Chopin Nocturne Op. 37 No. 1

[setiawan]

Was meaning to record this one a while ago now, but never got around to it. I was much inspired by Rubinstein's interpretation of this piece (well, one of them at least), and I strive to reach his forever-distant level (seriously. The man was sent from heaven).

Anyway, any constructive criticism is very much welcome. Besides that, I hope you enjoy

[ajlongspiano]

Hey there! Thanks for posting. This is a very nice rendition and you have a lot of good ideas. The overall sense of direction is convincing. I have a couple of vague things to say. I don't like giving super specific feedback since I want the musician to interpret the idea(s)

1 - The ornaments/embellishments could have been more clear throughout the piece. Just working on getting them nice/effortless sounding. This aspect alone will help you sound 10x better!

2 - Your playing sounded a bit heavy handed. It seemed like your fingers were attacking the keys too harshly. Chopin Nocturnes require sweetest tone and elegance of sound. Chopin would always tell his students " facilmente! facilmente! " or " Easy! Easy! " - This quality should always be in the front of our minds when playing Chopin. No tension produces the most beautiful of sounds!

Again, great job! You have a solid foundation on this piece and I hope you keep working on refining it. You definitely have the potential to make it sound fantastic!

Keep up the good work,

AJ

[pencilart3]

I second everything AJ said. Great job playing this piece!!

[setiawan]

I agree that the ornaments could definitely have been more clear, but - and I know it's going to sound like a cop out, I hurt the middle finger on my right hand last week, and since then, that finger sort of seizes up during fast passages (like in the ornaments). Just hoping it'll regain its dexterity in time.

Other than that, thank you very much for your responses, I very much appreciate it! I have heard that Chopin would tell his students that, and I will try to be more considerate of that notion in the future