Annotated Study Edition (1)

No gap in sound after the two-note slurs is intended; it might be helpful to think of a two-syllable word where the second syllable is somewhat lighter, leading to the downbeat minim (half note) - maybe something like “Clara Wieck”. Notice the two voices in the opening (soprano and alto), the falling motive in the alto line (easy to miss) will become important as the work progresses.
The dissonance created by blending the RH quaver (eighth note) pair together within the same pedal is short-lived and will not disturb the ear.
Players with a large enough hand to hold onto the thumb F# may play it before the beat, making a clean pedal change that catches the bass note possible. Players who cannot hold the tenth in the hand have no choice but to play the F# on the beat (together with the bass A) and sustain it in the pedal until the third beat, when a change of pedal is necessary (the top A will come before the second LH quaver).
Listen to how the tenor G♮ reinforces the plagal harmonic colour of the opening. Control of texture in this piece is all-important; we balance our sound sensitively to bring out inner parts where appropriate.

Click here to view our Fantasy Analysis video series for a personal narrative on the interpretation of this work.
For a complete, downloadable version of this walkthrough, please see our Annotated Study Edition (Click here if you already own it or click here to purchase it)
Click here to view open domain editions for this work (external link).