Impromptu No 2 in F minor Op 31 (1883)

While Fauré’s allegiance to Chopin is quite clear from his extensive use of such forms as the impromptu, the nocturne, the barcarolle and the prelude, he rarely imitated the harmonic and melodic style of that composer. There might be just a touch of Chopin in the tarantella-like material of the opening section of the Impromptu in F minor but there is also a hint of Liszt and more than a hint of Fauré’s mentor Saint-Saëns - who, incidentally, gave the first performance of the work in 1885. The amorously lyrical second theme, on the other hand, is remeniscent of no one but Fauré at this still comparatively early stage in his career.