This series of lectures is monumental. It's like a textbook in video. Except this is better than any textbook. There is enough information for 20 volumes of text, but far more accessible and enlightening. I'm sure these videos will become a definitive 'text' on Chopin for years to come. I would certainly recommend this for anyone studying music. Very useful for composers too. You really get into the mind of the composer, Greg.
@gregniemczuk2 жыл бұрын
Thank you so much!
@gregniemczuk2 жыл бұрын
I'm doing my best!
@nerrdinho2 жыл бұрын
I like listening to this piece before Chopin’s Nocturne op 48 in C minor. They fit together so well.
@gregniemczuk2 жыл бұрын
Yes!
@jc9552Ай бұрын
My go-to channel for Chopin homework. You are brilliant. Thank you. ❤
@kristinamusik74142 жыл бұрын
What a dramatic and great piece. I feel it in my whole body when listening. This is the next piece for me to play and I am so grateful to find your interpretation and thoughts about it. When I listen to different pieces of Chopins music I wonder so much about his life. All those playfull and happy mazurkas, but pieces like this make me belive this come from his soul . Thank you for putting this out. I started to play piano again because I wished to discover more beautiful music. Wasnt really prepared for how deeply some pieces would affect me.
@carlosgohn6835 Жыл бұрын
Admirable indeed. You are very talented in your approach, and it is extremely rewarding to watch your analysis and performance. Greetings from Brazil, South America
@gregniemczuk Жыл бұрын
Oí Carlos! Td bem? So good to read your comment! I'm happy you think so. I made such videos about all Chopin's music for piano solo, so I invite you to watch all of them !!! Muito obrigado! I played in Brazil many times in the past
@user-pc8hs7zy8c2 жыл бұрын
Intense sound, intense feelings! Pianissimi and Fortissimi touches through brave and valiant chords and harmonies leading to the quintessence of an ideal polish nationalism in the middle of xix century. Thank you so much, Mo Niemczuk, for this explicit and sensational introduction !!!
@gregniemczuk2 жыл бұрын
You're amazing with you feelings and knowledge. Thank you very much!
@joannawronska41002 жыл бұрын
SO WONDERFUL AS ALWAYS!!!!! Thank you for this Prelude sometimes called "Marsz żałobny" in an excellent rendition and for your analysis/tutorial, as every day my best regards, have a nice evening. Joanna
@victoriarose2812 жыл бұрын
You are fantastic at explaining and giving a full background into the music. It is so important to any musician! Fantastic
@gregniemczuk2 жыл бұрын
Thank you so much dear Victoria! I'm happy you've came across my channel
@dcwang321 Жыл бұрын
A heartfelt performance, interpretation and analysis. To me, this piece is a tribal tribute to suffering and loss and I share your sense of devastation hearing it... but "that's Chopin" and I love his music because of it. I am hoping to learn this piece over time and will carry your thoughts with me in the process. Thank you once again.
@jenas4849 Жыл бұрын
I am just learning this prelude. I love your interpretation. This inspires me to play it much more dramatically.
@MotifMusicStudios5 ай бұрын
Wonderful to listen to this expressive, whole-body performance today!
@MotifMusicStudios5 ай бұрын
Ah, 'the suffering of the whole nation' - so heavy.
@gregniemczuk5 ай бұрын
Hahahahahahha
@gregniemczuk5 ай бұрын
Thanks!
@blueren664910 ай бұрын
I've gotta say, of all the videos I've seen of people performing this piece (which has long been my favourite by Chopin), this is probably the most well-played that I've come across. The thing about Prelude Op. 28, No. 20, is that it is (of course) quite a simple piece on paper. But the thing I've noticed too many pianists miss about this one, is that to play the song well, it's really all about how the notes are tempered. You navigated the tone and dynamics of this piece perfectly. One of my great frustrations with many performances of this opus is that whilst the performer's technical skill is often perfect, their performances frequently omit the tonality that makes this song what it is. Anyone can play what's written on the page for this one, but it takes a well-trained ear and a proper understanding of tone to draw out the finery rhat elevates this piece from a simple collection of sombre chords to the melancholy, eerie, heartbroken, and powerful piece that (in the right hands) it truly is. Anyway, long story short; as a lifelong super-fan of Prelude in C Minor, this is hands down the best rendition I've heard on KZbin. So thank you for getting it right, and thank you for sharing.
@gregniemczuk10 ай бұрын
Oh My God.... I appreciate it so much! You've just made my day!
@LN6910011 ай бұрын
Merci pour votre interprétation qui « boulverse ». Vous faites vivre ces 13 mesures. Votre analyse me parle 😊
@TheGreatVoltini6 ай бұрын
Thank you. Wonderful.
@sqwndw64302 жыл бұрын
Thank you for your fantastic analysis! The harmony of the chords in this prelude is mindblowing. Now I realize that the composition of Nocturne Op.48 No.1 shouldn't have been any surprise :) And I find both pieces wielding magnificently the emotional power of the connections to A flat and f.
@gregniemczuk2 жыл бұрын
Yes! It's unbelievably genius 🙂
@Francesca-i4k2 жыл бұрын
Bravissimo and full of passion! Thanks from Italy
@Javier-jn6cc9 ай бұрын
Thanks so much for your beautiful performance and analysis, Greg. I'm currently finishing learning this piece, and this was most helpful. Subscribed. Greetings from Amsterdam!
@cadenhanninen Жыл бұрын
Ran into one of these tutorials a couple days ago and I’ve watched a few now and am very grateful that I found your channel👍
@gregniemczuk Жыл бұрын
Hi Caden. Lovely to hear that!! Yeah, there are more than hundred videos like this made by me ... Enjoy!!
@NN-rn1oz2 жыл бұрын
There has been some uncertainty regarding the last chord of bar 3. Some editions like the one you use (Ekier) show a c-minor chord (with an e-flat in soprano) there, but others show a C major chord (with e-natural in soprano) there. I much prefer the c-minor chord, and I am glad that you chose an edition that agrees with my preference! Did Ekier find evidence showing that this chord was the correct one? Maybe there is a mention in his notes? I apologize in advance for asking such questions; maybe I should just buy the Ekier edition!
@gregniemczuk2 жыл бұрын
Yes he does! He writes in the commentary there before the last note in the third bar there is no flat before the note E in the autograph from Mallorca, but there are other autographs, for example album of Anna Cheremeteff, dated Paris, May 1845, now you can see it in Lenin Library in Moscow, when Chopin wrote himself E flat. And also in another teaching copy of this Prelude of one of his student. Ekier thinks that E natural in the autograph is a typical error of Chopin who forgot to write accidental before E. He did it often!
@NN-rn1oz2 жыл бұрын
@@gregniemczuk Thank you for the precision! I like the c-minor chord there because it brings the piece right back to its main dark key, right after the brief excursion to A-flat (in bar 2). This gives more significance to that A-flat modulation which then stands out as the only moment in the first four bars where the progression shows any hope of getting away from the oppressive c-minor tonal center. I am glad to learn that this is truly the version Chopin had in mind!
@onemanfran2 ай бұрын
I personally prefer the e natural but I love the fact that it opens the piece up to so much discussion and interpretation!
@kimberlykatiti69692 жыл бұрын
This is incredible. Thank you again!
@JoProut Жыл бұрын
Wonderful performance and analysis. Thank you
@gregniemczuk Жыл бұрын
My pleasure!
@Jbgoat2 жыл бұрын
Great video as always, I can’t wait to hear your analysis of the D minor prelude (my personal favorite)
@wallyton Жыл бұрын
Thank you for this. A wonderful video.
@DoubleFovea Жыл бұрын
Oh thank you for this incredible good lecture! It helps me a lot. I just started to practice this piece.
@gregniemczuk Жыл бұрын
Wonderful to hear. Good luck! Thank you!
@user-jr5fn7zy1v2 жыл бұрын
Thank you very much for your analysis of this tragic prelude. Playing it now it breaks my heart even more thinking about the 🇺🇦Ukrainian people in this war and all the people suffering. 💔 My very best wishes to you.
@beatlessteve101011 ай бұрын
I love the contrast in volume and the capturing of the mood, Greg.. incidentally Barry Manilow did a pop cover of this prelude ...in 1975 and renamed it " Could This Be Magic" appeared on The Midnight Special In 1975 id be real curious what you thought about his version...lol thanks again Greg!😂..George Sands anecdote was a great tribute to this Prelude!
@kavindra19775 ай бұрын
interesting though the tonalities caracter is really relative and more complex so it's a short cut to say that we finish in c minor therfore it's not optimistic... a bit short somehow; but thank you so much for the effort and engagement; go on; a bit of efition in film would be good too
@erggish2 жыл бұрын
The chord association is something I don't understand from music theory. The prelude is supposed to be in Cminor, so it basically starts with it to let us know. Then isn't it a bit unclear if one can identify the next one is just Aflat major played with a F in the left hand, or if it is just a 7th Fminor where the base is played by the left hand and removed from the right? Maybe it's both and it's a different way of seeing the same thing, the mixture of the two feelings (from major and minor) is what makes 7th chords more neutral. But the piece is amazing and has inspired me a lot. It was the 2nd Chopin's work I learned to play (after the Eminor). Although i learned to play it at a friends' meeting before Christmas and they were like "don't you know anything more fun to play?" XD .
@luissanabio2 ай бұрын
No acorde correspondente ao minuto 0:32, os pianistas tradicionais (Rubinstein, Brailoswky, Nélson Freire, tocam Mi natural e não Mi bemol). Por que ? A partitura teria sido revisada ? Obrigado. Luís Eugênio (BRASIL).
@gregniemczuk2 ай бұрын
Yes, that's a mystery. In one of the editions it's a difference. We will never know which is exactly 100% correct.... But I'm using the most trustworthy edition.
@luissanabio2 ай бұрын
@@gregniemczuk I accept both forms, but I will record following the old pianists because I have an affective connection with Rubinstein, Brailowsky, Pollini and Nélson Freire. I got to know Chopin through them. But it is true that nowadays everyone follows his score. Thank you for listening.
@gregniemczuk2 ай бұрын
@@luissanabio wonderful!
@kavindra19775 ай бұрын
passacaglia c moll Bach - solennel caracter it's a Tirnity symbol with 3 bemols Bis eis a-is
@counterpoints_2 жыл бұрын
Greg, great content as always, thank you! Do you have any comments on the "original" AB form vs. the published ABB form? It was suspected that Pleyel (the dedicatee of this piece) suggested the addition of the repeated B part in pp -- but so far I have found not much literature on it. Most importantly, what do YOU think that the AB and ABB feel differently? Relation to how much space you give between No. 19 and this (G chord is common)? Much appreciated.
@gregniemczuk2 жыл бұрын
I didn't know that!
@kavindra19775 ай бұрын
the bass could be referring ot the church organ yes somehow but why not to bells, tragically ringing (church/cathedral bells)
@gregniemczuk5 ай бұрын
Yes!
@TallysYunes2 жыл бұрын
Loved your playing and analysis. Could you please share the names of the two books you read the quotes from?
@gregniemczuk2 жыл бұрын
Hi Tallys. Thank you for your words. Of course! One is in English or French or other languages for sure: Jean-Jacques Eigeldinger - Chopin: Pianist and Teacher as seen by his pupils. The other is probably not translated: Ferdynand Hoesick: Chopin. But this book was also used a lot by James Huneker in his book about Chopin. All the best!
@TallysYunes2 жыл бұрын
@@gregniemczuk Thank you very much! I'll search for these books.
@ms26062 жыл бұрын
In the Wilhelm Hansen edition there is no sustain pedal in this prelude at all, until the very last bar. Can you provide some insight on this, was it originally composed with or without pedal?
@gregniemczuk2 жыл бұрын
Oh, as far as I remember without the pedal but most likely because it was obvious for Chopin to use it. I have to check in my edition but now I'm on the concert tour in Norway and I will be back at the end of November, than I can check. Pedal makes the piano sound better.
@ms26062 жыл бұрын
@@gregniemczuk yes it does, however my teacher had a very nasty look on her face when i hardly hit the pedal in only a few bars for a split second just to try to make it "linked" instead of "cut" when playing the next bar... and strongly insisted i play the piece completely non-legato and with absolutely no pedal
@bogdankolodziej26752 жыл бұрын
Piękne wykonanie.Być może tylko w salce za dużo pogłosu..ale to nie sala koncertowa.
@Bramble734687 Жыл бұрын
Barry manilow used this piece for his ‘could it be magic’ popular song….! Who’d a thought.
@jonathan13011 ай бұрын
13:50 that's a very odd way of analyzing harmony. I'd just say it's i-iv-V
@gregniemczuk11 ай бұрын
Hi Jonathan! Of course you're right! But I made those videos especially for not musicians, people who have no idea what is I - IV - V
@KlausDave Жыл бұрын
Do you think Chopin knew that he was dying already as he composed that piece?
@gregniemczuk Жыл бұрын
He could have this feeling and he was frightened....
@yeliwebcreationsolivierdis27243 ай бұрын
Don't move so much... It's absolutely not necessary...except for a funny Bad movie...😅..well done for the music
@gregniemczuk3 ай бұрын
I'll try. But sometimes it's hard to control
@erichadamek79602 жыл бұрын
Dlaczego nie po polsku.
@gregniemczuk2 жыл бұрын
Każda wersja angielska ma również polską. Wiem, że to nie takie proste znaleźć, ale już wklejam linka. Dziękuję za komentarz. Zapraszam do oglądania wszystkich filmów o wszystkich utworach Chopina. Na moim kanale na KZbin są playlisty że wszystkimi odcinkami w wersji polskiej. Pozdrawiam serdecznie: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jabOk6qLbseAl5o
@kavindra19775 ай бұрын
operas or nicer opere ;)
@antoinemozart2439 ай бұрын
He can't hold the tempo.
@gregniemczuk9 ай бұрын
Ups, sorry ....
@deterdinghenry359211 ай бұрын
Have you been investigating the last chord of the 3rd bar? Because in some editions it appear as a C major. Even Rubinstein and other important pianists play it that way. Argerich plays C minor. For me, it only has sense with C minor, but it seems that nobody knows what did Chopin really write.
@gregniemczuk11 ай бұрын
Yes, I did! But I didn't find any sources! In Rachmaninoff Variations there is also C major. I don't really know where it came from.....
@josodoc18915 ай бұрын
c major makes sense to me!
@kristinamusik74142 жыл бұрын
What a dramatic and great piece. I feel it in my whole body when listening. This is the next piece for me to play and I am so grateful to find your interpretation and thoughts about it. When I listen to different pieces of Chopins music I wonder so much about his life. All those playfull and happy mazurkas, but pieces like this make me belive this come from his soul . Thank you for putting this out. I started to play piano again because I wished to discover more beautiful music. Wasnt really prepared for how deeply some pieces would affect me.