Yeah, so most of you out there live stressful lives. School....... ummm....... More School....... Shelton....... Mac.......... Can't wait for college................. Where the real life
starts........... Senioritis............ are probably just a few things that the average teenager is stressed about. Well, a lot of you are stressed about your opposite gender, and in that case I cannot help you. But I can help you deal with other kinds of stress. In my life, I have found that music is one of the best ways to relieve stress. Here are a few of my personal favorites that you may want to try.
This is a really soothing song which I pretty much listen to whenever I want to calm down and really feel completely at piece. Feel the vastness and magnificence of the sea. Btw you should all play the game.
I feel that this song represents all of the chaos in my life. A whirlwind of my many troubles. But it's so spirited and lively that I feel like everything will be alright and idk, I just feel happy.
Words just cannot describe this piece. Exquisite. Beautiful. Full of warmth. I usually listen to this piece when I'm sad and stressed. It's one of those pieces that you can drown yourself in. It's a piece that you can just listen to and let all of your emotions out. It's a piece where you can just listen to and cry. :)
Love this song. It's just peaceful. Hopeful.
Some other ones I love are Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto No.1 1st Mvmt, Chopin Sonata in B minor, Chopin Piano Concerto No.1, Liszt Mazeppa and La Campanella, the Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos, and the list goes on and on. Too lazy to find and post all these up. Look these up yourselves since probably 5 of you will see this anyways.
But really, pretty much any kind of music can calm you down, make you feel at peace. Every song on my blog except Friday by Rebecca Black will bring peace to your soul. Music is man's greatest gift to the world, and I'd be willing to take you on anytime for all you that disagree.
Lemme know what kind of music YOU listen to to relieve stress.
So this is for Jane and Jacob. Remember that one time when you guys were arguing about whether or not video games are art? Well, I'm gonna chip in and just say that I think video games are art because of music. That is, unless, if Jane, you're gonna tell me that the music in the video games is a separate matter. Music is everything. It brings out emotion, it impassions the soul. Music makes video games art. Try this.
My secretary wrote this. The grammar is kinda bad, but I'm not gonna fix it.
so i went to this competition. it was a pretty big deal, i was representing america. and china because i'm chinese. but america because i live here. and there were all these crazy good pianists. and they were intimidating, because their whole life is piano. but i held my own, because i'm ree lu. anyway, i had some ridiculously hard pieces and i sounded pretty good, if i do say so myself. and it was so much fun, and i learned so much, and i was sad to come home. but tosha really missed me, so i guess i had to come home at some point, because that girl is crazy. oh and i looked really handsome in my suit. and that's pretty much it. yay louisianna!
Shout out to Adam Kim who absolutely blew me away with this piece at the Louisiana International Piano Competition. Ridiculously amazing. The melodies were gorgeous. The runs were dynamite. I have never seen someone with so much power and control over the piano. Hats off to you man.
Oh baby! China baby China! Food. FOOD FOOD FOOD FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh and I get to see my dad and my family. Miss and love them a lot. Here's a good Asian song.
I'm going home!!!! Love ya guys!!!! Gonna miss ya!!!! (Well not really for most of you)
Oh and another song.
Currently my favorite song. I plan on listening to once a day and you all should to. But for me, it'll remind me of this one person. :)
It's FRIDAY!!!!!!! Mwahahaha. I, I, I, so excited. I so excited. Anyways, I decided to switch from classical music for once and go with a pop song.
The main problem is that because I listen to so much classical music, I don't really know very much popular music. There were a few that really intrigued me but I decided against using them. Tried Baby for a bit but I couldn't take any more when Bieber rolled the strike. Pokerface would have been good but Lady Gag's numerous costume changes kinda freaked me out. Thought I'd try Teenage Dream but Perry's voice bugs me. Didn't feel like doing rock or alternative music (my kind of modern music) so after much thought I consulted the oracle (Yon Soo) and she suggested that I do my post on Friday.
Music videos are extremely important to modern-day artists. They provide sort of an appeal to the artist and have a wide reaching effect among the rest of us humans. The images in the video often times connect with the lyrics and help us feel more connected to the artist. In today's post I will not only comment on the music, but I will also comment on the music and imagery.
Poor Rebecca....... You can run but you can't hide. Deleting your video isn't gonna stop the dislikes, it isn't gonna stop the haters. Might as well embrace them.
Right from the beginning, she builds up into Friday by uh, giving us very exciting details of each day of the week. Pretty decent beat and synthesizer whatever it is. And she looks like the witch of the waste from Howl's Moving Castle in those penciled in drawings.
Sunday: STUDY STUDY STUDY. Asian mom: that should be every day.
Monday: Test. No wonder she was studying like crazy on Sunday. I'm pretty sure she failed anyway.
Tuesday: More homework. Well, duh. Isn't it a given that you get homework everyday?
Wednesday: Music practice? HAHAHAHA well from this video, doesn't seem like practice helps her.
Thursday: Essay done. I'm pretty sure she procrastinated all week.
Friday: Starts at 12:00 am. I think that was about the time when Hagrid knocked down Harry's door.
Wow she wakes up. At least look like you were just asleep. And gosh her voice sounds like she just woke up. But it sounds like that the entire video.
You gotta go downstairs. How........ informative. We now know that your house has an upstairs.
Cereal...... sounds interesting. What kind? Captain Crunch? Corn flakes? What kind of milk? 2%? Skim? DETAILS! I WANT DETAILS! And now that beat is getting annoying.
Time is ticking on and on. YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME RIGHT?!?!?!? Of course it is. It's not like you're Sonic the Hedgehog and you can do Time Stop. Bwahaha time is ticking on and on. No time isn't ticking on and on. Keep telling yourself that.
Back in my day, there was no sign "Bus Stop" at the bus stop. There was..... an invisible sign that said "Bus Stop."
Now you see your friends. THEN WHY DID YOU GO TO THE BUS STOP IF YOUR FRIENDS WERE COMING TO GET YOU? And your driver is like 13 and the two kids in the back are standing up. How smart. Guess what? Car crashes and you are all dead. Maybe not Rebecca Black. She's starting to seem so bad in this song that she's probably bad enough to have a few Horcruxes lying around.
DON'T GO THERE REBECCA! THE GUY WAVING YOU OVER IS TRYING TO SEDUCE YOU!!!! Oh and which seat should you take? You should take the one seat that isn't occupied. Duh. Well, there is always the trunk. Suits you better anyways.
That girl doing the waves in the front must be really bored. To be honest, I would be too. But I would be asleep. And now that I think about it, this beat is terrible.
Oooooo the driver looks like he's doing drugs.
Yeah. So here's what I don't get. She said that she's looking forward to the weekend when it will be REALLY fun. So why are you so excited about Friday? You still have school. You will continue to live in agony knowing that the weekend is so near and yet so far. Americans are just too optimistic.
Wow. Are you guys really dumb enough to be standing back there on a highway? How is it that all three of them aren't blondes? Your friend is on your right. No she's some random girl you picked out on the street to try to make your pathetic video look just a tiny bit better.
The next two lines are just pure stupidity. You aren't sitting. You're standing. Which seat should you take? The one you're already in? Man, she makes these questions sound so difficult and profound. Yeah, profound for a two year old.
2:01 Just hurry up and walk inside already.
Yesterday was Thursday. I think I already know that. Yup, today is Friday. Good to know. I sometimes forget what day of the week it is you know.
Tomorrow is Saturday. And Sunday comes after that. And Monday comes after that. And Tuesday comes after that. Seriously, Rebecca, you don't have anything else to say in the little time you have left in the video? I want details about the party! Beer? Drugs? Games? Details, girl, details. I mean, your predictions on the order of the days is profound but the only thing that interests me is the party.
What the heck is this dude doing in the video? Let me tell you something. It's all about Rebecca, not you. We love Rebecca Black. I appreciate her for what she's done. Wasting 4 minutes of my life. So stay out of the video dude.
Okay I can't listen to this anymore. I feel dumber just listening to it. I'm not kidding, I have a huge headache right now.
I hope you have been enlightened and now hate this song. Go eat some rice.
I don't care what you try to sell me, or if you think I'm crazy. But this man alone (though not the only reason) puts Studio Ghibli above Disney. Music is by far one of the most important components of movies. Sure, Under the Sea is a catchy tune, but don't try and tell me that it is better than THIS. No, Hate me all you want, but here's the truth. Disney songs have no life, no deep meanings. They are sparse, simple, and quite frankly, boring. And how do they think they make up for it? They add lyrics, which is really quite pitiful. The music for movies such as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle In the Sky, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, and Spirited Away, are quite the opposite. Theses songs are rich and majestic. Beautiful and moving. Masterful and complex. Everything that Disney songs are not.
Howl's Moving Castle. Just an amazing movie. Though not as heralded as Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle certainly ranks among the best. A captivating storyline, vivid imagery, fitting and trancing music make Howl's Moving Castle a masterpiece. The video below is a live performance of "Merry Go Round" with an orchestra and Joe Hisaishi himself.
First off, man, what I would given to have been in Hisaishi's shoes. Playing the piano and conducting just a masterful and breathtaking song would be an incredible experience. Throughout this video, you can just tell how passionate Hisaishi is about his music. He wills every phrase, every note, into its own unique purpose, own meaning. The way he divides the melodies up, the way he weaves voices together is like that of a master, a true musician.
Piano solo at the opening, introducing the main theme. Just love this theme. Gorgeous and moving. Strings join in then followed by an oboe solo which leads into the waltz.
Really cool how he has each of the different instruments have the melody without making it sound like Bolero. He has a lot of fun countermelodies and ornaments that weave in and out of the melodies that adds flavor to the waltz. Love the flute decorations.
Man look at 2:00. I've never seen such great passion about music.
Just beautiful. Words can't describe how magnificent this piece is. Just listen and enjoy.
I hope that you have been enlightened and now love
this song.
Now
go eat some rice and watch Howl's Moving Castle.
So I decided to do a piece by a fairly unknown composer. Though well known during his day, Mily Balakirev has basically faded into obscurity. Pretty much his Islamey is only played because it is considered one of the hardest and most taxing piece in piano literature. A fast and powerful piece. 26 pages in about 8 min? So yeah, it's an impressive piece that some pros like to play. However, critics don't really like this piece, mainly because of its inability to develop. It doesn't ever really expand on the main theme, doesn't really develop a nice melody. One of my friends personally thinks that Balakirev only wrote the piece because he wanted to be the composer of the hardest piece in the world.
Interesting note: Balakirev was part of group known as "The Five," which consisted of the brightest musicians (except for Tchaikovsky) in Russia at the time. Their attitudes are completely different than of that today. Back in the day, musicians were always sharing musical ideas. Everyone was copying Paganini, Liszt borrowed from Schubert, etc. These days, for obvious reasons, composers don't share ideas at all. Well, I wish I could have lived back in the day, when fame, money weren't all that important to them.
Wow. Wow wow wow wow wow. Absolutely ridiculous. He plays this piece so darn fast. Realize that pretty much this entire piece is made up of chords on every single note. Basically the music is 4 part harmony on speed. Double thirds, double fourths, double octaves, you have them all.
Basically the opening establishes the main theme of the entire piece. You'll probably recognize it if you hang around Jae Cho too much because for a while, that was all he would whistle. It also sets the precedent of an imitation, with the first loud, second soft. Notice that for a lot of the time, Balakirev does not decrescendo to the end of the phrase. He goes against convention and crescendos into the phrase.
Nice melody and theme at 2:00. Too bad it's so short though. Love the little flourishes that decorates the melody when it goes up into the higher registers. Love how the melody just grows, develops into huge sweeps and flourishes in the right hand, with the melody in the left hand.
After that, more of just the same old stuff. Power, speed. A bit of development at 4:25. Goes back to a previous theme at 5:00. Does the same thing again at 5:45.
6:00 to the end is just glorious. Sweeps and flourishes are all over the keyboard. Dynamic, Strong, quick, just amazing. Difficult to imagine that anyone can play this piece.
Yeah, sure we all like to bash on Mozart sometimes. My favorite ones I like to say are, "He's too cheery!" "He always makes me feel like I'm on pot!" Though Mozart in my opinion is probably the most overrated composer, he is second to none in terms of his ingenuity and talent. He could write symphonies in weeks, sonatas in days. His ability to sprout out melodies was was just ridiculous. He was the classical period. His songs were just always flowing, melodious, and this is clearly demonstrated in his most famous symphony, symphony number 40.
First note of the melody is E-flat! Then it's D! Then it's D again! Yeah, I'll stop now. At the beginning, it seems as if the two phrases are questioning and answering each other. Then then the motiff is taken a half step down. Well, what else can I really say about the piece? There's an exposition, development, recapitulation. Typical of all pieces during this time to be written in sonata allegro form.
The piece is just so fascinating. It's so cool how all the instruments that just play back to each other. Winds, individual strings, it's just so awesome. Plus, it has some awesome horn parts in it.
Not gonna say anything else about the piece. Just enjoy it because this guy was a genius! We never really fully appreciate them.
Yo humans of the Timpview Philharmonic. I know you all probably hate me by now but I'm hoping that me posting this piece will help you out. It's fast and we definitely won't be playing it at this tempo but I'm hoping you all will get the hang of it.
Thanks for all of your help. Honestly, I wouldn't be here as a musician today without the support of the orchestra, which consists of my family and friends. Hope you enjoy this piece, and again, I apologize if I (more like this piece) am being too hard on you.
I must admit, I still believe that the idea and institution of Prom is kinda......... dumb? But honestly, what made Prom awesome and totally worth it for me was my beautiful and perfect date, Tosha Kohler. How does one describe her? I could write about her all day, and I would still not be able to adequately describe her. Well, a song says a thousand words, and I actually have two.
Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini- 18th Variation
Final Fantasy: The number one series of games that have come to define me as the person I am. From Aerith's death to Terra's courage. From Zidane and Dagger's love to Kefka and Sephiroth's pure hate. They have all shaped me many ways.
A video game is not just defined by a great plot or great gameplay. It is defined by its music, and Final Fantasy's Nobuo Uematsu is one of the best gaming music composers. His ability to draw out the emotions of each of characters, each setting is simply nothing short of just extraordinary. His ability to connect one theme to another is simply just natural and intuitive. I have decided to pick out some of my favorite pieces. I won't comment a whole lot, just enjoy.
Man With the Machine Gun- Final Fantasy VIII
See how great the influence of Final Fantasy is. Stockholm, Sweden. Are
you kidding me? That ain't in Japan. No, this song does not endorse mass killing and machine guns. Play the game for yourself to see what it's about :)
A few things to notice right at the beginning. The continuous 7 note theme that is constant throughout the piece, and the whirlwind of strings. This song is supposed to be energetic and uplifting. Look at the conductor in the ponytail! Man he is going all out!
Note the glorious horn solo that is answered by the winds. Awesome stuff.
Melodies of Life- Final Fantasy IX
Just a gorgeous song about true love. Gotta love this. Love the mix of orchestra and guitar.
One Winged Angel- Final Fantasy VII
I hate Sephiroth. Sephiroth can go die in a freakin' hole.
That being said, notice how powerful and dramatic the orchestra. Brass is just huge in this piece. The choir is singing in........ Latin? How cool is that? Who writes in Latin these days? This piece is just absolutely epic and awesome. Just the best background music to a boss battle ever.
To Zanarkand- Final Fantasy X
Originally written for just piano, arranged for orchestra in this version.
Absolutely gorgeous melody, which is the main theme that is heard throughout the entire game. This song represents the sadness, the pain, the sacrifices, the swirling emotions that are constant themes throughout the game. Would you sacrifice yourself for a loved one?
Terra's Theme- Final Fantasy VI
Actual song starts at about 1:44. No live version of this one.
Best theme song for a character ever. The piece is march-like, with full melody and power in the winds and brass. Flute has the main melody, with the French Horns providing the main harmony. Truly an epic piece.
Real Emotion- Final Fantasy X-2
Skip to about 1:00. No, I do not dance to this song in my bedroom. ;) Not gonna lie, but this is the only pop song that I actually listen to.
I hope that you have been enlightened and now love
these pieces.
If you have never heard of this piece before, No. 1, you live under a rock. No. 2, I will be further convinced that our society has no culture. Kids these days just don't appreciate real and beautiful music. Our culture has become obsessed with all this weird stuff like Bieber, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, etc. These guys aren't even worth a skin mite when compared to Rachmaninoff. How have we deviated so far from enlightenment? How can we not grasp beauty when it's a mouse click away on youtube? In order to save your poor souls, I will enlighten you about all three movements of this piece.
So I have picked Van Cliburn's recording of this piece. The video's in black and white but you're talking about one of the greatest pianists in the 20th century. When listening to this piece, look for the wide rang of dynamics, beautiful melody, rubato, phrasing.
Rachmaninoff wrote this concerto coming off of a severe depression so you can imagine how much passion he put into this piece. The piece opens up with a series of large chords which I interpret as the gong of a bell. These chords alternate with the pedal point at the note of low F, growing louder and stronger, and after 5 powerful chords, he enters the main theme, with strings providing the melody and piano the accompaniment. Notice how the piano, in all of those arpeggios brings out the bass note. This goes on until about 2:05, when the strings back off from the melody and the piano enters with the melody for the first time. After a brilliant display of technique and several chords, we enter into an interlude, which is the transition into the next theme.
This next theme at 2:45 is simply just gorgeous. The phrasing, the rubato, the shapes of the phrases are just absolutely exquisite. After playing this passage two times, notice how the piano trades off with a beautiful cello solo. At 3:55, we hit a variation of this melody and we continue in beauty, with the piano working in sync with the winds and strings.
This section ends when the piano makes a long run to the top. This marks the start of the deeper, darker aspects of the piece. In this section of the piece, the instruments are doing all sorts of things. The piano stages duplets against triplets, flutes with trills. At 6:00, behind the piano, the strings are trading off with the oboe in melody. It seems as if the the entire orchestra is swirling with emotion and chaos. As the section pushes forward, with trumpets blaring, strings increasing in volume, piano pounding out chords, the piece enters the climax. At 7:17, we begin the Alla Marcia. The piano, with its chords, plays with a march like theme, while the strings are playing the melody that appeared at the beginning of the piece.
After the march, the piano is alone, but this time, he is both what the piano and orchestra were at the beginning. The piano continues the melody but also provides the inner voices. Notice the incredible top voicing, shaping, and rubato. With the rest of the orchestra always beneath the piano, the phrase ends.
I still haven't forgiven the French Horn player who bombed the solo at this next part when I played this piece.
During this next section, the piano trades off the melody with the strings, with the piano filling in with inner voices.
The piano and strings continue to work in sync and then we arrive at the closing section at :55. After a passage of fluttering notes and long arpeggios that grow in speed, a chord progression that reaches the top, the piece ends with three chords: tonic, supertonic, tonic.
1:58 is the start of the second movement. After a slow C Minor scale which modulates to E Major, the piano begins a gorgeous solo with a gorgeous broken chordal progressions. Ewww, I don't really like how Cliburn pounds out the melody. Ewww....... Anyways, what's important is that he's feeling. Anyways, back to the music. The flute then introduces the main theme, followed by an extensive clarinet solo, with the piano providing broken chordal accompaniment. The flute ends the theme and now the piano takes up the theme.
After a while, the orchestra, along with the piano begins to build and build starting at around the 6:00 mark. The movement pushes forth, as some of the instruments play a part of the motif, such as the horn and clarinet. It continues to accelerate and then we hit the climax at around the 9:05 mark, where the focus is primarily on the piano. At around 9:55, the pianist has a small cadenza, which accelerates to the top, capitalized by alternating chords at the top.
After a run going down with the right hand in the piano, we ease back into the main motive. However, the violins are providing the melody this time. It becomes a bit more dramatic this time around (obviously because we are nearing the end) starting at 2:45, with the piano providing big chords (E major) as the harmony.
The orchestra begins to die away, and the piece ends with the piano alone, building suspensions and chords in the key of E major.
The third movement begins at 4:22, with an orchestral intro in the key of E major, which quickly then modulates to C minor. Hurray! The percussion can now wake up! After some awesome crash cymbals, the piano comes in with a long run up and down the keyboard. How does one describe this first part? Strong? Fast? Dramatic? Powerful? How about all of the above?
At 6:30, the piece changes gears. The violas and oboes introduce a new, rich, beautiful that is similar to that in the 1st movement's second theme, which is then repeated by the piano. The phrasings that go up and down are just simply full of spirit. After it dies, all of a sudden, we are all powerful and dramatic again. This next part really feels like it's full of tension. It really in a way feels sort of chaotic. All of this is building up to a repeat of the second theme.
At about 1:00, the piano comes in full force with the second theme, which is then quickly followed by the orchestra in full force. After the orchestra dies, the piano restates the second theme alone again, and is then joined by the orchestra, and together, they make this theme truly epic, glorious, beautiful.
The theme dies down, and after an orchestral interlude we are all dramatic again. Hey! Let's be happy! The piece modulates to the key of C major and after a build up with the piano and orchestra, we are once again in the first theme but in major.
Very quickly, however, both the piano and full orchestra revert back to the 2nd theme. If you thought this sounded good in minor, it is awesome in major. Absolutely the climax and pinnacle of this movement and this whole piece. It seems as if the entire piece has been building up for this moment. For the Honor and Glory! Don't you wish that this moment could just last forever? However, all things must come to an end and the piece ends in his trademark rhythm at the end.
I hope that you have been enlightened and now love this piece.
La Campanella is the third of the six Grand Paganini Etudes by Franz Liszt, transcribed for piano from compositions by the great violinist, Niccolo Paganini. I have picked the pianist Yundi Li because in my opinion, he has the best interpretation of this piece.
Etudes, by definition, are compositions that are designed to build technical skill for the musician playing them. La Campanella is no different, training the player's strength and endurance with its rapid note jumps, quick repeated notes, broken chord progressions, fast runs. However what separates La Campanella and a few others from your typical etudes is that it is actually a performance worthy piece. This piece isn't your ordinary Czerny and Hanon exercises. It is far more difficult and is actually built on a melodic line, with variations and phrases.
The first part of the piece is famously known as the "bell" section. Notice the right hand's massive leaps, even making a two octave jump at one point. Here Liszt introduces the main theme with the thumb of the right hand, alternating with jumps on the pinky to the pedal point on the note of E-flat. This pedal point is referred to as the "bell" that Paganini originally used in his own piece. The left hand provides a rolled chord accompaniment.
From the beginning to about 1:20, Liszt introduces the two parts of the theme that he will repeat twice more in the piece, but in variations. The beginning to :42 can be seen as the "A" theme and the "B" section, or development section goes from :42 to 1:20. This first part is characterized by the quick turns, ornaments, and note jumps, which surround and decorate the melody.
At 1:20, Liszt goes to a variation of the first theme, but this time brings out the main theme richly in the left hand with jumps in the right hand, spanning over two octaves, once again playing E-flat pedal point, bringing back the "bell" theme from the beginning.
At 1:35, things start to get interesting. Already we have seen the technique and art of jumping notes and quick ornaments. We now see the art of lightning fast repeated notes played in the melody and form from the "A" section, which carries on to the next section, a variation of the "B" section. Liszt then expands this section with a series of long runs running up and down the keyboard, increasing in volume and speed until it hits the climax, a powerful, two handed trill at the top.
The trill begins to cede, and once again, Liszt returns to the main melody from the "A" section in the left hand while decorating it with trills and broken chord progressions in the right hand. After a quick transition, at 3:00, the right hand keeps its technique of broken chord progression, maintaining the melody, while the left hand brings out the rich basses. This part of the piece is identical in form to the part when the repeated notes first appear.
Rather than continuing the broken chord progressions in this next variation of the "B" section, both right and left hands make difficult octave and chordal jumps in contrary motion. From here on out until the end, the piece is characterized by powerful octaves that continue to pound out the main themes, with a gradual acceleration. After a series of powerful, alternating octaves, we have once again returned to the main theme, (3:57) this time in the form of octaves in the right hand, with the left hand pounding out the basses. With increasing power, strength and speed, we arrive out the double octaves in contrary motion, the transition into the Coda. Here at the Coda, both hands make massive octave/chordal jumps and in a flourish of speed and power, the piece ends with a series powerful chords, the last one in A-flat minor.
I hope that you have been enlightened and now love
this piece.
Chopin's Polonaise in F-sharp minor. Often overlooked by his other two grand polonaises, (A-flat Major "Heroic", and A Major "Millitary") in my opinion, his Polonaise in F-sharp minor is far grander because of its power and finesse. The dynamic contrast is extremely sharp, yet the piece never loses its phrasing or melodic line. Not only that, Horowitz plays with the two hands of God, truly bringing beauty and power into the piece.
The piece begins with a two-three line introduction, something that is very common in Chopin's solo works for piano. The introduction first introduces two simple phrases in which Chopin then builds up to the "A" section by first changing the rhythm, then switching to massive double octaves, increasing in volume with a massive crescendo, finally arriving at the "A" section of the piece con fuoco.
The first that is striking throughout the "A" section is the massive bass line. The right hand is that of typical Chopin: Melodic lines decorated in all sorts ornaments. The left hand, however prominently displays massive chordal jumps that truly gives power to this piece, something that we don't often see in Chopin. It seems as if Liszt and Chopin wrote this piece together, with Chopin adding the beautiful melodic line, Liszt the finesse. Here in this section, the right hand and left hand trade off in melody, in different octaves. The passage is then repeated a few times, each differing slightly in phrasing.
At around 2:55, we arrive at the "A'" section. Here he flairs fleeting little ornaments, always returning to the pedal point on the note A. At 3:20, Chopin adds harmony to the pedal point, playing a low F with the left hand, which then progresses to other notes. After repeating the section he then concludes the section, transitioning into the "B" section.
Again, the form of this piece is typical of that of most of Chopin's pieces. After opening with his powerful "A" section, he will usually have a "B" section that is usually slow, very melodious, and and will often conclude the piece with the "A" section. In this piece, Chopin uses this form, displaying a gorgeous theme in the "B" section, switching to a major key. Here in this section, the main theme is repeated over and over again, in variations. Bask in the beauty of Chopin!
The transition from the "B" section to the "A" section at 7:00 gets interesting. In the right hand, the melody from the "B" section is played while the left hand plays the theme from the intro. In a flourish of powerful runs and quick double octaves, we are back at the "A" section.
Chopin has returned to the "A" section and must now end the piece. Interestingly enough, he doesn't throw in a dynamic coda to end it. Instead, after a powerful chromatic run, Chopin settles back into the main theme quietly, striking the tonic powerfully at the end.
I hope that you have been enlightened and now love this piece.
