Chopin Fantasie op49 Recording

[daniele1234]

Hi everyone,

About two months ago, I recorded myself playing the Chopin Fantasie in f minor, but completely forgot about it after. Later (i.e. now), after foraging around in my dropbox, I found it and thought that some of you on piano street might like to hear (also for my own constructive feedback). The piece wasn't completely ready when I recorded it and still had some (minor) technical errors to fix in it, but I would love to hear what you think and your feedback. By the way, I am only 14 so please don't be too harsh!

Thank you

- Skip to 0:28 (28 seconds) which is where the music starts.
- Unfortunately, it was quite a long recording so there are two parts (but the second part is only 1 minute long)

Part 1 - https://www.dropbox.com/s/zkq2p3qk29up11n/Aug%2C%2025%2012_03_45.part1.wav?dl=0

Part 2 - https://www.dropbox.com/s/qs3l0d3j8e5tkpa/Aug%2C%2025%2012_03_45.part2.wav?dl=0

EDIT: A new recording made today can be found here. Please listen to this one instead of the one above...

Part 1 - https://www.dropbox.com/s/0ig0u654eweae31/Nov%2C%2005%2017_39_34.part1.wav?dl=0

Part 2 - https://www.dropbox.com/s/zbtadagupy3uyg4/Nov%2C%2005%2017_39_34.part2.wav?dl=0

[debussychopin]

Kudos. Havent heard it yet but im sure it is great since you posted it here.
Op49 is my favorite large scale work by chopin and applaud anyone who can play through it.

[mjames]

I think it is my least favorite, I think I made a "hate-thread" about it before. Anyways your playing was as fabulous as always Daniele. Thoroughly enjoyed it! Keep on sharing your music with us.

[daniele1234]

Thank you both for your kind comments. Personally, I feel despite e its flaws in repetition of material, I think it is a great piece as a 'fantasy' - an exploration of a deeper world.

[daniele1234]

bump...

[pianoville]

Wow, your interpretation is pretty good! However I have some small details since I am also playing this very beautiful piece. First of all I feel that the beginning march is kind of 'cold'. You need to put your whole soul into it! I don't know if it is the camera but the dynamics can also be improved. Also I would probably do a bit more rubato in  the more 'beautiful' parts of the march. You are also rushing it a bit, especially after the E major section, and in the end of the march I would a bit more contrast between the dynamics.

In the opening of the second part I would prefer the pedalling a little bit cleaner. A little bit uneven also but that will come with practice. In the section after the long scale I would 'attack' the C a bit more but you need to find the perfect balance so it doesn't sound too hard. I would also play that section a bit slower so you can let the melody sing more. In the fast arpeggio section you need to practice slowly because right now it sounds kind of hacky and you miss very many notes so you don't really hear what Chopin wanted to tell you. In the fast octave section you always miss the highest note and it feels pretty rushed. In the chords before the march-like section take your time and do not rush till the end. In the march section I would take it slower and more quietly the first time and when you go up an octave you can start accelerate, because when you do that you can build up more tension and it will sound more interesting. In the arpeggios after that I would like you to flow more because now it sounds a bit boring.

The middle section is imo the best part of the performance, it is almost perfect, I just want the melody to sing a little bit more.

In the chromatic run right before the adagio I would do a little ritardando at the end, and then build up to the A-flat chord. The ending is overall very good but in the final buildup you should wait a bit before you do the crescendo.

Overall, this performance is pretty good but the two main things you should think about is to first of all practice slowly in the faster sections because you played many wrong notes, especially in the arpeggio sections. The other thing is to think about ment with this piece, because at the moment this an sound pretty boring and not very musical. I don't wanna sound Harsh or anything and I hope I didn't make you angry or anything, but it is better to get critique now then when you are performing it to loads of people. Good luck with this fantastic piece!

[daniele1234]

Look at the edit. A new and better (IMO) recording can be found there

[pianoville]

Wow! Much better! However I have a few small details that can make it even more magical.

In the march-section it felt a bit 'jumpy' in the beginning because you didn't always take your time on the 16ths. You also need to grow more in the Ab section, and don't forget you have a melody in the left hand too. When you come in to the F major section you suddenly start to rush a bit, but don't worry, I did that too when I started this piece .

Still quite a few technical errors in the second section, so practice slowly, especially on the long scale which was good but you need to hear every note for it to work.You are still rushing a bit after rhe scale. I want the melody to sing! For the second time, do not rush the chords after the fast octaves. At the final rise before the B major section you should slow down. I would play the last three octaves at about the same tempo as the B major section.

AApart from all the technical errors it was very good, just fix the technical parts and it will be a perfect recital piece!

[daniele1234]

@pianoville Thank you very much for your kind comments. I will try to just play slowy and fix those technical errors, because it is so annoying when your playing is undermined not by your musicality but by your ability to hit the notes. Just have to stop rushing , its always been a habit of mine. Anyway, will try to put into action your advice. Thank you