Chopin's genres: a medici.tv 10-minute guide

Among history's most celebrated composers, Frédéric Chopin is unique: with no symphonies or operas to his name, his output consists entirely of works for the piano, either as part of an ensemble or (most often) all alone. The "poet of the piano" remains so beloved, then, because he wrote so brilliantly for his instrument, and because he lent his singular voice to a wide variety of styles with which he remains intimately associated. Join pianist and music educator Ben Laude, who is onsite at the 2025 International Chopin Piano Competition and who maintains a popular YouTube channel @benlaudy, as he tells us more about Chopin's piano solo jewels — the Nocturnes, Études, Preludes, Polonaises, Mazurkas, Waltzes, and more — as well as the two virtuosic concertos, all of which continue to beguile and move performers and audiences two centuries after their creation. (Check out Ben's deeper dive into the two Piano Concertos here!)