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I'm working on Chopin Nocturne Op. 15 No. 3 in G minor and I have some questions about it. Anyone else working on it? Or have it in their repertoire?

I would expect that many people have worked on it at some point. What are your questions?

Steven

My first question is, should I use pedal in the religioso section? I find it tricky to make it all legato (it says sempre legato) unless I use pedal in a few places. So I'm wondering if I should just use pedal for the whole thing. Or should I be satisfied if I can at least have legato in at least one hand and just make it as undetached as possible in the other hand, with no pedal...

My other question is about the staccatos in the last part of the piece. How staccato to make them?

Hi David,
The "religioso" mood is gained by a set tempo (almost plodding) together with the repeated 2:1 rhythm by both hands within the measures ( half-notes then 1/4-notes ). Use of the pedal spreads the half notes but needs lifting for the 1/4-notes, so as to provided the necessary contrast before the next half-notes (avoid pedal blurring).

In the closing 32 measures (your question about staccato), some of the RH chords are close-repeated ... and need sufficient staccato to avoid blurring ... this change should be regarded as "preparation" for the closing return of the 2:1 tempo ... and ending with the matchless G minor chords in both hands.

Here is a MIDI diagram which highlights the "religioso" 2:1 tempo.

Thanks. I wasn't planning on having any pedal blurring. Actually I was planning on lifting the pedal on every beat so there would be no pedal blurring in the left hand either. But it sounds like you are saying I can lift the pedal at the start of every half note and quarter note in the right hand?

What does "close-repeated" and what do you mean by "the pedal spreads the half notes"

For the "religioso" ... PEDAL on the beat FOR ALL THE HALF-NOTES but lift fractionally for the following quarter-notes (to avoid blurring) before similarly playing the following half-notes on the beat with pedal (sempre legato con P).

The triple quarter-notes (sequence of 3 per measure) each need the same fractional lift of the pedal.

In the final stretch of 32 measures, the earlier motif with the
broad half-notes gives way to a quickening pulse of successive quarter-notes, to be treated as above with a fractional lift of the pedal ... my wording of "close-repeated" describes this repeat of quarter-note chords.