
Chopin's famous 24 Préludes Op.28, in each key in the circle of the 5:th, inspired by Bach's Preludes were at the time of publication something that many musicians proved sceptical to. "Préludes to what?" And still, these wonderful short miracles leave much to wonder about. Are they constructed to demonstrate a certain musical style, as with the Etudes focusing on a technical difficulty, or is the intention to use the preludes as a kind of a glossary of introductions to other works? Or maybe they should be performed in order, preceding only each other. Chopin left this great mystery to be figured out by ourselves. Or is it really possible that there is no pattern but just a set of wonderful small pieces, representing a certain mood or style? Chopin also wrote another longer Prélude, Op.45, and after his death, two more sketches were found published posthumously.
A in-depth analysis by José Rodríguez Alvira of the Préludes Nos.4 and 8 can be found here:
http://www.teoria.com/articles/chopin-prelude4/index.html
http://www.teoria.com/articulos/analysis/chopin8/index.htm
24 Préludes, Op.28 (1835-39) | ||||
Recorded in 2011 Dedication: A son ami Camille Pleyel | ||||
1 | Agitato | 0:35 | ||
2 | Lento | 2:27 | ||
3 | Vivace | 1:00 | ||
4 | Largo | 1:57 | ||
5 | Molto allegro | 0:34 | ||
6 | Lento assai | 1:53 | ||
7 | Andantino | 0:42 | ||
8 | Molto agitato | 1:53 | ||
9 | Largo | 1:11 | ||
10 | Molto allegro | 0:32 | ||
11 | Vivace | 0:36 | ||
12 | Presto | 1:09 | ||
13 | Lento | 2:56 | ||
14 | Allegro | 0:33 | ||
15 | Sostenuto | 4:51 | ||
16 | Presto con fuoco | 1:08 | ||
17 | Allegretto | 3:14 | ||
18 | Molto allegro | 0:59 | ||
19 | Vivace | 1:14 | ||
20 | Largo | 1:22 | ||
21 | Cantabile | 1:46 | ||
22 | Molto agitato | 0:42 | ||
23 | Moderato | 0:49 | ||
24 | Allegro appassionato | 2:22 | ||
24 Préludes Op.28
Dedication: A son ami Camille Pleyel
Prelude Op.45
Dedication: Mademoiselle la Princesse Elisabeth Czernicheff in 1841
25 | Prelude Op.45 in C-sharp minor | 5:24 | Griner, D. |
25 | Prelude Op.45 in C-sharp minor | 4:19 | Kautsch, S. |