Nocturne Op. 32, No. 2, in A-flat major
At-A-Glance
Length: c. 6 minutes
About this Piece
The two Nocturnes of Op. 32 were published in 1837 and dedicated to the Baroness de Billing. The first of these, in B major, demonstrates the influences of the hugely popular Italian operas of the day, as we hear the elaborate vocal figurations with the music of Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini—a decorated melody, aria-like and tinged with melancholy. Its companion in A-flat, one of Chopin’s most beloved nocturnes, floats serenely. An evocation of dance, it was used most famously by choreographer Michel Fokine in his 1909 ballet Les Sylphides for the Ballets Russes.
Beginning in an enchanting, lento waltz, the nocturne quickly picks up steam—the glissando-like phrases grow more troublesome, massaging the left hand’s strict triples. The middle passage begins quietly and insistently. The left hand bounces around as if it’s playing a Joplin piece, the right hand sneaks in a trill wherever it can, trying to break free of the 12/8 time signature. The middle diversion ends with a confident fortissimo prior to a final crescendo. This build leads to a return to the first section, now much louder and passionate. The once soft, lulling phrases seem embittered now, after having riled themselves up, concluding in one of the loveliest time-warped finales. —Excerpted from notes in the LA Phil archive