Chopin: Nocturne Op. 55 no. 2

[electrafingers]

The wonderful Nocturne by Chopin in E-flat in a recording I made recently. Comments welcome.

[piano121]

Wow! very beatifull. This nocturne is gorgeous indeed. You play it so well, very nice touch, you got musicality, and a very pleasant quality. The recording and the piano are absolutely great to.  I just playied op 32 n1, now am considering op 55 n2  to a future piece to study! Thanks a lot!

[rachfan]

Hi electrafingers,

Nocturne Op. 55, No. 2 is my favorite in the entire set.  For Chopin, it's a slightly unusual piece, being his late style.  You play it very poetically with just the right amount of rubato.  Your tempo is perfect for lento sostenuto, enabling you to make the cantilena sing.  I also like your contrasts of legato versus portato touch. 

You brought out the hidden scalar passage in measures 17-19 in the LH very well.  Over at 57-61, however, there is another long scale in the RH, which starts in the lower notes of the double notes there.  Because the upper note is merely the repetitive B flat, I like to deemphasize that and bring the scale out instead.  You do so getting into 61, but I think you could highlight it much earlier. 

I liked your chain of trills in the RH in 34.  You seamlessly incorporate the appogiaturas there too.  It takes some work to get that figure exactly right, so I can appreciate your attention to detail there. 

In 39, in the RH you play the D flat twice, but in the Paderewski, those notes are tied.  The Muluki edition was the first to tie the notes, consistent with measure 13.  You're evidently using an earlier edition.  This is one of those anomalies in the editions of Chopin, which are guaranteed to keep audiences guessing, haha! 

In the portato passages in 48 and 50 in the RH, I like to play them to sound a bit more flip, irreverent, impetuous, and sassy.  Just a personal preference though. 

At 52, you have the accompanying trill in the RH.  A couple of thoughts: First, it sounds as though you begin that trill on the lower note, which comports with general performance practice for the Romantic style to be sure.  For example, that is how you play the opening trill is played in measure, 1 as well as in the "chain" of trills at 34; however, I believe that these trills starting at 52 are meant to begin on the upper notes.  The second point is that I like to keep these trills strictly in the background, while allowing the cantilena also in the same hand to soar.  When you allow the crescendos there to include the trills as well, they intrude upon the cantilena a bit.  I would suggest that you consider keeping the trills under wraps as subtle, quiet "noise makers", while letting the melody alone benefit from those small crescendos in 53-54.  The more difficult option would be to let the trills participate in the crescendos, but at two dynamic levels lower than the melodic line.

Finally, at 64, I like to voice the inner notes of the double notes in both hands, since the outer voices are harmonic rather than melodic in function.  You tend to do the opposite there.  I do like how you voice the outter notes of the chords in 64-65 though.  Speaking of which, that's such an odd spot!  It's not a codetta really--more of an after thought!  You don't encounter that device very often.  "Playing the rests" in the last measure is interesting too. 

Once again, I absolutely love your playing!   Thanks for posting this nocturne.

[nocturnelover]

Veeeeeeeeeeery Nice
Wonderful style!!