Austrian pianist Aaron Pilsan tackles Chopin’s Complete Études — Op. 10, Op. 25, and the three posthumous Trois Nouvelles Études — in a recording he describes, alongside his earlier Bach Well-Tempered Clavier project, as a lifelong dream. A complete musical journey in which, as with Bach, each piece carries its own distinct character while belonging to a larger architectural whole.
In a wide-ranging conversation with Kevin Kleinmann included in the booklet, Pilsan traces the arc from Op. 10’s direct, almost explosive virtuosity through Op. 25’s more introspective, melancholic terrain to the posthumous études’ cerebral focus on 3-against-4 polyrhythm — arguing throughout that technical mastery exists only to free the music’s deeper poetic and harmonic content.
Pilsan also draws a striking line from his own deep engagement with Bach to Chopin, hearing in the Études the same layered polyphony and left-hand architectural foundation, and contrasts Chopin’s introverted, intimate temperament with Liszt’s extroverted, rock-star virtuosity. Recorded at the Beethoven Haus in Bonn, and recorded in published order to preserve the cycle’s tonal and emotional arc, the album is dedicated to Pilsan’s teacher, Karl-Heinz Kämmerling.
Aaron Pilsan, Piano
Tracklist
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Additional information
| Label | |
|---|---|
| SKU | ALPHA1270 |
| Qualities | DSD 128, DSD 64, DSD 256, DXD 24 Bit, WAV 96 kHz, FLAC 192 kHz |
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| Recording Location | Beethoven Haus, Bonn, Germany |
| Recording Engineer | Franck Jaffrès |
| Producer | Franck Jaffrès |
| Release Date | September 25, 2026 |
Press reviews
The Classic Review
Following his recording of both books of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Aaron Pilsan returns to the Alpha label with another complete set: Chopin’s Études.
It has been a while since I’ve heard the first Op. 10 Étude played with such harmonic sensitivity and exquisite tone coloring as we get in this new performance. Yet as a complete cycle, these are not quite as exciting as the reference performances by Perahia, Pollini, or Zayas, nor do they fully match the recent thrilling accounts by Lim, Chochieva, and Rana.
Some of the Études are intentionally lighter and more transparent than we usually hear—such as Op. 10 No. 6 and the “Revolutionary” (Op. 10 No. 12)—while in other slower Études, I wished Pilsan had taken more time to let the music breathe.
He has a keen ear for inner voices, however. He highlights fascinating details in Chopin’s counterpoint, most notably in Op. 25 No. 5, and demonstrates highly skillful, nuanced pedal work in the notoriously difficult thirds Étude (Op. 25 No. 6).
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