Chopin - Sonata, op. 35 (Kissin) - 4/4

Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)

Sonata n.2, op.35 (1839)
IV - Finale. Presto

Evgeny Kissin, piano

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Chopin
• Sonata
• funebre
• 35
• Evgeny
• Kissin
• piano
• classica

[henseltetude]

do you know what? schumann said about this finale: "this is not music" . Modern pianists dont play this movement as Chopin wanted to be played: "sottovoce", no pedal, no melody, , no dinamic marks (just a crescendo at the end I think)... thats why this sounds like debussy... just colour...and Kissin is doing a great job

[SimonKinland]

Schumann said that?!?! After all his compliments toward Chopin? I'm genuinely surprised.

It would be interesting if he had a explicit definition of "music" to compare it to... but he probably didn't, like most people who say such things. Too bad: I LOVE Schumann.

[DesAbends]

Schumann was too "classical" to understand the incredible, modern conception of Chopin's Sonata. It was a great dilemma for Chopin to exceed, with a fourth movement, the expressive power of his funeral march. So he wrote a short piece that could express the "nothing" after death, the annihilation of every human passion, , the total negation of any feeling. And he did, as it was never done before.

[DesAbends]

Chopin wrote only: Presto, Sottovoce e legato, fortissimo in the last chords. In the original version, not even the triplets are marked with the number 3, there is no sign of crescendo (added later by the publisher), no indications at all.

Do you really think that Chopin, the magician of the pedals, played this Finale without using pedals? And playing it without pedal, making it little more than a study, do you think is effective? I don't think so.

[MagicDonDino]

Sono senza parole!! ho sentito horowitz Pogorelich Pollini Michelangeli....... ma Kissin qui ci mette un qualcosa di speciale!

Grazie!

[DesAbends]

I primi tre sono esclusivamente meccanici, qui invece il tutto ha un "senso", c'è qualcosa di più espressivo, non sono solo terzine in presto e sottovoce.

[Sashomei]

finally someone posted that

the full sonata op.35 by kissin

[notaire2]

Amazingly beautiful ending!

[cmonclair27]

Beautiful interpretation of perhaps the most original piano sonata ever written. BTW I don't find Schumann's comment negative. The aesthetics of this sonata were just uncommon for it's time and not easily digested, as were some of Beethoven's late ones. Thanx for uploading!

[mx19idlewilder]

there's also another interpretation of this part of sonata. before the 'wind blowing through the graves' interpretation was said (i dont remember exacly by who) during the XIX century there was quite popular opinion that the 4 part is the devils laugh at polands fall. just like the 3 part wasn't always understood as funeral of the person but funeral of poland.

[cymptom]

@DesAbends

Yes! Though I understand the wind/leaves/gravestones image that is commonly brought up in talk of this movement, I've always found it much more profound to feel it as an ineffable sort of post-life/death experience. It's almost feels like something one would experience while sleeping, before a coherent dream sequence begins to take place -- indistinguishable splashes of color that only vaguely hint it something a human mind could recognize.

[newFranzFerencLiszt]

Grazie mille, caro DesAbends.

Mi è piaciuta tantissimo.

[marcohorowitz8]

yep Schumann said of this sonata: "it seems that Chopin has put together four of his most unruly children into a sonata" he particularly hated the 4th movement, as did Brahms and Mocheles.

[henseltetude]

Thank you too. have a look to Schumann´s comment of Chopin etude op 25 no 1... he say something similar to what I told you about this Finale...

[SimonKinland]

I see. Now THAT sounds a bit more eloquent and accurate, which is what I would expect from Schumann to begin with. Though I have to say I'm embarrassed that I hadn't the slightest idea of the finale's history OR program. Thank you.

(and your English is just fine; many thanks)

[henseltetude]

I don´t know, but maybe the effect he looked for was that. It sounds better with pedal, and some crescendos... but , I mean: Chopin played this piece exactly as he wrote it (of course), so that is why Schumann and his contemporaries were surprised: no pedal , no dinamic....

anyway, I like Kissin´s performance .