Mazurkas, nocturnes, waltzes and polonaises constitute the core of Chopin's expressive world. However, he also moved comfortably beyond such genre cycles, and pieces of this sort are brought together in this 'Klavierstucke' book, in which we find lesser-known works (two Variation cycles, three Ecossaises) from Chopin's earlier creative period along with rousing dance movements (Bolero and Tarantelle) and, to finish, the orchestrally conceived Allegro de concert. This forms the introduction to a sequence of three great individual works from Chopin's middle and later creative periods: the Fantasie op. 49, the Berceuse op. 57, and the Barcarolle op. 60 - the finest Chopin, available in Henle paperback, cloth-bound, and study editions.
