Nocturne in D flat major Op 27 No.2 (1835)

Chopin’s Nocturne in D flat major - one of two such pieces wrtten for the Countess d’Apponyi in 1835 - is as beautiful in effect as it is simple in construction. Over an unchanging rhythm of even semiquavers in a sustained arpeggio accompaniment, the right hand presents the same thematic material three times over - each time in different harmonies and in different, effortlessly proliferating melodic decorations. The inspiration is in the detail and nowhere more enchanting than in the ecstatic closing section.

Chopin cannot be credited with inventing the piano nocturne: that honour must go to John Field, whose example he was always aware of. He did, on the other hand, invest the form with poetry of such lyrical inspiration that, with the possible exception of Gabriel Fauré, no other composer has come near to surpassing it. Many have tried but the apparent effortlessness of Chopin’s keyboard scoring at its best is beyond emulation. The Nocturne in D flat major Op 27 No 2, which was one of Mendelssohn’s favourites, is as beautiful in effect as it is simple in construction. Over an unchanging rhythm of even semiquavers in a sustained arpeggio accompaniment, the right hand presents the same thematic material three times over – each time in different harmonies and in different, spontaneously proliferating melodic decorations. The inspiration is in the detail and nowhere more enchanting than in the ecstatic closing section. One of two Nocturnes written for the Countess of Appony in 1835, the Nocturne in D flat major and its companion in C sharp minor were graced on their publication in London with the fanciful title “Les Plaintives.”