The reprise of the opening melody is shortened and leads to a coda in the key of the tonic major. Struggling as if to break free of the spellbinding first theme, the episode inevitably builds to a glorious outburst in E major-the fog of the first theme being dispelled by brilliant sunlight. The central episode is more passionate and in its first measures it is not difficult to hear the subtle influence of Beethoven. Continuing on, the melody seems to float effortlessly above the rolling accompaniment and all has a ghostly and otherworldly quality. In the third measure begins the nocturne’s mystifying first theme its initial rising chromatic figure creating an immediate sense of intrigue. The Nocturne in C-sharp minor begins ambiguously with bare fifths, suggesting neither the major or minor mode and establishing an air of mystery. Here, Chopin’s artistic prowess effectively lifts the simple nocturnes which Field pioneered to a level of expression nearly equal to that of the ballade. Composed during his early years in Paris, they exhibit the incredible transformation he enacted upon the original nocturnes of Irish composer John Field. The two nocturnes of Chopin’s opus 27 are undoubtedly among the finest of his compositions.
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