F. Chopin - Nocturne in B-major Op. 62 no. 1 - analysis - Greg Niemczuk's lecture

[@pensierounico7]

57 minutes and 26 seconds of pure art, both in words and in playing. Thank you very much for the lecture

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you so much for these words!

[@s.n.b5511]

This nocturne touches me deeply, and I can cry. Not because I’m sad, but this overwhelming feeling of, as if I stand in front of the gate into heaven. Thank you, Greg. You make me laugh and smile many times while I listen to your comments. You’re just so charming and fun to learn from.

[@carlosjorgenoton]

Tengo una interpretacion diferente a la suya , chopin esta a poco tiempo antes de morir.este nocturno para es el reflejo de su despedida. Acorde inicial como dices es el resumen final. Durate el nocturno toca un fa alargado o con acentuacion en la ultima parte, esefa indica trascendencia a la nueva vida, como una campana de muerte. La parte que indicas improvisacion, parte con un acorde disonante, que indica tragedia y describe hasta el ultimo acorde despies de la cadencia un grado de drama, calmado con notas largas y silencios Ĺuego como moribundo expresa recuerdos de melodia de conformidad para caer nuevamente en tema de pesimismo y desconsuelo En seguida los trinos son la expresion de alguien que delira, deberian ser muy etereos y que terminan con esos acordes finales y un silemcio de muerte. Lo que identificas como puente es una musica de paz y reposo, lento y meditado, para pasar al final , como tema de despedida qque divaga para terminar con la muerte y despedida triste de chopin, con ese fa acentuado de campana o paso a otra vida Comparto esta inyerpretacion para recibir sus comentarios mi correo es [e-mail] Lo hemos interpretado asi mi maestro de piano Mauricio Troncoso y quien le escribe Carlos Noton 57:26

[@più_lento_28_13]

In my personal opinion, the last bars of this piece, 45:50 to 46:30, are one of, if not the most sincere moment in all Chopin’s music. This ending never ever fails to make me feel something extremely special, i cannot even put words on it. We can feel that it comes extremely straight from his heart, and this particular musical moment feels like a perfect and special ending. The nocturnes, and in fact all Chopin’s repertoire could’ve perfectly ended with these bars. These bars make me think of a Chopin who has risen above all the tragic suffering of his existence to an untouchable higher state of beauty, and who looks back to his musical journey to end it with these very sincere and simple chords. A Chopin who, despite all the setbacks, manages to give us this extremely humble and simply beautiful moment. A Chopin who has given us all this incredibly beautiful and virtuosic melodies before this Opus 62, published a couple years before his death, who has explored everything there is to be explored in the piano, said everything that could possibly be said with these 88 keys, and just ends everything in such a sincere and simple beauty. This ending is the melody of someone who feels eternal beauty and peace despite all the suffering. Someone who, after exploring all possible paths, ends a journey with this humble simplicity. Because, as Chopin himself said : « Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art. » This is what the ending of this Nocturne feels like, a final crowning to all his art.

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you for enriching this video with such a beautiful comment

[@ZerkaS]

On a more colloquial level, my feeling, everytime I play these chords, is that it is as though he told to each one us : "It's okay, buddy. I know what's ahead of me, I will be fine. Thank you for being here with me." I do never feel alone when playing it.

[@gregniemczuk]

@@ZerkaS perfectly said. Me too! That's probably the reason why I love it so much

[@veryrealcat]

Such an underrated nocturne, and an under-appreciated opus as a whole. Most people aren't used to this late chopin style as nocturnes before tend to be straightforward and not as dense and rich in harmony as this one and its brother op 62 no 2, which makes them sound a bit weird to newcomers. And that is why i think most people don't like them. I used to be one of them until i decided to explore further and i was met with these overwhelmingly beautiful pieces. Thank you for broadening our horizon about these beautiful works

[@agnieszkawrona3807]

Bridge between two worlds seen and unseen shown by sound and music. Dreams of kindness.Thank you for your great teaching.

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you very much!

[@davidEdwardsTalk]

I can tell this piece means a lot. Your playing is unparalleled. Thank you for this gift.

[@littlesloth1384]

Thank you so much for the lecture. This nocturne has a special place in my heart for many years yet I felt inspired again by you.

[@RubALamp]

I think in this Nocturne, Chopin is looking back in his life.

[@juankiroga8470]

Thank you so much! This has always been my favorite Chopin piece. It is rooted deeply in me. It's wonderful the association you make with impressionism and relaxation music. This is the only piece from the classical repertoire that I put on a list of music for concentration and flow at work. I put it next to contemporary jazz musicians like Anouar Brahem, Carla Bley, Jan Garbarek, Dino Saluzzi, François Couturier or Ralph Towner. I have always felt it extremely contemporary, without ever losing its breathtaking emotional mark.

[@gregniemczuk]

Wonderful! Yes, you definitely got this true meaning of that piece: a piece of art, Chopin inspired like never before. I'm going to record it next week!!!

[@lucyyuan1142]

Thank you so much. I am worrying about playing this piece on a little concert, and your lecture makes me relax. I even start to enjoy preparing it.

[@rnz2363]

You are a good man, Greg.

[@laurie7357]

I was almost as impatient to hear your analysis of your favorite opus than i was for my beloved op 27. Chopin’s music can be so soothing and heartbreaking at the same time. How could he write something so pure and peaceful in a time when he was suffering so much? Probably like you said, a therapy for his soul. With this music, he left little pieces of heaven on earth for us to enjoy when we need it! ❤️

[@mark80mark80]

After this analysis, I come to think Chopin wanted to display an act of paradoxical perception towards his compositions. He writes "sad" moments on the paper, perhaps being an exutory helping to feel better and to feed the souls.. Now he writes something "uplifting" and meditative to soothe the pain. It could displays an original tentative of calming the sadness, maybe it never cures the melancholy of a soul, but it can travel wherever music his, and will.

[@Lucmercurius]

@@mark80mark80 Very interesting and unique analysis that I completely agree! I think Chopin was the greatest composer of them all. He was an absolute master. Unreachable,inimitable.. truly a one of a kind. It baffles me how much this man could compose such things. His music speaks to my heart,soul and mind like no other.. no Bach; no Mozart; no Beethoven can do this to me. Unbelievable.

[@ZerkaS]

What can I say? I've been playing the piano for the most part of my life, and for unfortunate reasons, I hadn't been able to touch a key for the past 3 years. I went to music school for about 20 years (it wasn't super high level, so it did take more time), and for my final concert, I chose to play this piece which I hold dearest to my heart and I've played for 6 years in total as of now. I knew the moment I heard it on record that something was deeply more spiritual, or mature at the very least, with this piece than the rest of Chopin's work. I definitely knew I had to play it. I played it for all these years not really knowing what it all meant or which direction to go for myself except the advice of my teacher and a recording because most people haven't heard of this piece and KZbin was just beginning. But some parts surely resonated deeply inside me, which were highlighted in your analysis. I swear, I played some cords again and again like the 6 or 7 bars before that "improvisation part" for a longer time than I spent on the rest of the whole piece. 😅 Now despite some tragic events, I hope I've gained some more maturity, and I'm looking forward to getting back to it until the thing is engraved in my brain!! 💪

[@gregniemczuk]

I sincerely hope you will be able to play it beautifully again!

[@ZerkaS]

@@gregniemczuk Thank you Greg, it means the world to me. I discovered your channel thanks to this piece.

[@louisliu2914]

Thank you so much for making this video! I really enjoyed your lecture and the way you talked about music. Your video made my day!

[@gregniemczuk]

I'm so happy Louis!

[@seansmart2756]

I’ve just found your channel and I’m working my way through your lectures. I’m looking forward to another again tomorrow. Thank you so much!

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you!

[@seansmart2756]

@@gregniemczuk No, thank you! I really appreciate your work.

[@rabiazamaholysaholy]

We love you with our heart! Think you a lot! Good bless you.

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you so much!

[@christophejavon3509]

Dear Greg Niemczuk Just as Chopin moves us with his genius and inspiration, your interpretations and insights also touch on genius and profound inspiration. I was looking forward to this favorite nocturne of mine, and you made my understanding 100 times deeper. I also think end of part B before trills is pure Heaven, time gets suspended, and open to that magic trill section so I was glad you also made it very special and explained many things I did not know consciously… What you said at the end about Chopin character, I have felt my whole life but never heard articulated so well that really moved me. Thank you for your inspiration and beautiful playing.

[@gregniemczuk]

I deeply appreciate your words, especially since it's your favorite Nocturne! It's always hard to fulfill someone's expectations on favorite music. And yes, I LOVE this music with all my heart!

[@LorenzoNieto_piano]

Thank you very much for your incredible work, for me the best KZbin channel about Chopin's music, your effort is priceless. I wish you a lot of encouragement until completing all of Chopin's works, he deserves it!!

[@georgmohr3924]

Your analyses of anything i have seen so far of your work are great, but this is pure genius. So glad i found this channel.

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you so much! It's my no.1 beloved Nocturne!

[@georgmohr3924]

@@gregniemczuk mine too, only now I understand what it really offers. The music is out of this world ♥️

[@lvb1770]

This was filled with so much great information and will help me when I come back to this nocturne time and time again. Thank you sir!

[@spirituellebuchermeditatio9264]

Thank you dear Greg, I love your work

[@m1k3br4v0]

Magnificent as always. Thank you so much. This piece always evokes strong nostalgic feelings for me. It brings to mind memories, good memories, and almost forces me to reflect on them. I enjoyed your analysis as always. Thank you.

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you very much for watching!

[@jungyou8706]

I really enjoyed your piano and lecture. You play the nocturne so beautifully, and your talk is very authentic and makes me laugh. Thank you for sharing your video!

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you Jung!

[@elias7748]

This touched my soul real good. This piece makes me feel like I'm in a whole different world with no laws of physics. Anything can happen. And your interpretation is priceless. Describing it makes my vocabulary feel limited because I really don't know what words to use. Thank you a lot.

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you so much!

[@Tbilii]

26:37 i love this part a lot. i don't know why i feel some kind of loneliness in the left hand of this part.

[@gordoneng1596]

It's funny how this piece can evoke a dream of love, as well as one carnal passion. Your phrasing and rubato are wonderful, perfectly creating the images you describe so well. Bravo!

[@jorgwinter939]

Thank you for your engaging analysis of this very special nocturne ! In the last section from bar 81, there is a written accent in the first off-beat basenote (f#, g#, f#, g, f# ...) Do you think this was in the original autograph ? It is played mostly _without_ special emphasis on these accented base notes by most pianists.. so I wonder about that. When one plays this 'accent' (not too much of course, as it is a soft piano section), this section sounds even more magical (entrancing..?) to me. Btw. this f# in the base even seems to play a role in the form of longer notes in the very first motiv at the beginning (no written accent, just long notes). And this 'effect' can also be found in several other places. So maybe there is a point to it... wonder what you think ?

[@lourdesdahl6728]

I really love the way you explain everything, Chopin is my idol ,and you have giving me so much hope to understand his music ,I am looking forward to continue listening to you, and I understand why you are so proud to be from Poland,thank you, and please continue playing for us.we love you very much,,,

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you so much! You have more than 150 videos like this one to watch 🙂 enjoy!

[@immortily1673]

you are great

[@annazochowska4477]

Beautiful Nocturne, thank you very much

[@HarmonikResonance]

Amazing analysis!! Great stuff man.

[@gregniemczuk]

Thanks!

[@ducklord7669]

Hey Greg! I love all of your lecture videos, and I would like to know if you're going to talk about the 2 concertos, because I absolutely love them, and I would love to know your opinions about them and discover new things about these pieces Thank you for doing these videos!

[@gregniemczuk]

Not this year, maybe next year I will, but probably without the orchestra!

[@joannawronska4100]

SO WONDERFUL AS ALWAYS AND IMPORTANT!!!!! Thank you for one of my favourite Chopin's Nocturnes in an excellent rendition and for your analysis/tutorial, I'm watching this great video now, your lesson will be helpful for many pianists, again my best regards, have a nice weekend. Joanna

[@KEYRENITY]

I don't like impressionistic titles for Chopin, but the nickname "Tuberose" really fits this nocturne. there's a fragrance to it.

[@alifarrokhian4493]

Thank you so much !

[@agustinreinoso3503]

You are awesome!!! thank you so much!!

[@hansun4822]

Thanks!

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you!

[@fransescrivamoreno4449]

No solo enseñanza musical,sino de vida

[@gregniemczuk]

Gracias!!!!

[@johanna7067]

What is your Fingering on the continous trills? 3 4 all the time it do you switch it up? Please help haha im lost

[@kcs-10-k]

자막 좋아요~~❤

[@mark80mark80]

I love Poland. It exists! From Québec.

[@gregniemczuk]

Thank you!!

[@zehuazhen9747]

After finishing Op.9 no.1 Op.9 No.2 Op.55 no.1 Op.48 no.1 Op.72 No.1, I start working on this nocturne today😂 Just two bars make me realize that it is much harder to paly than it sounds.

[@gregniemczuk]

In my opinion it's the most difficult Nocturne considering shaping phrases, legato and colours

[@Rose-zg9pu]

45:03 this is almost like the ending of the berceuse op. 57. Very similar!

[@gregniemczuk]

Yeees!!!

[@violinousa]

Dear maestro! Could you let me know your piano brand? I WONDER .love it

[@gregniemczuk]

Hi! It's a KAWAI GM-10

[@violinousa]

Thank you very much. Maestro ! You can play unique & beautiful piano sound . with any brand in the world

[@RhodesyYT]

the end of the nocturne seems almost like an arabesque

[@harikrishnan499]

24:57

[@zdzislawmeglicki2262]

Re: brain massage, see [1]. [1] "The ERP Research about the Influence of the Music of Chopin on Working Memory," by C. A. Sun et al in Proceedings of SPIE , October 2011

[@gregniemczuk]

WOW!!!!!

[@chopinfanclub6672]

Heartbreak…

[@MoiAussi18]

A question about the B section in the first part. I am following a Rubinstein performance with music here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3fIoJqug6Z9jbs You suggest that there are two melodies here. I hear two melodies but not the two to which you refer. I hear your two melodies as one and the section that you refer to as a kind of improvisation as the second melody. Where am I going wrong? Actually, if melody is something that an audience is going to hum as it leaves the theatre, I imagine that that only applies to the first melody. I see the others as themes, but no more than that. I do agree about the business of too much melody. It is akin to eating a meal that only contains sweet courses or dating a woman who only smiles sweetly and talks of pleasant things. .

[@gregniemczuk]

All depends on the interpretation. Rubinstein has a different idea to this part. And everyone is right. It's the question of imagination

[@MoiAussi18]

@@gregniemczuk Thanks for that. Much appreciated. The work you do here is absolutely the best of the best. I can see a difference in the music and can hear a difference, but I simply cannot acertain whether what follows is an elaboration of what goes before or something new. I don't possess the requisite talent unfortunately. BTW, I take it that you are also proud of Rubinstein given his own genius, especially in relation to his acclaimed Chopin performances, and Polish origins. Perhaps you don't see him as really Polish. My Polish girlfriend, also from Łódź, certainly didn't. I used to find her attitude kind of strange, but everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. I'm actually only proud of what I achieve. On the other hand I don't feel in the least bit guilty about the crimes and misdeeds committed by others. Thus, even though I'm a Brit, I am not proud of Christopher Wren, or Dickens or Newton. On the other hand, I don't feel responsible for the Irish Potato Famine or Amritsar massacre.

[@gregniemczuk]

@@MoiAussi18 Of course I'm proud of Rubinstein and consider him as probably the best Chopin interpreter ever! And he was Polish! 100% Polish, of course with Jewish origins. He even played Polish National Anthem many times before his concerts, he was so patriotic. I love.this man!!!

[@MoiAussi18]

@@gregniemczuk From a letter to the New York Times in 1982: “Rubinstein's deep sentiment for his native country was demonstrated by the following episode, as recorded in his memoirs: Rubinstein was invited to the inauguration of the United Nations in San Francisco and was asked to play in the San Francisco Opera House, where the representatives of all the member nations were assembled. After playing ''The Star-Spangled Banner,'' he looked around the great hall studded with a multitude of flags and in a loud voice declared that, since among the flags he did not see that of Poland, he would begin his concert with the Polish national anthem. And so he did.”

[@gregniemczuk]

@@MoiAussi18 yes! I know this story. It's touching