Tír Na HiFi

Nocturnes Op. 32 Nos. 1 & 2 was composed in 1836/37. Here, once again we have another development of the form where in No. 1 has an unprecedented ending with a recitative.


No. 1 is a nocturne characteristic in design with, once again charming and very beautiful singing melodies. However, it ends with an amazing and totally unexpected coda. This ending is totally unrepresentative of any of his previous nocturnes. The music in this coda seems to have no place whatever in a nocturne! This one seems to be one of the more obscure ones but I really like it; it seems to have a character and individuality of its own.


No. 2 is another beautiful work with a balletic middle section. However, it differs from No. 1 due to the "stormier, more chromatic middle section" where the tempo in the middle section remains the same and only the ornamentation and embellishment changes. The degree in contrast is reduced as a direct result of this. This nocturne is apparently among the works of Chopin orchestrated in the ballet Les Sylphides.

I just came across this and I felt that I had to put it up onto this thread....


Photograph of Chopin by L.A. Bisson 1849:


"Photography was only about a decade old when Bisson took this famous picture. Chopin, who was terminally ill, does not appear to his best advantage, but it is our only photograph of him; his face is better known from paintings and drawings."

So I finally got some time last night to listen to these. I lined them up in a playlist so I could hear the two interpretations directly after each other. It was quite amazing to hear just how different the first Op. 72 was played by Barenboim and Arrau respectively. Barenboim has a much slower approach and perhaps more mechanical in his tempo. Arrau is much faster and more expressive in his tempo, which he varies more throughout the piece. I sense Barenboim playing a much more sentimental and deliberate style, where Arrau plays with much more ferocity as if his life depends on it.

Moving on to the Op. 48 no.1 in C minor, the same feeling prevails: Barenboim is playing the notes in a deliberate and correct manner, Arrau is much more expressive.

I like both interpretations and the pieces are just amazing. The 1978 Arrau recording is much louder but has a lot more tape hiss and is not so full sounding as the more modern sounding Berenboim recording.

I am really enjoying these and I am looking forward to more pieces in the coming nights!

That is interesting Claus as I have three sets of the Chopin Nocturnes and two of them are the ones that you have mentioned.

Nocturnes Opus 37 Nos. 1 & 2 were composed in 1838/39. Neither piece carries a dedication which is apparently unusual. Schumann who was apparently an early advocate of Chopin's music said that the "two nocturnes differ from his earlier ones chiefly through greater simplicity of decoration and more quiet grace."


At the offset Chopin’s Op. 37 No. 1 offers us his typical nocturnal reflection. But then a different, unexpected, atmosphere appears in the middle section where a strange chorale-like intermezzo in plain chordal writing appears. Some interpreters of Chopin’s music have associated the music of these bars with ‘a prayer played on a country organ’. Its chorale character is indisputable. A moment later, it quietens and then falls utterly silent, halted by a succession of pauses. The nostalgic melody of the first section then returns but as it nears the end, it alters its tone: the light of a major key appears. One of Chopin's students once claimed that Chopin himself forgot to mark the increase in tempo for the chorale, which led to the section being played too slowly. Critics, however, have often pointed to the potential allusion to religion in the middle section.

The Nocturne in G major Op. 37 No. 2 is full of joy and light but also with reflection in its middle section. It represents the romance, rather than elegy, tradition. The nocturne has been acclaimed as one of the most beautiful melodies that Chopin has ever composed. Personally I am not so sure about that claim. The elegant theme of Opus 37/2, in parallel thirds and sixths (the melody in thirds and sixths is similarly unusual, all other Chopin nocturnes opening with single-voice melodies), is presented in a surprising variety of keys (it is all over the place!), so that little sense of overall tonality remains. The middle section is a peaceful lullaby. The piece has the structure ABABA, somewhat unusual for a Chopin nocturne. The two themes take turns in the limelight, creating a form not previously known.

Nocturnes Opus 48 Nos. 1 & 2 were composed in 1841.


The Nocturne Op.48 No. 1 has been categorized as one of Chopin's greatest emotional achievements and is regarded by many as the most important one that he wrote. The chief subject of this work is said to be a masterly expression of a great powerful grief. It is also notable for its virtuoso piano writing. This work finds Chopin reaching new levels of emotional power. The melody of the Nocturne in C minor unfolds lento and mezzo voce (slowly and half-voice) and once again is a beautiful song. The melody works its way downwards and eventually finds itself in a chorale. This chorale grows in strength, despite the fact that the violent music of double octaves forces its way in between the chords. I think that there is something very grand and noble in this work and that it is certainly packed with power and emotion.


The Nocturne Op. 48 No. 2 is not as passionate as its companion C minor. It is more muted. However, it is not emotionless. It is a subtle nocturne. At the outset a seemingly endless melody is played with restless triplets in the left hand. The main theme is a bit more demure but beautiful and certainly not uninteresting, and is of an unusual length. The middle section is completely different and contains simple chord progressions. This middle section is also differentiated by means of key (the unexpected D flat major), tempo (slower), metre (triple) and character. Chopin apparently once noted that the middle section was like a recitative and should be played as if "a tyrant commands, and the other asks for mercy." Next, the song of the beginning returns, as the form dictates but does not return in an identical manner; rather this time it is embellished and augmented with the power of chords, before ending in the key of F sharp major, which brightens the tone.

The Nocturnes Opus 55 Nos. 1 & 2 (Chopin’s penultimate set) was composed between 1842 and 1844. These nocturnes of opus 55 were not apparently greeted at the time by the superlatives that the early nocturnes attracted. They certainly have a different feel to them; perhaps it was a more mature composer who had mastered the genre simply attempting to say something new or different or at least attempting to say it in a new and different way.




I read that teachers often prescribe The Nocturne in F Minor, Op. 55 No. 1 for students as it is apparently technically easier than many. The opening theme, which is also the principal theme of this work, returns often, slightly altered nearly every time. The work has a melancholy that is deepened by the almost obsessive repetition of the initial melody and the repetitive and incessant nature of the note/chord figure on the left hand.

The piece is in ternary form (ABA). It starts with the main theme which has a slow steady beat and which repeats once with only minor variations. The right hand plays a slow melody and the left hand accompanies with a bass note and then a chord. The second section is then played with, again, the right-hand playing the melody and the left-hand accompanying with bass notes and a chord. There are only occasional changes to this pattern. The main theme then comes back in with some variations to the first two times it was played. The second section is again repeated with no variations, followed immediately by the first section again with the triplet sequence.

A tempo change then speeds up the piece. It starts off with some fast, triplet quavers and then three chords. This then repeats three further times until a completely new section comes in with a melody in the right hand and triplet broken chords in the left. A descending scale and some chords complete this section and lead it onto the first theme again. There is then a large variation on the first theme where the main tune is played with other notes in between which is then followed by a lovely section of arpeggios and finishing off on 6 final chords, modulating to the major (F major).




The Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 55 No. 2 has a distinctive design, not found among Chopin’s other nocturnes. It differs in form from the other nocturnes in that it has no contrasting second section, the melody flowing onward from beginning to end in a uniform manner. Here, contrast between sections is replaced by a continuous undulation of the melody. One might even be excused for not noticing that the music of the second phase of this two-phase work repeats the music of the first phase, albeit in variation.

The melody flows along in solitude, against an unusually expansive accompaniment, though the solitude of the melody is interrupted every so often by the voice of the accompaniment, complementing the upper part.

Because there is no discrete sectional form, but rather a continuously developing melody, this results in a certain amount of monotony. Chopin appears to be rambling, ruminating, expressing his thoughts out loud, in music. A rather lovely coda serves as a conclusion to this unique work.

The Nocturnes Opus 62, Nos. 1 & 2 was Chopin’s last in the genre and was composed in 1846. They were also the last to be published during his lifetime.


The Nocturne Opus 62 No. 1 is typical of what one expects from this dream like form in Chopin’s hands and this particular example is quite restrained. At first, the action proceeds gently and smoothly as Chopin marks the opening both dolce and legato. The middle section brings little contrast and it is just as restrained as the opening where the usual spontaneous expression is replaced by reflection, so the music sounds differently here than one usually expects. It is not strong and explosive, as is most often the case in the middle section of a Chopin nocturne. The most distinctive part of this nocturne comes at the return of the opening theme, because Chopin now disguises it beneath continuous richly ornamented trills and runs in the pianist’s right hand. It is unusual and attractive. Gradually this trill vanishes, and the Nocturne in B Major makes its way to a lovely close.

The Nocturne Opus 62 No. 2 is another lovely one and for contrast it has an agitated, turbulent middle section where the left hand plays a melodic role as well. It sounds rich and expressive with its melody sung by a mezzo-soprano rather than a higher register voice. Chopin marks the opening both Lento and sostenuto. The nocturne is in the expected ternary form, though Chopin offers a second theme in the opening section. The hitherto pent-up emotions are given their head in the middle section of this Nocturne as the central episode explodes, shattering the melody’s calm passage and is marked forte and agitato. The agitation soon subsides however, giving way as Chopin reprises both opening themes which return with greater calm and poise than before the eruption of the storm and the nocturne fades into silence on a very brief coda.

I have been listening to the Chopin Nocturnes played by the following three pianists....





The Castro performances is excellent, the quality of playing is of the highest order, very smooth and fluid. The pieces are played straight and there is no hint of sentimentality whatever. They are firm, robust performances that are generally, but not always, on the slightly faster side of tempi but they never feel hurried or rushed. The digital recording is very good and the instrument is captured well. This is great, straight no nonsense playing and interpretation and comes very well recommended. All of my analysis work has been done using this set.



This is the modern version of the set....

Like others here I also think that the Arrau performances are excellent. Once again the quality of playing is of the highest order, being very smooth and fluid. More of his personality is imbued in the performances and I like his use of rubato in his interpretations. This recording is noted for the sound of Arrau’s breathing which is noticeable but not off putting but some may find it slightly distracting. Once again the recording is excellent and comes highly recommended.