Music of the Baroque and Romantic Periods

On Stage at Curtis experiences the baroque and romantic periods with Xiaoxuan Li, from Zhejiang, China as he plays pieces from Bach, Chopin, Schubert and Rachmaninoff.

Bach: Prelude and Fugue No. 16 in G minor, BWV 861, from The Well-Tempered Klavier, Book 1
Xiaoxuan Li, piano

Composed by Bach “The Well-Tempered Klavier” is a collection of two sets of preludes and fugues with 24 in every major and minor keys. Xiaoxuan performs the Prelude and Fugue No. 16 in G minor, BWV 861 and the nice surprise for the listener is it starts in G minor and finishes in G major.

Chopin: Étude No. 6 in G-sharp minor, Op. 25, No. 6
Xiaoxuan Li, piano

Étude No. 6 In G-sharp minor, Op. 25, No. 6 is considered one of the hardest of Chopin’s 24 Etudes.

Chopin: Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, No. 1
Xiaoxuan Li, piano

Nocturne in C minor has been considered one of Chopin’s greatest emotional achievements. This six-minute piece is breathtaking music illustrating powerful grief.

Schubert: Allegretto in C minor, D. 915
Xiaoxuan Li, piano

Franz Schubert was an Austrian composer with musical gestures more Romantic in character. This piece requires musical interpretation skills rather than technique.

Rachmaninoff: Étude in E-flat minor, from Études-tableaux, Op. 39, No. 5
Xiaoxuan Li, piano

Études-tableaux, Op. 39, No. 5 the second set of piano études composed by Rachmaninoff. Étude in E-flat minor opens with heartfelt theme that carries many different voices.