Composer Frederick Chopin was a master at communicating emotion through music.
Chopin composed most of his nocturnes in groups of two or three pieces. The pair that comprises his Opus 27 dates from 1835. The second of these works, in D-flat major, provides a good example of Chopin’s conception of this musical form.
It features a gentle, song- like melody that unfolds over an accompaniment whose steady rhythmic pulse runs unbroken from the first moments to the last. Although an almost magical delicacy prevails, Chopin provides some contrast through a turn to dark minor-key harmonies and more impassioned utterance during the central portion of the work.
Several glittering keyboard flourishes, a typically Chopin gesture, ornament the return of the melody near the close.
Here is the amazing Evgeny Kissin to play this music for you:
