Chopin Nocturne

[Diabolos]

Hi there.

I've got a concert coming up in which I'm supposed to play only characteristic Chopin pieces.
I already chose some Preludes, Waltzes, Ballads,Scherzi a Sonata and the Grande polonaise.

But, since these are all pretty heroic pieces, I was wondering about playing a Nocturne.

Do you guys have any idea about a proper one?

Thanks

[martin_s]

well, Chopin himself seems to have been quite fond of E-flat op.9 no.2 (Or is it no.1?). Technically uncomplicated as it is, Chopin's own students hardly ever managed to make an, in his opinion, satisfying interpretation of it. So it might be a good challenge, and it is very significant for the style and audiences tend to love it!

good luck!

[Diabolos]

Great!

I'll have a look at it; it seems to be exactly what I was looking for.

Thanks a lot, Martin. I'll do my very best.

[glamfolk]

I've always liked OP.9 no.1.  It's a bit less played than 9.2 and There are some sublime moments-key changes and rubato sections-that are very Chopin-y.  Also try 9.3 for something that moves a little more, or 72(?) for some nice chromatic runs and diminshed arpeggios.
have fun!

[rachfan]

The three Nocturnes I play are the 4th, Op. 15, No. 1; the 16th, Op. 55, No. 2; and the 18th, Op. 62, No. 2.  All three are certainly "characteristic", but I particularly like the romantic bel canto of the 16th, plus there is a wonderful chain of trills there too.  I think you'd love playing it, and your auditors would love hearing it.

[pianocrazy]

what bout nocturne in c#minor. it has been said to "display the brilliancy of chopin's skill and the mellifluous fulidity of his composition, all blended in to a delicious mellieu"\. i als otink it sounds REAL gd.

[klavierkonzerte]

play the one in c minor op.post it's one of my favorites.

[Goldberg]

I might also recommend op. 27 no. 1 in C-sharp minor, which is often overshadowed by it's much more technically demanding neighbour nocturne in Db major (op. 27 no. 2); op. 27 no. 1 fits nicely into programs and is truly one of the most complex of the nocturnes, although I also wouldn't say that it's more involved, than, for instance op. 62 no. 1, op. 55 no. 2, or op. 9 no. 3 (the last of which, by the way, is also an excellent "study" in Chopin-esque ornamentations, and is technically challenging enough to put it on the top end for judging. It's also one of my faves!). Also, check out op. 48 no. 1 in c minor if you don't mind an overplayed beauty, and if you do, look no further than its vastly ignored neighbour in f-sharp minor, op. 48 no. 2, which happens to be one of the longest nocturnes as well. Haunting melody!

Be sure not to miss the op. 37's either! One is in g minor and is a piece of cake technically, but its beauty ranks it up there with my faves as well (for that matter, there is also the bizarre, yet gorgeous, op. 15 no. 3 also in g minor which is very similar to op. 37 no. 1); the second is in G major and is made a little tricky by constant interval issues in the right hand. I believe I read somewhere once that that particular nocturne used to be a lot more popular than it is today, and listening to it gives a certain feeling of being in a Parisian salon, as you might imagine.

Ahem, so, yeah the question now is which nocturnes *haven't* I mentioned?? Heh, basically I personally would avoid any of the ones I haven't mentioned, including op. 27 no. 2 which I noted on the side...

But that's just me! Don't make a decision without listening to all of them!

[ako]

I'm working on Op. 27, No. 2 now and I enjoy playing it very much. I also liked Op. 48, No. 1 and yes, OP 55, No. 2 is very very nice.

[ako]

Oh add Op. 32, No. 1 to my favoraite list.

[fnork]

I agree with Goldberg about the op 37 nocturnes, they are both very beautiful. The second one always reminds me of a duet sung by two people in love - in the first two pages they sing together, but then one of them sings a beautiful melody alone. Then they're singing together again, and when the melody comes back, the other person sings it for the one who sung it first, and they end the piece together.
Not a good description from my part, but you get the idea... it's fun to make up your own stories about the pieces The music could be taken from some italian opera, and listening to it makes me feel like I'm in Rome, or in Venedig on a gondol in summertime...

[linz_12]

i love playing op.62 no.2!