# Chopin's nocturnes



## Clouds Weep Snowflakes

Any lovers here? Chopin, of course, wrote mostly for the piano, so it's only natural he would write 21 of these...


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## bharbeke

I generally like them. Here are some of the best I've heard:

No. 2, Op. 9: Pires
No. 8, Op. 27: Pires
Both Op. 48 nocturnes: Moravec
No. 18, Op. 62: Pires
No. 20, Op. posth.: Pires


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## Swosh

Claudio Arrau's nocturnes will always be my favorite!


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## Larkenfield

The Arrau Nocturnes are tremendous recordings and I've enjoyed them on numerous occasions, but Brigitte Engerer's are my current favorites and I've enjoyed them just as much because of their endless nuances and subtleties:


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## Clouds Weep Snowflakes

Other works for the piano by Chopin:


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## Vahe Sahakian

My favorite interpreter of Chopin Nocturnes is Maria Joao Pires.


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## flamencosketches

I like the Nocturnes. I'm a fan of Ivan Moravec's lately, which is some really ultra-Romantic stuff. He plays it with a soft touch that is great for them (though I've heard it criticized for glossing over some of the innovative counterpoint in some of the later Nocturnes). But I also like Rubinstein on these who plays them a little more straight (all his Chopin is great). I like, but haven't heard much of, Samson François' recordings of these, but I love all the other Chopin I've heard from him (Waltzes, Scherzos, Ballades, Impromptus). Overall, these are not my favorite among Chopin's works. Fittingly, I only appreciate them in the night time. 

Among his bodies of works in a short, but specific form, I like the Mazurkas and Waltzes better, both of which I think contain more variety and versatility. In somewhat longer form, I think the Ballades and Scherzos are the peak of his work. (Haven't quite warmed to the Sonatas yet, but I understand many great pianists cherish them).


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## Clouds Weep Snowflakes

A collection of a few:


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## Pat Fairlea

Larkenfield said:


> The Arrau Nocturnes are tremendous recordings and I've enjoyed them on numerous occasions, but Brigitte Engerer's are my current favorites and I've enjoyed them just as much because of their endless nuances and subtleties:


Ooh yes. I'm a big fan of Arrau's Nocturnes, though Engerer's delicacy is delightful. And Pollini. The great thing about Chopin's Nocturnes, I think, is that they lend themselves to interpretation by pianists of quite different styles and techniques.


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## AeolianStrains

Am I the only one (last one?) to still love Rubinstein's above all?


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## Roger Knox

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