Search - Stephen Aron :: My Favorite Chopin Mazurkas

Of all of Chopin's works, the Mazurkas are unique in several ways. It is the only form he embraced literally throughout his lifetime; he wrote more of them than of any other form; and they feature his most chromatic and exotic-sounding passages. It is his unique and at time daring harmonic language, and this very exoticism that drew me to the pieces initially. Upon closer examination, I found a remarkably varied collection of works only some of which directly referenced the exuberant physicality of the original dance. Chopin's frequent use of mode (Especially phrygian and lydian) and frequent tonal ambiguity added to their allure. I was hooked.