Chopin Etude op. 10 no. 3 tempo suggestions?

[lagin]

I was noticing that the opening tempo indicated by my Urtext edition of Chopin etudes, for op. 10, no. 3 (the slow one), is 100 to the eighth note.  I'm learning this for a performance exam.  I really think it sounds best at about 66 - 70 to the eighth note which is way off.  Do you think it would be uncharacteristically slow if I choose to perform it at this tempo?  The other hindrance is the middle section that is "a little bit faster" because I actually like playing it around 108 to the eighth note with is a little faster than 100 at the opening.  But if I open at 70 and then jump to 108 would it sound too much faster?  I don't want to play the middle section too slowly as all those dissonant diminished 7th runs wouldn't sound like nice fluent runs if the tempo is too slow.  What do you guys think about all this?  Any suggestions?

[dnephi]

Chopin's slow etudes are marked incorrectly metronomically, if that's what you mean.  I am not familiar with this etude in particular.