Chopin - Nocturne in B major, Op.62, No.1

Christopher Bowlby performs Frédéric Chopin's Nocturne in B major major, Op.62, No.1
Composed between 1845 and 46, Chopin’s B major and E major nocturnes would be the last ones he penned in this lyrical genre. The Op.62, No.1 Nocturne also represents the third nocturne of three he wrote in the key of B major. Other than a smattering of mazurkas and one prelude, he wrote few works in this key.
This sublime three-part work has many similar characteristics of his earlier two B major nocturnes (Op.9, No.3 and Op.32, No.1, respectively). The opening section of the work flows with enigmatic repetitive melodic lines joined together. It is clear that Chopin envisioned an endless melody almost without breath for the first ten measures or more. With a longer bel canto style melody than its predecessors (especially the playful Op.9, No.3), this great nocturne shares an underpinning dominant pedal in the left hand accompaniment in syncopation. This pervasive off-beat underpinning unifies the piece despite the unusual A-flat major tonality used in the expansive and almost serene middle section.
Characteristic of his later style, abundant with counterpoint, the clear return to the opening material is transformed by a profusion of trills and spontaneity not commonly found in his earlier works. Although the apparent simplicity of this work’s many still textures and melodies remain front and center, the ink-and-paper setting of this nocturne is like a rare capture of the composer’s elusive and ephemeral improvisation.