Prelude: Op. 28, No. 1

Description

Marked agitato, its rapid figures rocking like waves, this is a fleeting piece. It is the first of Chopin's 24 Preludes, Op.28. The set uses all 24 major and minor keys, ordered C major, A minor, G major, E minor and so on, pairing each major key with its relative minor and moving round the circle of fifths.

The quick 2/8 has a restless tension, packing a concentrated surge of energy into a brief span of C major. A melody emerges from broken chords that pass between the hands, and the piece closes quietly, like a wave drawing back after it has risen.

An intermediate piece of 330 notes over 35 seconds, it demands the focus to play fast passages ranging from G1 to D6 with an even touch through to the end, and at this speed any unevenness in the handover between the hands breaks the flow. Slow the playback first, check how the hands share the work with the hand colours, then loop the whole piece with the A-B loop and raise the tempo little by little.

A collection of preludes not tied to a specific set, featuring short, evocative works by composers from Bach to more modern voices.