Two questions about Fantasie-Impromptu

[piano_man93]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here, so I'll introduce myself. I'm Sam, I've played Piano for about 8 years. I'm currently working towards my Grade 8 ABRSM Exam. Fantasie Impromptu is one of my all time favorite piece, it's been on my to-do list for a good few years now, but looking at the sheet music is so daunting. However, recently I purchased a copy and got started. I can play RH and LH hands separate all the way through, and very confidently. I can play the first page and D flat middle section hands together "fairly well". There's one thing that's bugging me, which is the polyrhythm. I just can't seem to do it, which is odd because I've played other piece with Polyrhythm such as Rachmaninoff's Elegie in E flat minor. Has anybody got any tips!? How did you guys go about the polyrhythm?

My second question is about the differing versions of the piece. I have two copies, the first is in "Chopin - 21 Selected Piano Works", and the second is the Edition Peters. In the Appendix of the Peters Edition, it says it's based on Chopin's own autograph of the piece, which was in possession of Arthur Rubenstein. The Alfred Edition is based on the Fontana version and differs quite significantly to the Peters Edition copy. I'd normally use PE over any source because they stick to the composer's intentions as much as possible, but I find the Fontana version fits better under my fingers, particularly the Coda. So what version do you guys prefer to play? Was Fontana's version based on an earlier manuscript or did he simply transcribe it and add/change certain things?

Thanks so much for reading!

[candlelightpiano]

I have two editions, too, and I have been using the Fontana version.  It's not my preferred version but I didn't know about the original version until after I'd learned the Fontana version. One of my editions has the original version in it, which differs quite significantly to the Fontana version.  

The polyrhythms in FI are fairly easy because you just squash them together and since it's played at a good clip, you don't hear them like you do in slower pieces.  I would make a video showing you how I did it but for my hand injury.  Sorry.  When I learned it, I played them hands separately to a slow metronome speed, just in bar 5.  Once I was comfortable playing HS to the metronome, I just played it hands together, making sure that the first notes of each beat came together, so even though it is marked alla breve, I practiced it at 4/4 time until I was getting the notes to come in properly, then, I practiced at 2/2 time because you need the feel of 2 minim beats per measure.  

[j_menz]

Chopin had three music publishers, one in England, one in Germany and one in France. He had the habit of getting proof scores back from each of them and making quite different and inconsistent "corrections" on each.  All would have to be regarded as equally authentic, given that they were each made by Chopin himself. Not sure whether this explains the difference here, but seems likely.

As for the polyrhythm, you need to learn to hear both lines at once. This is a matter of practice. Some Bach fugues in parallel may help.