Warsaw · Śródmieście
A pianist plays for no more than 42 guests in a salon styled after interwar Warsaw.
A pianist, a portrait of Chopin made with photographs by Tomasz Sikora, a glass of white wine with a sweet surprise at the end.
Why a salon
In Paris Chopin gave only 30 public performances in his later career, favouring the salon, a more intimate setting, and he liked to play in his own apartment for small groups of friends. A salon concert is closer to that scale than a hall.
The organiser limits each concert to 42 guests and furnishes the room like a living room, with chairs and furniture resembling Chopin's favourite performing spaces. The audience sits close to the pianist.
Each concert adds an artistic show of Chopin's portrait with photographs by Tomasz Sikora, a glass of white wine with a sweet surprise at the end. It is a salon evening with a small ritual attached.
Chopin's forms
The organiser describes concerts of Chopin's music played by a pianist, sometimes with another musician. These are the forms he is best known for, with facts from reference sources.
Nocturne
21 written between 1827 and 1846
Chopin built on the nocturne form developed by the Irish composer John Field, whom he greatly admired. Wikipedia describes a song-like melody in the right hand and a more freely flowing rhythm. The Op. 9 No. 2 in E-flat major is perhaps among the most enduringly popular.
Mazurka
at least 58 written between 1824 and 1849
Chopin derived the mazurka from one of the traditional Polish dances. Reference sources describe the results as stylised, self-contained dance pieces, and they point to the national music he heard in towns such as Warsaw as the likely source of their Polish colour.
Waltz
as many as 35, eight published in his lifetime
Chopin's waltzes differ from earlier Viennese waltzes in not being intended for dancing. The Op. 64 No. 1 carries Chopin's own title Valse du petit chien and is popularly known as the Minute Waltz.
Polonaise
at least 23 for solo piano
Wikipedia dates his first polonaise to 1817, when he was 7, and his last, the Polonaise-Fantaisie, to 1846. The Op. 40 No. 1 is known as the Military Polonaise and the Op. 53 as the Heroic.
Étude
27 studies in all
There are two sets of 12, Op. 10 and Op. 25, and three more without an opus number. They were the first studies to become a regular part of the concert repertoire, combining musical substance with technical challenge.
Beyond Chopin
varies by night
A Polish ticket site says Chopin's compositions are interwoven with works by other distinguished composers, and that some concerts add singing, violin or cello. It names no pieces for any night.
Who plays and what is played differ by date. Treat each form as a guide to the music, not a promise of a piece.
The room
The organiser places the salon directly opposite the National Museum in the central district.
The concert takes place in a living-room-style venue, with chairs and furniture resembling the spaces Chopin liked to play in. The interior is styled after interwar Warsaw, and the organiser says the retro, pre-war look is intentional.
The organiser accepts no more than 42 guests for each concert. Standard seats are in the rows behind the VIP block, and VIP seats are in the front rows.
The main building of the National Museum was designed by Tadeusz Tołwiński in a modernist style, developed between 1927 and 1938 and opened on 18 June 1938. Its address is Aleje Jerozolimskie 3.
Early arrivals can wait in the restaurant downstairs. To reserve a table there, contact the organiser first.
Two seat types
| Seat | What the organiser says | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| VIP | The front rows, recommended if you want to be sure of the front and see everything. | Anyone who wants the best view of the pianist and the portrait show. |
| Standard | Seats in the remaining rows, behind the VIP rows. | Guests who care most about the sound and the wine. |
| Every ticket | A glass of white wine with a sweet surprise, in a room of no more than 42. | Everyone; the ticket lists nothing more. |
Warsaw, pianos and portraits
Photographs of Chopin's Warsaw and of piano rooms. None shows the inside of the Chopin Salon, and each caption says what it is.
The concert
One concert, one ticket. Choose a date in the calendar and it shows each seat type with the start time.
A one-hour piano concert in a living-room-style salon opposite the National Museum, limited to 42 guests. The ticket lists a glass of white wine with a sweet surprise, and you choose Standard or VIP seats.
Check dates and seats ↗More evenings to book in Warsaw
Before you go
The salon, Chopin and Warsaw: guides
Booking, seats, what the ticket includes How to book the Chopin Salon concert in Warsaw: what the ticket includes, Standard versus VIP seats, who plays, the wine and who it suits.
Read this guide → The hour, the room, the music What a Chopin evening at Chopin Salon in Warsaw is like: the room, the hour, the wine, the portrait show, the seats and who should skip it.
Read this guide →FAQ
No. The organiser describes a living-room-style salon with chairs and furniture resembling the spaces Chopin liked to play in, for no more than 42 guests per concert.
About one hour. Start times are set date by date in the calendar, so read yours before booking dinner.
A glass of white wine with a sweet surprise at each concert. A meal, a second drink and transport do not come with the ticket.
A pianist, sometimes accompanied by another musician. The player and the programme change by night, and no piece is promised for a given date.
Each concert includes an artistic show of Chopin's portrait with photographs by Tomasz Sikora, which accompanies the music.
VIP seats are the front rows, and the organiser advises VIP if you want to be sure of the front and see everything. Standard seats are in the remaining rows.
The ticket lists children under 6 and wheelchair users as not suitable. For children above that age, the test is whether they can sit quietly through an hour of piano.
If you cancel at least 24 hours ahead, the GetYourGuide fare is returned in full. The organiser's own terms are separate.
No. This is an independent guide. The concert is run by the organiser, and you book and pay through GetYourGuide.
Prices are quoted in US dollars for one guest. The calendar converts the fare to your own currency.