The fifth Etude, in G flat major, presents a cascade of pearly, perhaps even slightly glassy, sonorities, executed with charm and amusement.It is famous for its very idea and the related name: the ‘black keys’ Etude. It is an idea, as Stefan Kisielewski noted, ‘of which that aficionado of all things mechanical, Igor Stravinsky, would not have been ashamed’. According to Liszt, it expresses mocking humour – something rare in Chopin, who once worried that Clara Wieck had chosen such a dull and trifling etude to present during her concert in Paris.Author: Mieczysław TomaszewskiA series of programmes entitled ‘Fryderyk Chopin's Complete Works’Polish Radio 2