ÉTUDE IN C MINOR (“OCEAN”). OP. 25 NO. 1

The drama of waves, particularly in storms, has always held a fascination for artists. Living creatures depend on the Earth for her nurture, but are also at the mercy of Her seeming capriciousness. As we humans mature, we realize that the undercurrents, rest-lessness, storms, and clearings have their mirror in our own hearts and souls.

This week’s musical offering is a selection from Chopin’s Op. 25 Etudes, the last in the set. Much more an artistic statement than a mere ‘study’, as the word étude implies, Chopin was able to express, here in his twenties, a profundity of life beyond his years, in all its terror and awe. This Étude, No. 12, is nicknamed the “Ocean” Étude. It is dark; it is relentless; it is ferocious; it is awesome. The light eventually breaks through.