You've got my two favorites there for sure, Scarpia. Arrau's set was my first and I love the way every phrase, every note, is handled with exquisite care. Tipo's set is great too. I can't say anything specific, as I don't know it as well as the Arrau, but I certainly plan to hear it more. In fact, I think that many pianists play these works well, I wonder if it's because they are beloved by pianists? Pires has a very nice, if somewhat "big" way with them, perhaps great Nocturnes to enjoy at dusk. Moravec's classic set features his gorgeous tone and his deep sensitivity. Rubinstein's two mono sets are wonderful, with the earliest one being my preferred of the two. Wasowski is not as good here as he is with the Mazurkas, but he's still among the better ones that I have heard. Like you, I enjoy Ashkenazy's, but find that others bring more to these works.
The one set of Nocturne's that I decidedly didn't like was Barenboim's set on DG, which I would say took them too seriously. To my mind, they should be light, perhaps tinged with a bit of darkness, but not solemn.
To hear how great these pieces can be I think you have to listen to Cortot, especially in Op 27/1.
Also very good -- Sofronitsky, Pletnev, Ignaz Friedman, Leo Sirota and Claudio Arrau live .
No sets there, I am afraid.
Of the complete sets I know, the one which has given me most pleasure is Pollini's (maybe the best -- you can hear the Rubinstein influence but he is more dramatic and less detached than Rubinstein's post war recordings, and so for me superior.)
I also think there are many good things in Samson Francois's set.
Yeah, I agree, solemn doesn't work here. I like my Nocturnes to be dark, mysterious - even sexy. 8)
Haven't heard the Barenboim set, though I almost picked it up a few times. I think over a dozen sets is enough, even though the Nocturnes are some of my favorite piano works, definitely desert island material.
Wow, I didn't realize Pollini had done the Nocturnes, sound very very good in the brief excepts. :(
I was able to pick up the Complete Nocturnes by Pascal Amoyel and I was so glad that I did. It's definitely in the top tier. If you want sexy, night dark nocturnes, then these are definitely for you. They stand up against the best -- and I like them better than Pollini, as they are so much more sensual. I bought them from Amazon France, but they are also available as downloads from Amazon and Itunes,
albeit with the wrong cover art.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/410TAYZD8DL._SL500_AA240_.jpg)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/410TAYZD8DL._SL500_AA240_.jpg)
I know, right? He looks like the dude I bought weed from in high school. 8)
The interesting thing about these works, in my view, is that atmosphere is more important than pyrotechnics.
To my mind, they should be light, perhaps tinged with a bit of darkness, but not solemn.
Unfortunately I am not familiar with pre-war nocturne recordings by Cortot.
Unfortunately I am not familiar with pre-war nocturne recordings by Cortot.
As it happens I listened to two different Preludes cycles of Cortot's today, and I am again stunned by the kind of music this man makes.
Unfortunately I am not familiar with pre-war nocturne recordings by Cortot. As it happens I listened to two different Preludes cycles of Cortot's today, and I am again stunned by the kind of music this man makes.
Are there any?
The interesting thing about these works, in my view, is that atmosphere is more important than pyrotechnics.
I still go back to Moravec and Rubinstein .
The Arrau studio set fails in this respect sometimes, most gravely in Op 62/1. But Arrau's live Op 62 /1 on Ermitage is full of intense drama -- and IMO is one of the most interesting nocturne performances on record.
Pires is unbearable.
Unfortunately I am not familiar with pre-war nocturne recordings by Cortot.
Are there any?
I found this on Naxos's website, but can't view the PDF (rear of CD) that shows the details about the Nocturnes within. http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.111245 I am at work or could just read it off the CD. Can someone view the PDF and post the details about the years of those Nocturne performances?
I generally try to avoid using the word 'hysterical' in connection with women, but that's the impression I got. I had the set for a year and then dumped it. To me it sounded like she took the concept 'operatic' but left out the critical 'bel canto' part.
I generally try to avoid using the word 'hysterical' in connection with women, but that's the impression I got. I had the set for a year and then dumped it. To me it sounded like she took the concept 'operatic' but left out the critical 'bel canto' part.
Pires fits the description closest.
Maria Joao Pires made an excellent DG recording on Nocturnes. I have played the set a number of times since I bought it a few months ago. I just wonder when Helene Grimaud will try her hands on these works ...
Being a Chopin year, there are going to be new recordings of the Nocturnes, and it looks like Yundi Li moved over to EMI and recorded them. The set will be out in April. Of more interest for me, Nelson Freire has also recorded them, and that set will be out in March.
What is the preferred (i.e. best) set of these pieces? Arrau on Philips, Rubinstein on Naxos or the Moravec on Nonesuch?
Or any others that you might like? Your musical and audio (sound) reasons please? Thanks.
Alternatively say more about what you are looking for in terms of style – dreamy romantic, dramatic, objective, sentimental . . . and maybe someone can make some suggestions.
I would say that it is highly unsatisfactory to play all of the nocturnes in the same style, whatever that may be. For instance there is a world of difference between the light and frisky Op55.1 and the expansive but occasionally dreamy Op55.2. I would expect a good pianist to bring out these differences.
Alternatively say more about what you are looking for in terms of style – dreamy romantic, dramatic, objective, sentimental . . . and maybe someone can make some suggestions.
The recording by Perez is imo great. It's a modern interpretation, very elegant and has depth. I prefer it even above Arrau. I prefer more light interpretations, without losing depth.
Two new sets on the market:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51LcbXjCPXL._SL500_AA280_.jpg)
I listened to samples of Chaplin. I don't like, it lacks depth and is quite monotone, although it has that typical atmosphere that suites the Nocturnes. It sound to me a bit of a bad copy of Arrau's version.
The recording by Perez is imo great. It's a modern interpretation, very elegant and has depth. I prefer it even above Arrau. I prefer more light interpretations, without losing depth.
Henk
Hi, Henk. I don't know that new version by Luis Fernando Pérez (incomplete, apparently), but some weeks ago I bought and listened to François Chaplin, almost by chance because I was searching his Debussy set, which has been highly praised in the past.
IMO his Chopin is a highly rewarding interpretation, quite on the slow side, as you have observed. My only quibble about it is the closely miked recorded sound and some excessive basses on the Yamaha piano used there; but I liked Chaplin's general conception/sensibility and the order in which the Nocturnes are presented.
Anyway, I would prefer don't compare his version with Arrau, my absolute favorite in the Nocturnes.
Here a video on YouTube for the people interested in Chaplin:
http://www.youtube.com/v/pLcgQBIDvII
Maybe just a matter of taste.
EDIT
Antoine, I checked the video. I'm still not impressed. It lacks depth for me, despite (not because of) the slowness. Maybe just a matter of taste. Also I don't prefer slow performances, because it quickly sounds too serious to me.
Hello? Why do you call this "slow"? It isn't slow at all, by any standards I know. Certainly Arrau would be slow in comparison.
One could say that Chaplin's toucher (or whatever) isn't particularly subtle, although the hall acoustics and the recording device may play a part in this, but as far as tempo is concerned it is positively on the nimble side.
You are being generous Herman. There is a natural flow that all great Chopin interpreters achieve when playing this composer. I don't hear or feel the flow from Chaplin, It's extremely ordinary playing IMO.
CHOPIN Nocturnes • François Chaplin (pn) • ZIG-ZAG 100203.2 (2 CDs: 110:58)
François Chaplin is a pianist who is new to me, although he has been recording for more than a decade. He is a professor at the Conservatoire de Rayonnement Régional in Versailles. His most prominent teacher was the estimable Jean-Claude Pennetier. Chaplin won prizes in two prominent piano competitions, but there has been no breakthrough event along his path leading to a major career. Rather, he is one of those pianists who has slowly built up esteem, especially through recordings. One such project was the complete piano music of Debussy, which seems like superb preparation for tackling Chopin’s nocturnes, so similar are their sonic orbits. On the basis of this Chopin album, I would say that Chaplin has reached an artistic peak.
Chaplin possesses a rich, full tone, which he deploys with a great deal of subtlety. On the surface, his readings of the nocturnes remind me of Claudio Arrau’s in their tonal sumptuousness. This aspect of the recording is enhanced by the use of a beautiful Yamaha piano, spaciously recorded in a Paris church. The Yamaha produces a gorgeous tonal blend throughout its frequency range, captured truthfully by the recorded sound. Chaplin’s feeling for the architecture of the nocturnes is profound. In the ternary pieces, one never has the sense that any section is out of proportion to the others. Here is highly sophisticated playing, yet the overall interpretive effect is to produce readings that are central in the works’ performance traditions. Nothing exotic happens, yet to paraphrase Charles Rosen, Chaplin accomplishes everything while appearing not to do anything remarkable at all.
Chaplin has decided not to play the nocturnes in their published order. He keeps sets of the nocturnes together by opus number, but otherwise he arranges them, in his words, “to emphasize the diversity and modernity of the nocturnes.” I find his ordering highly successful. Chaplin starts with op. 48/1, choosing a slow and stately tempo for the beginning with a pronounced bass. The B section has suitable grandeur. In op. 15/1, Chaplin’s pedaling gives the A section an angelic quality. For op. 15/3, he employs subtle hesitations in his phrasing of the opening melody, giving it the rhythmic feel of a mazurka. Op. 27/2 receives a ravishing, inward performance. The darkness of the three posthumous nocturnes is mirrored in Chaplin’s tonal shadings. Op. 32/2, as befits a selection from Les Sylphides, comes off as an ethereal yet passionate dance.
Op. 55/2 has a harp-like accompaniment in the left hand, accentuated tonally by a judicious use of pedal. Op. 37/1 has an unusually Polish aura, especially in the handling of its ornamentation. The delicacy in the performance of op. 9/1 reminds me of Guiomar Novaes’s interpretation. The program ends with op. 62, presumably Chopin’s last nocturnes. Here, in Chaplin’s words, “the accommodation of the bel canto spirit to the keyboard reaches a fabulous peak.” Indeed, op. 62/1 unfolds in large part like a long aria. Op. 62/2 has an almost orchestral variety of color.
I found this recording improved in power and nuance on each repeated hearing. With sets of the nocturnes available from such great figures as Rubinstein and Arrau, it may seem presumptuous to recommend a set by someone with the comparatively low profile of François Chaplin. Yet I think I honestly can say that I rarely have enjoyed these pieces so much, while the sound engineering is something to rejoice in. Clearly we need to hear more from François Chaplin, so compelling is his artistry.
FANFARE: Dave Saemann
Hi Dave!
According to French amazon, looks like that set was released 5 years ago, but currently unavailable:
http://www.amazon.fr/Int%C3%A9grale-Nocturnes-Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric-Mich%C3%A8le-Boegner/dp/B0007OQBYI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1283192478&sr=8-5
No listing at MDT. :-\
Two new sets on the market:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51LcbXjCPXL._SL500_AA280_.jpg)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41a5xK%2Bof6L._SL500_AA280_.jpg)
I listened to samples of Chaplin. I don't like, it lacks depth and is quite monotone, although it has that typical atmosphere that suites the Nocturnes. It sound to me a bit of a bad copy of Arrau's version.
The recording by Perez is imo great. It's a modern interpretation, very elegant and has depth. I prefer it even above Arrau. I prefer more light interpretations, without losing depth.
Henk
Chopin - Nocturnes played by Michele Boegner on an original 1836 Pleyel piano restored by Anthony Sidey of Paris - an applauded recommendation from Brian - I've been trying to purchase the original CDs w/o success, so was able (w/ the help of one of my radiology residents) to obtain a MP3 disc (320 kbps) of these recordings - such a nice contrast to the versions I own on 'modern' piano - need to do some comparisons; the sound production is a little 'noisy' probably due in part to the piano (pedal, soundboard, etc.) and possibly the engineering - not sure 'where' these were recorded but there is a low rumbling sound on the tracks - this is a privately owned piano, so the location may not have been ideal (liner notes were available but of little help) - :D
(http://giradman.smugmug.com/Other/Classical-Music/ChopinBoegner1/998361071_TiwW5-O.jpg)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51LcbXjCPXL._SL500_AA280_.jpg)I love this one, it's rather dark sounding (I'm not a piano expert, so my question is, is it because he uses the pedals more? Or is it the piano?) which goes pretty well with the nocturnes - but HE IS HUMMING pretty often, which is disturbing.
I urge you not to make any bold statements before you listen to Nelson Freire's Nocturnes. Simply amazing...
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6uRxtIh3K3Q/TwfcPVVxOJI/AAAAAAAAJnE/kSwA5-TWBx0/s1600/Nelson+Freire+-+Chopin+-+The+Nocturnes+%25282010%2529.jpg)
Any seconds on this? i liked his Liszt recital.
Any seconds on this?
Any seconds on this? i liked his Liszt recital.
I feel that many pianists ruin the "flow" of the Nocturnes" by the excessive use of rubato. This tenet can be applied to any Chopin work but the Nocturnes exacerbate the issue.
Has anybody heard Luiz de Moura Castro? MusicWeb is asking me to review his nocturne set.
I've never seen the name before. Jump at the chance to review it. Worst case, it's mediocre. Best case, it's a hidden gem.
Says here on Huangci's site;
Claire Huangci proves herself to be a vividly expressive interpreter of Chopin, the first since Artur Rubinstein to offer a complete cycle of the Nocturnes by Frédéric Chopin.
Is that right?
I don't think so. As far as I know Rubinstein didn't record the nocturne oublié.
It's disgraceful that on Huangci's recording they write Nocturne Oubliée!
(Mind you I had to check the gender of nocturne, and was surprised.)
What is this forgotten nocturne? Who wrote it? When was it discovered?
It’s impossible to answer the question.
You can play these pieces in so many different ways.
I think it would be foolish to say that Weissenberg is better than Rubinstein, or that Rubinstein is better than Samson François, or that Samson François is better than Pollini.
These are all highly musical, well recorded, personal, intense performances. Despite their differences, none of them can be excluded for fundamental reasons.
They are incommensurables – and others would no doubt add others to the list.
All Weissenberg, Rubinstein, François, Pollini et al. have in common is a score to respond to – a score which profoundly underdetermines the performance.
My best advice is to listen to a selection of each of the above on youtube, see which tickles your fancy, and buy the CDs.
Alternatively say more about what you are looking for in terms of style – dreamy romantic, dramatic, objective, sentimental . . . and maybe someone can make some suggestions.
Now that I'm visiting Rev's account, I can never get enough of listening to Chopin's nocturnes. One should own at least a dozen recordings. My favorites are Arrau, Freire, Magaloff, Moravec, Pires, Rev and Wild
Love this thread, and got to explore so many interpretations of Op.9 No. 2, that I made a public Spotify playlist with most of the interpretations on this thread for easy listening.
Enjoy! :-) neil https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7uyjdD3JbdqdWVYPf6gk6B
Love this thread, and got to explore so many interpretations of Op.9 No. 2, that I made a public Spotify playlist with most of the interpretations on this thread for easy listening.
Enjoy!
:-) neil
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7uyjdD3JbdqdWVYPf6gk6B
Ewa Pobłocka recorded them for some incarnation of The Real Chopin, honestly the pianos those guys use are so smoothed out by their restoration policy I don't know that you really hear much fresh and new compared with Rubinstein or whatever. Are you able to sample Luc Devos's two CDs?
Love this thread, and got to explore so many interpretations of Op.9 No. 2, that I made a public Spotify playlist with most of the interpretations on this thread for easy listening.
Enjoy!
:-) neil
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7uyjdD3JbdqdWVYPf6gk6B
Ewa Pobłocka recorded them for some incarnation of The Real Chopin, honestly the pianos those guys use are so smoothed out by their restoration policy I don't know that you really hear much fresh and new compared with Rubinstein or whatever. Are you able to sample Luc Devos's two CDs?
Hi Mandryka - as mentioned before, I wish there were a 'new' recording using a reproduction period piano of the time rather than 'restored oldies' - thanks for mentioning Luc Devos - a disc is available on Amazon and both on PrestoClassical - also both can be previewed on Spotify which I'll do - however, the attached reviewed was rather negative relative to the period piano used although I suspect the reviewer is not a fan of this approach - will decide myself. Thanks again. Dave :)
Bart van Oort did the Nocturnes for Brilliant classics. So cheap, if still findable. Unfortunately? there was a first volume first, mixed with Field, and I think the second volume was also mixed with contemporaries and I don't know if there ever was a double with only the Chopin pieces. (I have that first mixed volume but cannot be more specific than that I apparently found it nice enough to keep...)
Totally worthless review by Howard Kornblum.Well, I agree completely - my feeling was that he was going to hate the recording even before a listen. This morning on Spotify, I was sampling Luc Devos' first Nocturnes disc (below far left) and one on Rewind (third one) which is the same recording; the second Devos recording (2nd image below) was not on Spotify - BUT, I found the 4-disc van Oort set and must say that I enjoyed all. Unfortunately, all of these offerings are difficult to find on CD, OOP, overpriced, or just not available - NOW, I've not done a thorough search so these may be hiding in the 'nooks & crannies' of the web and at reasonable prices - any suggestions appreciated. BTW, for those who do like reviews, attached are 3 discussing the van Oort 4-disc box (2 excellent and 1 somewhat dismissive).
The Nocturnes are probably my favorite Chopin piano works and I've been buying and culling for decades; not sure how many sets I've owned over those years but now down to the five shown below - the oldest in my collection is Ivan Moravec (and still a favorite); the most recent is Claire Huangci, who has become another fav - Chopin wrote these nocturnes between 1827-1846 (Source (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocturnes_(Chopin))) when the piano was still undergoing changes (introduction of better strings, cast iron frames, key actions, pedals, etc. - Link (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano)); SO, I still enjoy the Michele Boegner performance on an 1836 Pleyel piano (although there are issues as described in a post of mine a few pages back in this thread).Love that Moravec CD! Will have to give a think about other favorite Chopin Nocturnes.
Now is the chance for Chopin Nocturne fans to post of some of their 'current favorite recordings' for these works - I would love to hear a recording done on a reproduction piano from that era which likely would have better acoustics than that of Boegner, but I'm not aware of any newer ones? Could be wrong, of course. Dave :)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51veygMldBL.jpg) (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51oC-Zh6uYL.jpg) (https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41DV07J0F0L.jpg)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51WjOLX9PNL._SY355_.jpg) (https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FwZdShOyZpU/WB5qFbfGUiI/AAAAAAAADVg/oUpV3FizgqUaC5b1IN42Cx4rRad8suvWACLcB/s400/Tapa.jpg)