24 Preludes

Program notes

The prelude, originally an improvisatory form, evolved into a standalone genre throughout music history. While often used to introduce larger works, composers increasingly treated preludes as self-sufficient pieces, allowing for the expression of a wide range of musical ideas and characters. The concept of writing a set of 24 preludes, covering all major and minor keys, was popularized by J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier and later expanded upon by composers like Chopin, Scriabin, and Rachmaninov, among many others. This program brings together preludes from various composers across different centuries, creating a sense of time travel through the genre's development and the history of keyboard music. The brief notes about each piece below serve as a guide to accompany this musical journey.