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Frédéric Chopin Barcarolle Op. 60 in F-sharp major

zygis — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:35:53 +0000

The Barcarolle in F sharp major, Op. 60 is a piece for solo piano by Frédéric Chopin, composed from the autumn of 1845 to the summer of 1846. Written in the barcarolle form, it features a sweepingly romantic and slightly wistful tone. Most of the technical figures for the right hand are thirds and sixths, while the left features some very long reaches over an octave.

Barcarolle literally means boat song. Its origin lies in the traditional Venetian gondola song.

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By Krystian Zimerman

By Rafał Blechacz

By Dang Thai Son

Barcarolle Op. 60 in F-sharp major sheet music

Frédric Chopin Mazurka Op. 56 No. 3 in C minor

zygis — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:07:13 +0000

By Rafał Blechacz

By Arthur Rubinstein

Mazurka Op. 56 No. 3 in C minor sheet music

Frédric Chopin Mazurka Op. 56 No. 2 in C major

zygis — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:55:47 +0000

By Rafał Blechacz

By Arthur Rubinstein

Mazurka Op. 56 No. 2 in C major sheet music

Frédric Chopin Mazurka Op. 56 No. 1 in B major

zygis — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:46:15 +0000

By Rafał Blechacz

By Arthur Rubinstein

Mazurka Op. 56 No. 1 in B major sheet music

Frédric Chopin Mazurka Op. 17 No. 1 in B flat major

zygis — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:49:45 +0000

By Rafał Blechacz

By Arthur Rubinstein

Mazurka Op. 17 No. 1 in B flat major sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Polonaise Op. 53 A flat major

zygis — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 14:39:04 +0000

The Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53 or (French: Polonaise héroïque, Heroic Polonaise) for solo piano was written by Frédéric Chopin in 1842. This masterpiece is one of Chopin’s most popular compositions and has always been a favorite of the classical piano repertoire. The piece requires exceptional pianistic skills and requires virtuosity in order to be played at an appropriate level of quality. It is also sometimes referred to as the Drum Polonaise.

Although the piece is labeled as a polonaise, it has little to do with the typical polonaise style. It presents two sections with a polonaise rhythm, but most of it has no particular polonaise attribute. It has been said that Chopin had composed the piece having a free and powerful Poland in mind, which may have led him to label it as a polonaise.

Another possibility is that the Heroic Polonaise is closely related to the Polonaise in A major, Op.40, No. 1, known as the Military Polonaise, which, unlike the Heroic, is a true polonaise.

The tempo of the piece is Alla polacca e maestoso (”like a polonaise and majestic”). The form is ternary (A-B-A), with a 30-second introduction.

The piece has a grand introduction with fast ascending chromatic notes in both hands, setting the mood of the piece. It shows the heroic side of Chopin’s art.The first theme is a dance-like theme and is in the tonic key of A-flat major. It is the familiar part of the piece, and has the left hand moving in pounding octaves. The theme is repeated up an octave with short trills that fill some of the auditory gaps in the theme. There is a brief interlude with a series of chord progressions that lead into a recount of the traditional polonaise melody, with the polonaise rhythm employed in the left-hand accompaniment. The theme of Section A then repeats once before closing. Section B opens with six loud arpeggiando chords before switching to a very soft bass ostinato of descending octaves first in the key of E major and then in E-flat major. A march-like melody follows the descending octaves and this occurs twice. Section B ends, with a long lyrical interlude firstly with harmonic chord progressions and frequent modulations. A flowing sixteenth note melody in the right hand and light accompaniment in quavers (eighth notes). This ends in a descending passage before Section A is replayed. The theme is played louder and more dramatically and ends in a coda which includes material derived from the main theme.

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By Rafał Blechacz

By Martha Argerich

By Lazar Berman

By Emil Gilels

Polonaise Op. 53 A flat major sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 45 C sharp minor

zygis — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:11:48 +0000

The prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 45 (sometimes listed as Prelude No. 25), was composed in 1841. It was dedicated to Princess E. Czernicheff, and contains widely extending basses and highly expressive and effective chromatic modulations over a rather uniform thematic basis.

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By Ivo Pogorelić

By Alessandro Drago

By Fou Ts’ong

By Rafał Blechacz

Prélude Op. 45 C sharp minor sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 24 D minor

zygis — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:50:15 +0000

The long last Prelude of the set, No. 24 opens with a thundering five-note pattern in the left hand. Throughout the piece, the left hand continues this pattern as the right hand plays a powerful melody punctuated by trills, scales (including a rapid descending chromatic scale in thirds), and arpeggios. The piece closes with three booming unaccompanied notes- the lowest D on the piano.

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By Alexander Kobrin

By Rafał Blechacz

Ivo Pogorelić

Prélude Op. 28 No. 24 D minor sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 23 F major

zygis — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:38:39 +0000

Prelude No. 23 is spacious and melodic in the left hand, with running semiquavers throughout in the right.

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By Alexander Kobrin

By Rafał Blechacz

By Ivo Pogorelić

Prélude Op. 28 No. 23 F major sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 22 G minor

zygis — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:19:05 +0000

Prelude No. 22, molto agitato, is in 6/8 time; it begins with a characteristic dotted rhythm (quaver, dotted quaver, semiquaver) that Scriabin was later to make his own, in his early preludes that are perhaps the most important to emulate this genre of Chopin’s.

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By Alexander Kobrin

By Rafał Blechacz

By Ivo Pogorelić

Prélude Op. 28 No. 22 G minor sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 21 B flat major

zygis — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:13:45 +0000

Prelude No. 21 is marked cantabile, and features an easy melody in the right hand; the left has continuous doubled quavers characterised by chromatic movement, taken up by the right hand also in the latter half of the piece.

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By Alexander Kobrin

By Rafał Blechacz

By Ivo Pogorelić

Prélude Op. 28 No. 21 B flat major sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 20 C minor

zygis — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:59:52 +0000

Prelude No. 20 is short but quite famous, with slow majestic crotchet chords in the right hand predominating, against crotchet octaves in the left. It was originally written in two sections of four measures, although Chopin later added a repeat of the last four measures at a softer level, with an expressive swell before the final cadence.

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By Alexander Kobrin

By Rafał Blechacz

Prélude Op. 28 No. 20 C minor sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 19 E flat major

zygis — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:45:54 +0000

Prelude No. 19, vivace, consists of widely spaced continuous triplet-quaver movement in both hands.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

By Alexander Kobrin

By Rafał Blechacz

Prélude Op. 28 No. 19 E flat major sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 18 F minor

zygis — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:39:57 +0000

The irregular Prelude No. 18 is suggestive of a mortal struggle. The technical challenges lie chiefly in the irregular timing of the three runs, each faster than its predecessor, played simultaneously by each hand one octave apart. A fortissimo five-octave arpeggio echoes downward into the depths of the bass registers, where the final struggle takes place and culminates with the double-fortissimo chord finale.

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By Alexander Kobrin

By Rafał Blechacz

Prélude Op. 28 No. 18 F minor sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 17 A flat major

zygis — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:32:05 +0000

Prelude No. 17 is one of the longest and the favourite of many musicians, including Clara Schumann. Mendelssohn wrote of it “I love it! I cannot tell you how much or why; except perhaps that it is something which I could never at all have written.”

By Antti Siirala

By Alexander Kobrin

By Rafał Blechacz

Prélude Op. 28 No. 17 A flat major sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 15 D flat major

zygis — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:48:58 +0000

Prelude No. 15 in D flat, nicknamed the “Raindrop” Prelude, is the longest of the twenty-four. The main melody is repeated three times; it is melancholy, despite its major key. The middle section is much darker; the melody moves to the bass and the right hand mostly repeats G sharp (enharmonically equivalent to the repeated A flat of the opening section), first alone and then in octaves. The mood becomes more agitated with the melody’s return to the right hand and an increase in volume, with many large chords. After this the melody and texture of the first section return briefly, leading to a restful ending.

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By Alexander Kobrin

By Maurizio Pollini

By Rafał Blechacz

By Vladimir Horowitz

Prélude Op. 28 No. 15 D flat major sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 14 E flat minor

zygis — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:35:28 +0000

Prelude No. 14 recalls Prelude No. 1 in its shortness and textural uniformity.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

By Alexander Kobrin

By Rafał Blechacz

Prélude Op. 28 No. 14 E flat minor sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 13 F sharp major

zygis — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:27:17 +0000

Prelude No. 13, lento, is long and has continuous single-note quaver movement in the left hand, with chords and melody in the right.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

By Alexander Kobrin

By Rafał Blechacz

Prélude Op. 28 No. 13 F sharp major sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 12 G sharp minor

zygis — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:19:26 +0000

Prelude No. 12 presents a technical challenge with its rapid hold-and-release of quavers against crotchets in the right hand, involving much chromatic movement.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

By Alexander Kobrin

By Rafał Blechacz

Prélude Op. 28 No. 12 G sharp minor sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 11 B major

zygis — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:02:07 +0000

Prelude No. 11 is in 6/8 time and is similarly brisk, with continuous quavers.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

By Alexander Kobrin

By Rafał Blechacz

Prélude Op. 28 No. 11 B major sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 10 C sharp minor

zygis — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:32:58 +0000

Prelude No. 10, molto allegro, is short and light, with alternating triplet and non-triplet semiquavers in the right hand, over arpeggiato chords in the left.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

By Alexander Kobrin

By Rafał Blechacz

Prélude Op. 28 No. 10 C sharp minor sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 9 E major

zygis — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:20:42 +0000

Prelude No. 9 is a harmonically dense piece with a low “plodding” bass line.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

By Alexander Kobrin

Rafał Blechacz

Prélude Op. 28 No. 9 E major sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 8 F sharp minor

zygis — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:11:47 +0000

Prelude No. 8, molto agitato, is considered one of the most difficult in the set, featuring continuous demisemiquaver figuration in the right hand, with contrasting semiquaver triplets (alternating with quavers) in the left hand.

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By Alexander Kobrin

By Rafał Blechacz

Prélude Op. 28 No. 8 F sharp minor sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 7 A major

zygis — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:21:39 +0000

Prelude No. 7 is written in the style of a mazurka, in 3/4 time.

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By Alexander Kobrin

By Rafał Blechacz

Prélude Op. 28 No. 7 A major sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 6 B minor

zygis — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:16:01 +0000

By Alexander Kobrin

By Rafał Blechacz

Prélude Op. 28 No. 6 B minor sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 5 D major

zygis — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:04:09 +0000

By Alexander Kobrin

By Rafał Blechacz

Prélude Op. 28 No. 5 D major sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 4 E minor

zygis — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:45:32 +0000

Prelude No. 4 is one of the most famous pieces Chopin wrote. It was played at his funeral and is relatively easy, with a slow melody in the right hand and repeated block chords in the left hand.

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By Tzvi Erez

By Rafał Blechacz

Prélude Op. 28 No. 4 E minor sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 3 G major

zygis — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:30:43 +0000

Prelude No. 3 is marked vivace, and has a running semiquaver bass part throughout.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

By Rafał Blechacz

Prélude Op. 28 No. 3 G major sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 2 A minor

zygis — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:22:55 +0000

Prelude No. 2 is an immediate contrast, with a slow melody over a fixed accompaniment of four-note chords played two quaver notes at a time.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

By Rafał Blechacz

By Alexander Kobrin

Prélude Op. 28 No. 2 A minor sheet music

Frédéric Chopin Prélude Op. 28 No. 1 C major

zygis — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:06:43 +0000

Prelude No. 1 marked agitato, is short and uniform with its triplet-semiquaver figuration.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

By Rafał Blechacz

By Alexander Kobrin

Prélude Op. 28 No. 1 C major sheet music