Yeah, Im familiar with the Chopin Preludes and Nocturnes. Very nice pieces. At the moment Im doing quite a bit of Chopin actually:
- Nocturne Op9 No2
- Waltz Op69 No1 and No2 (love these ones!)
- Preludes 4, 6, 7, 9, 15, 20
Thing is, these pieces have their own sound imo, not like the Rachmaninov at all. Rach seems to like using the minor 9th's quite a bit, and he moves the upper voices around in thirds (like in Op16 No3). This is the sound Im after. Its a more modern sound, reminds me of the some of the smoother jazz tunes.
The concerto's 2 and 3 have their moments in this style. The second theme in the first movement of 2 is a big favorite of mine (pity its to difficult for me to play!).
Will be sure to check out the Saint Saens and Rach Elegy. Thanks for the suggestions

SJ