Andre was asking me for Chopin recommendations, and in an attempt to come up with a list, I ended up getting stuck on one, my current favorite.

Chopin Etude in E Major Opus 10 No.3 Also known as "Tristesse"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNAyKL2GHvA

Please do yourself a favor and listen to this short little piece, preferably before reading my following pedestrian ramblings about it.
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This piece contains what is very possibly my favorite melody of all time. And you must trust me when I say I held that opinion even before I read a quote by Chopin agreeing with me.

Chopin had a knack for crafting melodies that were beautiful, lyrical, subtle, even (dare I say?) "hooky", while at the same time sometimes shockingly interesting and unexpected.


Specifically, I am struck by the turn of the melodic phrase at 1:03.

The piece has just crashed haltingly and violently upwards from 0:55, and then it just freezes midair, before floating back down,and on it's
way back down takes a feather-fall trip through five understated and achingly poignant chord changes in such a compelling necklace of notes that the first time I heard it I started upright from the project on my workbench at the piano shop, and started the track over just to hear
it again. The phrase is only 13 seconds long, and it doesn't even really resolve except by three faint almost-grace notes.

We don't hear from this lovely little fragment again until the only other time it is is used in the etude which happens at very end, at which point, after a short epilogue, we finally hear it's full resolution.

I have to say I think it is worth the wait.

The other startling fact about this piece is that it is an "etude". An etude is a practice piece. It is something written specifically
to improve a particular skill in a student, and as such is not usually intended to be judged it's merits of musical interest.

Here's to finding magic in the mundane...


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(Oh, and finally, although any Chopin played by Pollini is a time honored and difficult to improve upon classic, I recommend listening to other versions to understand how the piece is variously interpreted. Let me know if you find your own favorite!)

Alfred Cortot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPydmqbK-8w