The Chopin Project is a fantastic album where a selection of Chopin’s work are mixed together with new instrumentation to provide a flowing, evolving whole which culminates in his most famous work and my track of the week, Prelude in D Flat Major (“Raindrop”).

Chopin is one of my favourite composers because his music often communicates with me emotionally as well as intellectually. His pieces manage to convey a bitter sweetness that epitomise the romantic movement with Prelude in D Flat Major (“raindrop”) being a perfect example.

Alice Sara Ott performs this solo piece for piano beautifully, taking us on an emotional rollercoaster. The piece starts with an uplifting melody that slowly becomes more mournful until the darker bass elements bring a sense of dread before they turn even more aggressive. Over six minutes these melodies are interwoven to portray a wide variety of feelings for the listener. The Piece is wonderful in any version but Olafur Arnalds production and Alice Sara Otts performance elevate it even further. The album is fantastic and its finale is the icing on the cake a truly wonderful piece of work:

Frederic Chopin, Olafur Arnalds, Alice Sara Ott_Prelude in D Flat Major (“Raindrop”):

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