The complete Etudes, opus 10, opus 25 and "Trois nouvelles etudes" (without opus numbers) by Frederic Chopin, recorded by Mehmet Okonsar. Joint audio CD and DVD release. Chopin's Etudes are the foundation of a new system of technical piano playing that was radical and revolutionary the first time they appeared. They are some of the most challenging and evocative pieces of all the works in concert piano repertoire. Because of this, the music remains popular and often performed in both concert and private stages. Some are so popular they have been given nicknames; arguably the most popular of all is the Revolutionary (Op.10 No.12). Although no nicknames are of Chopin's original creation, they create interesting pretext and encourage the imagination to fabricate epic works embodied by these studies. All twenty-seven Etudes were published during Chopin's lifetime; Opus 10, the first group of twelve, were composed between 1829 and 1832, and were published in 1833, in France, Germany, and England. The twelve Etudes of Opus 25 were composed at various times between 1832 and 1836, and were published in the same countries in 1837. The final three, part of a series called "Methode des methodes de piano" compiled by Moscheles and Fetis, were composed in 1839, without an assigned opus number. They appeared in Germany and France in November 1840, and England in January 1841. The first Etudes of the Opus 10 set were written when Chopin was still in his teens. They rank alongside the early works of Mendelssohn as rare examples of extremely youthful compositions that are regarded as both innovative and worthy of inclusion in the standard canon. Chopin's Etudes elevated the musical form from purely utilitarian exercises to great artistic masterpieces. Mehmet Okonsar is the First Prize Winner at the International Young Virtuosos Competition, Antwerp, Belgium, 1982 and laureate of other prestigious international piano competitions such as the Gina Bachauer, Sixth Prize, Salt Lake City-UT, 1991 and J. S. Bach, Second Prize, Paris, France 1989. He is graduated from the Brussels Royal Conservatory of Music. He studied with J. Cl. Vanden Eynden and Alexis Weissenberg. His extensive discography includes a series of works by J. S. Bach, Liszt and Schumann. As a musicologist, writer and lecturer, Okonsar's writings are published in several music periodics. His essays and analyses are released in English and French, he is also a lecturer on music, composing and technology.