"Chopin's circumstances were rather strained in 1845, so that a planned trip to Italy with George Sand looked as if it would fall through. Yet with his ""Barcarolle"" he immersed himself in the atmosphere of the lagoon city Venice: the themes are reminiscent of gondolier melodies they are carried by accompanying figures that evoke the rush of water and the sound of oars. Chopin developed the basic idea of the strophic song into exciting, highly complex music full of breaks and opposites. Revising the text of this unique work has given us an opportunity to also offer it separately (alongside the Chopin volume ""Piano Pieces"", HN 318) and with extensive explanatory notes."