Chopin mature pieces-which one to start ?

[onwan]

Hi,
I'd like to play some of Chopin's mature works, but I don't know which one to start with.

Here is list of Chopin pieces I have played:
valse e minor, Op.posth
polonaise op.40/1
Nocturne Op.9/2
preludes 4,6,7,20

(Works from other composers are written under the line.)

Do you think I am capable playing some of this?

Ballade 1, 2, 3, 4
Fantasie Op.49
Sonata 2
Polonaise Op.44, 53, 61
Scherzo 1, 2

[coda_colossale]

Well, maybe you can do one of the easier ballades (2-3) or scherzi (2-3) with lots of practice, just look at the codas and the octaves of Ballade No. 1 and Scherzo No. 3. If they seem manageable to you, I'd say go for it, but I'd suggest you to play some of the more difficult "miniatures" first, like Op. 27/1, 48/1, and even an etude or two, Op. 10/12 for example. They're musically quite mature, just small on scale, oh and in terms of difficulty, they're not really close to the aforementioned pieces. But that does not mean that "smaller" pieces are less difficult to play. Op. 25/11, 25/6, 10/1, 28/24 are IMO all more difficult than most of the larger works.

And for your information, the Sonatas-Ballade No. 4-Scherzo No. 4 are really, really difficult.

[j_menz]

I'd like to play some of Chopin's mature works, ....Scherzo 1

He was twenty one when he wrote it. You have a very odd idea of "mature work".

[mjames]

He was twenty one when he wrote it. You have a very odd idea of "mature work".

To be fair i think Chopin was one of those rare cases of composers achieving musical maturity at such a young age.

And to the opening poster, why are you in such a hurry? Savor Chopin for yourself. How about playing some other nocturnes first, some other waltzes, some mazurkas etc. To be going from the op. 9 and his op. 18 to his ballades/scherzo is a very bold move, and i think youll just end up wasting your time. If you really want a challenge try playing his mazurka op. 30 no. 4 in c sharp minor. Yes, it's pretty short. About 4 pages I think, with repetition too. But I bet you that you'll end up splitting your hairs over this little gem. Give it a try. If you can't handle it, then that should answer your question.

[chopinlover01]

Play some Mazurkas, many of them are quite mature (and he wrote some of them AFTER his ballades and Scherzi). The hardest piece you have played is the Military Polonaise, so maybe not a good idea to tackle the ballades. That said, I'm a hypocrite, as I went from Mil. Polonaise to the 1st ballade- read it and it seemed to fit under my head. That said, (this is the part where many forum members get to hear what they want to hear) it IS a lot harder than it seems, and the coda gets tiring. Musicality is often assumed to be able to be done. Not true with the ballades.
Do some more polonaises, especially the posthumous ones.