Video: Chopin's Fantaisie Impromptu (combined Fontana and Rubinstein versions)

[vansh]

This is me playing Chopin's Fantaisie Impromptu.

The first half is mostly the Fontana version that everybody knows, while the second half is mostly the Rubinstein version. Basically, the Fontana version is based on a manuscript from 1834 which Fontana (who organized Chopin's pieces for publication after he died) published, while the Rubinstein version is based on a manuscript from 1835 which Chopin had given to Baroness d'Este, the dedicatee of the piece, which was found in 1961 or so by Arthur Rubinstein.

There's a few sections where I rushed it; I used to play it a lot faster and am actually working on slowing it down, because I found that this piece has a lot of interesting texture which is lost when played quickly. (The "fast" section actually sounds really great when played at a slow to moderate tempo.) So unfortunately in a few parts I started reverting to my regular tempo and thus made it uneven.

I recorded it on a Steinway Model B, but on a cheap digital camera, so the sound might be kind of poor. I think the biggest thing is that the sound "saturates" i.e. reaches max volume quickly, because, well, the instrument can be kind of loud. I kept the lid down but it didn't seem to help much. So it means it might be hard to pick up on some of the nuances in the volume.

Anyway, I'm open to critiques. One of my piano friends said it didn't feel musical enough but declined to give specifics, so I'm curious about where and how I can be more expressive and let the character of the piece come out more, especially in the middle section.

Edit: Yes, a link to the video would be good:

[liszt1022]

Critique #1 - Where is it?

[vansh]

Oh hahaha yeah that might be useful, sorry about that. I've edited the original post with the link now heh.

[stefo78]

Hello,

It seems that you've technically got the piece, without any (or nearly) wrong notes. It also seems that you have no major difficulties playing it.
Now I feel that you should do more music :
- some parts are still too metronomical for me, I'm used to hear more rubato, even in the fast parts.
- some fast parts do not sound always perfectly clear.

I'm very humble, since I've worked this piece some time ago and stopped for a while. Never completed the last part. You did a great job. And I could not help saying how you can play better, since these are my impressions and have no clues of how you can go further.

And finally, you can find a very good masterclass by Cyprien Kastrinakis on youtube, maybe another little one by Vera Tsybakov - where you can find some useful ideas.

Stefo

[stefo78]

BTW, how the Fontana and Rubinstein versions differ in your play ? What should they be ?
Is it really important ? I've heard only "one" version, what didn't I catch ?

[vansh]

Thanks for the masterclass suggestions! Yeah I can tell that there's something different in the way that Cyprien plays it, in terms of subtle changes in the tempo in the fast sections. I'll have to re-listen to it more carefully.

A lot of the changes in the Rubinstein version is in the left hand and in the dynamics. They affect the overall texture of the sound rather than the melody directly. I think this is most evident during the middle "slow" section where you'll hear some different notes, but it occurs during the fast section too (such as during the climax). For the ending section, the left hand is playing 8th notes in Fontana version, so it's 16ths vs 8ths, while in the Rubinstein version the left hand is playing triplets, so it continues with the 4 vs 3 polyrhythm of the fast section. This leads to a different textural feel; in the Fontana version, the left hand's thumb matches with the accent in the right hand, while in the Rubinstein version, the left hand's emphasizes the beat instead, which puts the syncopated right hand "melody" accents in sharper relief. Generally speaking, the Rubinstein version is somewhat harder than the Fontana version, and the texture is somewhat richer. I can put up an explanatory video if you want (i.e. playing sections of both versions slowly and without pedal) so you can hear the difference.

Incidentally, Cyprien's rendition I think has some unnecessary or gratuitous stuff, such as the left hand being overly accented in the recapitulation of the "fast" theme. While yes there are accents in the Rubinstein version (but not in the Fontana version), I think he carries this to the extreme, thus detracting from the overall feel of the piece. I try to do a more subtle accent, but not sure if it comes out well (and admittedly, am still working on adjusting just how much accent there should be).

[stefo78]

Thanks for your explanations. In fact I didn't know the Rubinstein version, and if it takes no time to you, I would enjoy your explanatory videos on both versions.

BTW, do you know if Rubinstein score version is available on the net ?

I start to feel envy to work on it again.