With Frédéric Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu in C sharp minor, G. Henle Verlag presents a further Urtext separate issue from among the most popular works of this central composer of romantic piano music. This ear-worm is “romantic” in the best sense: stormy, iridescent cascades produced by refined rhythms surround the hymn-like melody of the middle section. It is hardly surprising that Chopin fans easily end up rhapsodizing! What is surprising, however, is that the piece, still so popular today, is untitled in the source materials, and was not published until after the composer's death. Moreover, there exist two versions; we print them both in our individual Urtext edition, which makes it easier to compare them with one another.
