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Topic: Chopin Fantasie op. 49 (Read 11645 times)

kelly_kelly

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Is it just me, or is the Fantasie not as technically demanding as many of Chopin's large scale works? (Musically is another story...) I just spent a bit of time fooling around with the music for fun, and it doesn't scare me nearly as much as, say, the Polonaise-Fantasie, or even the third Scherzo or first Ballade. Or maybe I was just reading too slowly and unmusically to appreciate the difficulties?

Mind you, I still don't think I'm ready, technically or musically, to play it just yet, but maybe someday...

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prongated

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Re: Chopin Fantasie op. 49

Reply #1 on: January 06, 2011, 04:08:08 PM

Interesting. I play(ed) both (and the 1st ballade as well). Technically I find the Fantaisie rather hard (certain sections are just difficult to settle), and the Polonaise-Fantaisie easy (and I'd wager, of all of Chopin's major works, this is technically the easiest). But then again, I played the Fantaisie more than 1 year ago, and my technique has changed a lot in that span of time.

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stevebob

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Re: Chopin Fantasie op. 49

Reply #2 on: January 06, 2011, 04:48:55 PM

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john11inc

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Re: Chopin Fantasie op. 49

Reply #3 on: January 06, 2011, 06:35:52 PM

From a technical standpoint, it's not as difficult as many of his other works of that approximate duration. However, it's one of his hardest to voice and phrase well, along with the 4th Scherzo and the Barcarolle. I don't know what your skill level is, but assuming you're up to playing such pieces, I'm sure you can *play* it; I just don't know how satisfied you'll be with the final outcome, unless you have a lot of experience with Chopin.

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kelly_kelly

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Re: Chopin Fantasie op. 49

Reply #4 on: January 06, 2011, 07:34:10 PM

Quote from: prongated on January 06, 2011, 04:08:08 PM

Interesting. I play(ed) both (and the 1st ballade as well). Technically I find the Fantaisie rather hard (certain sections are just difficult to settle), and the Polonaise-Fantaisie easy (and I'd wager, of all of Chopin's major works, this is technically the easiest). But then again, I played the Fantaisie more than 1 year ago, and my technique has changed a lot in that span of time.

Haha, you're probably right then. I've never actually tried out the polonaise-fantasy, but the last few pages with all the octaves seemed pretty scary. I think I tend to overestimate the difficulty of octaves, since I have small hands and terrible octave technique. Anyway, I have no real reason to be asking this question since it'll be a while before I'm up to playing any of these works. I'm happy with the Mendelssohn fantasy for now!

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maxwebr

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Re: Chopin Fantasie op. 49

Reply #5 on: April 28, 2011, 11:40:50 PM

For one that is studying the Ballade No. 3 and can grasp that piece, do you feel this one is equal, less or more difficult on technique, phrasing, etc.. Want to get concensus before I decide to leap in to it.

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iumonito

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Re: Chopin Fantasie op. 49

Reply #6 on: April 29, 2011, 01:27:40 AM

Nonsense. In such context consensus is meaningless. And for good reason: for many the first Ballade is the hardest and the second the easiest, for for a few it may well be the other way around, or any of the other two. I personally find the Op. 49 Fantasia fiendishly difficult, but if you are enamored with it, you should learn it. Love goes a long way in matters of learning repertoire.

Hint: Study Bach's chromatic fantasy at the same time. You may find something interesting there.

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