Pianist Henrik Kilhamn takes a closer look at Chopin's famous Raindrop prelude. The repeated notes present during the whole piece represents raindrops, which haunted Chopin in his stay in Valldemossa, Mallorca, in the winter of 1838.

Analysis: 2:20, Performance: 15:01.

This is one of the most sad piano pieces out there. In this video, pianist Henrik Kilhamn explains how Chopin manage to capture such sadness in his music, and where the prelude fits within music history. It's all about the slow, pulsating chords - every new chromatical shift between them explores a new nuance in the dark side of our emotional spectrum.

Analysis and performance (12:17)

Pianist Henrik Kilhamn presents Swedish composer Wilhelm Stenhammar's most famous piece, Fantasy no. 1 in B minor. It contains great power and adventure as well as beautiful lyrical sections, all the time employing a lot of mediant relationships and motivic development.

Analysis and profrmance (17:51).

Pianist Henrik Kilhamn interprets Schubert's amazing Impromptu Op. 90 no. 3 in G flat major. The calm lyrical outer sections surrounds a dramatic middle section with tension and turmoil. But which is the real state, and which is the dream?

Performance: 22:52

Pianist Henrik Kilhamn attempts an analysis of Satie's emblematic and relaxing Gymnopedie no. 1. The music doesn't behave the way we expect it to; it moves around in modal ways, meandering through constantly shifting tonal centers. It's hard to even decide what key it's in, because of the initial oscillation between two Maj7 chords.

Analysis and performance (15:54)

Henrik Kilhamn explains this well known piece that actually consists of two parts between the two composers. Bach uses one musical idea of the arpeggio pattern throughout the prelude and changes the harmony one step at a time, creating a wonderful sense of assuring and relieving. 130 years later, Gounod wrote a melody to the prelude as accompaniment, which is now known as Ave Maria.

Performance of Ave Maria: 8:39.

Pianist Henrik Kilhamn explains this Chopin Nocturne in A flat major, where Chopin fuses the Nocturne style with a crazy waltz middle section. The initial melody is at first comfortable and reassuring, but after the wlatz section it returns in fortissimo and apassionato!

Performance: 13:05

Pianist Henrik Kilhamn follows the yellowed leaves in Tchaikovsky's October - Autumn song - from The Seasons, Op. 37a, for piano. Right and left hand are often in dialogue with their melting, melancholic melodies.

Performance: 12:43

Pianist Henrik Kilhamn takes apart Scriabin's ambiguous harmonies in his sparkling Etude in F# major Op. 42 no. 4. The chords seem to exist in two states simultaneously, with some notes acting as bridges inbetween. The Etude is written in 1903, and we are now entering Scriabin's middle period where he is really starting to look outside of traditional harmony.

Pianist Henrik Kilhamn discovers Scriabin's early Nocturne in F# minor, Op. 5 no. 1. The general mood is similar to Chopin Nocturnes, however Scriabin's harmonic world is darker and the air is thicker. Henrik explains how he achieves that in this analysis that is more focused on harmony.