It’s 1972, and I’m walking into Hogwarts.

Okay, not Hogwarts exactly. But something like it... Crouse College, a building that belongs in another century.

I’m 10 and enchanted by the bell tower ringing throughout the Syracuse University campus.

It’s my first real concert. I’m here to see David Mulfinger perform all 24 Chopin Études.

From the very first C Major bass octave of Op. 10 No. 1, I was mesmerized. While my hands could barely reach an octave, I knew in every ounce of my body that I would play this music one day. I could hardly wait to begin.

That spring, I performed the Aeolian Harp Étude at my teacher’s annual recital.

Four years later, I performed five of the Études in my sold-out debut recital for 452 concert attendees.

That was the beginning of a romance that’s lasted more than 50 years.
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​It only deepened when I visited Chopin’s home in Żelazowa Wola, Poland and stood at his gravesite in Pere-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

And just last week, while recording the Polonaise-Fantasie, I realized that I understand Chopin now in a way I simply couldn’t when I was younger.

The more space I give his music, the more it reveals.

Really doing justice to Chopin isn’t about nailing the virtuoso passages. It’s about adding the breath and timing that supports his musical line.

Tomorrow, in celebration of Chopin’s birthday week, I’ll open something for pianists who feel that same pull.

More tomorrow... ​
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​Play On,
Lisa Spector
Piano Practice Strategist
Founder, Piano Ninja Tricksters Club
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​PS I’ll be sending a few emails this week about The Chopin Refinement Collection. If that’s not your thing, you can opt out here and continue receiving everything else.