Any tips on playing Chaminade Arabesque Op. 61 no. 2? It's so unknown..

[thepianodude]

I opted to choose this piece after my friend won a competition with it. However, any information on the Arabesque no.2 is sparse, and there is only one score available on imslp. Recordings vary in tempo and style, which make it hard to distinguish the correct way to play it. Any tips on how to play (tempo, dynamics, etc.) are appreciated.

[lelle]

This sounds like an excellent opportunity to practice stepping into the role of the interpreter, exploring the piece, and trusting your own judgement

You are asking about tempo, dynamics and style.

Tempo - what does it say in the score? How does the piece sound in this tempo to you? If it doesn't work, do you need to do something with the phrasing etc to make it work? Maybe give it more breathing room? Or do you need to play it slower? Faster? Experiment!

Dynamics - what does it say in the score? You can get surprisingly far just by making sure you play the dynamics that are written in the score, so it's clear to the listener what dynamic you are currently using.

Style - for each phase, investigate. What dynamics, tempo, note values, extra markings (such as dolce) do you have? What does that tell you about how the character of the phrase? Should there be a change of color? Slight slackening of tempo? Slight acceleration? Rubato? Steady? Investigate!

General style - what's the overall character of the piece? How are other pieces of similar character from the same area played by different pianists? What makes Chaminade's piece similar or different from these pieces? How would you modify your playing style based on this?

[anacrusis]

Do you mean Arabesque No. 1 or 2? Op 61 is no 1.