Chopin's Fantasie-Impromptu

[Amnesia]

I accept your point, suffice to say what I meant was that no piece by Chopin should be degraded by calling it simple, or easy to play... I agree, even 28/4 is difficult to play well, despite it's simple appearance.

Besides, the reason Chopin didn't want this piece published was most likely due it's resemblance to another piece. You are free to express your opinion, just don't say something is easy when it's not... everyone here should know that nothing by Chopin is easy, no matter how talented you are!

[Helling]

A piece by Moscheles if I recall, which does indeed seem similar. But sorry if i insulted you saying it is easy - what I meant was merely from a technical perspective. I won't say that anymore if you don't tell me again that I have little understanding of a piece when I have a perfectly valid opinion.

In fact, I've played this piece many times myself, and I did like it when I was around 14 but I've since started disliking it more and more. And don't take that as me saying that liking this piece means one is childish - it is simply a statement of how it was for me, and not a general view concerning this piece.

There, hope we reached a common ground now. However, if you cannot say anything by Chopin is easy, then that should logically mean that you cannot say anything by (insert favourite composer) can be seen as easy, and consequently I suppose all the discussions here about difficulty ratings are rather useless.

Which in turn makes me ask, why did you post an inquiry about the difficulty of Chopin's second piano concerto in the difficulty ratings forum?

[Fryderyk]

FI is the kind of piece you either love or hate. And 90% of the ones who hate it, they once loved it hehe.

[Helling]

That is rather true. Well I wouldn't say I hate it maybe, and the middle section did have some charm, albeit a bit too sugar coated, until it was ruined by the lyrics "i'm always chasing rainbows" or whatever it was they saddled it with.

Still it does serve a purpose of leading a lot of people into Chopin's music, which in itself is a good thing.

[JBJ]

The Fantaisie-Impromptu is incredible. It just needs the right setting.

[Helling]

I won't argue against that, sometimes pieces surprise you with new interpretations and you find new sides you hadn't noticed before. I just know I tried a lot to make this piece "work" for me, and no matter how I play it (and most any recordings I heard of it) it just doesn't reach any great heights in musicality.

[Fryderyk]

sometimes pieces surprise you with new interpretations and you find new sides you hadn't noticed before.

https://chopinmusic.net/fryderyk/FI.mp3

[Peanutman]

Nice interpretation. Got a shock. It's just like any another recording, for the first few seconds.

[Goldberg]

I know this thread is for the Fantasie Impromptu (I really can't figure out why it's in its own little sticky thread...), but I thought I'd poke in and submit that my favourite impromptu is the Gb major one, which may be the least recognised one in the set (or not?). It's not exactly tops on my "favourite" lists, for sure, except when compared to the other impromptus. The Gb major one just seems to exhibt Chopin at one of his most characteristic moments, or at least in my mind, with him improvising almost entirely for himself, creating a serene backdrop against which he can test new ideas in his mind and sort himself out; it seems to me to be a very introverted little piece.

Anyone else care for this one? I actually don't mind the FI that much, but that's because I only hear it about three times a year on average...come to think of it, I never really obsessed over the piece either; on the CD I had originally with all the "best of" Chopin pieces (my early CD collection was hilarious), the pieces I most often listened to were the Heroic Polonaise, Revolutionary Etude, and Cello Polonaise...annnd, I've pretty much exhausted myself of those pieces, save the first one, which is "coming back" now...

Annnnyway, off topic. What does everyone think of the Gb major impromptu?

[Helling]

sometimes pieces surprise you with new interpretations and you find new sides you hadn't noticed before.

https://chopinmusic.net/fryderyk/FI.mp3

That's what I mean. Now i am a fantasie imprompty fan as well.

[Helling]

my favourite impromptu is the Gb major one, which may be the least recognised one in the set (or not?). It's not exactly tops on my "favourite" lists, for sure, except when compared to the other impromptus. The Gb major one just seems to exhibt Chopin at one of his most characteristic moments, or at least in my mind, with him improvising almost entirely for himself, creating a serene backdrop against which he can test new ideas in his mind and sort himself out; it seems to me to be a very introverted little piece.

I feel exactly the same way, that is my favourite as well.

[Helling]

sometimes pieces surprise you with new interpretations and you find new sides you hadn't noticed before.

https://chopinmusic.net/fryderyk/FI.mp3

That's what I mean. Now i am a fantasie imprompty fan as well.

And what if the middle section of this piece was Lisztified?

[PianistSk8er]

sometimes pieces surprise you with new interpretations and you find new sides you hadn't noticed before.

https://chopinmusic.net/fryderyk/FI.mp3

Hahaha! Thanks for that, an incredibly interesting take at the piece!

PS

[Fryderyk]

sometimes pieces surprise you with new interpretations and you find new sides you hadn't noticed before.

https://chopinmusic.net/fryderyk/FI.mp3

That's what I mean. Now i am a fantasie imprompty fan as well.

And what if the middle section of this piece was Lisztified?

Haha yes, Liszt in a nutshell!

And by the way, just to make things clear, the creator of the FI-thing is not me, it´s a guy called Robert Wells. I renamed it because of practical reasons.

[Helling]

Oh yeah the Swedish defiler of classical music. Some of his things have amusement value, but over here many believe he is actually the best pianist in Sweden because of his pop arrangements of classical pieces (particularly the nutcracker suite, which he has turned into a famous "Rhapsody in rock" arrangement with which he has toured around rather succesfully e.g. in Japan).