PREVIEW NOTES Emanuel Ax, piano Thursday, April 22 – 7 PM American Philosophical Society PROGRAM an intimate salon feel. The second has a true Polish flavor, Two Nocturnes, Op. 55 with chromaticism and sophisticated imitation as evidence of Frédéric Chopin Chopin’s maturing style. The dance-like second piece is Born: 1810, Zelazowa Wola, Poland followed by a mysterious and unusual third mazurka with a Died: October 17, 1849, Paris, France rhythmic ambiguity that creates a truly native feel. Composed: 1842-44 Duration: 10 minutes Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, Op. 60 Frédéric Chopin The two noctures of Op. 55 were Frédéric Chopin's Composed: 1845-46 penultimate group of nocturnes and are now regarded as two Duration: 8 minutes of the finest entries in the genre after being largely ignored during much of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The E flat Featuring a sweepingly romantic and slightly wistful tone, the Nocturne is a work of particularly extraordinary power and a Barcarolle in F-sharp Major is one of Chopin's last major testament to the masterly command of Chopin’s later years. compositions and often considered among his most demanding. Polonaise Fantaisie in A-flat Major, Op. 61 Frédéric Chopin Nocturne in E Major, Op. 62, No. 2 Composed: 1846 Frédéric Chopin Duration: 13 minutes Composed: 1846 Duration: 6 minutes Although it retains something of a ternary dance structure, the effect of the Polonaise-Fantasie is of an organic improvisation Chopin’s final composition in the genre is a reflective and that grows and develops to a climax rather than as a dance contrapuntally engaging nocturne and a fine example of the with its set sections and repetitions. This characteristic places refinement and contrapuntal richness of Chopin's later works. it formally with the Ballades, even though the principal material and rhythmic drive are more clearly polonaise-like. Scherzo in E Major, Op. 54 This is an extraordinarily complex and forward-looking work. Frédéric Chopin The kind of continuing variation that Chopin uses here as well Composed: 1842 as the highly chromatic and adventurous harmony anticipate Duration: 11 minutes the techniques of Wagner and Mahler. In spite of its somewhat loose structure, the Polonaise-Fantasie remains as Unlike the preceding three scherzi (Op. 20, Op. 31, Op. 39), the one of Chopin’s greatest and most effective pieces. E Major is generally calmer in temperament, though it still possesses some exceptionally passionate and dramatic Three Mazurkas, Op. 56 moments. The scherzo is in sonata rondo form, moving to a Frédéric Chopin trio in C-sharp Minor that is based on a Polish folk song. It is Composed: 1843-44 the only one of Chopin's four scherzos primarily in a major key. Duration: 11 minutes The mazurkas of Op. 56 display the dramatic contrast possible within the genre. The first is a joyous, tender reflection, with .