Chopin: Étude Op. 25, No. 1 in A-flat major | Lang Lang (piano)

A study for a piano virtuoso turned into an emotional work of art — this is how one might describe Frédéric Chopin's Étude Op. 25, No. 1 in A-flat major. And such a dazzling work could hardly be more suitable for anyone other than expressive virtuoso pianist Lang Lang. Here, he performs it during the encore of his 2010 concert in Vienna's Musikverein, which was a TV broadcast recorded by Sony.

An étude is, literally, a study — a piece designed to develop a particular aspect of a pianist’s technique. Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) took this concept idea and turned it into something much more ambitious. His études are not simply piano exercises, but rather miniature compositions in which technical difficulty becomes part of the musical expression. The opening étude of Op. 25, in A-flat Major, is a particularly striking example. Beneath the melody, the pianist's hands move almost continuously through rippling arpeggios, creating an atmosphere of extraordinary lightness and movement. For this reason, a famous admirer of the piece, composer Robert Schumann, praised the work, giving it the nickname "Aeolian Harp."

Chopin worked on the Op. 25 études over several years and published the collection in 1837, while he was living in Paris. The études were written during a period in which Chopin was increasingly exploring what the piano could do in the hands of a virtuoso without sacrificing intimacy or lyricism. In the A-flat Major étude, technical brilliance is made to sound effortless and dreamlike to the listener.

Star pianist Lang Lang has a long history with the music of Chopin; particularly his études, which played an important role in his professional development. At the young age of 14, Lang Lang gave a recital Chopin études that helped shape his early career. Years later, in 2012, he recorded the Op. 25 set for "The Chopin Album."

Author: Sarah Hucal
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