chopin sonata no.1

[imbetter]

how come nobody ever plays this sonata? i searched the internet and havent found one recording of it.

Why does nobody  play it?

and if you have a recording of it can you please post it.

thanks

[jre58591]

leif ove andsnes's recording is one of the better ones ive heard. search the internet harder and youll find plenty.

[imbetter]

i cant find any free recordings

[ramseytheii]

I knew a girl who spent the time to learn this piece.  She played it for me, and it was the first time she played it for anyone besides herself.  Afterwards there was an awkward silence, then she said, "This is really a bad piece.  Now I know why people don't play this."

I encourage you all not to waste your time learning the Chopin 1st Sonata!

Actually I noticed that it is a trend these days, with Marc-Andre Hamelin at the fore, to explore the dark and dusty corners of piano repertoire.  In general that's great, but too often people find a neglected piece, and think "Why does nobody perform this?" without considering that there might actually be an answer. 

Same thing happened with a colleague I know who learned the Strauss Burlesque, which I consider actually an entertaining and worthwhile piece to listen to.  She only learnt it because nobody else played it, not because she felt anything in patricular about the music.  The piano writing is at times, or mostly, unforgiving and too much work is involved for too little outcome, and she came to the same conclusion: "Now I know why nobody plays this."

To find something of real value that gives as much or more as it takes, is a real find.  That's why so many people are turning to Medtner, because they find in his music a real approach to the piano that created beautiful and timeless music - that just happened to be neglected.

Walter Ramsey

[imbetter]

lol chopins 1st sonata is the last thing im gonna learn walter i think you misunderstood me

[jakev2.0]

I really think you should start with some Bach inventions anyway imbetter. 

[jre58591]

I really think you should start with some Bach inventions anyway imbetter. 

seconded. i have, lets say...tangible proof that proves this claim.

[imbetter]

I really think you should start with some Bach inventions anyway imbetter. 

what do you have against bach inventions?

[Mozartian]

seconded. i have, lets say...tangible proof that proves this claim.

*giggles*

no way, the inventions are way above him.

And yeah, I have a rec- Magaloff. It's on his 'great pianists of the century' disc. I'm sure you can find it used/on amazon/at the library or something.

But it's far from Chopin's best work.

[imbetter]

*giggles*

no way, the inventions are way above him.

And yeah, I have a rec- Magaloff. It's on his 'great pianists of the century' disc. I'm sure you can find it used/on amazon/at the library or something.

But it's far from Chopin's best work.

hahaha i made it quite clear in the cht room that rec was a joke. I mean, how could you have taken that seriously?

I agree its far from his best work, and many agree as well. I havent heard this particular sonata and I really want to

[ramseytheii]

But it's far from Chopin's best work.

It's much closer to his worst!

Walter Ramsey

[jre58591]

hahaha i made it quite clear in the cht room that rec was a joke.

yeah, suuuure. since you have the facilities to record a better interpretation of whatever piece, do it. pereferably islamey. and i dont know if it was me, but it seemed like you were trying too hard for it to be a joke.

[imbetter]

how could u have taken that seriously d00d. it was OBVIOUSLY a joke. I already told you I can't play islamey. I'll re record it if you want but if you want another piece wish granted.

It's much closer to his worst!

Walter Ramsey

seconded

[Mozartian]

how could u have taken that seriously d00d. it was OBVIOUSLY a joke. I already told you I can't play islamey. I'll re record it if you want but if you want another piece wish granted.

Thou wert a liar from the beginning. And yes, it obviously was a "joke". But you're not the one laughing.

PWNAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[imbetter]

haha respect and i was laughing harder than i ever have wen i gave you guys that.

PS: that recording was inspired by DaComme's legendary 25/12

[jakev2.0]

Please. Enough already. 

[jre58591]

yeah really. youre only digging your hole deeper. especially because it seemed as though you were actually trying.

[cygnusdei]

Give the finale a chance - it's a totally worthy offering on Chopin's part, very reminiscent of Hummel. It sounds like a concerto, in fact you can almost make out the orchestra parts when listening to it.

[Mozartian]

haha respect and i was laughing harder than i ever have wen i gave you guys that.

PS: that recording was inspired by DaComme's legendary 25/12

Uh huh, sure.

[imbetter]

haha mozartian you must make a horrible babysitter

yay 400th post

[mikey6]

Same thing happened with a colleague I know who learned the Strauss Burlesque, which I consider actually an entertaining and worthwhile piece to listen to.  She only learnt it because nobody else played it, not because she felt anything in patricular about the music.  The piano writing is at times, or mostly, unforgiving and too much work is involved for too little outcome, and she came to the same conclusion: "Now I know why nobody plays this."

I learnt this a cople of years ago and played it with orchestra, although I found it demanding, nothing extremley difficult - Strauss does write well for the piano and it is considered one of his first masterpieces.  And it did certainly help push my playing standard further.  So tis all up to the individual!

[pianowelsh]

Its not a bad piece - there are worse pieces in the main stream repertoire. It certainly isnt as good as the other two ...but it does exist and it does belong to Chopin so why shouldnt it be played and studied.  It always annoys me when commentators refer to the fact Chopin wrote 2 sonatas for solo piano. Its blatantly untrue, there are 3 OK not the 'great' sonatas for the instrument but 2 'Great' ones and one very acceptable one. The difficulty with the first sonata comes in programming it.

[ramseytheii]

Its not a bad piece - there are worse pieces in the main stream repertoire. It certainly isnt as good as the other two ...but it does exist and it does belong to Chopin so why shouldnt it be played and studied.  It always annoys me when commentators refer to the fact Chopin wrote 2 sonatas for solo piano. Its blatantly untrue, there are 3 OK not the 'great' sonatas for the instrument but 2 'Great' ones and one very acceptable one. The difficulty with the first sonata comes in programming it.

Yikes!  I guess it's all taste.  For me the difficulty of this sonata is listening to it.  I'm not generally in favor also of studying the scraps of the greats just because someone is great.  With Leonardo maybe it's different because his scraps had ideas scribbled on them that would come to fruition only 400 years later.  But I think we can safely say that the ideas in Chopin's sonata no.1 are not going to inspire any composers these days, or 300 years from now.  Or, we can hopefully pray!

Walter Ramsey

[imbetter]

I'm still in need of a free recording...

[Mozartian]

haha mozartian you must make a horrible babysitter

I am indeed a horror to kids like you. I don't put up with liars.

pwned, AGAIN.

[imbetter]

am i really the one being pwned? I think you just pwned yourself

[Mozartian]

am i really the one being pwned? I think you just pwned yourself

Wow, what's your IQ, like, -1337 or something?

hahaha PWNED AGAIN

[imbetter]

haha that one made me laugh.........................

[pianowelsh]

I just have the Ashkenazy one. Its enough for me?!

[ahinton]

Chopin's First Sonata is certainly the one disappointment of his four (in which I include the Cello Sonata); to me, one of its greatest disappointments is in that it seems not merely immature (after all, Chopin hardly took long to reach what could reasonably be thought of as "maturity", as is proved to the ultimate degree by the Op. 10 Études written during his 'teens, of all things!) but a lesser work in many respects that most of what he wrote immediately before and after it. I cannot be certain as to why this is, but I suspect that the idea of writing a sonata rather threw him at the time (and yet even this problem didn't seem to exert too many adverse effects on his early piano trio). I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's not worth playing, but, its finale excepted up to a point, the relationship between the necessary work and the likely rewards is arguably less satisfyingly worthwhile than anywhere else in Chopin's output.

Since Strauss has been mentioned in this thread, I would say that he was a fine pianist, though by no means a big virtuoso in the Chopin/Liszt/Alkan/Busoni tradition; the piano parts of his songs are mostly quite rewarding to play (albeit neither as much so nor as challenging as those of Marx, Medtner or Rakhmaninov) and his handful of works for piano and orchestra, whilst not especially great piano writing or even, for that matter, especially great Strauss, are still worth of consideration, particularly as the piano seems unfortunately to have become an instrument with which few ever even think to assosicate Strauss in their minds. Strauss wrote little of any consequence for piano solo and there are a few early chamber works with piano which at leasgt display some sense of the instrument in a chamber music context; the early piano quartet has just been recorded and the cello sonata and violin sonata still feature from time to time in recital programmes.

Best,

Alistair

[mephisto]

Actually the 4th mvt is one of Chopin's most interesting pieces. It's not one of my favourites but I sure like it a lot!

[kelly_kelly]

Actually the 4th mvt is one of Chopin's most interesting pieces. It's not one of my favourites but I sure like it a lot!

Same here. Whether or not I will be considered immature for thinking so.

[imbetter]

you guys are missing the point i need a free recording

[counterpoint]

you guys are missing the point i need a free recording

Will you send it to a piano contest? 

[cygnusdei]

Does someone need an initiation to the underground world of p2p?

[pianowolfi]

Well I really enjoy listening to the first sonata (especially to the recording by Leif-Ove Andsnes) I don't know how it is to play but it is worth to know at least.

[pianowelsh]

stop being a cheap skate go buy one and let the artist get some benefit from you slating it at least!

[counterpoint]

It seems, that there's a new video on youtube ;-)

Not very good playing, but you can imagine, how it would sound, if played by a great pianist.

[imbetter]

It seems, that there's a new video on youtube ;-)

Not very good playing, but you can imagine, how it would sound, if played by a great pianist.

wow thanks!

this is a beautiful sonata!