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Hi, Heather! I wasn't able to open your SoundCloud recording -- and that was true of chopinoholic's Nocturne as well. However, I WAS able to open a couple of others who posted with SoundCloud -- is there a reason for this? I hit the "toggle switch", but nothing at all happened. Any advice would be most appreciated -- thanks!

I guess this shows that you can finish strong when you learn the piece starting from the end. Thanks to all for the positive comments.

Me too! I wish I could afford one. Thanks for the nice comment, though.

Hmmm......perhaps you're on to something !!

Really impressed with everyone's submissions so far. Great job on the first set of Waltzes, I don't have much to say as far as critique, so I'll just stick to what I can say. Lovely performances by carey, hreichgott and Pathbreaker.

Hi, carey -- A few general thoughts, in response:

For me, Chopin's Nocturnes are, without exception, Art Songs without a text -- unlike Schubert or Schumann, Chopin did not hook up with a poet or librettist, but the effect is the same. As a consequence, interpretation of the shaping of "the song" and the accompaniment is paramount; Chopin is to me very clearly striving to depict complex emotional states using music alone, so to speak. As I listened to various performers, it seemed to me that everybody "gets" that aspect, and there were IMO just some superb realizations in the recital.

By contrast, and again without exception, Chopin's Waltzes are for me all on the surface, so to speak -- and Chopin fully intends them to be that way: charming, danceable, brilliant -- but no furrowing of the brow. So I agree with you that any "interpretation" is really not a major consideration.

Finally, the Chopin Mazurkas extend over both ends of this spectrum -- some are intended simply as charming dances, like the waltzes, some are emotionally complex, like the nocturnes, and some are epic in scope, like his more ambitious extended works. That's why I've always thought that the "complete" Chopin can be most accurately discerned through his body of Mazurkas -- as opposed to the Nocturnes, Waltzes, or Polonaises.

As you say -- for what it's worth -- and, as for difficulty, I pretty much agree with her assessments based on technical considerations alone -- except for the Op 42 Waltz, which to me is really Very Advanced rather than 8+.

The file I uploaded to soundcloud is a wav, not mp3, so it is a larger and higher quality file. It might take longer to buffer, thus longer to start playing. That's all I can think of.

Wonderful observations Tim. Thank you !!!!! I hope others here will comment as well.

As for the Opus 42 - I must agree with you about the "Very Advanced" classification. I found the Opus 18 (although quite challenging) to be easier than the Opus 42 - thus I had better luck learning and recording it in two months. I still have a LONG way to go with the Opus 42 - so what you will hear when it is posted is a work in progress performed at a moderate tempo with a handful of missing notes. I certainly wouldn't have even attempted to record it were it not for the submission deadline but I'm looking forward to getting it up to speed.

Waltz in E-flat major, Op. 18 - carey - Carey wanted to learn this waltz ever since he was a kid, so he seized the opportunity when it became available on the e-cital. He barely got the piece to an acceptable level in time for the submission deadline - and now would like to actually memorize the doggone thing so he won't have to turn pages anymore. And yes, Morodiene, Carey was having fun with it - even though he felt a little panicked at times.

Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 34 No. 1 - hreichgott - Bravo Heather for giving us a most competent, convincing and exciting interpretation of this challenging waltz. It's obvious that you know the piece quite well - and I can easily envision you you playing it for ballet class!!

Waltz in A minor, Op. 34 No. 2 - Pathbreaker - A very thoughtful and sensitive rendition of this lovely work!! Well done !!

What a great recital! Thanks to everyone that put in hard work and contributed. For those that listened to mine I really appreciate it and especially for the nice comments. I feel bad that I couldn't do more takes because that one I submitted was the last time I was able to get to the piano. My interpretation was pretty well established but I had some trouble spots with memory.

If anyone is curious, here is my original submission with the two edited memory lapses:

http://youtu.be/9lWfSZOQ0qw

I made an edited version, first time I've ever tried it, because the flow was really interrupted by these two slips. One I played in the minor key by accident and the other I just got really lost for a couple seconds.

I would have just done more takes to correct it but I didn't have the time. Thanks for listening. More comments to follow soon.

This puts into words what I would have struggled to say. I've thoroughly enjoyed the pieces posted so far. Congratulations go to all the participants. I think recording our playing and sharing the recordings on PW is the single best feature of Piano World. I know my playing has been stretched and expanded by making recordings to share. All of us deserve a big pat on the back.

Damon, 55/1
I continue to be surprised by the quality and variety of sounds participants are able to get out of digital pianos. The phrasing and dynamic range in this performance are excellent. I was puzzled by the fairly metronomic tempo adopted for the first statement of the theme, but understood as things unfolded that this was just a setup for the nicely flowing tempos that followed. Your softer sounds and long, beautifully controlled decrescendos are particularly effective, but the contrasting outburst in the middle fit very nicely as well. Superb voicing on the last page.

jeffreyjones, 55/2
Another sterling rendition of a very tricky piece. The accuracy, fluidity and balance of this performance are remarkable. The last page is a true work of art. The 1-2 right hand continuo trilling beneath the soprano melody is reminiscent of the end of Beethoven 109, and the polyrhythms at the end were executed perfectly and with apparent ease. I don’t think I’d ever be able to do that. Congratulations.

dire tonic, 62/2
Others have called this Chopin’s most beautiful nocturne, and that sounds about right. I’ve been working on this for a while and was captivated by the beauty and grandeur of your interpretation. I think the second theme could benefit from a somewhat wider dynamic range, but yours is a very effective understatement of some of Chopin’s greatest contrapuntal writing. The pacing and internal voicing of the agitato are magnificent. As with Morodiene’s 27/1, I’m blown away by the things real musicians can get from today’s digital instruments. I’ve listened to this three times now and plan on going back for more. Thank you.

Pika Pianist, 72/1
A worthy conclusion to this collection of catalogued nocturnes – composed at the start of his career, but not published until after his death. You’ve done a wonderful job of pulling the music out of this piece. The golden, singing tone; the long lines of your phrases; the finely shaded dynamics and lush pedaling – this was well conceived and executed throughout.

doctor S , B. 49
This is up to the same high standard set by your performance of 9/1. The warmth of the sound your Petrof generates is a pleasure to hear, but the musicality of your playing is even more gratifying. The ending is exquisite.

TwoSnowFlakes, B. 108
We’re batting 1.000 today for my money – the 6th consecutive elegant performance I’ve heard. This is getting depressing. Maybe I’ll go out and play with the dog. Seriously, this elegant rendition brought to mind BruceD’s description of the sound he was aiming for in 48/2: bel canto. The melody sang above a nicely balanced left hand like Dawn Upshaw’s voice – pure, direct, yet so finely nuanced. If you can draw music of this high caliber out of a digital, I’d love to hear what you can do with an acoustic instrument. A very creative, satisfying reading. As I said to my mother when her care packages arrived at my dorm room, please send more.

Set 8

Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 42 - carey

Waltz in D-flat major, Op. 64 No. 1 - AZNpiano

Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2 - Arthur Rubinstein

Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 64 No. 3 - timmyab

carey, I was totally enthalled!! What a gorgeous rendition!!!

AZNpiano, these Waltzes may be more "superficial" than the Nocturnes but I'm being blown away by these performances. Yours was just spectaular!!

What a set! timmyab, you too play simply beautifully. I've not commented on each and every performance. But these three are out of the park! Fantastic playing!!

Thank you!

I fingered those trills 1-3, as I do with most trills. I find it easier to make the shaking movement of the wrist automatic that way, and the hand stays relaxed to allow the pinky to play the melody line.

Thanks to everyone for the positive comments. The piano was out of tune and perhaps as a result, I had a difficult time getting the melody line to flow and hold together. There still were a couple of spots where it sounds forced to my ear.

Great efforts from everyone - I don't have enough time to comment individually, but we should all be proud of what we've done and happy to share with one another.

Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 42 - carey
Again, you have such a nice full sound. I know little about this piece, but I like the tempo you chose.
Wonderful technique, you make it sound easy.
If I have to say something it would be the dynamics. It could be more extreme. Thanks for sharing.

Waltz in D-flat major, Op. 64 No. 1 - AZNpiano
Well played. I heard this piece was inspired by a dog which was running after it’s own tail. You certainly brought that back in my mind. Love the last run down, with perfect timing to end the piece.

Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 64 No. 3 - timmyab

Don’t be so hard on yourself. I think this is a really fine performance. It’s such a delicate piece and you pulled it off really well. Gimme more!

Hi, Heather! Just in the interests of closure -- I WAS able to open your recording last night (and also chopinolholic's). SoundCloud is funny that way; it's not the first time I couldn't access a post from that site. Briefly, I really liked your choice of both tempo and style for 34-1 -- it was straightforwardly energetic and danceable throughout. My only area of disagreement was that I believe the coda materials needs to be taken somewhat faster than the body of the waltz (without, of course, spinning out of control), but it was a very solid and satisfying performance of a not-very-easy waltz.
Thanks for sharing!