Of the early versions of works included in this volume the first versions of the notably popular Consolations cycle and Grand solo de concert (published in 1850) are of particular interest.

In the first version of Consolations the third movement was a style hongrois piece whose thematic material was later used by Liszt in his Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1 (published in 1851).

The first version of Grand solo de concert shows that the work did not originally include a slow middle section to be r...