Tips on playing Chopin's C sharp minor Nocturne, opus posthumous

[pytheamateur]

Please share your tips on how to master the right hand runs at bar 59.  At the moment, it's a bit hit and miss for me.  Any practice tips will be greatly appreciated.

[evitaevita]

-In my opinion, you should first practice this passage forte and slowly with good articulation and paying a lot of attention to the notes (don't care about dynamics at all). Once you practice it carefully and manage to play the notes confidently, start to play each two notes of the passage like this:
"la-si-la-si-la-si-la-si-la-si-la-si-la-si-la-si" in a moderate tempo and then more quickly like trills.

-After this practice, make groups of 3's (la-si-do, re-mi-fa,...)or 4's (la-si-do-re, mi-fa-sol-la,...).
As for 3's, play the first note as an eighth note and the next two as sixteenth notes: la-sido-re-mifa-sol-lasi-do-...
Then, the first note as a sixteenth note, the second one as an eighth and the third one as a sixteenth: la-si-dore-mi-fasol-la-sido-re-...
Then, the first two notes as sixteenth notes and the third one as an eighth note: lasi-do-remi-fa-solla-si-...

-As for 4's:
1) the first two notes as eighth notes and the second two as sixteenth notes: la-si-dore-mi-fa-solla-si-do-remi-...
2) the first two notes as sixteenth notes and the second two as eighth notes: lasi-do-re-mifa-sol-la-sido-re-mi-...
3) the first note as an eighth note, the second and the third as sixteenth notes and the fourth one as eighth note: la-sido-re-mi-fasol-la-si-...
4) the first note as sixteenth note, the second and the third as eighth notes and the fourth one as sixteenth note: la-si-do-remi-fa-sol-lasi-do-re-...

-Play the entire passage slowly and forte.

-Then, play:
1) the first note as eighth note and the other three notes as a triplet of sixteenth notes: la-sidore-mi-fasolla-si-...
2) like the previous one, but play the second note as eighth note and the next three notes as a triplet of sixteenth notes: si-doremi-fa-sollasi-do-...
3) the third note as eighth note and the next three notes as a triplet of sixteenth notes: do-remifa-sol-lasido-re-...
4) the fourth note as eighth note and the next three notes as a triplet of sixteenth notes: re-mifasol-la-sidore-mi-...

-Play again the passage slowly and forte.
-Play the passage forte in a faster (moderate) tempo.
-Play the passage piano and softly in a faster tempo (moderate) tempo.
-Play the passage forte in fast tempo.
-Play the passage piano in a fast tempo.

-Make the passage beautiful! (no further instructions for this step)

ATTENTION!
1) Practice the groups forte and don't care about dynamics.
2) Practice the groups: firstly, very slowly and, then, in a faster tempo.
3) Each time you feel hand strain, relax!
4) Hannon suggests and other exercises with groups of notes in the first pages of his book "The Virtuso Pianist" (example: first 4 notes legato and next 4 notes staccato).
5) You can apply this type of practice (groups of 3's) in every passage of triplets.
6) You can apply this type of practice (groups of 4's) in every passage of 16th, 32th or 64th(!) notes.

In the end, this passage has to be played leggiero which means delicately, gently, softly, lightly! It should flow like a river!

I hope my instructions have been helpful! If I come up with more ideas, I'll post!
Have a good practice and if there's anything from these instructions that you didn't understand, maybe I could explain it in another way (ex: write it) and post it in this thread!
Evitaevita

[evitaevita]

P.S. When you perform the piece, don't worry about this bar. The more nervous you get about it, the more stressful this passage will sound.

This is a performance of this piece by Maria Joao Pires, which is one of my favourite.
Listen to her delicate touch!

[pytheamateur]

Thanks for taking the trouble to offer me detailed advice.  I will certainly try out your suggestions: it seems a lot of hard work will be require.  I am willing to put in the effort because I really want to play this piece well.

[evitaevita]

You're welcome! I'm glad to know that my advice was helpful.
Indeed, it seems to be a lot of hard practice. But, since you really want to work on this piece, you will enjoy it!