8/28/2023 0 Comments Nocturne in d flat major op2727, performed by the late Brazilian pianist, Nelson Freire: The final bars drift away amid shimmering sixths. At moments, the melodic line breaks into thirds, suggesting an operatic duet. It’s a sensuous, continuously unfolding “song without words,” filled with vocal embellishments and delicate polyrhythms. The melancholy which pervaded the previous Nocturne is replaced by reassurance. It begins with a serene melody which floats above calm arpeggiating waves. The second Nocturne is set in enharmonic D-flat major. The final bars drift off into serene C-sharp major. Following a brief, waltzing passage, a cadenza returns us to the intimate opening theme. The turbulent più mosso middle section soars with restless, heroic passion. In the pianist’s left hand, continuous arpeggios rise and fall. The first, set in C-sharp minor, was described by the biographer, James Huneker, as “the gloomiest and grandest of Chopin’s moody canvasses.” Out of primordial open fifths emerges a wistful, wandering melody. Heard together, the two Nocturnes take us on a dramatic journey. 27 Nocturnes represented a “new wave” of piano music. They are harmonically and dramatically audacious. ![]() ![]() Chopin’s Nocturnes become magical and atmospheric “songs of the night.” They are bel canto arias without words, in which the piano is transformed into a singing instrument. The form originated a generation earlier with the English composer-pianist, John Field (1782-1837). ![]() The two pieces for solo piano, composed in 1836, are among twenty-one surviving Nocturnes written by Chopin. 27 Nocturnes inhabit a serene, sensuous, and melancholy dreamscape.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |