Chopin op. 25/2

[awesom_o]

Chopin's personal favourite Etude to play.

[mjames]

Beautiful! Man you're awesome! I gave that etude a go a few months back because I underestimated it, damn those polyrhythms. My favorite etudes are probably No.6, No. 11 in Opus 10 and Opus 25 no. 1 and no. 7. The Op. 25 no. 7 is most likely going to be the first one I attempt to finish and polish in the near future.

[awesom_o]

Thank you, mjames!

This is one that many people underestimate. I certainly underestimated it for a while myself when I first learned it.

It took quite a bit of time for me to get the rhythm 'right'.... and by 'right' I only mean half-decent enough to make a recording!  

I look forward to hearing your 'Cello' Etude! I'm a cellist myself! It's fun to play cello on the piano! Chopin LOVED the cello, and one of his very best friends was an INCREDIBLE cellist!

[chicoscalco]

As always, very professional! The only way to know how much work the rhythms are in this etude is by studying it, and boy do I know. And you nailed it. Are you planing to speed it up a notch or you're going to stay with this tempo? And may I ask, what piano did you used?
Anyways, brilliant performance, listened to it more than once. 

[awesom_o]

Thank you!

This recording was on the slower side of the spectrum. When I first learned it, I liked to play it a bit faster (though never as fast as many interpretations I've heard). The more and more I explored the rhythms, the more and more I began to favour the extreme LH legato in a slightly slower overall tempo. The piece contains mysterious inner workings which I could never manage to convey in the more typical presto approach.

It's definitely different each time I play it.

Piano was a NY D fitted with Abel hammers. Less smoky, and more clear than NY hammers, but not as bright as German Steinway hammers tend to be. I think the piano ended up influencing the interpretations themselves. It's a very lyrical piano which doesn't like to be played very fast!
Put me on a Fazioli, and I'll play quite differently!

[noambenhamou]

Sorry, I don't hear the 3rd's.

This etude is a real audiol "mind twist". The right hand is written in 3rds which DO NOT line up with the left hand.

I think it's an exercise in jedi mind control first and foremost.
In order to get the brain accustomed to hearing the melody in 3rd's I just made up the following exercise for myself - attached.

This could take 1 week to a month to play nothing but 3rds. If I try to play with "normal" left hand I will quickly fall victim of this etude because the "force" is not so strong with me hahaha.

After my brain recognizes the melody properly then you have many other barriers. Right hand technique - probably not the most difficult but it's chopin so I never underestimate.

Then melting in the left hand off beat, and lastly, creating music with the left hand which has it's own beautiful type theme which I love playing LH alone dearly.

I haven't played this in a long while so excuse any mistakes in my exercise. Also - i'm not paying attention to technique at this point - just brain training to hear the melody in 3rd so i'm emphasizing the 1st beat of every 3rd.

Aweome_o, maybe you are playing in 3rd's but I can't hear it probably because I'm so used to hearing and playing it the normal "wrong" way.

You can hear my brain short circuiting at the beginning hahaha no?

[jy_]

Hi Awesom_o, I think your recordings of the Etudes are great, very musical... i personally never liked op.10 no.7 but you did a great job of it!

Just my personal opinion that I think this piece could do with perhaps less rubato...? It sort of runs away with itself and I don't really get the 2-in-a-bar feel.

[ranniks]

I wish to listen to the Winter Etude/Winter Wind, Chopin etude op 25 no 11.

Your playing of the etudes is always well to hear for my ears awesom_o.

[liszt1022]

Thank you so much for this! I do hear the RH triplets, they're very rare in recordings. Nice work! I'll buy your CD when it's out.

[awesom_o]

Liszt1022, you are too kind! Soon I will launch my website and a digital version of the full album will be available.

ranniks, I'm afraid I'm reserving 25/11 as part of the full album. 

[liszt85]

Very musical! Good job. I play this etude too, though I take a slightly faster approach with less rubato than you've applied. What piano and recording equipment did you use?

[awesom_o]

Thank you, liszt85! The piano was a NY D fitted with Abel hammers. I'm not sure exactly what microphones my engineer used, but they are absolutely top-of-the-line as he is a well-known professional. Prohibitively expensive  and difficult to use

The .wav form versions sound better but I can only upload .mp3 to pianostreet 

[liszt85]

Thank you, liszt85! The piano was a NY D fitted with Abel hammers. I'm not sure exactly what microphones my engineer used, but they are absolutely top-of-the-line as he is a well-known professional. Prohibitively expensive  and difficult to use

The .wav form versions sound better but I can only upload .mp3 to pianostreet 

Awesome!

[frankiisko]

You made me dream. Very musical and very beautifully phrased. This study is much harder than seems.

Congrats!!