The works of Frédéric Chopin have always been part of Emanuel Ax’s life as a concert pianist. Ax’s lyrical, well-rounded sonority, his wonderfully articulated touch, and his incredible knack for creating emotional arcs make him the ideal interpreter for Chopin’s sensual music, which often sounds improvised but is painstakingly thought out in every detail. In Düsseldorf, for his 12th appearance at the Ruhr Piano Festival, Emanuel Ax will play works from the last decade of the French-Polish composer’s life; dreamy nocturnes, rousing mazurkas, the virtuosic Polonaise-Fantaisie, the passionate Third Piano Sonata, and other works that invite us to rediscover the genius of Chopin in full bloom.