The ninth Etude, in the key of F minor, is one of the best loved. It is curious, perhaps even moving. Though beginning in a somewhat dimmed soundscape, reminiscent of a nocturne, it soars upwards, only to descend a moment later with the arabesque of its melody, as if laid upon the accompaniment. At once we sense the imminent arrival of more powerful emotions. And those emotions soon arrive: the narrative becomes stormy. The opening agitato turns into an almost hysterical appassionato. Mighty octaves hurl a series of nagging questions into space, to which the only response is an echo.Author: Mieczysław TomaszewskiA series of programmes entitled ‘Fryderyk Chopin's Complete Works’Polish Radio 2