Chopin's "Fantasie Impromptu"

[Gurn Blanston]

Originally posted by dice45:
Gurn,
if you are after a (veeery) jazzy version of op.111, look for Friedrich Gulda's performance. Due to that, my schoolmates used to call op.111 the swing sonata.

....
My favourite performer for op.111 as well as for op.106 is Solomon. If you compare Gulda and Solomon, well, form your own judgement wat gets lost by the jazzing-around. Oh, and if you are after a really mean treatment, listen 1st to Ivo Pogorelic, then to Gulda, then to Solomon. After that, you got a comprehension how performance makes-or-breaks it.

Bernhard,
I have never heard the Gulda version (or of him, actually) but shall look for it. I noted from other threads that you have an extensive collection of historical recordings, I envy that! I am somewhat limited in that I live in a remote rural area and have no access to anything artful in a hands-on way, and must get things by mail order, so must really know what I'm looking for if I am to improve what I have now. I have approx. 750 CD's, all purchased mail order "on a wing and a prayer" as it were, many are very good, some suck eggs! Who can know? ;-))
Are you saying the Pogorelich rendition would fall in the latter category? I have just one CD by him (2 Sonatas and a Fantasia by Mozart) that I really enjoy, but which has been panned on some newsgroups. I really like the fluidity of his playing. You have mentioned the Solomon before, is it available on CD? Another problem for me is that many CD's available in Europe never see the light of day in America, I think the record companies believe (perhaps rightly???) that we are not sophisticated enough to create a market. Maybe that would make a good new thread. Anyway, thanks for your input, much appreciated,
Regards, Gurn

[dice45]

Gurn,
yes, my best friend calls me a necrophile and the rest of the Munich Triode Mafia (that's the local group of hardcore DIY tube amp audiophiles) joined him. That's because i am not alltoomuch into living musicians be it Jazz or composed music. So i strive to bring atleast one record with living musicicians on it to every meeting. But it becomes harder to seek one every time

Pogorelic, well, technically he is unlimited. Enormously fluent. Some malevolent folks call him MrSteelFingers because his touch can be downright metallic.
In case of op.111, well, i hate to play critic, in this however the case is blatant, the man at Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft reponsible for issuing that ought to be drowned in a polluted river.
Pianistically, it's not even bad, you know.
Gulda, well, no idea if available on CD.

Solomon: yes available:
EMI Classics 0777 7 64708 2 5
But better get the vinyl, the CD re-mastering is less than adequate. Reason to get yourself a phono turntable and a phono-EQ preamplifier. :-)

Mozart: give Clara Haskil a try. my favourite for Mozart. Oh yes, and Gulda too, if he has a good day and the right mood. He can play Mozart magically.

Rural location: accessible for the postman? Then give ebay a try. Find out what performance you'd like to have, put it on your list and wait until it occurs on ebay. So did i. And if you really want it, make sure by your bid you get it. You may pay trhu the nose in singular cases. But on the long run it equals out.
And, www.saturnrecords.com is a 1stclass adress with honesty.
I got some of my most fanciest records from saturnrecords. And many on ebay.

------------------
Greets,
Bernhard

[Sorrano]

Originally posted by Peter:
There are 2 ways of doing it Mathematical and Musical:

Split the beat into 12

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 / 1 etc

group of 3 comes on 1, 5 & 9
group of 4 comes on 1,4, 7 & 10

Musical way Just play each hand separately several times only from one beat to next, then fit together.

Let me know if this helps - it should do though it isn't so easy putting it into words as it is to demonstrate in person.

Sounds like a great way to look at it. I will try it. This is such a marvelous piece that I must somehow conquer that part!

[Sorrano]

Originally posted by John Rasmussen:
Hands separately at first, and get it real good with each hand. Then "let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth." (Matthew 6:3) That's the only way I can play such things.

I used to be able to do that. 3/2 is pretty easy for me, but 3/4 kills me. When it comes to Chopin I just listen. Heh heh!

[Sorrano]

Originally posted by Peter:
There are 2 ways of doing it Mathematical and Musical:

Split the beat into 12

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 / 1 etc

group of 3 comes on 1, 5 & 9
group of 4 comes on 1,4, 7 & 10

Musical way Just play each hand separately several times only from one beat to next, then fit together.

Let me know if this helps - it should do though it isn't so easy putting it into words as it is to demonstrate in person.

I started working with this method and I think it will work! It gives me an aural and physical example of how this combination is supposed to work and I think I'll have success with it. Thanks!

[spaceray]

Originally posted by John Rasmussen:
Hands separately at first, and get it real good with each hand. Then "let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth." (Matthew 6:3) That's the only way I can play such things.

This was a great tip and since it was posted I have ceased to learn pieces bar by bar but play all the right hand parts untill I'm familiar with the melody and then I put the metronome on and learn the left hand parts keeping careful count and after I've become comfortable I blend my two hands together.When I'm familiar with the melody my ears tell me I'f I play a wrong note.My "The White Knight" "Canyon Sunset" and "Birch Bark Canoe" are so vastly improved I have to say that it really brought me out of my discouraged mood ,I didn't think that I would ever be anything but frustrated and stupid at the piano.
It helps in reading the music as well it's not as overwhelming when you take it in two parts.
Thanks ever so much for the suggestion.

[Sorrano]

Originally posted by spaceray:
This was a great tip and since it was posted I have ceased to learn pieces bar by bar but play all the right hand parts untill I'm familiar with the melody and then I put the metronome on and learn the left hand parts keeping careful count and after I've become comfortable I blend my two hands together.When I'm familiar with the melody my ears tell me I'f I play a wrong note.My "The White Knight" "Canyon Sunset" and "Birch Bark Canoe" are so vastly improved I have to say that it really brought me out of my discouraged mood ,I didn't think that I would ever be anything but frustrated and stupid at the piano.
It helps in reading the music as well it's not as overwhelming when you take it in two parts.
Thanks ever so much for the suggestion.

This method works best for me when I play Bach. Or anything that is fundamently contrapuntel.