Chopin’s rubato—a suspension, or musical sigh—is one of his greatest secrets, the essence of his compositional style. After almost two centuries, I look at his rubato with respect and admiration, through I am also aware it is a view from far away. That such it was, the music will never be, and cannot be. It is true that people remain the same, experiencing similar emotions, but life today goes many times faster. Today, there is often no time for reflection: we experience emotions in a nervous hurry, under pressure from the sheer volume of subsequent events. The idea of rubato is gone.

The work was premiered on 26 May 2013 at the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, Takemitsu Memorial.

Sighs (2008-2010, rev. 2012)

Marcin Stanczyk