Chopin - Nocturne in C minor, Opus 48 No. 1

One of two pieces in Chopin's Opus 48 collection, the Nocturne in C minor, No. 13, is seen as one of the composer's greatest emotional achievements.

Mournful, stately, and beautiful - in just over six minutes of breathtaking music, Chopin explores the emotional ranges of the piano. The work was composed in 1841 alone with his Nocturne in F sharp minor, and dedicated to one of the composer's favourite pupils, Laure Duperré.

Thanks to the sheer variety between the Nocturnes, with Nos. 1-18 being published within Chopin's lifetime, the pieces have been adopted as a backbone of Romantic piano repertoire. Few, however, are as powerful as the Opus. 48 set. Despite being relatively short, the nocturne's heavy bass notes and solemn melody combine to create an overwhelming sense of despair.

The following set of Nocturnes took slightly longer to compose; the Op. 55 pair was completed between 1842 - 1844. He completed two more sets before he died in 1849, aged 39.