Chopin’s early works include a wealth of new stimuli for anyone wishing to take a closer look at the creative works of the Polish genius. Up to now the four Rondos have been missing from our catalogue; but now they are finally available in Henle Urtext. Although they have been unfairly neglected, there are real discoveries to be made. It is hard to imagine that Chopin was only 15 when his Opus 1, the Rondo in c minor, was first published.

Likewise, his Rondo op. 5, which incorporates the exot...