Fred was born in 1810 in a Warsaw suburb to a French father and a Polish mother. The family had musical talent, but Fred was in a whole other league. In 1817, at the age of 7, he wrote his first piece. There is a bit of the Chopin we later come to know and admire, but also a bit of Mozart, Beethoven, Hummel and Field in this miniature. Pretty impressive for a kid.
Having written one polonaise at age 7, Fred wrote another. Again, its not deep, but its astonishing that a child could produce this.
By the time he was 11, Fred played before Tsar Alexander of Russia who was in town to open the Polish Parliament. A year later in 1822 he wrote this little polonaise, which is a quantum leap from his two earlier pieces. Listen to the piano pyrotechnics! How many 12 year olds could play this, much less compose this? There is a lot of the mature Chopin in this little piece.
Good choice, Maestro...and friend! :)