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发表于 2004-4-11 09:18:00
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Insert notes:Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) wrote a total of twenty-one nocturnes, of which three were published posthumously. For various reasons, including doubts about their authenticity, two of the three posthumous nocturnes were excluded from several early editions, and many notable pianists did not record them in their complete nocturnes recordings. Happily, this situation seems to have been resolved by the publication of the new Henle Urtext edition, which includes all twenty-one works in one volume.The word “nocturne” means “night-piece” in French. In the earlier part of the nineteenth century, the nocturne was associated with two vocal forms, one in Germany and one in Paris. The German nocturne or “notturno” was an alternative name for the serenade, while the Paris version was a new genre of love duets created by Italian composers living there at the time.The first piano nocturne was written in 1812 by Irish pianist/composer John Field (1782-1837). Although we can only speculate as to how much Chopin’s nocturnes were influenced by the original vocal nocturnes compared to Field’s compositions, the evidence in the music seems to indicate that he was influenced by both the Parisian model and Field. There are many elements in Chopin’s nocturnes which would suggest the connection to the Paris love duet form, including the preponderance of duet melodies and the seemingly incongruous juxtaposition of love melodies and religious elements found in several of Chopin’s nocturnes (tracks 3, 6, and 11 on this CD). This echoes a stylistic feature of the Parisian nocturne which occasionally interjects religious themes in an otherwise passionate love-song setting.Chopin’s debt to Field in his early nocturnes is also unmistakable. For instance, his Op. 9, No.2 (track 2 on the CD) is almost a direct takeoff on Field’s first nocturne, down to the choice of the key, E-flat major. The so-called juvenilia (tracks 1, 5, and 10 on this CD) also points to Field’s influence. Chopin, however, quickly developed the form beyond its salon beginnings into a uniquely expressive vehicle culminating in the epic Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, No. 1 (track 3 on the CD) with its thunderous octaves and agitated recitative—quite a far cry from the sweet melodies and simple recitatives which characterize many of John Field’s works in the same genre. Despite the greater complexity of Chopin’s mature nocturnes, they remain, for the most part, texturally simple, with a clearly defined melody within a primarily homophonic environment. This trait, coupled with sparing use of pianistic devices, makes the nocturnes ideal candidates for transcription to the guitar. But perhaps my main motivation for recording the nocturnes is the sheer beauty of the melodies and their timeless quality. It is not surprising that one of the most popular piano pieces in the Romantic repertoire is Op. 9, no. 2. Although several of the nocturnes in this album have been transcribed previously for guitar, all of the works on this recording are new transcriptions. Many of the earlier transcriptions, especially those of Tárrega and Llobet, are filled with editorial deviations from the original. Tárrega’s alterations are perhaps the most dramatic, with complete new cadenzas and other guitaristic devices in Op. 9, No.2. My versions of the same works are more modest and attempt to follow the original piano versions more closely.In order to optimize the limited range of the guitar and for ease of execution, key transposition is usually a part of the guitar transcription process, and these nocturnes are no exception. All the nocturnes were transposed from their original keys. Two are in G tuning (sixth string in D and fifth string in G), two are in D tuning (sixth string in D), and the rest are in regular E tuning. In addition, two of the pieces require the high C6 at fret 20. As most classical guitars stop at B5 on the 19th fret, this is slightly beyond the standard range of the guitar. I play a guitar that is customized with frets extending all the way to D6.It has always seemed inexplicable to me that, while many of the piano works of Albéniz and Granados have been universally accepted as holding their rightful places in the guitar repertoire, much of the music of the Romantic era is declared verboten territory. The usual arguments are (1) the music of Albéniz and Granados was influenced in large part by the guitar and is therefore easily adapted to the guitar; and (2) the guitar is a “Spanish” instrument, and is best suited to repertoire that is of Spanish origin.While the first argument may work for certain pieces in the repertoire (one can mention “Asturias” as a possible candidate in this category), it can also be argued that many of Albéniz’s and Granados’ transcribed works owe more to the Romantic salon tradition than to the Spanish guitar tradition. For instance, there is an uncanny resemblance between the opening section of Albéniz’s “Cordoba” and the “religioso” section of Chopin’s Op. 15, No.3 (track 6 on this album), not to mention his “Granada,” which one could almost mistake for a Chopin nocturne if not for the strong Latin flavor in its melody.As to the second point, we need only mention the names of Mertz, Regondi, and Coste to understand the universal appeal of the guitar across Europe in the Romantic period and understand that, yes, the guitar is indeed eminently suited to music from Romantic composers other than those from the Iberian Peninsula.
— Philip Hii |
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发表于 2004-4-11 09:16:00
