unhindered through a spontaneous elaboration of the exposition. Chopin’s greatest attribute as a performer was his sensitivity; hence, the development of the movement is not really dramatic, but rather a commentary on the ideas presented. The Larghetto, a continuous outpouring of intense lyricism, was highly admired by both Schumann and Liszt, as an embodiment of the dreamy Romantic slow movement. Inspired by Chopin’s love for the young singer Konstancia Gladowska, it bears close resemblance to his style in the Nocturnes, as it consists of an extended melody played and ornamented by the right hand over a swaying, more neutral accompaniment in the left hand. The Polish sounds in the last movement come from Chopin’s beloved mazurka genre and are set in a lively rondo form. They bear witness to the fact that, despite expressions of Byronic despair so fashionable at the time, this was one of the happiest periods in Chopin’s life, as he lived in the ardently patriotic and stimulating society of young Polish poets and artists who looked upon him as one of their future hopes. In the meantime, he offered them music that proved his allegiance. After his first concert, a critic wrote: “Chopin knows what sounds are heard in our fields and woods, he has listened to the song of the Polish villager, he has made it his own and has united the tunes of his native land in skillful compositions and elegant execution”. Dana Schlanger
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