The Imaginary Revolution in Chopin's Fantasy (ft. Garrick Ohlsson)

[@biffii5568]

This is my obligatory comment imploring u guys to take my money and make a regular podcast on all major composers. ALL MY MONEY

[@HighlyShifty]

YES. YES YES YES. Rach/Liszt/Beethoven

[@yoonchun6945]

😅agreed!

[@militaryandemergencyservic3286]

and 'maybe the greatest of them all' (in Horowitz's words) - Franz Peter SCHUBERT

[@danielnikolopoulos]

RACHMANINOV

[@anthonyv5571]

HAHAHAHAHAHA ME TOO

[@joe_del]

29:50 is a great bit of editing going from the recording to Garrick playing the chord live. Fantastic stuff as usual!

[@christophueberhorst7924]

The march (the one in a major key, not the funeral one in a minor key at the beginning, which I also liked) was one of my favourite passages of the fantasy because of it's kind of polyphonic character.

[@jeff__w]

33:19 “That's the trouble with our friend Chopin-the the more you look at him the greater he gets in all aspects-including the emotive and poetic and dreamy and fragile.” _That’s_ what I’m discovering in this series! And, BTW, on the purely “technical production” level, those seamless cuts from Garrick Ohlsson’s studio (?) to the jewel box recital hall over at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (e.g., 8:39, 15:17) are _really_ impressive. Those _had_ to involve a fair bit of planning and precise editing. They’re so flawless that one doesn’t even notice how much effort it had to take to pull them off (not to mention Garrick performing things twice).

[@polleels]

Grzegorz Niemczuck actually has an amizing video about this piece! If you like it, be sure to watch it! He discovered that the opening notes are F C, which stands for Frederik Chopin and he explains how this can help you with interpretation and much more. It's for everyone.

[@PhilHarrison762]

@polleels YES! Greg has a fine series of videos (I've watched them all!) albeit addressed to a different audience, and I recommend them to everyone. He relates the music to the circumstances of Chopin's life at the time of composition, which gives great insight. Ben and Garrick - what a brilliant pair - more than double that insight with their more highly technical approach to the music, and I'm enjoying them at least as much!

[@Stevie-Steele]

It has always been remarkable to me that Chopin managed to compose TWO significant large scale works in F minor during the same period which sound TOTALLY different to each other. A testament to Chopin's sheer variety of inspiration and complete aversion to ever repeating himself. Unlike the F minor Ballade which can probably be convincing even in a mediocre performance - the Fantasy requires a really outstanding interpreter to reveal what a masterpiece it really is.

[@KingstonCzajkowski]

woah, i disagree a bit. i think the f minor ballade really does take a great interpreter. also this fantasy isn't quite in f minor, you can make an equal argument for it being in A-flat

[@Zympans]

but you know, op. 49 is in A-flat 🙂

[@samaritan29]

31:51 so glad you mentioned that Ben! whilst the penultimate gesture of that work is unmistakably a tragic C minor chord, Chopin opens the possibility for a joyous scenario with that hopeful g major chord, and the same can be applied for the end of the fantasy ("perhaps one day we will... win")

[@nickwilson7697]

I love the way we can never predict how these episodes are going to go. They’re all so different from each other - and never boring. Splicing together his playing via Zoom with the San Francisco concert is inspired! Kudos.

[@bigmac9636]

Love this analysis of the Fantasy. Seen a couple of comments mention this person, but yes should definately invite Greg Niemczuk to the Chopin Podcast. His analysis on many pieces such as a personal favorite the Polonaise-Fantasy and very interestingly, the Post. Nocturne No. 21 in C minor are very interesting and fascinating in how the pieces are constructed and the background behind them. Regardless, Loving this Chopin series.

[@Seleuce]

Greg and Angela Lear who dedicated her entire career to analyse, play and record Chopin as truthful as possible!

[@bw2082]

This is one of my favorite Chopin works.

[@jonahdrach8929]

I'm going to be playing this for my spring semester at uni and I absolutely can't wait!

[@HAL_NlNETH0USAND]

Can't wait for Garrick to talk about the F-minor piano concerto Maestoso. It's my favorite piece by Chopin.

[@shubus]

This dialogues between you guys are the most fascinating discussions I've ever heard on ANY piano music. I have never quite "gotten" the Fantasy, so hearing this discussion clears my brain fog about this piece. And please don't let these discussions end with Chopin. Other composers are sitting in the wings waiting their turn.

[@whataday76]

What a treat is this pod cast 😊😊😊!!

[@josephmcphee9143]

As these videos go on my favorite part has grown to be the interaction between you two. You both seem to genuinely like and respect each other and it shows. Thanks

[@CanAlternateLostTape]

It doesn’t matter what your story of a piece is, but you do have to have one to achieve a great interpretation. I agree about the revolutionary character and references to patriotic songs and being in a church, and would go a step further and imagine this Fantasy as a memorial to a fallen comrade. The opening march is clearly a funeral march. The transition to the fantasy section proper (triplet theme) takes us back in time, like the wavy lines that signal a flashback in old movies. The torrent of themes that follows recalls the story of the revolution. Then in the quiet B major chorale we are back praying at the memorial service. The “gun shots” take us once more back in time to finish the story of the revolution and how the comrade died…depicted dramatically with the denied cadence at the end of the patriotic march, the gunshots and bombs returning until the last strikes our hero, he falls with the descending chromatic triplets and dies with the return of chorale theme in Ab. The recitative which follows shows his soul leaving the body and ascending to heaven.

[@achat77]

I like Horowitz’s interpretation (of the march section), where he pulls out all the stops in the second occurrence of the march at the end, taking the excitement beyond the climactic moment just before it.

[@JesseSawaya-on7el]

Also notable is this kinda ideal of sonata form that chopin was using to structure this piece. Similar to double function form in fact like the Liszt Sonata in Bm. The march serves as a closing theme to an exposition in my opinion. This piece means a lot to me (discovered when I was 8) so thank you for this video!

[@AbCd-kq3ky]

I've never really 'gotten' this piece. But the B major section is some of the most beautiful music Chopin ever wrote (in my opinion) 😊. I often find myself humming the melody and forgetting what work it is a part of. By the way, I'm loving the extended metaphor about the resistance movement.. going to Church and what not. It's an amusing image.

[@eiagmusic]

Once again, another festive treat. Thank you, Ben and Garrick 🙏🎼🎹🎶 Wishing you both and all your many fans and followers a very festive and Happy New Year 2025! 🎉

[@paulmeisel339]

It's a real Phantasy, which includes totally unexpected new sentiments subito and then coming back all the sudden to a former dream.

[@SE-gd5bu]

This is wonderful

[@yoonchun6945]

So great to view the score and follow along 😊

[@SR71YF12]

I couldn´t agree more with the points made by both Ben and Garrick from ca 32:20-33:28. Debussy famously expressed his opinion that "Chopin was the greatest of them all, for through the piano he discovered everything". Chopin and Bach, who Debussy called "the good God of music", were among the few composers to receive such high praise from the otherwise rather caustic tongue of Debussy.

[@alexanderchisholm-loxley2426]

I thought Debussy said somewhere that Bach was the mathematician of music (in a not entirely complimentary way!) so it may not be entirely unconditional praise?

[@SR71YF12]

@@alexanderchisholm-loxley2426 I have the impression that Debussy was not entirely fond of the fugues of Bach, but it is well documented that he revered him nevertheless. He referred to Bach as "a benevolent God to whom musicians should address a prayer before setting to work, to preserve themselves from mediocrity". The mathematician of music association reminds me of a quote by Chopin, who referred to Bach as an astronomer, discovering the most marvellous stars.

[@Rhodesymusicofficial]

I got my eyes out on the allegro de concert Ben!!👀👀 Also when are you inviting Greg Niemzcuk on the podcast? he has analysed over 80% of chopins works on youtube if you havent seen his analysis videos do look them up they are great content.

[@brandonmacey964]

amazing video thank you

[@ronl7131]

Interesting vid. Learn so much. GO with wonderful Chopin touch & voicing.

[@AdrianCameron123]

Yike Tony Yang is my favorite performance of the F Minor Fantasie 🥰

[@butwhatwouldiknow]

Love the idea of 'angel notes'.

[@bartwatts1921]

The March thematic material is derived from a polish revolutionary song written by Litwinka in 1830; the air blew sweet across the Polish land.

[@e.w.9825]

Litwinka is the name of the song, composed by Karol Kurpiński, who also conducted orchestra for f minor concerto Chopin performed in 1830 in Warsaw.

[@yoonchun6945]

I’ve always loved lowest B-flat now someone just explained why😊

[@pyrokinetikrlz]

waiting impatiently for the episode about Waltzes :)

[@Color_bit]

We absolutely need a Beethoven podcast!!

[@rubinsteinway]

This is a well-done video on a somewhat knotty subject. Just wondering what is that venue with the big glass window looking onto the street as he plays the piano. Seems the strollers pass by obliviously, almost like society oblivious to this great music.

[@samuelele]

You‘re talking you hated the march? That was one of my favourite parts from the start😱

[@jasperherrick]

I would sure love to hear you guys talk about the andante spinato and grande polonaise brilliante

[@tom6693]

Interestingly, it was Arrau's recording of this piece that first put it on the map for me and made me really want to listen to it. So I'm curious what Garrick found in Arrau's performance that made it suddenly seem important to him (though I suppose from one point of view, anything Arrau played had an air of being "important"). Was it something to do with general shaping and tempo, the handling of transitions, any choices that made you take particular notice (and do you now agree with those choices?).

[@ghuinink]

these guys could talk Chopin's used toiled paper into a masterpiece ;)

[@cadriver2570]

i hear a lot this in the faure ballade, among other chopin

[@sdevisch]

Love the podcast. Is it me or is there opportunity to improve the audio quality?

[@albertodelagarza9163]

This episode seems to have been done in a bit of haste and a certain carelessness due to the rush. It’s just a feeling. But still it is great. Thank you

[@gregoberski5897]

KZbin really going for the Most Unwatchable Platform award. So many ad interruptions on such terrific content.

[@Tolstoy111]

Just get the paid version. It’s fairly cheap and saves a lot of time

[@BjornHegstad]

imagine not having adblockers in 2024

[@gregoberski5897]

@@BjornHegstad I DO have adblockers; that's the worst part. They are 100% into an arms race against ad blockers and I'd like to keep using Chrome so im stuck.

[@markalexander3342]

I use uBlock Origin in Ungoogled Chromium, and I never see the ads.

[@mckernan603]

Jack Nicholson brought me here

[@JoeLinux2000]

I've always liked that section. I have fond memories of listening to Joesph Banowitz play it during student recitals when I was a student in the 60's at the College of Music at the University of Colorado. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJy5qZWcmpeegLs With all due respect to Garrick Olsen, who I believe I heard live with the Honolulu Symphony, it's surprising to me that he won the Chopin competition.

[@zafhalasdfn3324]

I've been really enjoying this podcast as a massive Chopin fan. He is probably 70% of my repertoire. Would you ever consider upgrading Garrick's audio? It feels like it's the one thing that is missing from this podcast. His piano is the blackboard, and it would be a huge improvement from an already very uniquely good format. He is a fantastic educator and pianist, and I would love to hear his demonstrations, references, etc. in high quality audio like his recordings.