Posted on 11/30/2008 6:25:54 PM PST by billorites
It was May of 1829 and Frederic Chopin was 19 when he went to hear the great Niccolo Paganini perform his first concert in Warsaw. He was called "a wizard, " "the devil incarnate," "super-human," "a violinist without equal" wherever he performed. Chopin was mesmerized by his playing Paganini's technique was positively acrobatic. What could he, Chopin, compose for the piano á la Paganini, something different that would echo what he had just heard? A few months later, he wrote to his best friend, Titus Woyciechowski, that "I have written a big, technical exercise in my own way." Shortly afterward, he wrote again: "I have composed a few exercises. I would play them well for you if only you were here."
< SNIP >
The highly original and experimental mind of Chopin gave birth to the "Black Key Étude" -- where, for the first time, the right hand plays only on the black keys from beginning to end. Incredibly, with changing harmonies, he creates a theme despite all that virtuosity. The great violinist Jascha Heifetz, whom I had the good fortune of knowing very well, walked into the room where I was practicing this étude. He asked, "Would you just play the left-hand accompaniment?" I thought, "Is he going to try to play that very difficult right hand on the piano?" But, instead, out of his pocket came an orange, which he held in his right hand. "Ready?" He rolled the orange back and forth over the black keys, sounding almost like the real thing -- almost! We were in hysterics. I thought, maybe this étude should now be called the "Orange Étude" -- though I am not sure Chopin would have agreed.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Wow. I can only play a couple of waltzes including the Minute Waltz but not without screwing up a couple of times, the Nocturne in E Flat and the first half of the Berceuse Op 57. Oh, and the Prelude in A is a fairly easy piece too. My playing is rusty now unfortunately. Haven't touched the piano in months.. and besides it hasn't been tuned in three years ! Speaking of tuning, have you ever tried tuning a piano yourself ? It's not that hard anymore provided you don't want concert pitch. All you need is some free software that you can download off the internet, a laptop and a tuning wrench. It's going to be my project over Christmas holidays :)
Classical Music PING
Please....anyone can play the F minor Etude if you can handle the Preludes.
For my money the two greatest recordings out of the complete Chopin Etudes are the old one of Abbey Simon, (so clean its frightening.), and one from about 15 years ago by Andrei Gavrilov, (full of Russian fire and passion.)
Two completely different approaches to the music, yet both still valid.
Oh, and Phillipe Entremont’s recording of op. 10 #12 in C minor, (”Revolutionary”), is beautiful beyond words.
Brilliant enough for both Brahms and Rachmaninoff to base large-scale works of their own on it.
Thank you for that link!
I love Phillipe Entremont!
I've got a ton of his recordings on vinyl from when I was a disc jockey back in the early '80s.
I forget the name of that thing we played those old vinyl cd's on...
Thank you!
I just reserved two Jascha Heifetz CDs and the ‘Paganini For Two’ CD from my library.
Freepers Rock! :)
Also meant to add:
Have you discovered http://www.pandora.com ?
I LOVE it. (It’s free.) It’s part of the Music Genome Project and selects music for you based on what your ear likes in the first place.
I’ve not looked at the classical selections...I’ve been too busy building my “Cheap Trick” radio station and my “Steely Dan” radio station and my “Ted Nugent” radio station, LOL!
But I’ll bet you can find some treasures there, too. :)
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