Alfred Cortot (piano) - Impromptu No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 29 (Chopin) (1933)

Alfred Cortot plays Chopin's Impromptu No. 1 in A flat, recorded in No. 3 Studio, Abbey Road, on 5 July 1933.

From Wikipedia: Alfred Denis Cortot (26 September 1877 – 15 June 1962) was a French pianist, conductor, and teacher who was one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century...

Cortot was born in Nyon, Vaud, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, to a French father and a Swiss mother... He studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Émile Decombes (a student of Frédéric Chopin), and with Louis Diémer, taking a premier prix in 1896. He made his debut at the Concerts Colonne in 1897, playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3.

Between 1898 and 1901 he was a choral coach and subsequently an assistant conductor at the Bayreuth Festival...

In 1905, Cortot formed a trio with Jacques Thibaud and Pablo Casals, which established itself as the leading piano trio of its era. In 1907, he was appointed Professor by Gabriel Fauré at the Conservatoire de Paris, replacing Raoul Pugno. He continued to teach at the Paris Conservatoire until 1923...

In 1919, Cortot founded the École Normale de Musique de Paris. His courses in musical interpretation were legendary...

As a leading musical figure, Cortot traveled for many international music events. The French government sponsored two promotional tours to the United States and one to the Soviet Union in 1920. He conducted several orchestras and was often called upon to provide piano accompaniment for touring artists when in Paris. He was involved in music until his health failed, and taught master classes in piano in his advanced years.

During World War II, he accepted the position of Haut-Commissaire ('High Commissioner') for arts in the Vichy government and served twice (1941 and 1942) as a member of the Vichy's Conseil National ('National Council'). However, before this he took a strong stance in defending the French music tradition with the Beaux Arts administration (Fine Arts) supporting soldiers with music. Cortot had to leave this position after Pétain's appointment and exerted his energy instead into writing reports about cultural propaganda and defending French musical styles...

Cortot died on 15 June 1962, aged 84, of uremia from kidney failure in Lausanne, Switzerland

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