Raoul Koczalski plays Chopin's Nocturne in E-Flat Major Op.9 No.2 'with authentic variants'
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 เม.ย. 2023
- A truly fascinating historical piano recording is this June 28, 1938 recording of Chopin's famous Nocturne in E-Flat Major Op.9 No.2 'with authentic variants' played by Raoul Koczalski, who studied with Chopin's pupil Karol Mikuli.
As a young child, Koczalski famously had lessons with Chopin's pupil Karol Mikuli over the course of four consecutive summers from 1892 to 1895, but he had trained with a number of teachers: Julian Gadomski, Ludwig Marek, and Henryk Jarecki. Some have sought to minimize the extent to which he studied with Mikuli but Koczalski detailed the extent of their work together, noting that "it was no mere trifle: each lesson lasted two full hours and these were daily lessons. I was never permitted to work alone...Nothing was neglected: posture at the piano, fingertips, use of the pedal, legato playing, staccato, portato, octave passages, fiorituras, phrase structure, the singing tone of a musical line, dynamic contrasts, rhythm, and above all the care for authenticity with which Chopin's works must be approached. Here there is no camouflage, no cheap rubato, and no languishing or useless contortions."
As Donald Manildi states in his superb liner notes to the Marston Records release of Koczalski recordings (this reading appears in Volume 2), "The added embellishments and other alterations to Chopin’s melodic writing are said to have been notated by Mikuli after hearing Chopin himself play this Nocturne. (The ornamentation can also be traced to other reliable sources.) ... In light of Chopin’s well-known admiration for bel canto singing, especially from such artists of his day as Guiditta Pasta in the operas of Bellini and Donizetti, it is not difficult to trace the inspiration for the fioritura and melodic ornamentation that are found especially in his nocturnes. We also have reliable accounts of Chopin privately playing nocturnes by John Field and improvising embellishments to enhance Field’s relatively sparse textures. Perhaps the variants in Op. 9, No. 2 originated as a spontaneous jeu d’esprit on Chopin’s part, but in any case they suggest opportunities for creative interpreters to follow Chopin’s practice in similar contexts."
Certainly this raises the question about fidelity to the text and whether the printed version was meant to be the composer's final say about the work (I don't believe it was and there's plenty of evidence indicating that many composers felt the same way). And I am not suggesting that one emulate this particular reading - I don't think one can, not having been trained in the same culture or tradition - nor that this is exactly how Chopin would have played it, but this recording is certainly is worth hearing and studying. It is a fascinating performance that features sumptuous tone, beautiful pedalling, and sensitive dynamic and tonal shadings from a pianist who had lessons with one of Chopin's pupils at a very young age, which surely made a very lasting impression on him.
You can read Manildi's complete writing about the playing, as well as Gregor Benko's terrific biographical notes, at this link: www.marstonrecords.com/product...
This transfer is available in Marston Records' superb anthology 'A Century of Recorded Chopin' - a very highly recommended set: www.marstonrecords.com/produc...
I featured a brief excerpt of this recording in my filmed presentation introducing historical piano recordings for by the Ross McKee Foundation in which I addressed issues of authenticity and varied approaches to compositions (briefly, given the limited time):
• Mark Ainley | An Intro...
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Poor guy would get eliminated in the first round of a competition. Wonderful playing
Yes... Pupil of pupil Chopin
Competition is an act of stupidity in artistic endeavors
Dependss entirely on the knowledge and skill of the judges
@@PBECKLES1It also depends upon the personal tastes of the judges. And not all of the judges will have the same taste.
There's a wonderful blend of absolute naturalness and sophistication which certain 20th-century pianists manage to achieve... Koczalski is certainly one of them. This might be the finest recording of this piece I've heard since Rachmaninov's.
The variation of tone in the melody line is amazing... almost physically impossible when you consider it is only a hammer striking strings.
Thanks! I've always used this recording to show someone the Chopin style ornament.
Koczalski: "When playing his own compositions, Chopin liked here and there to add ornamental variants. Mikuli told me he had a particular predilection for doing this in the Mazurkas."
Lenz (Chopin's pupil): "He marked a few small but very important modifications into my score [of the Nocturne, op. 9 no. 2]."
We also hear the little embellishments in some recordings of Rosenthal, Pachmann, Michalowski and Natalie Jonatha, who worked with Chopin's students.
Who is Natalie Jonatha? I've never heard of her and can't seem to find anything about her online. Thought i'd listened to all the Chopin tradition recordings, but now im very intrigued
@@tamer3397 Sorry for my typo, I mean Natalia Janotha. She received advice from Chopin's pupil Princess Czartoryska née Radziwill.
Also, her mother was very close with Chopin's sister. We hear some embellishments in her Mendelssohn and Chopin recordings.
Chopin's nocturne... but a bit of Koczalski 😊 Oneiric ... and sometimes pearly. How many fabulous colors. I love his Chopin❤
his playing realy sings!! i have never heard a better performance of this nocturne! amazing
💝💝💝 Unsurpassed and equal to none ... Such a wonderful and so rare recording .... Many thanks for this ... TY
Authenticity discussions are interesting for those so inclined, but as a listener my concern is how the music speaks to me personally, in whatever form or interpretation the artist presents it. I find this recording quite moving, and thank you for sharing it.
Merci beaucoup pour ce tout beau nocture de Chopin et pour l'interprétation pleine de romantisme de Raoul Koczalski 💗🎹💜🎼
Wow, I never heard this before. What a great performance, this makes me wonder even more how great Chopin, Liszt, and Rubinstein were at the piano.
Just wonderful, amazing artistry! Bravo, master!
This is a really neat recording.
enjoyed listening!
So schön frei gespielt, und die ornamentalen Hinzufügungen wirken ganz organisch!
Always a fascinating document to listen to. I don't have it at hand at the moment, perhaps you're familiar with Cortot's edition of this Nocturne in which these embellishments are discussed.
Wie wunderbar die Melodie über den Begleitfiguren schwebt,
scheinbar schwerelos, als ob die Linke die Rechte führt und trägt, weil
diese mit dem wunderbaren Gesang beschäftigt ist. Herrlich, so!
The ornament at 2:27! The major chord at 2:52! Disliked the loud LH arpeggios at 4:05, but overall a nuanced and very interesting performance.
фенменальная техника пальцев!!!
Incredible!I wonder if anyone saved the score with the variants like this,though?
I've been told that it's available.
Dang! I now wish I had a piano instructor who could teach me the nuances, then...because I can't read music...at all. It's so gorgeous!@@ThePianoFiles
2:52
Il comprend ma musique mieux que quiconque !
Ce pianiste n'avait pas de perle jouant