Four Mazurkas, Op.33

No.1 in G sharp minor

No.2 in D major

No.3 in C major

No.4 in B minor

Unlike the Op.41 Mazurkas, the last one of which so subtly evades its finale responsibilities, the immediately preceding set - published two yeas earlier in 1838 - set was clearly intended as a coherent group. The fourth and last of the Op.33 Mazurkas is not only one of the longest of its kind but is also conclusive in its context. It is related by its tonality to Op.33, No.1, which in its middle section expresses the serene - and, as it turns out, vain - hope of escaping into B major from the prevailing G sharp minor melancholy.

Op.33, No.2, cheerfully and repeatedly insists that D major might be a more likely escape route although, as its abruptly modulating middle section so surprisingly indicates, it is by no means restricted to that key area itself. The closest in the Op.33 set to its folk roots, the Mazurka in D major ends on a delightfully exotic rising scale.

The modulations towards A flat in the middle section of Op.33, No.3, are even more boldly executed, in the first place no doubt to offset the simplicity of the C major outer sections but perhaps also to offer an enharmonic reminder of the G sharp minor situation of the first piece in the set. The conclusion is, however, that although No.4 in B minor itself lingers exquisitely in B major and even rejoices in it before the end, B minor is ultimately inescapable.