Nocturne, Opus 27 No. 1 (1835); Nocturnes, Opus 55, No. 1 and No. 2 (1843); Nocturne, Opus 9 No. 2 (1830-31) for solo piano by Frédéric Chopin

Jerome Robbins

January 29, 1970, New York City Ballet, New York State Theater

Kay Mazzo, Anthony Blum, Violette Verdy, Peter Martins, Patricia McBride, Francisco Moncion

22 min.

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) was born in Poland. He was one of the most important innovators for the piano, both in terms of composition and playing style. As a pianist he was mostly self-taught, and since he did not like to give public performances, his substantial reputation was based on a very few concerts. Chopin wrote 20 nocturnes and during his lifetime they were his most popular works. The nocturne stems from the 18th-century notturne, a musical piece meant to be played at night. Chopin influenced future composers, especially those of the French and Russian schools. The musical level he attained made possible future piano innovations, such as those of Debussy.