Among all the Chopin pieces that I’ve played, this is the most moving for me. I am sure I will never get enough of playing or listening to this beautiful mazurka.
I remember being quite moved when I first listened to this piece. It arose a feeling of urgency in me to find the notes and start pushing the piano keys.
Chopin is one of my two favorites, the other being J.S. Bach. This mazurka is the fourth and the last work of Opus 17. It starts with a very short intro of “sotto voce” 4 measures of a mysterious nature, to an unknown destination. Then comes the main theme “espressivo” which will be repeated a few more times later on.
When I play this, I think I dream of a moment in the past when I was very happy and feel like I am reliving that same moment. In the part that starts “dolce” and continues in A major, it is as if I am waking up from that dream. The awakening from the dream is not like waking up from a nightmare, but it is still confusing and disappointing. The disappointment turns into a short outburst of anger at the end of the 92nd measure in “fortissimo”; then I return to the “espressivo” theme, and thus, back to reality. Towards the end, I realize that I cannot go back to the beautiful and mysterious dream. I then repeat the 4 measure intro “perdendosi”, and finish the experience with an unresolved question mark.