The Chopin Connection Vol. I – Charlotte de Rothschild and Frédéric Chopin

In the wake of marking its 50th anniversary, CRD is thrilled to announce the release of  the first instalment of The Chopin Connection, a landmark two-volume collection that champions the recontextualisation of celebrated works whilst moving away from technical sterility. Aligning closely with CRD’s roots, the release continues over half a century of independent artistic exploration and the label’s commitment to restoring sidelined musical narratives.A Living Lineage and Restoring the Rothschild SalonAt the heart of this recording is an extraordinary teacher-pupil connection that descends directly from Frédéric Chopin to pianist Inbar Rothschild. This musical ancestry was forged through Rothschild’s mentor, the renowned Israeli pianist Pnina Salzman, who was herself a disciple of the legendary Alfred Cortot. Cortot, taught by the direct pupils of Chopin, dedicated his life to preserving the composer’s unique poetic spirit. rawing on her acclaimed PhD research at the Royal Academy of Music, Rothschild utilizes Cortot’s exclusive study editions to revive an intangible spirit of performance—one that prioritises metaphors and imagery to transport us to the vibrant mid-19th-century Parisian salon of the Rothschild family, a creative epicentre that supported many great artists, including Frédéric Chopin.This first volume sets in motion a vital act of historical restoration in returning to the work of Charlotte de Rothschild (1825–1899). A gifted composer central to Chopin’s world, her voice has long been obscured; notably, her C Minor Nocturne and A Minor Waltz were misattributed to Chopin himself for over 70 years.The collection meanwhile spotlights an earlier draft of Chopin’s Mazurka in A minor, Op. 67, No. 4, discovered in the Rothschild Livre d’Or, and places this alongside the monumental masterworks Chopin dedicated to Charlotte, such as the Ballade No. 4 in F Minor—a work Alfred Cortot described as possessing the “greatest wealth of musical substance”.By pairing these rare discoveries with pillars of the piano repertoire, we invite listeners to (re)experience Chopin and celebrate with us the enduring power of musical partnerships, past and present, and the ability of music to reach into the human soul.The Chopin Connection, Vol. II, focusing on the works of Mathilde de Rothschild, is scheduled for release in September 2027.