A film by Jeff Buchanan
“When he plays it is as if the keys of the piano were brushed by the wings of angels.”
George Sand
Author of ‘Winter in Majorca’
Composer Frédéric Chopin and authoress George Sand stayed on the beautiful Balearic island of Majorca during the winter of 1838. At this time, Chopin and Sand had only been lovers for a few months but tongues were already wagging about their liaison. Keen to escape the gossip and Paris in the wintertime, Sand believed the climate on Majorca would benefit both her son Maurice’s lung problems and Chopin’s health (he had been diagnosed with TB).
Frédéric Chopin: Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23 (Cédric Tiberghien, piano)
The lovers rented a cell in the Carthusian monastery at Valldemossa, a pretty town in the mountains above Palma, with beautiful, dramatic views across the countryside below. But neither the place nor the weather lived up to expectations: the local people were shocked by the free-thinking, free-spirited couple and were extremely hostile towards them, while torrential rain and cold seriously exacerbated Chopin’s health problems.
Yet despite this, and a “pitiful piano”, Chopin wrote some of his finest music while staying in Valldemossa, including most of his Preludes, Opus 28, of which the Raindrop Prelude is said to be inspired by the sound of the rain falling on the roof of their lodgings.
Frédéric Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28 – No. 15 in D-Flat Major, “Raindrop” (Maurizio Pollini, piano)
Island of Majorca
George Sand’s memoir ‘Winter in Majorca’ documents the couple’s stay, and now the true story of the lovers’ time in Valldemossa is being brought to life in an ambitious film by award-winning American writer, director and producer Jeff Buchanan.
Buchanan is inviting Chopin lovers around the world to be part of this project by lending their support via a crowdfunding campaign. A long-time Chopin lover, Buchanan has spent years carefully researching and reconstructing the three months composer Frederic Chopin spent on the island of Majorca with George Sand. The film will transport viewers to the beautiful island of Majorca and will create the perfect blend of visuals and music, as the passionate story of Chopin and Sand unfolds against the dramatic backdrop of Valldemossa.
Frédéric Chopin: 24 Preludes, Op. 28 – No. 7 in A Major (Maurizio Pollini, piano)
The crowdsourcing campaign will run for 30 days from 1st February. To find out more about the project, visit https://winterinmajorca.com/
Music score of Chopin’s Raindrop Prelude
“I want to tell this story in a manner that his admirers would appreciate…. Therefore, we are taking the project to Chopin lovers everywhere in a strategic crowdsourcing adventure. In this manner I/we are free to craft a film that authentically tells the story and pays proper attention to the music”. – Jeff Buchanan
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