Work on Chopin’s Fantaisie in F-minor, Op. 49, Part One

From left to right, four different interpretations of the Chopin Fantaisie, Op. 49: Myra Hess; Evgeny Kissin; Maurizio Pollin; Nana Myoshi, at the beginning of what is proving to be an exciting journey.

Right after I returned from New York I started working on Chopin’s Fantaisie in F-minor, Op. 49.
So far I have had two lessons on it with Mr. Cosmo, both of which were wonderful.

In preparation for this piece, Mr. Cosmo had me listen to a variety of pianists, including Myra Hess, Evgeny Kissin, and Maurizio Pollini, and I was amazed at the vast difference in expression between each of them. When I told Mr. Cosmo how I was so captivated by Myra Hess's beautiful tone and dramatic quality, I was even more surprised when he shared a special memory of his with me.

He told me that as a child he went to hear her in concert at Carnegie Hall, and because his teacher knew her, he was able to meet her backstage.

A young Mr. Cosmo asked her, "Can you tell me something about rubato? Yours was so beautiful," to which she humorously replied, "Oh, my dear fellow! I wouldn't be accused of using rubato, I'm English!"

Seeing Mr. Cosmo's disappointment at not being able to hear the secret to beautiful rubato, Myra Hess took him to the piano in her dressing room at Carnegie Hall, where she actually gave him a little lesson on rubato!

As the title "Fantaisie" suggests, this is a piece with free elements that are not confined to a formal format, and there are many repetitions of the same motifs, phrases, and sections. Therefore, Mr. Cosmo and I discussed the characteristics and emotions of each section, their overall place in the work as a whole, and the nature of each variation. It is often said that Chopin never played the same piece in the exact same way twice, and when you look at various editions of the work, the instructions vary greatly. I therefore think what's important is my own artistic sense, built on a foundation of respect for Chopin and an understanding of stylistic convention.

In the opening section of the piece I play in the practice video, which is like a basso ostinato, I'm conscious of using tools like dynamics, subtle rubato, and color changes to share different shades of elements such as despair, hope, and loneliness, while also trying to make these variations fit the structure of both a particular section and the entire piece, in order to give the variations their greatest meaning.

There is so much excitement in beginning a new piece, and I look forward to exploring this work even more.

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