Today begins five days of piano pieces by Chopin that I believe really reflect the season of Lent.
The piece for Day 13 is Frederic Chopin's Etude in C sharp Minor Op 25, No. 7 performed by Alfred Cortot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54A9A--ED90
Frederic (Fryderyk) Chopin (1810-1849) was perhaps one of the most important composers and pianists of the Romantic period; he is often referred to as the "poet of the piano". Chopin was born and grew up in Poland which is apparent in his mastering of the nationalistic dances of Poland: the mazurka and polonaise. Chopin eventually moved to Paris to avoid the politics in Poland. Chopin flourished in France with well attended and appreciated performances of some of his most popular works. Chopin died of tuberculosis which he had lived with much of his adult life.
Etude literally means study in French but Chopin's etudes not only challenge the performer technically but also musically. This etude comes from his second set of 12 etudes Op. 25 (other popular etudes in this set include the Winter Wind, Ocean, Thirds, and Octave etudes). No. 7 is kind of the odd ball of the set. It is the only etude in both sets that is marked Lento. It begins with a cello-like quasi cadenza in the left hand which requires quiet shape and a lot of expressiveness. Then the etude evolves into a left hand melody with right hand accompaniment most of the time. The left hand has long and taxing passage work. One of the very hard things to get across in this piece is trying to make it cohesive. It ends extremely softly (ppp). I think this piece is a very appropriate work to depict the Crucifixion. It is really quite depressing with intense moments ending in death. Let us reflect on what Christ went through on the cross to save us all.
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