~ Queen ~
The first etude is intended to give the fourth and fifth fingers a workout. This is a stunningly beautiful piece.
Chopin: Etude in A-flat, Op. 25/1
The second etude is a trial of agility and timing with four groups of three in the right hand per bar with two groups of three in the left hand.
Chopin: Etude in F minor, Op. 25/2
The third etude is an exercise for the fifth finger. “Giddyap!” And a fine “Whoa!” at the end.
Chopin: Etude in F, Op. 25/3 (“Horse”)
The fourth etude is an exercise for the wrist with the accents in the right hand on the off-beats.
Chopin: Etude in A minor, Op. 25/4
The fifth etude in this set is aimed at the thumb with a tricky release in each chord from the second finger to the thumb. This is the first etude where Chopin writes a middle section aimed at beauty. This piece had a strong influence on Brahms who wrote something similar late in life in the same key.
Chopin: Etude in E minor, Op. 25/5 (“Wrong Note”)
The sixth etude is an exercise for unusual chord fingering combinations in the right hand, but to make it even more difficult, it has to be played very quietly.
Chopin: Etude in G# minor, Op. 25/6 (“Bumblebee”)
The seventh etude is a true lament, a cry from the heart. But it’s also aimed at the left hand. What makes this tricky is that there are three melodies all going at once. There is a brief respite in the middle before the lament returns.
Chopin: Etude in C# minor, Op. 25/7
The eighth etude is another exercise for difficult chord fingering combinations, but this time they occur in both hands simultaneously.
Chopin: Etude in D-flat, Op. 25/8
The ninth etude is one of Chopin’s best known pieces, and it’s an exercise for the right hand and wrist with some difficult finger changes that have to sound seamless.
Chopin: Etude in G-flat, Op. 25/9 (“Butterfly”)
The tenth etude is an exercise in octaves from hell, which means it’s primarily for the wrist. But Chopin also asks for fourth and fifth finger interchanges in the right hand which create another level of complexity. This piece also has a beautiful middle section which continues the exercise, but at a slower speed.
Chopin: Etude in B minor, Op. 25/10
The eleventh etude is one of the great, harrowing essays for piano. The left hand has the theme, and the right hand works around it, but without any set pattern except for the chromatic scale on the rightmost finger. It’s an exercise for all five fingers of the right hand.
Chopin: Etude in A minor, Op. 25/11 (“Winter Wind”)
The final etude involves fifth finger and thumb substitution on the same note, both on the way up and the way down. Adam Neiman told me it wasn’t that hard to play, but it was way beyond my modest capabilities. It’s a great piece to end the set, and Adam believes that Chopin wrote the entire set of twelve to be performed in one sitting, which is how he performs them.
Chopin: Etude in C minor, Op. 25/12 (“Ocean”)
This version is a bit slower, but the theme is better enunciated. It also displays the score, so you can see just how tough this piece really is.