Chopin’s two concertos have remained firm favourites with pianists and audiences, the epitome of beautiful melody, yet many of his solo works, nearly all of which are mainstays of the concert program, startled his contemporaries and were frequently misinterpreted throughout 19th Century performance. His four scherzos are perfect examples of the innovation and explosive drama in his compositions that baffled even his supporters. This contrast perhaps goes to the heart of Chopin’s. His love of opera saw early fruition in the melodic lines of the concertos, after which he saw no need to return to this form. Instead, his extraordinary natural technique gave him the power to experiment beyond any previous pianistic ideas, relentlessly pursuing the contrasting and often anguished themes in his imagination. Here are the two matchless dimensions of Chopin; the almost impossibly poignant, singing melody, and the darker, turbulent creativity of the piano’s solitary perfectionist, played by pianist, Felicja Blumental.