(via leadingtone)
Chopin - Nocturne Nº. 18 in E major, Op. 62, No. 2
Sviatoslav Richter, piano
Prague 1972Chopin’s 18th nocturne, dating from 1846, was actually the last to have been written chronologically; numbers 19 and 20 were composed before he left Poland, and number 21 was probably written in 1837.
Its simple, warm E major melody reminds me of the slow movement of the Ravel concerto. In the inner agitato there is a sudden modulation by sequence that is uniquely lovely, and the piece finishes with a delicious, unusual cadence.
