Chopin Nocturne Op.27 No.2

[tsachi]

Hi All,

I am a middle aged amateur pianist.
I have never posted anything yet.
So this is actually my first attempt.
I hope you like it.
Enjoy.

Tsachi

[knutmarius]

I am just a self-tought amateur that has been playing for two years, so I should not go into a detailed review of your performance. But what I can say is that Chopin is by far my favourite composer, and I really enjoyed listening to your interpretation. Well done!

[johnmar78]

Taschi, I enjoyed your playing...This nocturne is my favourite one so a my teacher. Everytime I heard it,,,it reminds me that I should go back and play it.


First 1m30 there is a tempo change and not sure its deleberate or not, sounds a hesitation on rh theme and I suppose its about rubato playing correct me if I am wrong.. At end 2 min,  Where the climate has reached, i reckon  add more dynamics give the listeners more dynamic contrast, especially at FF parts. And repeat of main LH, I liked your frist LH : bass notes,..

Toward ending AT 4 MINUTES APPROX where rh bell drops, it would not hurt, try to make your rh more rining tone-more freely.  Afterall, I enjoyed it very much. Thank you for sharing

[tsachi]

Thanks JohnMar78 for your comments.

I am experimenting with this piece. I try all sorts ideas like the ones you suggested.
I sometimes try more rubato, sometimes I try extreme dynamic changes, sometimes I try to emphasize the first beat in the left hand, sometimes I let is float gently at the background.

I never know what's the right way to play it.
Sometimes I like it one way and sometimes the other.

I used to play the ringing notes of the right hand at the end of the piece very lightly and very quickly. But then I decided to make it slower, to give the feeling of something that is fading away.

It is always like that for me.
I search for the best way to play a piece while constantly changing it.

Thanks again for listening and for your comments.
Tsachi

[tsachi]

Thanks KnutMarius for your comment.
I think Chopin is many people's favorite.
You are in a good company. 

Good luck with your practicing.

Tsachi

[awesom_o]

Your tempo is not steady enough for my ears.

[tsachi]

Hi Awesom_o,

Thanks for the comment on the unstable tempo.

Actually in the beginning where it is marked "dolce" I prefer a slow tempo.
Then, comes a part marked by "espressivo". I choose to accelerate there until the main "dolce" theme reappears.
There are these two tempi that I play with along the piece.
At the ending, on the last page I selected a very slow tempo. Something that feels very tired and fades away.
On top of that, there are rubatos along the piece.
So yes, the tempo is not stable.
Part of this instability is a choice I made, and part of it is probably due to me being only an amateur yet. 

In another piece by Bach I uploaded recently I tried to keep a steady tempo from beginning to  end. (Maybe I did add some "resting" moments also there, but mostly the tempo was supposed to be stable). Nobody commented on that piece so, I don't know whether people liked my interpretation.

Anyway, thanks for commenting.

Tsachi

 

[awesom_o]

tsachi,

You certainly have the right idea-music isn't supposed to be metronomic in every single bar.

But the best Chopin players manage to achieve a magical effect whereby the music sounds very free, expressive, spontaneous, and rhythmic, all at the same time. THIS is the meaning of rubato.

There is a big difference between having rubato and having an unstable pulse. 

[tsachi]

Thanks Awesom_o.

I listened to many great performers play this Nocturne.
Everybody plays it so differently.
Martha Argerich plays it very softly and lightly, very much like Cortot.
And there are those who emphasize the dramatic side of it, like Gabriela Montero.
Valentina Lisitsa chose an atmosphere somewhere in between.
I am trying to capture some of the magic they all have and bring something new.
For me, they are all magicians.

Tsachi

[awesom_o]

I am trying to capture some of the magic they all have and bring something new.
For me, they are all magicians.

Tsachi

That's definitely the right spirit.  We don't directly copy so much as recycle ideas we have heard. They take on their own character when they go through our own personal recycling machine, of course.

Your job is to simply grow this machine in terms of its efficiency and power, and to care for and maintain its workings, as well as to provide it with a healthy diet of everything from tin cans and plastic containers to wine bottles, cardboard boxes and Styrofoam.

[michaeljames]

Hi All,

I am a middle aged amateur pianist.
I have never posted anything yet.
So this is actually my first attempt.
I hope you like it.
Enjoy.

Tsachi

I loved your interpretation!!! Amateur or not, I thing your playing is expressive and beautiful.  No criticism from me whatsoever.

Thank you for sharing.