The Polonaise Fantaisie in A-flat major, Op. 61, from Frédéric Chopin, dedicated to Mme A. Veyret, was written and published in 1846. This work was slow to gain favor with musicians, due to its harmonic complexity and intricate form.
Chopin’s Prelude in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 45 (sometimes listed as Prelude No. 25), was composed in 1841. It was dedicated to Princess E. Czernicheff (Elisaweta Tschernyschewa).
Known as Étude Revolutionary, Chopin Étude Op 10, No 12 in C minor is dedicated “à son ami Franz Liszt” (“to his friend Franz Liszt”). The 12th Étude appeared around the same time as the November Uprising in 1831 and its first chord sounds like a gunshot.
In 1834, Frédéric Chopin wrote an Andante Spianato in G Major, for piano solo, which he added to the start of the Grande Polonaise Brillante in E-Flat Major and joined the two parts with a fanfare-like sequence.
Mazurka Op. 59 No. 1 in A Minor is the opening piece of Mazurkas Op. 59, a set of three Mazurkas for solo piano by Frédéric Chopin. The set was composed and published in 1845.
Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23, dates to sketches Chopin made in 1831 during his eight-month stay in Vienna. It was completed in 1835 after his move to Paris.
The third Prelude, in G major, returns to volatility. It belongs to the category of ‘etudal’ preludes, characterised by a quick tempo, lightness and mobility. It develops a single textural idea.
Chopin’s 24 Preludes Op. 28, are a set of short pieces for the piano, one in each of the twenty-four keys, originally published in 1839. Chopin’s Prelude No 16 in B-Flat Minor, Presto con fuoco, is certainly the most difficult of the set.
The Piano Concerto No. 2 was composed by Frédéric Chopin in 1829. Chopin wrote the piece before he had finished his formal education, at around 20 years of age. It was first performed on 17 March 1830, in Warsaw, Poland, with the composer as soloist.
