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I think he's wrong there. According to Streicher he disliked Pleyel's innovations.

Ah, very interesting. I'll have to look for that. Thanks. I wonder just exactly what he did not like.

I think the main point was that people in Chopin's time were not worshiping antique instruments like some do today.

Elene

It's a shame. The Streicher family have some of her letters to an aunt which contain fascinating insights like his dislike of Pleyel's innovations. As far as I'm aware none have as yet been published. See page 22 here:
http://www.epta.si/wp-content/epta_broshure-end.pdf

Hello I am new here, but I am devoted to Chopins music for a long time.
I could not read all the pages here and do not know if this question already came, but which interpret comes in your opinion close to Chopins playing?
There are many descriptions of his contemporaries but all my recordings (and I have many...) do not awaken in me that enthusiasm.
Although it was repeatedly written that no one could ever imitate chopin, I would like to hear the music the way chopin meant it....

I am looking forward to your opinions!

Hi Puzzle, welcome to PW .
This is a very hard question, because we don't know how Chopin played. The other thing is that sometimes composers couldn't played their works like they heard them.
In my opinion R. Blechacz is close to Chopins playing. He has similar posture and shape of a hand to Chopin.

Chopin Competition 2005 - Winners recital

Unfortunetely it seems he didn't make big career.

Hi verqueue thank you much!

I do have R. Blechacz's concertos and the preludes and I liked it (I only once heard his Polonaises but I did not like them).

I am also looking especially for the ballades, sonatas, mazurkas and nocturnes.




I read the Eigeldinger book and it gave me a good idea...

Yeah, but you can't say that you heard Chopin's playing .

For Ballades and Nocturnes I like Rubinstain's recordings, but I'm not sure if they are right.
For Sonatas I like Argerich's recording. I don't understand Mazurkas yet, so I don't have favorite recording. But it's a matter of taste, I don't think they imitate Chopin's playing better than Blechacz.

But why is it so important to you?

Even before I read the Eigeldinger book I played some easy pieces by myself and found out that many interpreters do not play exactly what is written. I can not play the pieces I like most like the ballades etc. but I want to hear them the way they are written.

The problem is that sometimes we don't know what Chopin had written. For example this famous C natural/C flat in Ballade f minor - Ekier's edition suggests that it's C natural, but in the others it's C flat.
I'm playing this Ballade now, and I studied various editions. I still don't know which edition is the best, because there are a lot differences between them... I'd never thought that they can be so different.

The other thing is that playing all these details is so hard. And still it can be imagination of an editor, not composer marks (even in Ekier's edition).

I was looking up something in the Eigeldinger book the other day, and was struck again by the stories from Chopin's students about how he never played any of his own works the same way twice. The poor students would diligently practice to get a piece the way they'd heard him play it, only to go back the next week and be told to do it completely differently. Henry Peru reported:

“I could respond only with tears to this demonstration which in no way resembled the first one. Discouragement filled my whole being. Then he felt sorry for me, saying, ‘It was almost good, only not the way I feel it.’”

Sheesh. "It was almost good...."

I have more or less given up on trying to imagine what the most authentic interpretation of any Chopin work might be. I hope to become "almost good," though.

If you listen to Rubinstein, although he may or may not be close to Chopin's own way of playing, I think you can always be sure that you will get a thoughtful, deep and masterful interpretation that will be worth your time and attention.

Elene

Interesting post Elene!
To get a sense of how Chopin's music sounded Trevor Stephenson gives you an idea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_fg2YELtzo

Yes that is really sad....

I have also read this and as he says himself he plays after his emotion, it is normal that it could never sound the same.

I do not think that there is only ONE right way. but when I hear some interpretations, I just think that it is the wrong way... I do not know how to explain what I mean. I think it is often played too "virtuoso", too loud, wild, fast... maybe not from the heart

If I had to choose the worst recording of Chopin played by some known pianist it would be this (of course it's my opinion only):

[video:youtube]GdlLDEh59JY[/video]

I don't like her approach to any piece by Chopin.
What do you think about this?

The passage from 7:22 on is particularly horrific.

Yes that is exactly what I mean. Too much (russian) passion....

But if this is the worst recording, you have to tell me what do you think is the best

My favorite recording of Ballades is by Rubinstain, but it's based on my taste, not on correctness.
What is your favorite?

For the 4th one it is this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqPN4gXy834

That is based on my taste, not on correctness .

For the others it would be difficult to decide.

Omg verqueue. Good to see I'm not the only one that thinks this the worst ever. Thanks!
I was listening to it and my jaw dropped, how can you play it like that? Didn't finish it...

I love this recording:
http://youtu.be/iHpPDu8MNgw

Also because of the sound of the Erard. It adds something.

The right Erard can be a very special piano, as desirable in its own way as the right N.Y. Steinway D . Most Erards when restored don't turn out that way, though . . . but a few come out like that on the other end.

Here is a non-restored one, the music isn't Chopin's . . . even through the bass that has become hollow and through the very [very!] bright hammers, with much of the majestic power of the instrument now absent, one can hear a particular glamour and nobility/dignity in the sound - I imagine most Erard grands, when new, would have had that along with everything else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=docWp_IJiXw

I would like to hear some Chopin on that one . . . I guess one can imagine it.

Now I am going to go practice for several hours - you all should be practicing, too!