Preview- http://www.nypianosociety.org/gallery-multimedia/videos/

Pieces:

  • Chopin Etude Op. 25 Number 1
  • Nocturne In C Op. 27 Number 1

Venue:

  • Baruch Performing Arts Center NY

Performers:

  • New York Piano Society

 

The New York Piano Society, preforming at Baruch College, is preforming two pieces by composer Frederic Chopin. These two pieces are Etude Op. 25, No. 1 and Nocturnes, Op. 27. Etude Op. 25 is a solo piano work and Nocturnes, Op. 27 are two solo piano works.

Chopin’s Etude Op. 25 No. 1 starts with a one note theme, which develops into the notes becoming wider and longer apart and jumps become numerous, making it very difficult to carry any sort of main melody. However, the piece ends with a series of upward arpeggios. This piece, publish in 1837, was very reflective of Chopin’s life around this time period. According to Frederick Chopin’s biography on the IMDB website, in 1835 he became very ill, which can be seen in this piece in the middle during the deep and dark long notes to represent the dark phase of his life that he was going through when he was increasingly ill. However, according to the same biography on IMDB, in 1836, Chopin became well again and met a 17-year-old Polish girl who he eventually proposed to. This is seen at the end of the piece by the series of upward arpeggios that represent hopefulness and positivity.

Chopin’s second piece being preformed by the New York Piano Society is Nocturnes, Op. 27. The opening of this piece starts with a series of arpeggios that alternate between major and minor chord, which make for a very dark and gloomy opening. A first theme is introduced, and then a second one is introduced and then the piece ends by repeating the first. In Chopin’s biography on IMDB, in 1836 when this piece was published was also around the time that Chopin had become enemies with a former friend Franz Liszt and then created a new friendship with Hector Berlioz. This is reflective in the piece by the dark opening but is also created with two different themes to show the new friendship with Berlioz.

 

 

Boehm, Volker. “Biography for Frederick Chopin.” IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013.