RONDO IN C, FOR TWO PIANOS, OP. 73 (OP. POSTH.)

Fryderyk Chopin (b. Żelazowa Wola, nr Warsaw, Poland, March 1, 1810; d. Paris, October 17, 1849) 

Composed 1828; 10 minutes

Already by the age of 17, known in Warsaw as ‘the Paganini of the piano,’ Fryderyk Chopin concluded his second year at the High School for Music with a circumspect report from his teacher, Józef Elsner: “Instruction in Composition. Chopin, Fryderyk:  Special ability, second year, gone away for the improvement of his health.”

Over the previous year, Chopin had witnessed the death from tuberculosis of his sister Emilia and two close family friends. He may well have already suspected that he carried the same disease. He accepted the invitation of a fellow student to escape the city for Sanniki, a rural estate west of Warsaw. This was the summer home of the wealthy Pruszyński family and time there offered fresh air, quiet, and freedom from academic and social routine. Here, Chopin could compose and practice with freedom and even visit local villages in search of Polish folk music. Letters from the period describe long days at the piano, evenings of music-making, and a sense of creative ease. It was in Sanniki that he wrote the Rondo in C, Op. 73 – music that wears its brilliance lightly but is already unmistakably his.

The Rondo began life as a solo concert piece – a calling card designed to show off sparkle, wit, and command of the most popular form of the day. Almost immediately, Chopin arranged it for two pianos, turning technically dazzling display into no less dazzling dialogue. Just weeks earlier, Chopin had heard and met the 50-year-old Hummel, then at the height of his fame, renowned for his command of the glittering, technically immaculate stile brillante. In his Rondo, the 18-year-old Chopin pays homage to Hummel, adding humor and a playful challenge as the piano lines of his Rondo constantly interweave and exchange roles.