Chopin Nocturne in Db Major

[ana]

hullo.  i am playing Chopin's Nocturne in Db Major for my school concert.  I pretty much have it down.  It is very delicate sounding.  I am just very nervous about playing it in front of a bunch of people who don't really care much for this type of music to begin with.  does anyone have any advice for me?  did anyone ever play this piece before?

thank you   

[jas]

I have, and I think the best advice I can offer you for that particular nocturne is to know the piano you're playing it on! If you haven't practiced it on the piano you'll be using see if you can get a go on it before your concert. I say that because the piano I performed it on had a heavier action than my own and I wasn't used to it, and as you say, it's quite delicate work in bits. But that might not be the case with yours.

Oh, and pay attention to the articulation on the score. There are bits with very subtle changes in slurs and emphases. But I suppose you'll have all that sort of stuff sorted out.

It's a gorgeous piece. It has a nice melodic line so it's easy to get a lovely cantabile sound out of it. And it's one of those works that's very easy on the ears -- it's very "sweet," if you like -- so even if your audience aren't really into that sort of music I bet they enjoy it. People always do when there's someone in front of them playing it, rather than a cd player.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll be great!

Jas