Allowing the character of each of your fingers to play their part in the delivery of the music but taking care of the different colourations between long and shorter tones. Working with separate hands initially is often a strong suggestion, ensuring that each and every note and rhythm is fully under the fingers. This is not to overlook the technical demands of this collection of compositions. What then becomes vital to the preparation and performance of these works is to try to capture the essence of the entire composition taking great care to plan the cumulative climaxes thought-out the piece.
#Play chopin music full#
The Ballades are a reflection of Chopin’s mature style and encompass the full gamut of heroic, lyrical, dramatic and ultimately tragic elements that challenge and delight performers. Taking into account the phrasing, the intimate textural details or the carefully considered structure is not sufficient to ensure a competent interpretation of these pieces. Turning towards Chopin’s ever-popular Ballades we encounter even greater demands on the pianist. Thinks about allowing tiny pauses at the end of phrases to let the music breathe and highlight the changes in mood that permeate the piece. When there are awkward accented notes turn you hand more towards the direction of those notes and give extra weight to them, allowing them to sing out from the texture. Take the tempo of the passage down considerably and build speed over time, taking care, not to over pedal. This helps establish the rhythmic emphasis without clouding the separate rhythmic figures. In this case, it’s the first note of each group. One tip offered to students for this is to gently accent the notes that align. One of the key challenges in this wonderful work is being able to play semi-quavers in the right hand against triplets in the left hand. Perhaps one of the most popular of Chopin’s works is the Op. In this Nocturne it is suggested that close attention is paid to the fingering for the left-hand to achieve the clear voicing of the chords. Chopin himself is reported to have played this Nocturne without this distorting rubato instead favouring a clear, singing tone in the right hand quietly accompanied by the left hand. It is perhaps one of the most performed of Chopin’s Nocturnes and yet often his intentions are ignored. The second Nocturne from Op.9 can fall victim to excessive employment of rubato. As Paderewski rightly states, “Tempo Rubato softens the sharpness of tones, blunts the structural angles without running them because the action is not destructive.” What is to be avoided at all costs is a metronomically flawless delivery that is uncharacteristic, or lacks expression or individuality at the cost of the music. In the 18 th Century, it was considered really to be an ornament, all be it an expressive one. What effectively happens in performance is that there is a flexible ritardando and accelerando that gives the impression of a brief suspension in the strict time of the bar. A blunt translation into English would give us ‘robbed time’ but this hardly conjures the truth of the term. The Italian word Rubato (temps dérobé), is a common feature of many Chopin manuscripts. One story tells of Chopin’s pupil Mikuli remarking on how the Finale of Chopin’s Op.35 (B flat Minor Piano Sonata), should be performed without any pedal at all. Avoid pedalling simply to the bar lines but if the harmony dictates, sustain it across the bar lines. An error that is commonly heard is in Nocturne No.1 (bar 23), where semi-quaver rests that are in the middle of a phrase are pedalled over losing the intentions of the composer. Further suggestions are to use the middle pedal to sustain deep bass tones and to employ a half-pedal sustain where possible to avoid blurring passages. Instead, all pedals require sensitive use that supports the phrasing and enhances the natural resonance of the instrument. There is a tendency to over pedal when playing Chopin and blur the nuances of the pieces especially in those technically more demanding passages. Feel the transfer of weight from the arm to the fingers to the change of notes and listen to the tone each hammer stroke makes.Īnother important general point is that of pedalling.
#Play chopin music free#
It is also vital to maintain suppleness in the wrists and allow the free movement of the elbows. Often Chopin includes counter-melodies or melodic reflections in the left-hand that must not be overshadowed. The aim is to allow the seamless flow of the melodic line in the right hand of the piece without losing the gentle rhythmic momentum and harmonic subtleties inherent in the left-hand. One element of performance that needs careful thought is the balance between the hands.
0 kommentar(er)
