Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

Very rare material from the treasure caves of Russian tv

Chopin's Nocturne No.1 in B Flat Minor, Op 9 No 1: Larghetto, played by Sandor Falvay

Performer: Claudio Arrau

Composed in 1832, it is a technically challenging piece in A-B-A form, in 2/4. The first section, Larghetto (40bpm), features an intricate, elaborately ornamental melody over an even quaver bass. The second section, labelled doppio movimento (double speed), ressembles a scherzo with dotted quaver-semi quaver melody, semiquavers in a lower voice in the right hand, and large jumps in the bass. The final section is a shortened version of the first (14 bars rather than 24) with characteristic cadenzas and elaboration, finishing with an arpeggio on F# major, falling at first, then dying away.

Chopin's sixth nocturne begins with a slow lento tempo and is written in 3/4 time. The right hand part is composed of simple eighth and quarter note patterns, followed by a chromatic rise and fall. The left hand part maintains quarter note patters to support the right hand, with pedal marks every six notes. The ending part of the piece is marked religioso and uses legato chords in the Right hand part. The piece also has incredible dynamic contrast, ranging from fortissimo to pianissimo (see Dynamics).

The piece departs from the ternary form usual in a Chopin nocturne. The concluding section is not only unrelated thematically to the opening one but in a different key (F major). The last four bars return to G minor, though the final chord is major, as is usual in a Chopin nocturne.

The Nocturne in C-sharp Minor is initially marked larghetto and is in 4/4 meter. It transitions to più mosso in measure 29. The piece returns to its original tempo in measure 84, and ends in an adagio beginning in measure 99. The piece is 101 measures long and written in ternary form with coda; the primary theme is introduced, followed by a secondary theme and a repetition of the first.
The second theme of No. 1 in C# minor.

Martha Argerich plays Chopin's Nocturne in D-flat major, Op. 27 No. 2.
Live in Saarbrücken,Deutschland - April 14, 1972