Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Members Recordings - Pianist Corner Chopin Nocturne No.19 in E minor, Op.72 No.1

My interpretation. Please enjoy this beautiful piece!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9uIKNfstMM&list=PLWJFXulbXc8BJqFTVzBV8Mu5IW7MYxhkQ&index=2

At times this comes across as a very mannered, eccentric, distorted performance. The opening tempo is less than MM=40 bpm whereas Chopin marks it as Andante at MM=69. This comes across, initially, as ponderous and lugubrious.

At around measure 16, the tempo suddenly increases to about MM=63 bpm. While the rest of the Nocturne remains more or less at this tempo, there are sudden changes in tempo from time to time that are hard to understand from a musical point of view: viz. measures 41 and 51.

The sudden crescendo in the left hand at measure 8 seems to have no justification musically since Chopin in measure 7, indicates dim. Similarly at measure 29.

This is very early Chopin (1827). It should be kept simple and lyrical; playing it this way just to be different (so it seems) makes little sense to me.

As I've mentioned before, this Steinway is not one of their better instruments.

Regards,

You think I was not aware of all the things you said above! I played this piece hundreds of times and have over 10 versions how to play it. Everything I did is my intention and I played that way after I put a lot of thinking into it. But at the same time, I am not at all surprised that my musical intention is difficult for ordinary people to understand. I love the Steinway I played on, it's exceptional for recording.

I think it is just too over the top, far too slow, it doesn't flow and it feels very vertical (note by note). I think it's a bit too self-indulgent. You don't do many of the things which are written on the score.


But hey that's just my opinion.

Everything said by you guys is by no means a surprise to me. I have anticipated them all. I have said everything I want to say and there will be nothing to add. Different level of musicality will lead to different opinion. I completely understand and respect that.

Maybe if you elucidated what your musical intention actually is that would help. Certainly more than implying that you're beyond ordinary people's grasp.

My video is there and I stand behind every note I played. If people get it, they get it. If not, I am not here to write meaningless paragraphs to debate with them. My musicality just speaks for itself through my playing. There are many many people(not only here but everywhere)who love to write meaningless paragraphs to critique others' playing(both positive and negative). But to me very honestly, they are like 'babies who can only be fed with milk but not solid food'. Fou Tsong once said it's not until he's 60 years old that he began to understand music just a little bit. And these so-called 'music critics' pretend that they know everything and many of them can't even play the piano at all. They surely can keep on writing, it's absolutely their rights. All I can say is I beseech them not to waste time writing those meaningless words, instead to sit at the piano 5 hours a day to explore and experiment. That will be much more helpful with their musicality.

Well you surely don't seem anywhere close to 60 years old.

Unfortunately you don't seem to get my meaning. I am not responding any more.

Oh I get your meaning. It was just a little attempt at humor.

Are you looking for feedback? criticism? or just views?

He has made it clear, with varied recordings, he does not want comments on his interpretations. His musical intention 'is just too difficult for ordinary people to understand'.

The problem with communicating musical ideas is that they are very personal to each person. One can talk about following the score, or one can talk about their own interpretation outside of the score. Play it in whatever manner pleases yourself, or follow the score as closely as possible... or do anything that makes you happy because in the end there really is no right way.

If you don't want to follow the score and if you only want to play it the way you feel it, then don't call it Chopin!