The Polonaise-fantaisie in A-flat major, Op. 61, by Chopin was dedicated to Mme A. Veyret and it was written and published in 1846. It opens with Allegro maestoso, in 3/4 time. This work was slow to gain favor with musicians, due to its harmonic complexity and intricate form. Arthur Hedley was one of the first critics to speak positively of the work, writing in 1947 that it 'works on the hearer's imagination with a power of suggestion equaled only by the F minor Fantasy or the fourth Ballade', although some leading pianists of the period had been including it in their programs some decades earlier. It is intimately indebted to the polonaise for its metre, much of its rhythm, and some of its melodic character, but the fantaisie is the operative formal paradigm, and Chopin is said to have referred initially to the piece only as a Fantasy.
Jeffrey Kallberg has suggested that the Polonaise-Fantaisie represents a change in Chopin's style from 'late' to 'last'. It is suggested that the formal ambiguities of the piece are the most significant defining qualities of this 'last style', which only includes this and one other piece—the F minor Mazurka (Op. 68, No. 4), Chopin's last composition. Sheng Cai
Classical Music | Piano Music
Frédéric Chopin
Polonaise-Fantaisie, Op. 61 Play
Recorded on 12/04/2019, uploaded on 06/26/2020
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
The Polonaise-fantaisie in A-flat major, Op. 61, by Chopin was dedicated to Mme A. Veyret and it was written and published in 1846. It opens with Allegro maestoso, in 3/4 time. This work was slow to gain favor with musicians, due to its harmonic complexity and intricate form. Arthur Hedley was one of the first critics to speak positively of the work, writing in 1947 that it 'works on the hearer's imagination with a power of suggestion equaled only by the F minor Fantasy or the fourth Ballade', although some leading pianists of the period had been including it in their programs some decades earlier. It is intimately indebted to the polonaise for its metre, much of its rhythm, and some of its melodic character, but the fantaisie is the operative formal paradigm, and Chopin is said to have referred initially to the piece only as a Fantasy.
Jeffrey Kallberg has suggested that the Polonaise-Fantaisie represents a change in Chopin's style from 'late' to 'last'. It is suggested that the formal ambiguities of the piece are the most significant defining qualities of this 'last style', which only includes this and one other piece—the F minor Mazurka (Op. 68, No. 4), Chopin's last composition. Sheng Cai
More music by Frédéric Chopin
Ballade N° 3 in A♭
Waltz Op 64 / 2
Mazurka Op. 33 No. 1 in g-sharp minor
Nocturne in D-flat Major, Op. 27, No. 2
Prelude in F major, Op. 28, No. 23, Moderato
Fantasy, Op. 49
Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp Minor, Op. 66
Impromptu no. 3 in G-flat major, op. 51
Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, Op. 60
Etude Op. 10, No. 11
Performances by same musician(s)
Piano Sonata in E Minor, Op. 7
Malagueña, from Suite Espagnole
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