*****
The 'Aeolian Harp' Étude is one of the most popular ones of the set, getting its nickname from the harp-like arpeggios throughout pretty much the entire piece.
'Aeolian Harp' Étude, Op. 25, No. 1 (Pianist: Idil Biret)
From a technical perspective, the piece is great for working on proper wrist movement to reach across large intervals, and for playing melodies with just the pinky finger. The constant broken chords give the piece a very flowing nature, and if it had not been given the 'harp' moniker, I'd probably be thinking of images of water. On top of the flowing 'harp' notes is a really simple and pretty melody, and as a whole the piece has kind of an arc structure, building up to a climax before settling down again at the end.
*****
The 'Wrong Note' Étude is not one of Chopin's more popular pieces (if I was choosing these excerpts by popularity, I would have chosen the 'Butterfly Étude' (Op. 25, No. 9)), but I include the clip of it here just because it's interesting and a fun listen.
'Wrong Note' Étude, Op. 25, No. 5 (Pianist: Murray Perahia)
This étude is wonderfully written to make it sound like the pianist is playing the wrong notes - and yet all those wrong notes sound awesome. In the middle section of a piece comes a nice melody (without the wrong note theme - keep in mind that this nickname and all the nicknames for these études were not officially given to these pieces by Chopin himself). Then finally, the original theme comes back giving this piece a nice little A-B-A format. While not as complex as some of Chopin's other études, this one is interesting in its own way and probably even one of my favorites.
*****
I would call the 'Winter Wind' Étude the masterpiece of this set, combining Liszt-ian technical elements with Chopin's masterful ability to make piano music exciting and passionate. Don't be fooled by the very slow and quiet opening - this is just the calm before the huge storm of notes that barrage you for the rest of the piece.
'Winter Wind' Étude, Op. 25, No. 11 (Pianist: Grigory Sokolov)
The nickname 'Winter Wind' is immediately obvious once you listen to the piece, and I would assume that this kind of imagery was in Chopin's mind while creating this piece. Just as is the case in Chopin's famous 'Fantaisie-Impromptu,' none of the notes really make sense when you play the piece slowly - and yet when everything is put together in full speed the end product works perfectly and is indescribably awesome. Grigory Sokolov's performance in particular brings out all the fire (or should I say ice?) that Chopin intended the piece to have, all while maintaining musical clarity.
*****
Étude, Op. 25, No. 12 is sometimes nicknamed the 'Ocean' Étude, and I can see why - just like the 'Aeolian Harp' Étude, this piece is dominated by continuous runs of arpeggios. In this case though, instead of calm arpeggios we have violent ones - so in my opinion the name 'Ocean' is not quite descriptive enough. Maybe something more like 'Sea Storm,' or something that means basically the same thing but sounds a little sexier.
Étude, Op. 25, No. 12 (Pianist: Georges Cziffra)
A popular trend while playing this piece is to start a little on the quieter side and build up to a loud climax. Usually this practice would make sense, as it would give the piece development. However, in my opinion, this kind of interpretation kind of misses the point of the piece. Chopin's directions say to start loud and end very very loud. Georges Cziffra is well-known for his tendency to have completely different interpretations of pieces from everyone else - we can call this the Glenn Gould Club - and in this case he might even be in the minority by playing most of the piece loud. Some of Cziffra's interpretations are a bit weird to me but this one is right on the money. This is not to say that his interpretation is the only correct one. The writing makes this piece great either way, and it's a great way for Chopin to conclude his étude collection (I like to consider Op. 10 and Op. 25 as "Chopin's Études" while thinking of the 'Trois nouvelles études' set as a separate entity).
*****
My next four favorite in the set:
- Étude, Op. 25, No. 2 - Sounds like mice scurrying, just like Étude, Op. 10, No. 2
- Étude, Op. 25, No. 6 - Very difficult étude with the right hand playing two notes simultaneously for much of the piece
- Étude, Op. 25, No. 7 - Sometimes nicknamed the 'Cello' Étude for its lyricism in the left hand
- 'Butterfly' Étude, Op. 25, No. 9 - Quick, light, and jolly melody
Just as was the case with the previous set of études, I can recommend every piece in the set, and would also suggest listening to the entire series from beginning to end, or even both sets of études back to back.
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