Etude Op. 25 No. 11 (F. Chopin)

Overview
Etude Op. 25 No. 11 in A Minor (Commonly know as Winter Wind) is a piano and technical study by Frederic Chopin. It is the 11th Etude of the Opus 25 set featuring massive arpeggios, jumps, as well as lots and lots of semiquavers, making it highly technically demanding.

Technique
This piece contains some of the hardest and most technical sections in all of Chopin's etudes. Requiring a lot of right hand dexterity whilst keeping a dark and full sounding chords and bass notes in the left hand. The left hand plays most of the melody as it makes several appearances throughout the typical 3 min. and 40 sec. that the piece lasts for. This piece is a great piece for any pianist hoping to become a concert pianist as it contains essential skills like stamina and dexterity.

Musicality
The player should be able to play it like a winter wind (just like the nickname). Fierce, but not overwhelmingly aggressive. Around the middle section, it changes constantly between minor and its relative major-c major. As the key changes, so should the mood of the section. The right hand notes should sound even and flowy. It shouldn't sound like you are playing a lot of notes at a fast tempo but rather as an accompaniment to the raging storm-like notes being played in the left hand.