Music Chat: Chopin's Nocturnes on the Highway to Heaven (Road Music No. 7)

You might not think so at first, but Chopin's 19 (or 21) Nocturnes are actually nicely contrasted, making for superb continuous listening and a splendid way to pass the time while on the road or in transit. Melodically seductive, harmonically fascinating, they prove that mostly slow, gentle music need never be dull. There are half a dozen reference editions of the complete set, and here they are.
Musical Example courtesy of Supraphon Records.

[@jdistler2]

Very perceptive choices, Dave! I actually feel that Arrau is more of a line guy than chord guy. Although he does care deeply about sound and touch and nuance, he also pays uncommon attention to bass lines and melodic resolutions. His way of emphasizing appogiaturas in Op.55 No. 2 is a textbook example. So I's s ay he's a line guy disguised as a chord guy!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Or a chord guy with a line fetish.

[@jdistler2]

@@DavesClassicalGuide That's more accurately put! Thanks, Dave!

[@nealkurz6503]

Would either of you add Jan Smeterlin to the top echelon? I recently heard then again, on the (much improved sonically) Eloquence issue, and absolutely loved them. He never goes where you THINK he might go with a phrase, yet it's a very pure style. Illuminating without fussiness. I love Smeterlin's Mazurka recordings as well...too bad he didn't do them all. I hope I can hear the Hough set soon, thanks for the recommendation. I suppose with him including Op. 9, No. 2b the question for future cycles will be 2b or not 2b?

[@jameslee2943]

In addition to these wonderful Road Music versions, there is Samson François' recording for sitting alone in a dark room with headphones and a glass of something strong.

[@michaelmurray8742]

I got the Hough set when it came out. Stunning!

[@amyzoltick5998]

Thanks for another interesting talk. I started listening to Ivan Moravec a number of years ago. I heard his rendition of Franck Prelude, Choral Et Fugue:...no one has ever done it better...and I was hooked on this great pianist. .

[@r.handerlie9607]

Fabulous, thanks for mentioning these recordings David. These are some of my favorite works in the popular classical repertoire. The set from Pascal Amoyel is my favorite.

[@stefanoruggeri100]

Great post as always, all my compliments.

[@mike-williams]

I feel lucky to have heard both Moravec and Freire play Chopin in concert. Freire's pedalling is insanely nuanced. I hope that the young Bulgarian Evgeni Bozhanov records some more Chopin or I get to hear him play live.

[@jackminot2431]

I imprinted on Arrau on Philips LP, (still have that copy!), later to be supplemented with the Philips Duo CD set. Current favorites I own on CD include Earl Wild on Ivory Classics (now also on Brilliant) presented in a different order, which I like, it keeps me guessing what's next! Mr. Wild's explanation is that he organized according to mood, key, and effect. Also Angela Hewitt on Hyperion with the Impromptus included. Just ordered the Hough as a Christmas present to myself. I tend to buy Hyperion sets since they are not on Spotify. Looking forward to the upcoming collaboration of how Apple incorporates Primephonic into their classical offerings.

[@michaelmasiello6752]

One of the first classical CDs I bought-I was in my teens-was a collection of Chopin’s Nocturnes. My parents had never listened to Chopin. The opening notes of the first Nocturne sold me on Chopin immediately. I will never forget how instantaneous my response was. The pianist was Claudio Arrau. I imprinted on his performances so thoroughly that it took me years to discover Moravec, and I finally rhad to admit that there were, indeed, other ways to make these pieces feel inevitable. Now my short list is exactly the one you provide here, with one shameful exception: I’ve never heard Nelson Freire’s recording of these pieces. Hough’s new recording has me listening to these pieces all over again; I think it’s time I check Freire out too. Thanks, as always, for filling in the gaps.

[@patrickhows1482]

You have just solved my Christmas present to myself, I will treat myself to the Hough set. The Nocturnes, with the Waltzes and Ballades are my favourite Chopin. Another fine recording of the Nocturnes is by Ingrid Fliter on Linn, with Linn's usual excellent sound.

[@powerliftingcentaur]

I’ll be buying the Hough and I’ll listen to the Moravec on my streaming service. Arrau has been my “go to” pianist for decades for everything. The example you played on this video was exquisite, your overall recommendations impeccable.

[@paulbrower4265]

Have several. They are as open to interpretation as anything.

[@chriskei7851]

Try De Moura Castro complete Chopin Nocturnes on D'ART - the Op.27 No. 2 in B flat major is just wonderful.

[@hwelf11]

Whether or not D flat is really such a rare or unusual key, I've put together a playlist of a dozen of my favorite piano pieces in this key, beginning with the Chopin D flat Nocturne, which certainly belongs: Chopin Nocturne, Op. 27 #2 Berceuse Prelude Op. 28 #15 ('Raindrop") Schumann "Des Abends" from Fanastiestuck Op. 12 Liszt Consolation No. 3 Concert Etude "Un Sospiro" Transcendental Etude "Harmonies du Soir" Berceuse Debussy Reflets das L'eau from Images I Clair de Lune from Suite Bergamesque Scriabin Etude for Left Hand Rachmaninoff Prelude Op. 32 No. 13

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Great! Thanks. See, and they all sound exactly the same, right?

[@tarakb7606]

I would add Chopin's Scherzo no 2 in Bflat minor op 31, which in reality is in D flat major.

[@ahartify]

I first heard the Nocturnes when I bought the Tamas Vasary collection years ago. I still think his playing is great, but you never hear much of him nowadays. His playing has a classically-spaced weightiness without the sometimes turgid plonkiness you get in Daniel Barenboim's version.

[@estel5335]

If you like the Nocturnes, you might also want Hough's late Brahms Piano Pieces (on Hyperion) or Rubinstein's traversal of Brahms 3rd Sonata (on RCA-Sony). They share the same timeless quality and are so stimulating to hear.

[@b1i2l336]

All wonderful! A former student of Arrau told me that Arrau told him that he considered these to be Chopin's greatest works.I would like to add the gorgeous sets of Samson François, Jan Smeterlin, Maria João Pires, Tamás Vásáry and Thierry de Brunhoff as five more worthy contenders for your attention. For something really different but nonetheless beautifully played by a great pianist, listen to the Sergio Fiorentino set!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I talked about Pires.

[@b1i2l336]

@@DavesClassicalGuide You did indeed, mea culpa! I must stop "speed viewing."

[@specialforces101]

Thanks for this. Another fabulous pianist I'd never heard of. Great voicing. He takes trouble to articulate the accents.

[@stonefireice6058]

My list of extra-ordinary Chopin performers : Rubinstein, Cherni- Stefanska, Kissin, Richter, Ashkenazy, Arrau. There are many Chopin performers on KZbin, so we can figure out, which ones could make our own list.

[@tphi1980]

Any thoughts on Dang Thai Son's set on Victor Japan? It's been one of my all time favorite sets, alongside Rubinstein's and Pires', which you highlighted.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Sorry, I don't know it.

[@cmonclair27]

Yup. The DTS complete set is awsome, but I prefer both his 14 set 2010 recordings. Especially the one on the 1849 Erard. His op. 37 no.2 is gorgeous.

[@tom6693]

There's obviously no single way to perform these marvelous pieces, which seem to welcome equally the crystalline precision of Moravec, the warmth and poise of Rubinstein, or the dark, sometimes brooding weight and intensity of Arrau--long my "however" choice for the gorgeous sonority he brings to whatever he plays. But a set that's always given me the same kind of deep pleasure is from Maria Tipo, who to my mind plays them with something of Arrau's weight and with a similarly idiosyncratic but affecting personal sense of rubato. There's a rich, almost sensuous quality to the playing. Hearing them made me listen afresh to these familiar pieces--usually a good sign of someone with a clear and convincing vision, which is certainly the case with Tipo. I'd recommend her to anyone looking for a rewarding journey through the nocturnes.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Very out of print.

[@tom6693]

@@DavesClassicalGuide True enough, Dave, though copies are available from a number of sources (a handful on Amazon, for starters) and are worth seeking out if someone's interested. And who knows? Maybe Warner will eventually repackage all her EMI recordings.

[@ozoz9582]

My first exposure to these masterpieces was the Rubinstein on RCA but the Arrau on Philips was my “go to” set until I came upon the Moravec on Nonesuch - what a combination of passion and delicacy! Subsequently, I have now 22 complete sets in my library including the Pires (excellent) that you mentioned. I will be sure to acquire the Friere and the Hough as well. I must make special mention of the Wasowski performances on the Concord label - very deliberate but lovely (although I did not care for his complete Mazurka set on the same label) have you heard the Wasowski?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

No, I haven't, but thanks for the recommendation.

[@zaoria123]

The Wasowski is amazing! Incredibly beautiful playing and sound!

[@sw3aty_forte]

Hello Dave! I am curious: do you listen to CDs in your car with a portable CD player connected to your car's speakers, or does your car have a CD player installed?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I listen to mp3s in the car on my iPhone.

[@iopiop0910]

Excellent video as usual... Here is my 5 cents for listening to classical music while driving, and that's from a guy who spends 3 hours a day driving and listening - it's almost impossibly to to get decent sound in a car (road noise, poor quality of audio gear in cars, even more expensive one's and a car being a box of metal and glass). Mitigating these limitations is prohibitively expensive (insulation, upgrading CD player, DAC, speakers etc.) Eventually what works best for me is the FIIO m11 digital player and A64 IEMs . Happy listening!

[@r.handerlie9607]

@@iopiop0910 unless you have a self driving car IEMs will block out all road noise, that's has to be extremely dangerous?

[@paulbrower4265]

With the arguable exception of Bach''s suites for solo cello (which are very different works) it is hard to imagine any complete set of musical pieces more suited to highly-individual interpretation. I could loop different performances of either by different musicians and not be bored (barring something awful, like one set of very literal performances of the cello suites. "Literal" isn't musical except for a high school or military band in which individuality in performance is obviously unwelcome

[@paulbrower3297]

Besides, if your passenger is a dog, it has no strings! (i have been binge-listening to Mozart string quartets...with a cat while otherwise alone).

[@martinhaub2602]

Not in my Mazda Miata: the road noise would drown out Chopin, too. The Nocturnes are music for a quiet evening in the pool.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Underwater,, no doubt.

[@caleblaw3497]

One problem is new cars nowadays do not come with a CD player and I haven't spent time ripping my CD collection

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I don't play CDs. I play mp3s downloaded to my iPhone.

[@leekramer5710]

The Moravec originally came out on Connoisseur Society, a company the emphasized high quality sound. Back in the day (1977) I sold them at The Record Hunter on 5th Avenue.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

That's right. Thanks.

[@trblcleft]

Moravec is good but not my taste

[@chriskei7851]

Try De Moura Castro :)