Nocturne No. 20 Opus posthumous

The Anacrouse collection offers pianists, beginners and advanced alike, a wide choice of classical works from the Renaissance to the present day. It brings together major works of the repertoire as well as rarer pieces, and also offers transcriptions for piano solo or four hands, selected for their musical and educational interest. Each score, available individually, benefits from careful editorial work: a rigorously established musical text, clear and legible engraving, accompanied by a short biography of the composer and a note on the work.

The “Nocturne No. 20 in C sharp minor, Op. posth.” is one of Chopin’s most intimate and overwhelming works. For the pianist, this piece represents in-depth work on “bel canto” singing in the right hand, demanding great suppleness for the delicate velocity runs and the final chromatic scales. It is an excellent exercise for mastering the balance between a stable left hand and a free, expressive right hand, while exploring the infinite nuances of “pianissimo” playing.

Composed in 1830 for his sister Ludwika, this nocturne was only published twenty-six years after the composer’s death. Sometimes subtitled “Lento con gran espressione”, it stands out for its poignant nostalgia and its use of themes from the composer’s second Piano Concerto. Its rediscovery by the general public, notably through cinema, has confirmed its status as an absolute masterpiece of Romantic melancholy.