Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Chopin Mazurkas - 2013 Recital!

Will you be starting a sign-up thread soon? We'll need time, not only to think but to prepare.

Thanks.

Regards,

I guess there are many pianists who want to participate. And Chopin didn't write so many nocturnes. Is the intention to allow more performances of the same piece? What about including nocturnes by other composers like Field and Faure? There is one Faure nocturne I consider studying myself.....

I'm guessing you mean like the mazurka sign-up? Yes, that will be this Sunday. Like the mazurka recital, there will be a 3 month preparation time as well. The nocturnes are larger than the mazurkas so if the majority needs more time I will add more time.

And the mazurkas were 3 months, not 2 months.

This is another all-Chopin recital. And no, there won't be multiple performances per piece. The goal is to post by opus, in a similar fashion to the mazurka recital. Since there are fewer spots, I would advise you make up your mind before I post the signup on Sunday. If you decide now, you will have a much better chance of placing a spot, especially if there is a specific nocturne you want to play.

There are 19 to 21 nocturnes, depending on how you count. I'm wondering if that's enough for a themed recital - they usually contain far more works; for example, the three most recent - Mendelssohn Songs without Words, Grieg Lyric Pieces, Chopin Mazurkas - contained 48, 66, and 57 pieces respectively.

I don't see concise as a bad thing, but I understand that many members who would want to participate would be missing out. New idea -- nocturnes and waltzes. That's about 45 pieces, and it provides a nice variety.

Here's a novel idea: How about doing the nocturnes plus the large works? Sonatas, Ballades, Scherzi, Barcarolle, Fantasy, Polonaises and the like. Or perhaps the Etudes; that would be interesting.

I feel like that would take way too much preparation time. If a mazurka recital warrants 3 months, that kind of recital would require about 20 years.

I like the idea of a nocturne/waltz recital.

Perhaps true.


Why not do the etudes? Anyway, it's up to you.

Same reason.

Is it time for the 8th installment?

Most people would already know them, and they are not as hard to learn as you think.

8th installment in half an hour.

Tell ya what guys - lets please start a NEW thread to discuss the NEW recital. We're starting to mix apples, oranges and grapefruit here - and we shouldn't be losing our focus IMHO.

Thanks !!

I didn't mean to hijack! A new thread won't be necessary but I agree, let's keep this thread about the mazurkas.

ABSOLUTELY - the Opus 41 rocks !!!!!!!

Do have a question - in my Breitkoph Edition edited by Ignaz Friedman in 1912, the pieces are ordered differently.

Our #1 is #2 in Breitkoph
#2 is #3
#3 is #4
and #4 is #1.........

Go figure !!!

Anyway - I thought both Kreisler's and Dire Tonic's performances were top notch in every respect. (And Dire - I recall you were originally concerned about your ability to pull this off. Obviously you had nothing to worry about. )

Tim's renditions of the two most difficult pieces in the set (IMO) were excellent. #4 in particular was completely convincing. You really nailed it.

F&%$££(&)*&^&!!**&*!!!! My brain has gone up in smoke . .

It really is fun to have a PW member living a mere 10 minute drive from my house - and now we're attending the same monthly piano parties!!

I've heard those "professional" recordings as well, and they are most humbling.

I do want to clarify that I'm not, nor ever was, a "pro" (which is probably obvious from some of the recordings I've posted here). I was fortunate to have had some good teachers for a few years and a couple of lucky breaks that enabled me to get paid for teaching and accompanying before I decided to pursue a different career in the arts. At this point in my life, however, I'm simply a dedicated but frustrated amateur player.

Thanks, Carey! I would agree with your assessment -- the 41-4 I was very pleased with musically, and I achieved it with only a couple of takes. I had played that piece many years ago (hate to say how many), and the remnants must have stayed with me. By contrast, the 41/2 was a new piece for me that I learned for this recital, and I went through a dozen takes, none of which I was totally satisfied with. I chose this one because I managed the murderous "B" section the best. It IS one wicked little mazurka!

Hi, FarmGirl! Yes, there IS a discrepancy in the numbering of the 41 set, which caused confusion among us. I own the old Kalmus edition, which does NOT match up with the now approved ordering of the four. The 41/4 is 41/1 in my edition. Frankly, 41/4 makes more sense musically -- it is easily the most massive of the four, and it would match precisely the emotional arc established in Op 33.