The Piano has always been my major musical instrument and therefore there is a special list of piano solos that are either among my favorites to play or that make the so-called ‘goals’ as far as piano performance plans go.
Today I will dwell a bit on the second part of that list where my to-play pieces wait for their glory hour. And on of such pieces is Chopin’s Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53. It’s been on the list for 4 years already and it’s high time to settle this matter!
Chopin composed the piece in 1842 and dedicated it to his financial advisory during his stay in Paris – Auguste Léo. His lover George Sand strongly associated the composition with the French Revolution on hearing it. That’s where the title “Heroic” comes from, although the composer himself was not quite eager to give the piece such a nickname. However, the vigour and the expressive power of the polonaise was so dramatic that the sobriquet hitched too tightly until nowadays.
Featuring quite a number of really difficult techniques, this piano solo will not yield easily to an inexperienced piano player. The rapid octave scaling, wide-fingering chords, fast perfect fourths and weaker-fingers trills will make one stay in the practice room for hours on end. The brilliant Polonaise is admired by pianists worldwide but requires immense proficiency to play it brilliantly on your own.
Time has come to raise the piano skills to near-virtuosity, so I’ll put here one of the pro interpretations by a young girl in order to have someone to get inspired by. I will, Mr. Chopin, make you proud one day too!
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| Original music score of Chopin's Polonaise Op.53 |
Today I will dwell a bit on the second part of that list where my to-play pieces wait for their glory hour. And on of such pieces is Chopin’s Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53. It’s been on the list for 4 years already and it’s high time to settle this matter!
Chopin composed the piece in 1842 and dedicated it to his financial advisory during his stay in Paris – Auguste Léo. His lover George Sand strongly associated the composition with the French Revolution on hearing it. That’s where the title “Heroic” comes from, although the composer himself was not quite eager to give the piece such a nickname. However, the vigour and the expressive power of the polonaise was so dramatic that the sobriquet hitched too tightly until nowadays.
Featuring quite a number of really difficult techniques, this piano solo will not yield easily to an inexperienced piano player. The rapid octave scaling, wide-fingering chords, fast perfect fourths and weaker-fingers trills will make one stay in the practice room for hours on end. The brilliant Polonaise is admired by pianists worldwide but requires immense proficiency to play it brilliantly on your own.
Time has come to raise the piano skills to near-virtuosity, so I’ll put here one of the pro interpretations by a young girl in order to have someone to get inspired by. I will, Mr. Chopin, make you proud one day too!
