Chopin lovers can’t meet their hero, but this pianist got to do the next best thing

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The winner of the 2nd Frederic Chopin Competition on Period Instruments all but traveled through time to commune with the Romantic-era piano virtuoso and composer on the day marked as his birthday. Eric Guo gave one concert on a 19th century instrument in Chopin’s birthplace, and another, in Warsaw,  using an instrument that once belonged to the composer. The 21-year-old Canadian said pianos of the period, which were lighter-built and softer than modern instruments, reveal subtleties in the music that can be lost when performing on modern pianos.