Chopin Op.10 N.6 question

[quasimodo]

That etude is arguably the less technically challenging of the 24. Yet Chopin called it an "etude" which suggests there is something somehow specific to be learnt from it. That's where I'm a little bit puzzled, I don't have at my disposal any book (like Cortot's) to broaden my point of view.
Would like to read your ideas about it: what likely is the pedagogic purpose of the piece?

[steve jones]

Im pretty sure its a study in playing polyphonic music. The inner voice changes from LH to RH, and I hear it said that its difficult to keep its voicing even and accurate. Also, no pedalling on this one either!

SJ

[quasimodo]

Also, no pedalling on this one either!

I read this elsewhere but most recordings I know are extensively pedalled 
Thanks for replying.

[faulty_damper]

The abilty to play other notes while holding down one.  Considering when this piece was written, many of the old "virtuosos" did not bother with such things as legato or holding notes.  They would just play them and release them and consequently sound like what a 5-year-old would sound like now.   In other words, they just pressed keys, not make good music, and probably would have been unable to play this piece.

The pedal is just used for coloristic effects.  It would sound good without pedal either except for connecting notes.

[quasimodo]

I tried to gather some more information about the matter and I've been told that Cortot, although he recommends to practice the accompaniment legato without pedal, encourages to use the pedal in performance, he suggests to pedal every semi-quaver, in some sort of trembling.
Anyway, some pianists choose to radically pedal like on every half measure and I find it sounds nice (question of taste probably) and I wonder if the blurring dissonances are not Chopin's intentions, obviously it changes totally the character of the piece, making it something "impressionistic", which is not necessarily anti-Chopin as far as he wrote some other very blurry-dissonnant pieces like the preludes op.28 Nos 2 and 4, for instance.
Your advice?

[faulty_damper]

My advice is this:

It's a studie.

Or you may think it's a good piece of music.  Then play it the way that you think imparts the best of what was written.

[quasimodo]

My advice is this:

It's a studie.

Or you may think it's a good piece of music.  Then play it the way that you think imparts the best of what was written.

I definitely think it's a great, great piece of music  .
Precisely as such it inspires respect so I'm afraid of doing something completely stupid of it...
But well, you're right. With time probably, the right thing will instinctively come by itself.