Vladimir FeltsmaN Vladimir • Complete and Impromptus Feltsman Waltzes

1. No. 1 in E flat Major, Op. 18 5:19 2. No. 2 in A flat Major, Op. 34, no. 1 5:31 3. No. 3 in A minor, Op. 34, no. 2 5:40 4. No. 4 in F Major, Op. 34, no. 3 2:18 5. No. 5 in A flat Major, Op. 42 3:55 6. No. 6 in D flat Major, Op. 64, no. 1 1:48 7. No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 64, no. 2 3:28 8. No. 8 in A flat Major, Op. 64, no. 3 2:58 9. No. 9 in A flat Major, Op. 69, no. 1 (posth.) 4:15 10. No. 10 in B minor, Op. 69, no. 2 (posth.) 3:45 11. No. 11 in G flat Major, Op. 70. no. 1 (posth.) 2:02 12. No. 12 in F minor, Op. 70, no. 2 (posth.) 2:54 13. No. 13 in D flat Major, Op. 70, no. 3 (posth.) 2:40 14. No. 14 in E minor, Op. posth. 2:57

Impromptus 15. No. 1 in A flat Major, Op. 29 3:59 16. No. 2 in F sharp Major, Op. 36 5:38 17. No. 3 in G flat Major, Op. 51 6:05 18. Fantasie Impromptu in C sharp minor, Op. 66 5:15 Total time: 70:28 Production: Mark Fouxman , Samar Audio Design LLC • www . samaraudiodesign .com This CD was recorded with microphones, preamplifier, and A/D converter designed and built by Mark Fouxman of Samar Audio Design LLC. Recording: Fisher Performing Arts Center at Bard College, New York • June 2,3, 2010, Piano: Steinway&Sons “D” Producer: Vladimir Feltsman Design: ©2012 BLHN Media, Frankfurt, Germany Fryderyk Chopin Website: www.feltsman.com • www.wyastone.co.uk Complete Waltzes & Impromptus Vladimir FeltsmaN Chopin • Complete Waltzes and Impromptus Waltzes 1. No. 1 in E flat Major, Op. 18 5:19 2. No. 2 in A flat Major, Op. 34, no. 1 5:31 3. No. 3 in A minor, Op. 34, no. 2 5:40 4. No. 4 in F Major, Op. 34, no. 3 2:18 5. No. 5 in A flat Major, Op. 42 3:55 6. No. 6 in D flat Major, Op. 64, no. 1 1:48 7. No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 64, no. 2 3:28 8. No. 8 in A flat Major, Op. 64, no. 3 2:58 9. No. 9 in A flat Major, Op. 69, no. 1 (posth.) 4:15 10. No. 10 in B minor, Op. 69, no. 2 (posth.) 3:45 11. No. 11 in G flat Major, Op. 70. no. 1 (posth.) 2:02 12. No. 12 in F minor, Op. 70, no. 2 (posth.) 2:54 13. No. 13 in D flat Major, Op. 70, no. 3 (posth.) 2:40 14. No. 14 in E minor, Op. posth. 2:57 Impromptus 15. No. 1 in A flat Major, Op. 29 3:59 16. No. 2 in F sharp Major, Op. 36 5:38 17. No. 3 in G flat Major, Op. 51 6:05 18. Fantasie Impromptu in C sharp minor, Op. 66 5:15 Total time: 70:28 Production: Mark Fouxman, Samar Audio Design LLC • www. samaraudiodesign.com This CD was recorded with microphones, preamplifier, and A/D converter designed and built by Mark Fouxman of Samar Audio Design LLC. Recording: Fisher Performing Arts Center at Bard College, New York • June 2,3, 2010, Piano: Steinway&Sons “D” «...quite simply an amazing pianist!» Producer: Vladimir Feltsman The New York Times Design: ©2012 BLHN Media, Frankfurt, Germany «...quite simply an amazing pianist!» Website: www.feltsman.com • www.wyastone.co.uk The New York Times the left hand that sounds like a lullaby. The model worked very well for Chopin and he mas- Chopin: Waltzes & Impromptus are immediately recognizable as his. Indeed, melody enters on top and we have a real duo – tered it fully. The theme of the middle section is by Vladimir Feltsman Chopin may be the most distinctly recognizable the left hand keeps repeating the opening for- derived from the main theme that appears at the composer of all. No matter what the form or mula and the melody soars freely over this very beginning – this single thematic material is Chopin wrote only five large scale compositions idiom, his unique voice comes through clearly. steady background. There is a middle episode presented in different guises. A turbulent coda for piano – two concertos and three sonatas. All Chopin’s Waltzes are less dramatic than his with a syncopated rhythm that brings with it brings back the theme from the middle episode the rest, the Etudes, , , Bal- and more public than the . some unexpected heroic overtones. The extended for eight bars and resolves itself into a C sharp lades, Polonaises, Mazurkas, Waltzes, , They are written mostly in a simple standard reprise is a marvel; the main theme returns in F major chord played ppp, a simple and under- and Impromptus, the Fantasie, Barcarole, and form – the theme and various episodes alternate major instead of the tonic key of F sharp – a very stated ending for the Impromptus, one of the , range from just one minute to fourteen and there are plenty of different tunes that come unusual and quite radical move flawlessly exe- finest sets of works Chopin ever wrote. minutes in length. and go. More often than not there is a coda. The cuted by Chopin. There is a seamless transition He wrote three sets of dances in triple meter – Waltzes are clearly salon pieces and ought to be to the tonic key; a marvelous and flamboyant the Mazurkas, Polonaises, and Waltzes. His played as such. They include some of Chopin’s episode (quite challenging technically) follows, Mazurkas and Polonaises have a clear Polish ori- most open and publicly oriented works, utilizing filled with scales running up and down on top gin; the Waltzes are more cosmopolitan works ready-made idioms and gestures of which he and the melody in the left hand. This Impromptu that incorporate some of the universal waltz id- himself could be very critical; he credited the ends with the tune that appeared first at the end ioms of the first half of the nineteenth century. popularity of Lanner’s waltzes to the “public’s of exposition. Two chords fortissimo end this The waltz derives from the Ländler, which in corrupt taste.” However, even when he worked amazing work. turn had its roots in a rather bawdy German folk in a well-established musical form, Chopin re- The Impromptu No. 3 in G flat major Op. 51 dance. In the second half of the eighteenth cen- mained a private man, although he led a public (1842) is similar to the first Impromptu in form tury the waltz became increasingly popular in Vi- life. In this respect he was the opposite of Liszt. and texture, but in this Impromptu the texture be- enna. By the end of the century it had become an All in all, Chopin played no more than thirty comes thicker as it proceeds. The key of G flat essential feature of court dances and composers concerts that were open to public (mostly in his major (six flats) and time signature of 12/8 are like Haydn and Mozart were commissioned to early 20s) and he detested the experience. He not often seen. The tempo indication is allegro ALSO AVAILABLE FROM NIMBUS ALLIANCE write waltzes for royal balls. was at home playing in aristocratic salons sur- Vladimir Feltsman • Beethoven Sonatas NI 6020 vivace (fast), which is a bit odd because of the Vladimir Feltsman • Chopin Nocturnes, , In the first half of the nineteenth century the rounded by a small and exclusive invited audi- density of the texture. The middle section is a re- Berceuse NI 6026 waltz became the most popular dance of all. ence, most of them his acquaintances. Chopin’s versed nocturne – the theme is in the bass and Vladimir Feltsman • Chopin 4 , Fantasie, Among Chopin’s contemporaries, such com- orientation was exclusive rather than inclusive. the accompaniment is in the right hand. The re- Polonaise-Fantasie NI 6028 posers as Joseph Lanner and Johann Strauss In his art and in his life he was an aristocrat, not Vladimir Feltsman • A Tribute to Rachmaninoff NI 6148 capitulation is literal. Vladimir Feltsman • A Tribute to Tchaikovsky NI 6162 were writing waltzes almost exclusively. In a democrat. The last and the most popular work in the set is Vladimir Feltsman • Bach: The English Suites NI 6176 1819, Carl Maria von Weber brought the ball- The standard Chopin canon comprises fourteen the Fantasie-Impromptu in C sharp minor Op. room into hall with his “Invitation to waltzes – thirteen under opus numbers and one 66 (1834). It is also written in a ternary form, www.feltsman.com • www.wyastone.co.uk the Dance.” Chopin used the waltz idiom very posthumous. Only eight of the Waltzes were pub- with a rather virtuosic texture in the first and last skillfully, making it his own; in spite of their tra- lished during his lifetime. It is said that in 1849 episodes and a contrasting middle section. This ditional form and conventions Chopin’s Waltzes Chopin on his deathbed instructed his publisher and friend Pleyel to destroy ALL of his unpub- was a common gesture before the waltz proper the manuscript was given in 1835. It seems mes- sation; by many reliable accounts he could im- lished works. Luckily for us, Pleyel did not com- begins) and follows with the typical waltz merized by its own beauty, as if unable to part provise with ease for a long time. The process of ply and the fourteen Waltzes finally appeared as rhythm in the left hand (um tsa tsa) and a melody with its theme, which returns over and over. The writing down his improvised works and making a collection in 1868. that interacts with the rhythm by singing its line Waltz in B minor has no contrasting middle sec- the text final was not easy for him, however. The set opens with the “Grande Valse Bril- in two with the fast running inner notes – a very tion – in spite of a change from minor to major, Chopin was sending his works to three different lante” Op. 18 in E flat major, written in 1833. effective and witty decision. Episodes and tunes the nostalgic mood remains unchanged. Both Op. publishers, and for each of them he produced a The very first and last of the Waltzes are charac- follow each other seamlessly spinning more and 69 Waltzes exist in two slightly different ver- separate manuscript, sometimes with the help of terized by the same rhythmical figure - one long more energy until the Waltz ends with an as- sions, as does the F minor Waltz of Op. 70. an assistant who would insert some changes “de- and two short repeated notes. These two Waltzes sertive closing gesture. This is a real showpiece The three Waltzes of Op. 70, in G flat major, F sired by Chopin” into the score. There is thus a could be seen as the first and last pages, the in the very best sense of the word. minor, and D flat major, are the last group that is certain ambiguity concerning the final authentic matching covers, of the album. The first Waltz is The three Waltzes of Op. 64 were written in assigned an opus number. They were written in text. To add to the uncertainty, Chopin himself perhaps the most technically challenging of the 1846-7. They have no other titles beyond simply 1835, 1843, and 1829 respectively. The Waltz in wrote different, sometimes contradictory, mark- set. The tempo is fast (vivo) and there are many “Valse.” The first of the set, in D flat major, is G flat lacks any repeat signs and is quite short ings (dynamics, fingerings, ornamentation) on repeated notes that should be articulated clearly. the famous , which in fact is usu- because of that. The Waltz in F minor brings us the scores of his students. Obviously he was very The formal structure is a typical waltz – plenty ally played in a minute and a half or so. As the back to Poland in a subtle and understated way; flexible and fluid with regard to the interpreta- of different tunes and moods with alternating story goes, Chopin was inspired to write this Chopin was a master of understatement and allu- tion of his music. Indeed, improvisation and un- episodes, an extended middle section, and a piece after watching a small dog chasing its tail. sion. The Waltz in D flat is a charming, innocent, expected changes were integral to romantic coda. This was the archetypical waltz model that True or not, it is a good story. The second Waltz, and unpretentious work written when Chopin aesthetics and to Chopin’s approach to music. was being used and abused in the first half of the in C sharp minor, is the most famous of all was just 19 years old. Impromptu No.1 in A flat major Op. 29 (1837) nineteenth century and Chopin simply took it as Chopin’s Waltzes, the most frequently played The last Waltz, Op. posth. in E minor, is one is written in a clear ternary form with a contrast- he found it. He brought very little, if any, formal and recorded. The third Waltz, in A flat major, of the shortest and fastest – the tempo indication ing middle episode. It opens without any hesita- innovation into the waltz idiom; it is the content does not break any new ground, but follows is vivace. It is a brilliant and worthy conclusion tion, with a fluid figure of running triplets that is and context that makes Chopin’s Waltzes his well-established procedures a bit timidly. The to the set of Waltzes, the culmination of the arch repeated twice. This formula is extended and very own. It is not “how,” but “what,” middle episode is the most interesting in this that begins with the very first Waltz in E flat elaborated further and further, spinning around in The three “Grandes Valses Brillantes” of Op. rather conventional work. major, which opens the set. a circle that does not want to be broken. The 34 were written in 1838. The first (A flat major) The two Waltzes of Op. 69 in A flat major and whole process is effortless and stylish. The mid- and third (F major) are grand and brilliant in- in B minor were written in 1835 and 1825 re- The Impromptus dle episode is reminiscent of a nocturne with a deed, but the middle one in A minor is neither spectively and not published until after Chopin’s single theme that is repeated in different ways grand nor brilliant, but a very subtle and intro- death. The A flat Waltz is a very subtle and so- There are three Impromptus and one Fantasie- ten (!) times. The main episode returns through a verted work reminiscent of Chopin’s finest phisticated work that conjures an echo of things Impromptu, making a set of four. As its name sequence of trills and repeats itself literally. A mazurkas. past, an echo of his native Poland, an echo of suggests, an impromptu is a work that is impro- short coda puts this Impromptu to peaceful rest. The single “Grande Valse” in A flat major Op. mazurkas. It is known as the Farewell Waltz, vised, something that comes about spontaneously Impromptu No. 2 in F sharp major Op. 36 (1839) 42, composed in 1840, is one of the most popular written as a parting gift for Maria Wodzinska, to on the spur of the moment. Chopin (like Mozart, is a masterpiece in concept, form, and craftsman- and frequently played. It opens with a trill (this whom Chopin was once engaged and to whom Beethoven, and Liszt) was a master of improvi- ship. It opens with a singing four bar sequence in Vladimir Feltsman

Chopin • Complete Waltzes & Impromptus

Waltzes 1. No. 1 in E flat Major, Op. 18 5:19 2. No. 2 in A flat Major, Op. 34, no. 1 5:31 3. No. 3 in A minor, Op. 34, no. 2 5:40 V V L 4. No. 4 in F Major, Op. 34, no. 3 2:18 L A A D 5. No. 5 in A flat Major, Op. 42 3:55 D I I M 6. No. 6 in D flat Major, Op. 64, no. 1 1:48 M I I R 7. No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 64, no. 2 3:28 R

F F E 8. No. 8 in A flat Major, Op. 64, no. 3 2:58 E L L T T S 9. No. 9 in A flat Major, Op. 69, no. 1 (posth.) 4:15 S M M A 10. No. 10 in B minor, Op. 69, no. 2 (posth.) 3:45 A N 11. No. 11 in G flat Major, Op. 70. no. 1 (posth.) 2:02 N

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C 12. No. 12 in F minor, Op. 70, no. 2 (posth.) 2:54 C H 13. No. 13 in D flat Major, Op. 70, no. 3 (posth.) 2:40 H O O P 14. No. 14 in E minor, Op. posth. 2:57 P I I N N

Impromptus • •

W 15. No. 1 in A flat Major, Op. 29 3:59 W A A L 16. No. 2 in F sharp Major, Op. 36 5:38 L T T Z 17. No. 3 in G flat Major, Op. 51 6:05 Z E E S S

18. Fantasie Impromptu in C sharp minor, Op. 66 5:15 & &

I I M Total time: 70:28 M P P R ALSO AVAILABLE FROM NIMBUS ALLIANCE R O O Vladimir Feltsman • Beethoven Sonatas NI 6020 M M Vladimir Feltsman • Chopin Nocturnes, Barcarolle, Berceuse NI 6026 T Vladimir Feltsman • Chopin 4 Ballades, Fantasie, Polonaise-Fantasie NI 6028 T U Vladimir Feltsman • A Tribute to Rachmaninoff NI 6148 U S Vladimir Feltsman • A Tribute to Tchaikovsky NI 6162 S Vladimir Feltsman • Bach English Suites NI 6176 www.feltsman.com • www.wyastone.co.uk N N I I 6 6 Made in the UK by Nimbus Records 1 1 ℗2012 Wyastone Estate Limited 8 8 4 4 ©2012 Wyastone Estate Limited http://www.wyastone.co.uk