Chopin’s Piano

In 1838, Chopin visited Majorca, where he completed the 24 Preludes that would revolutionize the piano repertoire. The piano he used remained in Majorca until 1913, when it began a turbulent journey through war and cultural upheaval.

The conductor and author Paul Kildea’s book Chopin’s Piano: A Journey Through Romanticism, a riveting account of the piano’s history, including its time with the great keyboard player and musical thinker Wanda Ladowska, has inspired this exquisite recreation of a 19th-century salon such as Chopin might have frequented. 

In a fascinating blend of words and music, French pianist Cédric Tiberghien and actor travel through Kildea’s narrative of musical Romanticism to tell the story of Chopin’s piano, the music he wrote on it, and the fate of both in the Second World War.