Raoul Pugno plays Chopin Nocturne in F sharp major

[SteinwayMan13]

Raoul Pugno is a free soul!

[orguemeaux77]

I would like to know you found this record.

[alechorseman]

I'm preffered version played by Joseph PIZZARELLO (1898 record, Bettini cylinder).

[goldenlady1983]

@alechorseman : I love that version. Such enthusiasm! Also, I love how Bettini introduces the cylinder with such pride!

[bobon47]

What a pity about quality of old record. And interpretation is unusual.

[pjioayncoe]

The most natural playing of this piece...he made the music speak with intimacy and freedom

[PianoVlog]

breathtaking and touching

[truecrypt]

Не спешите с выводами, уважаемый...

Когда-то Генрих Нейгауз замечательно ответил одному из своих студентов, когда тот "небрежно" высказался о "Джоконде" Леонардо. Генрих Густавович сказал: "друг мой, "Джоконда" нравилась стольким людям, что теперь она сама выбирает, кому нравиться, а кому нет!"

Не стоит публично кидаться выражениями типа "безобразие" - даже если не все здесь понимают Русский язык.

[mursum151]

I wouldn't have a look at score's markings at all. That's simply because interpretations should depend on the individual, not on what the score tells us :) Metronome is quite a bad invention anyways...

[truecrypt]

well... don't be too extreme! ;)

Chopin's "markings" deserve to be looked at...

I assure you Pugno payed full respect to Chopin's score before allowing himself to play "freely". This performance is based on deep knowledge, intuition and respect of author's intentions. BTW metronome is not such a bad thing for those who try to "express themselves" without being able to play 4 notes evenly! ;)

[kingstravinsky101]

mursum151 is a noob

[gerardbedecarter]

I transferred to CD Pugno playing his roll version of this Nocturne. CD also has rolls of Saint-Saens, Pachmann, Scharwenka, Busoni, Schelling, Rubinstein, Ornstein & Novaes. Pugno roll 3:54 (disc 3:33). A tradition, said to be from Chopin, suggests playing this nocturne very slowly. Henle edition metronome mark indicates tempo twice as fast as Pugno & at the speed at which Saint-Saens plays it. What do people think about the tempo? I know there are all sorts of problems with metronome marks.

[otterhouse]

Is this from the new Marston transfer? Or the older APR set?

-----------------------------

Rolf, Netherlands.

I am a collector of classical 78's and lp's

Click "otterhouse" above to see (and hear!)

some of my collection.

[truecrypt]

older one

[flugelmaniac]

poetic pianists past and present do not pay any heed to musicology when they play.....it's what comes from within that takes over and supersedes any of that.

Musicology is of course interesting,but is there for the artless brilliant technicians,

those that need to ape standard interpretation

in order to get by and make their fortunes

from the middlebrow masses.

[smithsherman]

Dear Fingel,I wish that nobody payed attention to the "Musicology',because that in my view is the chief reason why there are so very,very,very few poetic any-instrument these days.People are conditioned to embody fallacious rules in their playing and are taught to listen only to confirm that in the music...instead of using the music for expression...which was the point of music,before musicology...

[sagalat]

I must reluctantly agree even though I know who you really are. Don't you think, though, that Pugno has a massive sense of this piece's structure? I remember critics applauding Richter's "sense of structure" in playing certain works. I find that especially true in this instance.

[kingstravinsky101]

omg u noob, musicoloy and all that "boring music theory" are what you NEED to mkae these beautiful songs, you try composing without any kind of system! you cant unless u are super talented, like stravinsky! people who say that musicology ruins music are ignorant fools, who probably say this becuase thye are too dumb to understand music theory

[WarningZephyr]

It ruins it to an extent. If you base it only on music theory and stuff, it will be pointless, without any emotion. So you have to have some lack of structure, or it wont reflect your personality.

[smithsherman]

Finally someone posted Pugno.How sad to hear this,because it's a sad reminder of how low we've fallen in the past 100 years as to make a performance,so logical to the human heart & soul,so rare.Good he knew nothing of the modern musicology concerning Chopin,or else we would never have a gem like this.

[Minchionstronz4]

Of course you have never listened to Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli on concert... maybe you don't even know who he is. Musicology is not what you say btw.

[2ndviolinist]

@Minchionstronz4 Anyone posting or seeking out Pugno recordings has heard Benedetti, a very good pianist, just not on the level with the older masters. I played violin before an accident and have limited interest in pianist compared to those uploading these recordings and I know Benedetti's playing.  You are full of it.