recitals enriched her spirit and broadened her horizons. Invitations from orchestras, festivals and concert organizers continue unabated.

Mélodieâs playing often moves listeners to tears. The comment of an international music personality represents the general opinion: ââMélodie has the rare talent of captivating the audience. She is a painter-pianist who touches us with her variety of musical works, superb and true to their times and styles. Her technique and musicality are far beyond what her young age might imply. She can already bear comparison with the great adult pianists. The path of a pianist is certainly not an easy one, but Mélodie Zhao is absolutely sure to make her mark.â
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EXTRACT of the COMMENTARY in the BOOKLET

Frederick Chopin â 24 Etudes

Chopin composed his two series of etudes op.10 and op.25 between 1829 and 1836, during his first prolific creative period. Every one of these 24 etudes deals with one or several technical difficulties, but it is widely recognised that Chopinâs etudes not only include a large range of pianistic virtuosity, but they are all endowed with a poetry, natural, delicate and lyrical at the same time.

Etudes op.10

Nr. 1, C Major (Allegro) Autumn 1830
This majestic opening piece aims to stretch the right hand in a relaxed fashion with large broken chords covering the whole keyboard. The left hand supports and completes the harmonies of the right hand with long octaves built of a chorus harmony. According to Chopin, the only way to achieve a good execution of this etude is through slow and sustained exercises of the arpeggio. However, one must bear in mind that slow exercise is merely for practice, while the aim is to achieve a clear and fast technique with a perfectly flowing musical result. Attention should be paid to the rapid positioning of the fingers preparing the connection of each note, and to the ascending and descending movements of the arpeggios which should create the impression, to both the pianist and the listener, of ârising and fallingâ.

Nr. 2, A minor (Allegro) 1830
Also called âChromaticâ and considered by many pianists as the most difficult one of all Chopinâs etudes, it aims to strengthen the three weak fingers (3-4-5) of the right hand through sempre legato and overlapping scales as well as ascending and descending chromatic phrasings, which run across the whole keyboard without using the thumb and the forefinger. The difficulty here is to play all the notes in a light, equal fashion and in particular with an even tempo. But, being careful, for the hands must stay relaxed during the exercise, and one should not work on it for too long each day or injury can be the result!

Nr. 9, F minor (Allegro molto agitato) 1829
One day my professor, Pascal Devoyon, told me a story which could well have inspired Chopin when he created this piece : âA couple had to swim across a strait in the darkness in a terrifying storm, in fear of being engulfed. In the fight against the waves, the wind and the lightning, the young man disappeared in the act of saving his beloved.â Thus the short undulations of the left hand, working at full stretch, depict the rough sea caused by the wind and the storm; the âbreathlessâ syncopations and the violent dynamic contrasts of the right hand convey the breathlessness of the two swimmers fighting against the cruelty of such natural beauty. This image, illustrating the real spirit that unfolds in this piece, has served me well in finding a suitable musical interpretation.

Etudes op. 25

Nr. 3, F Major (Allegro) 1836
This is a âtestâ of the polyphonic independence of both hands which follow simultaneously a double counterpoint movement. The lightness in this etude â not so easy to achieve â is the only way to show its âjoyfulâ temperament that does not diminish even in the forte passages. To achieve this, tense finger movements have to be avoided and, to the contrary, the arms must be well relaxed down to the tips of the fingers, with particular attention to the fluidity of the wrists. This lightness is not at all contradictory to what Schumann has said: âHere, above all, one needs bravura, but a rather polite bravura, and for this Chopin deserves a great deal of praise.â

Nr. 6, G sharp minor (Allegro) 1832-1834
Here, again, is another of Chopinâs own inventions, which consists of the practice of tied thirds by the right hand over long scales, principally chromatic and in very uncomfortable tonalities. Until then, no-one had dared to write such a piece, so technically difficult as to make playing it practically impossible. With the undulating accompaniment of the left hand, the right hand must achieve perfect fluidity, like a âwinter breezeâ. There is only one truly efficient way to achieve this, and that is to start slowly, increasing the tempo gradually with the help of a metronome until the indicated tempo is reached.

Nr. 7, C sharp minor (Lento) early 1836
Here is the ultimate study of sound control, where countless musical phrases by both hands criss-cross incessantly, and which, when they come together, transform into a long flow of nostalgic dreams. Composed in a truly dramatic spirit, this, the only slow etude of the second cycle op.25, is referred to as âto the celloâ, so called because of the long bass thread that joins the first note to the last chord of the study and imitates the sound of that instrument. Furthermore, this bass line gives a âsingingâ character that speaks of the bel canto style, for which Chopin was very influenced by one of its masters, Vincenzo Bellini. Our âPoet of the Pianoâ admired Bellini so much that he asked to be buried by the side of the Italian composer.

Mélodie Zhao
Switzerland - Summer 2008
Translated from French by Howe Yin Zhao
Proofread by Christopher Watts