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Track(s) taken from CDA67371/2

Nocturne in B major, Op 62 No 1

composer
1846

Angela Hewitt (piano)
Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
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Recording details: November 2003
Reitstadel, Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, Germany
Produced by Ludger Böckenhoff
Engineered by Ludger Böckenhoff
Release date: November 2004
Total duration: 7 minutes 29 seconds
 

Other recordings available for download

Garrick Ohlsson (piano)
Stephen Hough (piano)
Stephen Hough (piano)
Lívia Rév (piano)
James Rhodes (piano)

Reviews

‘In a catalogue boasting many distinguished Chopin Nocturne cycles, Angela Hewitt's commands attention’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘One of the most elegant pianists around, the Canadian virtuoso Angela Hewitt interrupts her epic Bach and Couperin cycles for Hyperion to explore some of Chopin's most refined music, the complete Nocturnes and Impromptus. Hewitt's innate sophistication and delicacy of touch are perfectly suited to these exquisite pieces, 25 of them over two discs, by a master of the genre at the height of his fragile powers. Spanning almost his entire creative life, the Nocturnes amount to a remarkable graph of Chopin's emotional maturity, touchingly reflected in the affectionate care Hewitt brings to what sounds like a labour of love’ (The Observer)

‘Hewitt is not given to grand effects, whether an extreme rubato or rude dynamic change. Still, she can play grandly as well, as we hear on her powerful performance of the great Fantaisie-Impromptu in C sharp minor. This new recording of the nocturnes is what Marlon Brando would have called, if he had cared, a contender. It's richly recorded and beautifully played: it has art's final seal’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘Angela Hewitt is a sound buy … the delicacy of touch and manicured precision of the phrasing is a delight’ (The Scotsman)
The Nocturne in B major is as contrapuntal as anything Chopin ever wrote, with the left hand playing a much bigger role than simply accompanying. The phrases seem unending, one overlapping into the next. The middle section is totally operatic, with the melody boldly sustained over syncopated chords. When we return to the opening material, the melody is richly ornamented with trills and flourishes. As with Bach, the ornamentation is not just superimposed, but rather part of the melodic line itself. A short bridge section after an expressive pause wanders gradually back to the tonic. The coda is dream-like and solitary.

from notes by Angela Hewitt © 2004

Le Nocturne en si majeur est plus contrapuntique que jamais, la main gauche allant bien au-delà du simple accompagnement. Les phrases, semblant sans fin, se chevauchent les unes les autres. La section centrale, totalement opératique, voit la mélodie tenue fermement par-dessus des accords syncopés. Au retour du matériau d’ouverture, cette mélodie s’orne richement de trilles et de fioritures. Comme chez Bach, l’ornementation ne vient pas en simple surimposition mais fait partie intégrante de la ligne mélodique même. Passé une pause expressive, un bref pont nous ramène peu à peu, un musant, à la tonique. La coda est onirique et solitaire.

extrait des notes rédigées par Angela Hewitt © 2004
Français: Hypérion

Das Nocturne steht in H-Dur und ist mit das Kontrapunktischste, was er je komponierte, wobei die linke Hand eine viel wichtigere Rolle hat, als lediglich eine begleitende. Die Phrasen scheinen unendlich und überschneiden sich gegenseitig. Der Mittelteil ist sehr opernhaft angelegt und die Melodie wird unverzagt über synkopierten Akkorden ausgehalten. Bei der Rückkehr zum Anfangsmaterial erscheint die Musik reich verziert mit Trillern und anderen Ornamenten. Ebenso wie bei Bach sind die Verzierungen hier nicht lediglich oben drauf gesteckt, sondern Teil der melodischen Linie selbst. Eine kurze Überleitung nach einer expressiven Pause führt allmählich zurück zur Tonika. Die Coda erscheint traumartig und einsam.

aus dem Begleittext von Angela Hewitt © 2004
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

Other albums featuring this work

Chopin: Late Masterpieces
CDA67764CD temporarily out of stock
Chopin: Nocturnes
Studio Master: CDA68351/22CDsStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
Chopin: Nocturnes
CDD220132CDs Dyad (2 for the price of 1) — Last few CD copies remaining
Chopin: The Complete Works
CDS44351/6616CDs Boxed set (at a special price) — Download only
Fire On All Sides
Studio Master: SIGCD494Download onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
Chopin: Nocturnes & Impromptus
This album is not yet available for downloadSACDA67371/22CDs Super-Audio CD — Deleted
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