Keys Master

For every shade of every mood you’ve ever had, there’s a piano piece by Frédéric Chopin that perfectly captures it. Some people know the great Polish miniaturist only for his nocturnes and waltzes, pretty pieces made for entertaining polite society in drawing rooms. However, the composer also wrote polonaises and scherzos that are nerve-wracking and shattering in their dramatic power. He also did much to raise the étude (a technical study originally intended solely for practice) to an artform, a piece of music worthy of being played in public. His music is triumphant, crushing, elegant, raw, fiery, lyrical, coruscating, enigmatic, occasionally ugly but far more often beautiful.

You can hear all of his different sides at the Cliburn festival, where various pianists (many of them previously contestants at the Van Cliburn Competition) will play great swatches of the composer’s piano music, including the famous Polonaise in A-flat major, the wondrously light Fourth Scherzo, the complete Op. 24 preludes, the rarely heard Piano Trio, and both piano concertos, backed by the Amphion String Quartet. Fort Worth hasn’t seen a classical music retrospective this ambitious since FWSO performed all of Beethoven’s symphonies a few years back, so be sure to take in at least some of this blockbuster event.

The Cliburn festival runs Thu-Sat at Kimbell Art Museum, 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd, FW. Tickets are $35-300. Call 817-332-8451.