Andante spianato et Grande polonaise brillante in E‑Flat Major

No composer brought more innovation, nobility and authentic national pride to the polonaise than Chopin. Although the form had existed for centuries primarily as a vocal genre, popular as a Polish wedding song, Chopin seized on it as a kind of nationalist badge. In 1830-31 he composed the Grande polonaise brillante, a glittering showpiece for piano and orchestra with the dance form’s characteristic propulsive rhythm. He set the work aside unpublished, until in 1834 he added the Andante spianato for solo piano (spianato means “smooth”). Its gently undulating accompaniment supports a decorative melody in the style of a nocturne, which became a prelude to the Grande polonaise, joined by a linking fanfare. This hybrid work was published in 1836 as his Op. 22. The piano part of the Grande polonaise is essentially free-standing, with subordinate orchestral parts that are of limited interest, so the work is often heard as a solo piano piece.