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While an established leader in a new generation of American Pianism, pianist Eric Zuber looks back at the early piano repertoire of Frédéric Chopin in his debut CD. 

In late 2022, the international award-winning pianist and assistant professor of piano at Michigan State University released The Young Chopin on Azica Records. The 76-minute album consists of three pieces recorded with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra led by Wilbur Lin, including Variations on ‘Là ci darem la mano from Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Op.2; Andante spianato and Grande polonaise brillante, Op. 22; and Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in e minor, Op. 11. 

“I thought it would be interesting to explore some of the repertoire that Chopin composed as a very young man,” said Zuber, “the time when he was flexing his pianistic muscles, so-to-speak, and before he retreated to a life of mainly composition and teaching,” 

Zuber began teaching in East Lansing in fall of 2022 and is the newest member of the piano faculty in the MSU College of Music. He said Chopin’s early compositions are tremendously difficult from a technical perspective.

“Yet there’s a simplicity and honesty that transports the listener back in time,” he said, “perhaps conjuring memories of a youthful romance, or a blissful time in one’s life. Chopin himself wrote that he hoped that the middle movement of his first piano concerto would ‘give the impression of someone looking gently toward a spot that calls to mind a thousand happy memories.’ That, to me, is a large part why this music has been cherished by audiences for nearly 200 years.”

Zuber has been hailed as an “irresistibly fluid” and “illuminating” pianist by the New York Times and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He’s been the recipient of major prizes from 12 of the world’s most prestigious international piano competitions. He was named a laureate of the American Pianists Association Classical Fellowship Awards, a gold medalist in the Hilton Head and Bösendorfer International Piano Competitions, and was awarded the Arthur Rubenstein Prize by the Juilliard School.

Zuber made his piano debut at the age of 12 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and has performed with many major orchestras in the United State and abroad. In addition to a busy solo and collaborative career, Zuber is dedicated to helping the next generation of aspiring artists. He has taught at multiple universities and joined the faculty for various international festivals. Zuber holds degrees from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the Juilliard School. 

“I am looking forward to having more opportunities to work on other exciting projects at MSU,” he said. “It is wonderful to be here, and I have truly appreciated everyone’s kind words and support with this recording as well as future endeavors.”

The Young Chopin was released in late 2022 on Azica Records. More information and purchase options.