Frederic Chopin - Nocturne in B Major, Op. 62 No. 1

***This performance is dedicated to my dear family cat Polo, who passed away on 12/28/2011 at the age of 14. He has been closer than a brother to me since we got him as a 7-week-old kitten - I was not quite 11 years old at the time. With this performance I aimed to illustrate his happy youth, his playfulness, his meditative nature, his doting kindness, and his final ascent into Heaven. Farewell, my feline brother - you are sorely missed by the whole family. We all love you.

I recorded this performance on 12/28/2011, on my parents' baby grand piano.
This is Chopin's Nocturne No. 17 in B Major, Op. 62 No. 1, and I thought it sounded beautiful so I was always curious to know why it is often considered a difficult piece to play. Having studied this piece for a semester with an instructor from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, I discovered that it was a highly complex piece because it had such long phrases with little definitive form, and so many voices in both hands that needed to be pronounced and subdued at the same time throughout the entire piece. Much of the piece is an exercise in deep expression through gentle movements and articulation while also holding back enough to remain placid throughout - the middle section is really the only part that should build tension. My teacher has described the coda as a river emptying out into the ocean, no longer having anywhere to flow but still mellowing out slowly and spreading out over miles of area with no vitality at all - and the final line needs to be as serene and tranquil as someone being beamed or lifted up to Heaven.

I know I played a couple passages too loud, and missed a couple notes here and there, but overall I'm happy.

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Music

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