Prelude, Choral and Fugue

“Prelude, Choral and Fugue” ( French: Prélude, Choral et Fugue ) - Cesar Franck 's piano work , written in 1884. Dedicated to pianist Marie Poateuven and first performed by her on January 25, 1885. The approximate duration of the sound is 19 minutes.

Along with “ Prelude, Aria and Finale ”, “Prelude, Choral and Fugue” mark Frank's appeal to piano music after a long break, during which he focused mainly on compositions for organ (in his youth, Frank composed, in the form of earnings, for piano purely pop plays that have long turned him away from this instrument). The three-part structure of both plays appeals to the traditional sonata composition and at the same time opposes it - in approximately the same ideological sense as the symphonic poem , of which Frank was one of the pioneers, opposes the traditional symphony ; in addition, experts talk about the influence of Frank's organ work on the piano ^[1] . Particularly noted is the complex interaction between baroque genre patterns and late-romantic authorial style, expertly organized by Frank in this essay ^{[2] [3]} . This music, according to a critic of the Gramophone magazine, requires a great skill from the pianist, but not in the sense of virtuosity, but in terms of impeccable clarity and subtle color ^[4] .

The classic recording of “Preludes, Arias and Finals” was performed in 1932 by Alfred Corto . From later entries, versions of Arthur Rubinstein and Svyatoslav Richter can be noted. The play was also orchestrated by Gabriel Pierne . Franca’s play was used in the soundtrack to the movie Luchino Visconti “ Misty Stars of the Big Dipper ”.