Ben, for the past 2 decades I’ve been trying to expand my repertoire beyond Chopin. This series is not helping. I fall in love all over again with the music. Thank you.
They’re all good. I have the entire 4 ballades by Cho Seong Jin as one of my downloads in case I ever lose cell service I can listen. Him and Zimmerman are my favorite interpretations
Thank you so much for posting these videos on TH-cam for us!! I really appreciate it!! I’m not tech savvy so I don’t really have ever listened to any podcasts unless they’re in video format on here. So thank you so much! I really appreciate you taking the time to share with us.
I've just spent the week revisiting Garrick Ohlsson's Arabesque recordings of the Nocturnes from 1995, performances I've always loved for their great poetry and beauty, the overall expansiveness of conception and execution. As sheer pianism they're flat-out magnificent, the control of tone and touch positively staggering, creating so many colors and conjuring such rich emotions--as if every note is getting its due, every phrase getting deliciously turned. This is truly sumptuous playing, personal without being idiosyncratic. And coming back to them is a great joy--yet another gift of this series.
Great video. I like the way you are analyzing the different parts of the Chopin pieces of music. Garrick’s ways of explaining the different nuances and techniques is exceptionally awesome, and plays the keys beautifully
These Chopin Podcast episodes are so fantastic I think my head will explode! I cannot thank you enough, it is all beautiful and educational and just fun to hear the interactions and discussions. Thank you!
Great lesson Garrick, and very nice piano you have there! I've always appreciated not only your playing of many works over the years, but also your choice of using something other than a Steinway for your recordings and performances. My mother bought your 1979 Angel LP Nocturne set and gave it to me for my 11th birthday present. I wore those LPs out to a frazzle, and was delighted when I found them re-released on CD many years later.
I was introduced to the Nocturnes listening to my mother's Stefan Askenase recording when I was little. Askenase's recording of the Nocturnes remains my all-time favorite. And my favorite Nocturne, although I love them all, is the Opus 27 No. 2.
The op 55 no 2 is one of my top favorites. But it's exceedingly difficult to play well, and most pianists, even great ones, don't do a very good job. And I think it all comes down to what Chopin was trying to teach his student in the opening bars of the c minor. Each and every note, especially in the contrapuntal sections, must be given great attention. Each phrase must come across as richly thematic, and everything must be played with intention. This is the difference between the nocturne being a stunning, magical experience, or falling flat. In my opinion, Pogorelich does a good job of accomplishing this. I would encourage you to take a listen.
I love this podcast! :D As for Noc. in C-sharp minor and quoting his own concerto, you didn't mention that he wrote the Nocturne for Ludwika, his older sister. It's believed he had done so for her to prepare to play his concerto. If I remember right, there are even several manuscripts of the piece in his and in her hand that slightly differ.
You mentioned earlier that each episode will cover each of the genres he composed: Ballades, Scherzi, etc... You probably already recorded most the podcast in full but I really hope one-offs like the Barcarolle, F minor Fantasy will be covered as well, maybe all lumped together as "Others" or smth. Anyway, as a giant Chopin simp, I'm absolutely loving every minute of this podcast.
Episode 10 is dedicated to the three main miscellaneous solo works - the Fantasy, Berceuse, and Barcarolle. I'm lumping in Rondos with the Impromptus in Episode 6. And other miscellaneous works will be distributed throughout various episodes!
The double movement in Nocturne 48 no1, is often played slow by other players so it’s good to see that Garrick has sped it up. Another of my favorite recordings is my Valentina Lisista. Her 48 no 1 is my favorite.
Garrick does it both ways - faster in his earlier recording, slower in the later one. What I like about his slower version is how the inner voices start to speak in really beautiful ways.
Wonderful video. Mr. Olhsson is close not to play, but to draw, or crave the melodies!! Are as like as them materialize. I never listened to a 37, 2 so beautiful. I loved the four connections on the C# minor. I knew about the mention of the begining of the last movimento on the concerto. I was surprised with the other. Thanks for this cool video ❤
Ben, I am moving back to Utah next year and looking for a teacher…do you take students? I am entranced with your Chopin series…it’s a lot of work I’m sure but rest assured so greatly appreciated.
Hey Ben, fascinating interview - keep up the great work, you two. I just want to flag for the sonata videos - please talk about the Chopin cello sonata, inspite of the fact that it’s not necessarily relevant to the upcoming competitions it really is one of his late masterworks that deserves the same level of appreciation as his other 2 sonatas.
Seymour Bernstein does the best recording I ever heard of the nocturne no.1. It is on YT. It was recorded later than the 'golden age' and yet it sounds exactly like a 'golden age' recording.
@@TomTom53421 yes i discovered moravec in college and his nocturnes were so different than Rubinstein’s and really transported me. Jed Distler (spoiler alert) actually highlights Moravec’s ballades in episode 3
23:53 Ben, Ben, Ben did you forget to say how the ending is exactly the same as the end of his PC2 second movement (i'd recommend the incomparable Poon for the best - along with Hofmann - yt recording of the op. 11 concerto.
Ben, I know that Stephen Hough played Chopin on Queen Victoria's Erard piano at the Proms and he mentioned that the action of the golden instrument was more shallow and the keys narrower. Do you think that there would have been a significant difference in playing an instrument contemporary to Chopin's compositions to the modern concert grands we hear recorded? I know that the difference in action wouldn't be as different as hearing Mozart of a fortepiano, but is there a case to be made to play Chopin on period instruments?
@@patrickgallagher3513 the action is certainly different, but I’m by no means an expert. A couple of my guests have talked about playing Chopin on period instruments, both about how the key’s response was slower and the decay was shorter, which influenced interpretation. And in my mind there’s no need to “make a case” for playing Chopin on period instruments - people already do it and it’s celebrated and there’s even a whole competition designed around it in Poland. We can both learn a lot from it and it’s beautiful in its own right. (If what you mean is that we should also make a case *against* Chopin on modern instruments, I’d say that’s a lost cause :)
A curiosity that has fascinated me for years, in Nocturne #20, Garrick starts the fourth measure (20:49) with f# in the left hand, whereas the notation below starts with d#. My favorite recording is Ashkenazi, and he plays d#, but most recordings play f#. I find the d# much more mysterious…. Any history to this, as it completely changes the tenor of the passage…
We look at the cover of Mr Ohlsson's magnificent box set of the Complete Works of Chopin often enough. Please ask him what the story behind the painting on the cover is. Do we know, for example, what Chopin's program on that occasion was? And more generally, is Mr Ohlsson's approval sought when it comes deciding what the covers of his albums will look like?
I can ask if he gave his approval, but my guess he wasn’t party to it. Just looked it up and the painter is Kwiatkowski. He painted a piece entitled “Chopin in concert at the Hotel Lamber” in 1840, and seems to have repeated the scene in an outdoor setting with seeming political significance called “The Polonaise.” Something to look into further. Apparently he also painted a scene of Chopin on his death bed.
Op 48 #1, "doppio movimento" matters immensely. Where else is Chopin specifically arithmetical about tempo? -- no matter how madly difficult it is. Ohlsson, it goes without saying, pulls it off.
Hi there Ben You may not know this but in Iran in the Tehran Conservatory of music we students binge watch your videos and talk about them and learn a lot from them so thank you for that. I have a question that since you have access to lots of great pianist you could ask them maybe and enlighten me. There have been a lot of great composers in the romantic era and specifically contemporaries to Chopin and a lot of them like Kalkbrenner are very similar to Chopin in style and also you could say they were almost as good as Chopin in someways however why we keep listening to Chopin instead of them? What is it in Chopin music that we just can't find in a lot of similar composers that logically should appeal to us the same way? Is it something in the melody and harmony that he possesses or it's merely luck that he is the most famous from that era. (I'm one of the biggest fans of Chopin on earth btw) I will be glad to know the answer. Thanks!
Thank you for your comment! I'm flattered that my videos have stimulated discussion among you and your peers. You ask a huge question, and I'm not sure I have a great answer - certainly not in a TH-cam video - but you're right, it would be a good question to ask some of these great pianists I'm lucky to interview. I would say, perhaps, that Chopin had a rare combination of melodic imagination and harmonic inventiveness, while being grounded in the voice leading schemas and phrase structures of the 18th century, and this allowed him to create music that communicated both emotionally and logically. He also didn't write music for his time, he wrote it for its own sake, with attention to its own internal logic, proportion, and detail, and this organicism allows his must to stand the test of time like very few of his contemporaries.
My first purchase of any classical music was the same Collection by Rubinstein, but the effect it had on me was not what many people express; I found the music like being to be ended as soon as possible. I never truly connected. And worse, the preludes: I found them sickly, bizarre, and savage. Although admirable and enjoyable, it did have a degree. But to be really delighted, I could never understand it. But my formation made me think that I was on the right track and made it difficult to externalize. And I never felt the nocturnes were particularly nocturnal, never. It would be interesting to conduct a poll.
@@benlawdy “to make classical music, and above all the music of Frederic Chopin, accessible to everyone.” How, is the question. The time is overripe. Thank you for responding! Sincerely 🤩
Hello Ben, what do you think of the Thierry de Brunhoff recording of the nocturnes ? I thought they were excellent considering that he pretty much retired with that performance when he was only 40.
Are you sure “doppio movimento” means double the tempo? I have never interpreted this indication as such. I think it means something like there are two lines, each one moving at its own pulse. It doesn’t have much to do with tempo, it’s an indication of structure…
@@vincenzodamore5317 music dictionaries say it means double the preceding tempo, but your idea is an interesting one. The only thing is, what you say is true of many other passages in Chopin and it doesn’t seem necessary for him to indicate that kind of structural relation with a performance cue.
@ thank you for your reply! So nice to speak to you - congratulations for your amazing content. Well, musicologists and music dictionaries certainly know better than I. You have a good point, of course. However, the same can be said for drastic changes of tempos. First example that comes to my mind: second Ballade, tempo goes double in the second section but Chopin doesn’t need to call it “doppio movimento”. Well, music is not maths after all :)
at 15:09 I couldn't help noticing that those recollections were written in 1872. So that is at least 13 years after Chopin died. How accurate do you think the writer is? I would refer you to the excellent Fischer-Deskau book in which similarly distant recollections are rendered regarding Schubert by his friends. I think it is unreliable. I may be wrong...
23:41 - i would say Schubert already did it in the middle section of his d946/1. Oh and by the way, Ben, this not-so-brilliant nocturne is played best by both Pletnev live - th-cam.com/video/AYgOvIV-OaE/w-d-xo.html and me th-cam.com/video/j323NiPLB6U/w-d-xo.html
About Chopin's own thoughts considering the incompleteness of the musical notation and much more (the video contains english subtitles): th-cam.com/video/9N2Nwb_3w9M/w-d-xo.html
Very interesting as all the other episodes, but in my humble opinion massively overedited...There are like 3 cuts every sentence. I wouldn't care as much if they weren't actually audible cuts, but the majority are... Is there a time constraint? Or just trying to please the YT algorithm? In any case, I'm still loving the series and cant wait for the next episodes!
I know what you mean. This one was tough to edit. It's normal to remove "ums" and awkward pauses and stutters and aimless asides (if I'd left them in, I'd be hearing comments about that haha). But I admit the cuts are a bit harsher/more obvious to the ear in this one - they're a product of a few things: one is that the original interview needing to be re-ordered, another is that we generally had more issues with sound in this one. Another is that it's just me and a part-time assistant working on this, and we're trying to develop a workflow to assemble everything more efficiently together and that's taking some getting used to. We're solving a puzzle each time to develop Garrick's segments in a way that is digestible and fits on the longer (90-minute) podcast with several other segments. I also suspect that if you were only listening and not watching, it wouldn't have been quite as noticeable. I do post the full Garrick interviews with minimal cuts on my Patreon. They are in some ways more interesting, because you get more context and Garrick goes on more tangents, and sometimes there's whole discussions of pieces/topics there that I removed in the final edit. But there are no scores or other bells and whistles to them, and the audio is a bit rougher (it's basically the original Zoom call, just tightened up a bit).
@@benlawdy I work on a Podcast professionally. You'd be surprised how much more tolerant podcast listeners are to "uhs" and little stutters than we realize. Makes it all sound more like an actual conversation and less like a highly scripted TV interview. For high quality sound in online Podcasts, I highly recommend you look into something like Zencastr. (or similar programs, riverdale eg). It records audio locally and uploads it in real time, it's a vastly superior alternative to Zoom, Skype, etc. It's not free though and requires all participants to have a very good internet connection. Might be worth looking into for you! Keep up the good work!
Hello all, I’ve found some good composers here on youtube. Nothing crazy, just pieces written on Musescore, only occasionally played by the person themselves. Do you know any modern artist that make nocturnes ? Of the pieces I’ve found, they usually only a minute or two. I would love to find a longer piece
10:10 to 10:25 What an absolute insult to Chopin, who is known by his students and contemporarys to really write EXACTLY how he wanted everything to be played. Even being mad at embellishments added by Liszt. 23:21 to 23:34 The left hand should NEVER be out of time in a rubato passage or under a group of notes, I don’t say it, Chopin says so, the left hand is the “choirmaster”. Once you acknowledge this, most recordings are just unlistenable. And I won’t even talk about how ANY pianist respects Chopin enough to play his pedaling indications. Yes, he had a different piano, but it doesn’t change the outcome that much if you are really careful, because today’s pianos although heavier are much easier to control.
Thanks for your comment. A few things: (1) The "who cares?" remark in the time range you cited regards interpreting Chopin's ambiguous tempo indication. (2) Although it's not what we're talking about in this video, it's worth pointing out that Chopin embellished his own Nocturnes and encouraged his students to do so; see the authentic variants passed down through Mikuli in Op. 9 No. 2. He also continued to alter many of his pieces when he rewrote them as gifts to students and colleagues. So, as fastidious a craftsman he was in his notated compositions, he also knew them to be evolving organisms, and in certain genres (like the early Nocturnes) he clearly expected a level embellishment, like that of a bel canto aria. (3) Agreed there's a lot seasick rubato in Chopin - again, not the discussion in the video here. Garrick's recordings hardly embody this rubato. But also, the question of rubato in Chopin isn't so straightforward; there are many testimonies about his unwavering left hand, but there are also testimonies about how much time he would take in both hands in certain passages. See the book "Stolen Time" by Richard Hudson. (4) His pedal indications are also ambiguous.
@@davcaslop if the tempi are not respected, then it’s more likely that Chopin himself or others will find more of that disliked rubato. So it’s a very relevant topic to analyze the nuances of what they wrote. It’s not the same to multiply a bar by 1.5 or more, than just a beat (which is VERY noticeable). So any discussions about this should begin with the tempo, especially if the metronome was used; IF we want to give a chance to the way the pieces were conceived in a manner of aesthetic function of art.
And, of course, if the original tempos were part of a system where ornamentation was added to music, and the balance was searched between rubatoand a choir master way of playing, the metronome will give us a clue about how much rubato was acceptable, and how practical it was to add ornamentations. A clue of Chopin being very detailed in tempo also in his irrational rhythmic groupings, which, from a practical perspective, printing them on the sheet music that the author hopes to sell, have aesthetic weight, best perceived when they are respected when playing, to acknowledge the reason of them being printed. For example in his Op. 27 number 2 or in his preludes. That weight should not be ignored.
Is there a strange lag in the video, or is it being edited to create these strange jerks? Every so often while someone is talking the image jerks. Otherwise such a great discussion.
@@Test-nj4fx those are cuts. I optimized the podcast audio first, removing pauses and stutters and superfluous content, and there’s no real way to hide that in the video. So it’s going to look choppy and jumpy sometimes.
Ben tends to favor Ohlsson's continental view of Chopin, which, to me, skews the real Chopin sound. Ben should also choose Slavic pianists-specifically Poles, Russians, and Ukrainians-to explain Slavic music instead of Western pianists. While Westerners may communicate effectively in English, their understanding of Chopin's aesthetic differs from that of Slavic musicians. Although Ohlsson is an excellent communicator, his interpretations of Chopin come across as having a slightly foreign feel in terms of tone, accent, and phrasing, but he possesses strong musical form and piano skills.
If no one cares that much how a piece should sound, why mention the legatissimo? How about ending this series altogether? Any standard goes. So much for admiring the artists. Be careful,
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Ben, for the past 2 decades I’ve been trying to expand my repertoire beyond Chopin. This series is not helping. I fall in love all over again with the music. Thank you.
There's a segment on John Field's Nocturnes in the larger episode, if that helps! Posting the video tomorrow.
Totally understand your dilemma, it's been 3 decades for me!
There's no better speaker or advocate for Chopin than Garrick Ohlsson. I hope he's around for many years to come.
I never get tired of hearing Garrick Ohlsson talk about Chopin. He's a treasure.
The sound of those old tape recordings just cannot be beat! Something about it just brings the excitement of the sound of the piano to life!
Can't wait until the Ballades - they're my favourite of Chopin's oeuvre!
They’re all good. I have the entire 4 ballades by Cho Seong Jin as one of my downloads in case I ever lose cell service I can listen. Him and Zimmerman are my favorite interpretations
Thanks for giving the op 37 no 2 the attention it deserves
This podcast is just precious, appreciated the generous knowledge imparting here, from Taiwan!
Yet another fabulous episode - loving this series!!!!
Did you listen to the full audio pod, Mark? You get a shoutout there about an hour in. The video segment containing it will be up tomorrow.
@@benlawdy Oh my, I didn't... I'll check it out! Keep up the great work on this amazing series - groundbreaking and very important stuff!
Thank you so much for posting these videos on TH-cam for us!! I really appreciate it!! I’m not tech savvy so I don’t really have ever listened to any podcasts unless they’re in video format on here. So thank you so much! I really appreciate you taking the time to share with us.
Thank you for the dedicated thoughtfulness you put into your content. It is amazing. Always
This series is _sooooooooooooo_ good.
I've just spent the week revisiting Garrick Ohlsson's Arabesque recordings of the Nocturnes from 1995, performances I've always loved for their great poetry and beauty, the overall expansiveness of conception and execution. As sheer pianism they're flat-out magnificent, the control of tone and touch positively staggering, creating so many colors and conjuring such rich emotions--as if every note is getting its due, every phrase getting deliciously turned. This is truly sumptuous playing, personal without being idiosyncratic. And coming back to them is a great joy--yet another gift of this series.
Loving the podcast so much so far!
Great video. I like the way you are analyzing the different parts of the Chopin pieces of music. Garrick’s ways of explaining the different nuances and techniques is exceptionally awesome, and plays the keys beautifully
These Chopin Podcast episodes are so fantastic I think my head will explode! I cannot thank you enough, it is all beautiful and educational and just fun to hear the interactions and discussions. Thank you!
The first Chopin Nocturne I ever played, Op. 9, No. 1!
Great Video Ben and Garrick. Love your videos and content. Can’t wait for the rest of The Chopin podcast. Thank you!
Thanks!
Thank you so much for this series! It’s so amazing! Gold material! Many blessings to you!
Great lesson Garrick, and very nice piano you have there! I've always appreciated not only your playing of many works over the years, but also your choice of using something other than a Steinway for your recordings and performances. My mother bought your 1979 Angel LP Nocturne set and gave it to me for my 11th birthday present. I wore those LPs out to a frazzle, and was delighted when I found them re-released on CD many years later.
This is a truly wonderful podcast.
I was introduced to the Nocturnes listening to my mother's Stefan Askenase recording when I was little. Askenase's recording of the Nocturnes remains my all-time favorite. And my favorite Nocturne, although I love them all, is the Opus 27 No. 2.
Ben, you have lots of great ideas and so generous. Thank you for this podcast.
The op 55 no 2 is one of my top favorites. But it's exceedingly difficult to play well, and most pianists, even great ones, don't do a very good job. And I think it all comes down to what Chopin was trying to teach his student in the opening bars of the c minor. Each and every note, especially in the contrapuntal sections, must be given great attention. Each phrase must come across as richly thematic, and everything must be played with intention. This is the difference between the nocturne being a stunning, magical experience, or falling flat. In my opinion, Pogorelich does a good job of accomplishing this. I would encourage you to take a listen.
It was all delightful thank you!! Garick Ohlsson is one of the best chopin interpreters for me..he plays beautifuly
can't wait for the video about his ballads
The comparison to Beethoven's Appassionata is spot on 👌
I love this podcast! :D
As for Noc. in C-sharp minor and quoting his own concerto, you didn't mention that he wrote the Nocturne for Ludwika, his older sister. It's believed he had done so for her to prepare to play his concerto. If I remember right, there are even several manuscripts of the piece in his and in her hand that slightly differ.
You mentioned earlier that each episode will cover each of the genres he composed: Ballades, Scherzi, etc... You probably already recorded most the podcast in full but I really hope one-offs like the Barcarolle, F minor Fantasy will be covered as well, maybe all lumped together as "Others" or smth.
Anyway, as a giant Chopin simp, I'm absolutely loving every minute of this podcast.
Episode 10 is dedicated to the three main miscellaneous solo works - the Fantasy, Berceuse, and Barcarolle.
I'm lumping in Rondos with the Impromptus in Episode 6.
And other miscellaneous works will be distributed throughout various episodes!
@@benlawdy That's wonderful to hear! The Barcarolle is one of my all-time favorites. Thank you so much for all the effort you put into these.
Great job on this series! Loved the first episode and looking forward to the rest
This is truly incredible, thank you so much Ben!
Nocturnes are diamonds of chopin s
Thank you Ben. This is interesting…and inspiring.
Three cheers for Ben!!! Ah! The Brown Albums. I spent years walking to work listening to the Mazurkas on my headphones. Infinite depth.
Thank You very Much Mr.Ben. Robert FROM Venezuela.
The double movement in Nocturne 48 no1, is often played slow by other players so it’s good to see that Garrick has sped it up. Another of my favorite recordings is my Valentina Lisista. Her 48 no 1 is my favorite.
Garrick does it both ways - faster in his earlier recording, slower in the later one. What I like about his slower version is how the inner voices start to speak in really beautiful ways.
Joy to listen/watch, thank you!
Ben, this was great....as always!
Wonderful video. Mr. Olhsson is close not to play, but to draw, or crave the melodies!! Are as like as them materialize. I never listened to a 37, 2 so beautiful. I loved the four connections on the C# minor. I knew about the mention of the begining of the last movimento on the concerto. I was surprised with the other. Thanks for this cool video ❤
Excited for the ballades,each one is better than the other!
Ben, I am moving back to Utah next year and looking for a teacher…do you take students? I am entranced with your Chopin series…it’s a lot of work I’m sure but rest assured so greatly appreciated.
Hey Ben, fascinating interview - keep up the great work, you two. I just want to flag for the sonata videos - please talk about the Chopin cello sonata, inspite of the fact that it’s not necessarily relevant to the upcoming competitions it really is one of his late masterworks that deserves the same level of appreciation as his other 2 sonatas.
Planning on it!
Excellent! Thank you, Ben. -- Josh B. in China.
Seymour Bernstein does the best recording I ever heard of the nocturne no.1. It is on YT. It was recorded later than the 'golden age' and yet it sounds exactly like a 'golden age' recording.
The set is also on iTunes and downloadable from Apple Music. Not as a box, but each of the different types of genre. I began listening yesterday.
Such amazing content. I am considering patreon because I want mooooooore. Thank you!
Have you listened to Ivan Moravec’s complete Chopin nocturnes? OMG his op. 27 no. 2 is so perfect
@@TomTom53421 yes i discovered moravec in college and his nocturnes were so different than Rubinstein’s and really transported me. Jed Distler (spoiler alert) actually highlights Moravec’s ballades in episode 3
@@benlawdy too bad I have to wait 😭
Merci
23:53 Ben, Ben, Ben did you forget to say how the ending is exactly the same as the end of his PC2 second movement (i'd recommend the incomparable Poon for the best - along with Hofmann - yt recording of the op. 11 concerto.
5:50 - as my teacher said: 'Anyone BUT Richter for Chopin'...
I cannot believe you had CDs as a child. Am I that old? 😂😂😂
glad garrick decided to slow down the c minor nocturne, sounds much better
Especially what he does with the inner voices.
@@benlawdy yeh first time hearing those notes brought out in the left hand, sounds interesting
Good vid
Ben, I know that Stephen Hough played Chopin on Queen Victoria's Erard piano at the Proms and he mentioned that the action of the golden instrument was more shallow and the keys narrower. Do you think that there would have been a significant difference in playing an instrument contemporary to Chopin's compositions to the modern concert grands we hear recorded? I know that the difference in action wouldn't be as different as hearing Mozart of a fortepiano, but is there a case to be made to play Chopin on period instruments?
@@patrickgallagher3513 the action is certainly different, but I’m by no means an expert. A couple of my guests have talked about playing Chopin on period instruments, both about how the key’s response was slower and the decay was shorter, which influenced interpretation. And in my mind there’s no need to “make a case” for playing Chopin on period instruments - people already do it and it’s celebrated and there’s even a whole competition designed around it in Poland. We can both learn a lot from it and it’s beautiful in its own right. (If what you mean is that we should also make a case *against* Chopin on modern instruments, I’d say that’s a lost cause :)
op 55 no 2 is perhaps my fave - i like Ashkenazy's version....the summit of Romanticism...
A curiosity that has fascinated me for years, in Nocturne #20, Garrick starts the fourth measure (20:49) with f# in the left hand, whereas the notation below starts with d#. My favorite recording is Ashkenazi, and he plays d#, but most recordings play f#. I find the d# much more mysterious…. Any history to this, as it completely changes the tenor of the passage…
Thank you for the amazing content! Btw, how is Seymour Bernstein doing, have not heard from him fro a long time. :)
We look at the cover of Mr Ohlsson's magnificent box set of the Complete Works of Chopin often enough. Please ask him what the story behind the painting on the cover is. Do we know, for example, what Chopin's program on that occasion was? And more generally, is Mr Ohlsson's approval sought when it comes deciding what the covers of his albums will look like?
I can ask if he gave his approval, but my guess he wasn’t party to it. Just looked it up and the painter is Kwiatkowski. He painted a piece entitled “Chopin in concert at the Hotel Lamber” in 1840, and seems to have repeated the scene in an outdoor setting with seeming political significance called “The Polonaise.” Something to look into further. Apparently he also painted a scene of Chopin on his death bed.
Op 48 #1, "doppio movimento" matters immensely. Where else is Chopin specifically arithmetical about tempo? -- no matter how madly difficult it is. Ohlsson, it goes without saying, pulls it off.
Hi there Ben
You may not know this but in Iran in the Tehran Conservatory of music we students binge watch your videos and talk about them and learn a lot from them so thank you for that.
I have a question that since you have access to lots of great pianist you could ask them maybe and enlighten me.
There have been a lot of great composers in the romantic era and specifically contemporaries to Chopin and a lot of them like Kalkbrenner are very similar to Chopin in style and also you could say they were almost as good as Chopin in someways however why we keep listening to Chopin instead of them?
What is it in Chopin music that we just can't find in a lot of similar composers that logically should appeal to us the same way?
Is it something in the melody and harmony that he possesses or it's merely luck that he is the most famous from that era. (I'm one of the biggest fans of Chopin on earth btw)
I will be glad to know the answer.
Thanks!
Thank you for your comment! I'm flattered that my videos have stimulated discussion among you and your peers. You ask a huge question, and I'm not sure I have a great answer - certainly not in a TH-cam video - but you're right, it would be a good question to ask some of these great pianists I'm lucky to interview. I would say, perhaps, that Chopin had a rare combination of melodic imagination and harmonic inventiveness, while being grounded in the voice leading schemas and phrase structures of the 18th century, and this allowed him to create music that communicated both emotionally and logically. He also didn't write music for his time, he wrote it for its own sake, with attention to its own internal logic, proportion, and detail, and this organicism allows his must to stand the test of time like very few of his contemporaries.
@@benlawdy Awesome reply man thanks!❤️🔥
My first purchase of any classical music was the same Collection by Rubinstein, but the effect it had on me was not what many people express; I found the music like being to be ended as soon as possible. I never truly connected. And worse, the preludes: I found them sickly, bizarre, and savage. Although admirable and enjoyable, it did have a degree. But to be really delighted, I could never understand it. But my formation made me think that I was on the right track and made it difficult to externalize. And I never felt the nocturnes were particularly nocturnal, never. It would be interesting to conduct a poll.
Is there other classical music/ piano music that you connect more to? Chopin doesn't literally have to be "for everyone"!
@@benlawdy “to make classical music, and above all the music of Frederic Chopin, accessible to everyone.” How, is the question. The time is overripe. Thank you for responding! Sincerely 🤩
Hello Ben, what do you think of the Thierry de Brunhoff recording of the nocturnes ? I thought they were excellent considering that he pretty much retired with that performance when he was only 40.
Simply spectacular!
Are you sure “doppio movimento” means double the tempo? I have never interpreted this indication as such. I think it means something like there are two lines, each one moving at its own pulse. It doesn’t have much to do with tempo, it’s an indication of structure…
@@vincenzodamore5317 music dictionaries say it means double the preceding tempo, but your idea is an interesting one. The only thing is, what you say is true of many other passages in Chopin and it doesn’t seem necessary for him to indicate that kind of structural relation with a performance cue.
@ thank you for your reply! So nice to speak to you - congratulations for your amazing content. Well, musicologists and music dictionaries certainly know better than I. You have a good point, of course. However, the same can be said for drastic changes of tempos. First example that comes to my mind: second Ballade, tempo goes double in the second section but Chopin doesn’t need to call it “doppio movimento”. Well, music is not maths after all :)
at 15:09 I couldn't help noticing that those recollections were written in 1872. So that is at least 13 years after Chopin died. How accurate do you think the writer is? I would refer you to the excellent Fischer-Deskau book in which similarly distant recollections are rendered regarding Schubert by his friends. I think it is unreliable. I may be wrong...
Where the part where you guys talk about Kate Liu nocturne?
th-cam.com/video/KUr7UxBOdeY/w-d-xo.html
Had to make a separate video out of it :)
Whos interprets the op 9 no 1 in the intro?
23:41 - i would say Schubert already did it in the middle section of his d946/1. Oh and by the way, Ben, this not-so-brilliant nocturne is played best by both Pletnev live - th-cam.com/video/AYgOvIV-OaE/w-d-xo.html and me th-cam.com/video/j323NiPLB6U/w-d-xo.html
About Chopin's own thoughts considering the incompleteness of the musical notation and much more (the video contains english subtitles):
th-cam.com/video/9N2Nwb_3w9M/w-d-xo.html
What was the piece that your dad played (total novice here).
Chopin's First Nocturne (in B-flat minor, Op. 9 No. 1)
@@benlawdy Thank you very much for the speedy response. Will check out on TH-cam.
Very interesting as all the other episodes, but in my humble opinion massively overedited...There are like 3 cuts every sentence.
I wouldn't care as much if they weren't actually audible cuts, but the majority are...
Is there a time constraint?
Or just trying to please the YT algorithm?
In any case, I'm still loving the series and cant wait for the next episodes!
I know what you mean. This one was tough to edit. It's normal to remove "ums" and awkward pauses and stutters and aimless asides (if I'd left them in, I'd be hearing comments about that haha). But I admit the cuts are a bit harsher/more obvious to the ear in this one - they're a product of a few things: one is that the original interview needing to be re-ordered, another is that we generally had more issues with sound in this one. Another is that it's just me and a part-time assistant working on this, and we're trying to develop a workflow to assemble everything more efficiently together and that's taking some getting used to. We're solving a puzzle each time to develop Garrick's segments in a way that is digestible and fits on the longer (90-minute) podcast with several other segments. I also suspect that if you were only listening and not watching, it wouldn't have been quite as noticeable.
I do post the full Garrick interviews with minimal cuts on my Patreon. They are in some ways more interesting, because you get more context and Garrick goes on more tangents, and sometimes there's whole discussions of pieces/topics there that I removed in the final edit. But there are no scores or other bells and whistles to them, and the audio is a bit rougher (it's basically the original Zoom call, just tightened up a bit).
@@benlawdy I work on a Podcast professionally. You'd be surprised how much more tolerant podcast listeners are to "uhs" and little stutters than we realize.
Makes it all sound more like an actual conversation and less like a highly scripted TV interview.
For high quality sound in online Podcasts, I highly recommend you look into something like Zencastr. (or similar programs, riverdale eg).
It records audio locally and uploads it in real time, it's a vastly superior alternative to Zoom, Skype, etc.
It's not free though and requires all participants to have a very good internet connection. Might be worth looking into for you!
Keep up the good work!
Hello all, I’ve found some good composers here on youtube. Nothing crazy, just pieces written on Musescore, only occasionally played by the person themselves. Do you know any modern artist that make nocturnes ? Of the pieces I’ve found, they usually only a minute or two. I would love to find a longer piece
Richter's version is full of wistfulness, _mono no aware_ . Impeccable.
10:10 to 10:25 What an absolute insult to Chopin, who is known by his students and contemporarys to really write EXACTLY how he wanted everything to be played. Even being mad at embellishments added by Liszt.
23:21 to 23:34 The left hand should NEVER be out of time in a rubato passage or under a group of notes, I don’t say it, Chopin says so, the left hand is the “choirmaster”. Once you acknowledge this, most recordings are just unlistenable.
And I won’t even talk about how ANY pianist respects Chopin enough to play his pedaling indications. Yes, he had a different piano, but it doesn’t change the outcome that much if you are really careful, because today’s pianos although heavier are much easier to control.
Thanks for your comment. A few things:
(1) The "who cares?" remark in the time range you cited regards interpreting Chopin's ambiguous tempo indication.
(2) Although it's not what we're talking about in this video, it's worth pointing out that Chopin embellished his own Nocturnes and encouraged his students to do so; see the authentic variants passed down through Mikuli in Op. 9 No. 2. He also continued to alter many of his pieces when he rewrote them as gifts to students and colleagues. So, as fastidious a craftsman he was in his notated compositions, he also knew them to be evolving organisms, and in certain genres (like the early Nocturnes) he clearly expected a level embellishment, like that of a bel canto aria.
(3) Agreed there's a lot seasick rubato in Chopin - again, not the discussion in the video here. Garrick's recordings hardly embody this rubato. But also, the question of rubato in Chopin isn't so straightforward; there are many testimonies about his unwavering left hand, but there are also testimonies about how much time he would take in both hands in certain passages. See the book "Stolen Time" by Richard Hudson.
(4) His pedal indications are also ambiguous.
@@benlawdy Thanks for answering my comment, I will further study what you said and I will reply accordingly
@@davcaslop if the tempi are not respected, then it’s more likely that Chopin himself or others will find more of that disliked rubato. So it’s a very relevant topic to analyze the nuances of what they wrote. It’s not the same to multiply a bar by 1.5 or more, than just a beat (which is VERY noticeable). So any discussions about this should begin with the tempo, especially if the metronome was used; IF we want to give a chance to the way the pieces were conceived in a manner of aesthetic function of art.
@@davcaslop But we know how the story goes,
And, of course, if the original tempos were part of a system where ornamentation was added to music, and the balance was searched between rubatoand a choir master way of playing, the metronome will give us a clue about how much rubato was acceptable, and how practical it was to add ornamentations. A clue of Chopin being very detailed in tempo also in his irrational rhythmic groupings, which, from a practical perspective, printing them on the sheet music that the author hopes to sell, have aesthetic weight, best perceived when they are respected when playing, to acknowledge the reason of them being printed. For example in his Op. 27 number 2 or in his preludes. That weight should not be ignored.
Is there a strange lag in the video, or is it being edited to create these strange jerks? Every so often while someone is talking the image jerks. Otherwise such a great discussion.
@@Test-nj4fx those are cuts. I optimized the podcast audio first, removing pauses and stutters and superfluous content, and there’s no real way to hide that in the video. So it’s going to look choppy and jumpy sometimes.
Thanks Ben. Wonderful work!
t h a n k you
Ben tends to favor Ohlsson's continental view of Chopin, which, to me, skews the real Chopin sound. Ben should also choose Slavic pianists-specifically Poles, Russians, and Ukrainians-to explain Slavic music instead of Western pianists. While Westerners may communicate effectively in English, their understanding of Chopin's aesthetic differs from that of Slavic musicians. Although Ohlsson is an excellent communicator, his interpretations of Chopin come across as having a slightly foreign feel in terms of tone, accent, and phrasing, but he possesses strong musical form and piano skills.
No one should miss the Nocturnes played by Maria João Pires.
Why today's composer can't compose anything like Chopin's Nocturnes?
If no one cares that much how a piece should sound, why mention the legatissimo? How about ending this series altogether? Any standard goes. So much for admiring the artists. Be careful,