Michael Ierace  piano

Chopin  Ballade No. 3, Op. 47
Debussy  Préludes, Book I

Chopin never confirmed any sources for his works, but the third Ballade is now generally accepted to have been inspired by Undine, an Adam Mickiewitz poem about a water sprite in love with a mortal man. In a similar vein, Debussy unusually placed his Prelude titles at the end of each piece, presumably encouraging performers to explore his unique sound worlds independently before revealing his personal inspirations.