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Organised together with the French National Library, this exhibition celebrated the bicentenary of the pianist and composer’s birth, giving a new perspective on his work.

photo by 黃毛 used under cc licence

Born on  1st March 1810, Chopin arrived in France in 1831 and remained there until his death on 17th October 1849. During these years of furious activity in the musical world, with numerous master composers in the limelight, Chopin was nevertheless lauded as an exceptional creator. Berlioz called him « a talent of a whole other nature » and Liszt though that one should look for « the essence of virtuosity » in his work. However, even though famous and adored, Chopin still preferred the intimacy of private salons and meetings, rather than the bright lights of Parisian and international concert halls. These helped him to forge friendships with Polish immigrants and romantic artists such as Delacroix and – of course -  George Sand (check out our article about the other Chopin exhibition at the Musée de la Vie romantique).

Teofil Kwiatkowski, Frédéric Chopin, 1849, Plume et lavis, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Bibliothèque-musée de l'Opéra, Paris

The exhibition invites the visitor into this universe with the help of rare manuscripts and books conserved at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Presented in an original setting that allows them to be compared with and complemented by paintings, drawings and instruments,  they allow you to get right ot the heart of Chopin’s creative process. Particular attention has been paid to the sound and audiovisual elements of the exhibition, including a special presentation for younger visitors. Multimedia tools will also allow comparisons to be made between the different evolutions/versions of certain works.

The exhibition Chopin à Paris, L’atelier du compositeur is at the Cité de la Musique (here) from 9th March- 6th June 2010. Closed Mondays. Open Tuesday – Saturday from midday – 6pm, Sundays from 10am – 6pm. Late night opening Fridays until 10pm. Special late night opening until 9pm from 9th – 13 March. Admission 8€ / 4€.

Official site: www.citedelamusique.fr

For francophone readers, the press release can be consulted below (lots of info in there). Just click on the centre of the image to go into fullscreen mode.