By Nestor CASTIGLIONE

People whose only knowledge of music is rooted in the expectations of pop culture may often find themselves scratching their heads as to why so many classical musicians perform the works of the greats time and again. One can attempt a “breakdown” as to how this works. But perhaps it’s best to simply paraphrase George Mallory: “Because they’re there.”

Chopin’s “24 Preludes, Op. 28” represents just one of the many towering peaks along the grand, sometimes forbidding, mountain range that forms the pianistic canon – and pianist Brendan White has resolved to add his name to those that have scaled its heights.

An alumnus of the Eastman and USC Thornton Schools of Music who has collaborated with such contemporary notables as Thomas Adès, Steven Stucky, and Jeffrey Milarsky, White will be performing Chopin’s set of kaleidoscopic miniatures at the Glendale Noon Concerts series on Wednesday, April 5. In anticipation of the recital, White was kind to sit for an interview with the Crescenta Valley Weekly earlier this week.

CV: Chopin’s 24 Preludes is a work that, either complete or in selections, has been one of the most often performed and recorded in the pianistic canon. What is it about these miniatures that have attracted the attentions of so many pianists?

BW: A big part of the set’s popularity is probably based on its sheer variety. Not only are there 24 completely different moods or attitudes but, crucially, there is an enormous range in difficulty, from very simple to extremely complicated. I ran into my first of these preludes as a child combing through the book of “Chopin’s Easiest Piano Pieces” that we had around the house growing up. Though some of the Preludes require real virtuoso craftsmanship, there are others that can be played in a pianist’s first years of study. So for the amateur pianist interested in Chopin, here are several of his most beautiful works, accessible without too much blood, sweat and tears. And then for those of us who want to tackle the whole set, there are even more rewards in store. There is no other set of music I know of that packs so much energy and spirit into such small, easily digestible packages.

The Preludes highlight one of Chopin’s best traits: Drawing you in to a place you don’t want to leave, but stopping before you’ve had too much. He always leaves you wanting more, though it seems impossible that there could be more to say.

CV: Though this detail is often forgotten, Chopin’s 24 Preludes aren’t exactly unprecedented. Similar collections of stand-alone preludes for piano by Hummel and Kessler (to whom the Polish composer’s set is dedicated) preceded Chopin’s. What outstanding quality did this work exhibit against the backdrop of its time and place?

BW: I suppose I could make a sweeping statement that Hummel and Kessler’s works were very much of their time, while Chopin’s Preludes are timeless, but that’s hard to really prove or quantify. Chopin might have gotten the idea for setting the preludes around the circle of fifths from Kessler, but I would put money on the bigger, deeper inspiration coming from Bach’s Preludes and Fugues. I have read that he knew all 48 preludes and fugues by heart, and when preparing to play his own music, he would lock himself in a room for hours and just play Bach. Interestingly, Chopin’s music never really sounds anything like Bach, but there is something about their shared knowledge of harmony and counterpoint that gives their music a very natural feeling of complete mastery. Meanwhile, Robert Schumann once described Kessler as “merely capable” as a composer. Ouch.

CV: Do you see this work as a cohesive entity or do you regard each prelude as a world unto itself, so to speak?

BW: It is a testament to the quality of the set that each Prelude stands beautifully on its own, but can also be played as an extremely effective set. But at the end of the day, I view them as a large set. Maybe it’s like a set of poems that I like to read in sequence, each functioning as a response to the last one.

CV: What does this particular opus mean or represent to you personally? What does Chopin’s work in general mean to you?

BW: It’s hard to forget the Martha Argerich quote: “If I don’t play Chopin every day I don’t feel like a pianist.” Or something like that. I have not really felt that way for much of my life. I know there have been years that I’ve gone without really playing any Chopin, but he’s been calling my name for a while. And when I had the chance to do a program that was just over half an hour, I felt that I had to seize this opportunity to dive in to the music and see what I could find. And it has meant much more than just playing these 40-something pages of music because there is so much to learn from him about technique, harmony, balance; every detail is so rich with knowledge and experience and feeling. It’s very humbling.

This man knew his craft as well as anyone ever has, but imparted so much of himself into the music that it’s like he chipped off bits of his soul as gifts to us. That combination of skill and soul is what we’re all after, I think, and I consider myself extremely lucky that I get the opportunity to discover new parts of myself through his work, and feel so close to someone that I never physically met.

Brendan White will be performing Chopin’s “Preludes, Op. 28” at the sanctuary of Glendale City Church (610 E. California Ave., corner of Isabel Street) on Wednesday, April 5 at 12:10 p.m. Admission is free. For more information visit http://glendalenoonconcerts.blogspot.com/ or call (818) 244-7241.

  Nestor CASTIGLIONE