Don't think there's a better recording of this chopin piece than the one I found

[ranniks]

- not too fast like dozens on youtube
- the left hand is actually caressing the right hand's notes instead of the left hand being bashed in and sounding louder than the right

Sounds better than what Horowitz did to the piece in my opinion:

Maybe it's the quality of recording though.

I admit, the Horowitz version has more aspect into it, but the right hand seems so dead at a lot of parts.

[faulty_damper]

Okay, I know this is about opinions and that we are all entitled to one, but...
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?   

That first video, he hesitates like he doesn't know the notes.  That drove me insane!
That second, he plays notes like that's what's important instead of focusing on the ideas.  And he fails to diminish on resolving notes so it's accented.  The first guy is guilty of this, too.

If Chopin were alive to hear it, he'd be livid at these atrocious performances.

[outin]

It's not my favorite Nocturne but got curious and listened to the recordings I have of this piece and found a couple of nice ones for you to try Ranniks:

[hfmadopter]

Some pieces of music just inspire you to work more and more on them and others less and less as you get into them. I used to like 9-2, then I worked on it. I found it to be one of those pieces that doesn't grow with you/me. I didn't like it more and more as I worked on it, but rather less and less, till I lost interest in it. I found myself day dreaming about the Grand Kids or cutting the grass or bike riding the pathways while working on this piece. I could not get my mind into it or centered on it. Now I don't care for it anymore, regardless of who plays it. I'd have been better off just listening to it all along !! Chopin should have named this piece the Lullaby Nocturne or Nocturne Of The Dreamer. I'd rather play Chariots Of Fire ( not my favorite either but at least it's fun) with an underlying pulse and rhythm going on and put some drive into it actually. I felt all hemmed up with 9-2. When I get hemmed up my mind goes to wandering.

Horowitz has a more dynamic version than your new discovery puts on though.

[ranniks]

Okay, I know this is about opinions and that we are all entitled to one, but...
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?   

That first video, he hesitates like he doesn't know the notes.  That drove me insane!
That second, he plays notes like that's what's important instead of focusing on the ideas.  And he fails to diminish on resolving notes so it's accented.  The first guy is guilty of this, too.

If Chopin were alive to hear it, he'd be livid at these atrocious performances.

I get ticked off by everyone saying if and if so and so were alive. Chopin was a human with free will. What would you do if he completely contradicted what you are preaching? It's like a lot of religions preaching what God wants to do etc etc.

It's not my favorite Nocturne but got curious and listened to the recordings I have of this piece and found a couple of nice ones for you to try Ranniks:

The first recording was on par with my first video in the OP, maybe even better. Thanks for posting it outin!

Some pieces of music just inspire you to work more and more on them and others less and less as you get into them. I used to like 9-2, then I worked on it. I found it to be one of those pieces that doesn't grow with you/me. I didn't like it more and more as I worked on it, but rather less and less, till I lost interest in it. I found myself day dreaming about the Grand Kids or cutting the grass or bike riding the pathways while working on this piece. I could not get my mind into it or centered on it. Now I don't care for it anymore, regardless of who plays it. I'd have been better off just listening to it all along !! Chopin should have named this piece the Lullaby Nocturne or Nocturne Of The Dreamer. I'd rather play Chariots Of Fire ( not my favorite either but at least it's fun) with an underlying pulse and rhythm going on and put some drive into it actually. I felt all hemmed up with 9-2. When I get hemmed up my mind goes to wandering.

Horowitz has a more dynamic version than your new discovery puts on though.

Do you mean that you got depressed playing the song?

Maybe you're more of a Mozart type David. Though, Mozart has his own sad pieces as well .

[hfmadopter]

No not really depressed, my mind wandered from the work. That happens with some pieces, I think I love them but when I get into them I find out that maybe that piece isn't really for me. In this case it kind of ruined the piece for me though, maybe because now I know what it's about ? The mystery and the magic about it is sort of solved, even though unfinished ? I switched to another Nocturne  that suited me better, the No. of which escapes me at the moment. Really, not sure I'm such a Nocturne guy anyway. I'd have to look the sheet up in my three ring binder but I did get through that one, perhaps a year ago now..

Mozart is good, fundamentally required stuff ( his phrasing in particular, get that into your hands and mind, it goes with you to lots of other music). IMO, to get to Chopin one needs a little Mozart in the background work. Just my opinion, probably because I was taught that way ! Too though, I find it true.

[faulty_damper]

I get ticked off by everyone saying if and if so and so were alive. Chopin was a human with free will. What would you do if he completely contradicted what you are preaching? It's like a lot of religions preaching what God wants to do etc etc.

If you read Chopin: pianist and teacher by Eigeldinger, it will tell you everything Chopin detested about how others played his works.  It would also tell you exactly how Chopin would have played it because he made many expressive markings on his students' music.  If you understood what Chopin wrote, then you'd understand why those recordings would have been detested.  It's not speculation on my part since he was one of the very few who made incredible amounts of corrections to his students' performances.

[ranniks]

If you read Chopin: pianist and teacher by Eigeldinger, it will tell you everything Chopin detested about how others played his works.  It would also tell you exactly how Chopin would have played it because he made many expressive markings on his students' music.  If you understood what Chopin wrote, then you'd understand why those recordings would have been detested.  It's not speculation on my part since he was one of the very few who made incredible amounts of corrections to his students' performances.

I wasn't aware:o.

But still, it's hard for me to believe that others might not have edited Chopin's words and so misled people into thinking that's really what Chopin said/thought.

[j_menz]

It would also tell you exactly how Chopin would have played it

But is that the end of the matter? Surely "how Chopin would have played it" is but one of the available options, and not necessarily the best. After all, Chopin famously preferred the way Liszt played his Etudes.

[faulty_damper]

But is that the end of the matter? Surely "how Chopin would have played it" is but one of the available options, and not necessarily the best. After all, Chopin famously preferred the way Liszt played his Etudes.

This is most probably due to the fact that Liszt was the only other pianist in the world who could play them.  Chopin dedicated his Op.10 to him, but if we are to believe Chopin's reaction upon hearing Liszt sight-read through them, then we'd believe that Chopin was dismayed by Liszt's mad skillz.  Chopin was really hoping that Liszt couldn't play them, let alone sight read through them like a hot knife through butter.

[faulty_damper]

I wasn't aware:o.

But still, it's hard for me to believe that others might not have edited Chopin's words and so misled people into thinking that's really what Chopin said/thought.

It's all there in his students' music as well as in their diaries, as well as accounts by others.  What's nice about being a famous teacher during the 19th century is that they documented everything in writing since that was the only way to preserve thoughts and ideas.