Happy 200th Birthday, Frédéric Chopin!

[Fifty]

March 1st, 2010 is the 200th birthday of (arguably) the best and (unarguably) one of the best piano composers ever!

So lets celebrate with some Chopin discussion and music! My favorite works of his include the etudes, the nocturnes, and the cello sonata. Though, I prefer Fauré's cello sonata to that of Chopin. Of course, he has many other major works, but those three are my favorite.

Below is the amazing Horowitz playing a Chopin nocturne:

~Fifty


Link to video.

 

[Lillefix]

I can't disagree with much of what you say, too bad his pieces are sleep inducing. And I can't even use him to make me sleep, since in the long run the sounds from the piano hurt my ears. I'm sorry Frédéric, but for me, piano doesn't work alone.

 

[Fifty]

I can't disagree with much of what you say, too bad his pieces are sleep inducing. And I can't even use him to make me sleep, since in the long run the sounds from the piano hurt my ears. I'm sorry Frédéric, but for me, piano doesn't work alone.

Wow! So all solo piano is sleep-inducing to you?

How do you feel about duos (like the cello sonata)?

~Fifty

 

[Camikaze]

Happy birthday, Freddy.

Chopin is interesting. His music can at times be a lot less aesthetically pleasing than other composers (although it's subjective), although it shouldn't be sleep-inducing if played right. And for the record, the Horowitz version of the Nocturne in the OP is not played right, and hence is rather sleep-inducing. He completely missed the first forte and didn't create any dynamic change moving into bar 14, killing the contrast, and make the entire first A section rather dull. And the slower than usual tempo, accentuated through the overuse of rubato certainly doesn't help. But that doesn't mean that Chopin is sleep-inducing, but rather that Horowitz's interpretation is. If anything, Chopin's incorporation of dynamic changes and tempo changes should make his work a lot less sleep-inducing than composers that came before him.

 

[Fifty]

Its weird, I kinda *like* the lack of contrast in a nocturne!

~fifty

 

[Lillefix]

I've always found Chopin a bit boring and believe me, I've got a lot of his work on the computer. But my main gripe, has more to do with that I can't stand solo piano pieces, especially slow ones. You get these explosive sounds in you ear, in stead of the constant sound you get from almost all other instruments. When I heard the cello sonata fifty mentioned(the first I found on youtube), I kept thinking loose the piano, it doesn't fit in.

I'm sorry, I just realised I hate pianos. It's like those guitar solos by Hendrix and Clapton among others; it's impressive to look at and probably very difficult, but god it's horrible to listen to.

 

[Camikaze]

Its weird, I kinda *like* the lack of contrast in a nocturne!

~fifty

Just because a piece is meant to be of the night does not mean that it has to put you to sleep. And if you don't like the contrast in it, then you have a gripe with Chopin, who wrote it containing contrast.

Here's a better version:

Link to video.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I've played some Chopin on the spinet organ, for my Western Board of Music exams. Thank goodness the examiner was lenient with my errors and told me, "It sounds better on a piano, anyway."

Piano solos can be sleep-inducing if they're played without expression or feeling. A technically perfect piano solo is worthless, in my opinion, without the musician putting some of him/herself into the performance.

And I actually did fall asleep at a public concert one time, during a piano solo that was technically perfect but utterly devoid of anything else.

BTW, Fifty: There's no need to shout - we can hear you just fine!

 

[classical_hero]

One of the best writers for the Piano. For Lillefix here are some more rousing pieces that will not put you to sleep. As a note I can play this nocturne that is previous posts.
Etude Op.10 No4 In C# Minor

Link to video.

Etude Op. 25 No11 in A minor "Winter Wind

Link to video.

 

[Camikaze]

Again, one of the reasons why Chopin is so good is that his work is interesting. It's not stuck in the rigid classical conventions, but allows for interpretation and great contrast. And in music, contrast = interest, so it's no wonder that it's interesting stuff.

I don't feel this thread would be complete without my favourite Chopin piece:

Link to video.

 

[Fifty]

Just because a piece is meant to be of the night does not mean that it has to put you to sleep. And if you don't like the contrast in it, then you have a gripe with Chopin, who wrote it containing contrast.

Here's a better version:

Link to video.

Hmm, I do like that one! Serves me right for just googling "Horowitz Chopin" and posting the first nocturne that came up!

~Fifty

 

[Fifty]

And in music, contrast = interest, so it's no wonder that it's interesting stuff.

What do you mean by contrast? Would, say, the Well-Tempered Clavier be contrasty enough for you? Because if your aesthetics excludes Bach...

~Fifty

 

[Camikaze]

What do you mean by contrast? Would, say, the Well-Tempered Clavier be contrasty enough for you? Because if your aesthetics excludes Bach...

~Fifty

Sorry, I should've been more clear. Contrast, amongst other things, creates interest. Contrast is just one particular, albeit large, feature that creates interest in music. In the case of Bach, interest is created in his work a number of things, such as modulations (which provide contrast in themselves) and sequences. And through dynamic contrast; simply created through changing the number of voices.

 

[Japanrocks12]

his Fantasies are the .

 

[warpus]

Damn, I missed his birthday

My favourite of his was always the Raindrop prelude

 

[SpiritWolf]

Haha, missed the thread but I did catch his birthday.

Some personal favorites: (Highly recommend the last one)

Nocturne No.8 Op.27 No.2 in Db major

Link to video.

Nocturne No.13 Op.48 No.1 in C minor

Link to video.

Nocturne No.20 Op. Posthumous in C# minor

Link to video.

Piano Concerto No.1 Op.11 in E minor (2nd mvt)

Link to video.

 

[Richard Cribb]

Missed it too. Not very thoughtful of me.
Always liked Chopin for a number of reasons.
Here is a young Krystian Zimerman as solist in a non-sleep inducing work.

Link to video.