蜜芽传媒

Donald Macleod explores Chopin and Sand鈥檚 trip to Majorca on holiday, which didn鈥檛 turn out to be as idyllic as they had both hoped.

Early in 1837, Franz Liszt introduced Chopin to a woman who would have a profound influence on his life. Her name was George Sand and Chopin鈥檚 relationship with the novelist would go on to stretch for almost a decade and prove to be the longest romantic bond of the composer鈥檚 life, and a defining creative relationship for both of them. Over the course of this week, Donald Macleod explores the intertwined lives of these two key figures in French romantic-era life.

At the end of 1838, Chopin and Sand spent three months in Majorca, as a kind of honeymoon, to celebrate the start of their relationship. In Tuesday鈥檚 programme, Donald explores this trip, which bore musical dividends, but eventually proved to be a disaster, and not the idyllic paradise that they had both hoped for.

Mazurka in E minor, Op.41 no 2 鈥楶alman鈥�
Pavel Kolesnikov, piano

Nocturne, op 37 no 2
Maurizio Pollini, piano

Preludes, op.28 鈥� nos. 2, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 鈥楻aindrop鈥�
Seong-Jin Cho, piano

Ballade no 2 in F major, op. 38
Krystian Zimerman, piano

Polonaise in C minor, op.40 no 2
Arthur Rubinstein, piano

Cantabile in B flat, B.84
Arthur Schoonderwoerd, piano

Producer: Sam Phillips