The Mazurka in D flat major, the third in the Op. 30 set, drawn somewhat more amply than its two predecessors, is marked with the dash of a noble mazur, which opens and closes this composition with a harmonious two-part song in thirds. Marceli Antoni Szulc hears ‘lofty pride and grandeur’ in the opening theme, ‘giving way to doubt and gloomy resignation’ thereafter. The music that ensues is indeed curiously restless and shifting, as if seeking a path through a succession of keys. A particularly beautiful moment comes when, after a pause at a crossroads, the homeward path is found.When listening to the D flat major Mazurka as a whole, one cannot resist the impression of hearing the music of recollections – now keener, now more distant (the playing of echoes), now more cheerful, now nostalgically reflective (a continual switching of mode, from major to minor).Author: Mieczysław TomaszewskiA series of programmes entitled ‘Fryderyk Chopin's Complete Works’Polish Radio 2