Chopin: Barcarolle in F-sharp major, Op. 60 | Daniel Barenboim (piano)

Chopin: Barcarolle in F-sharp major, Op. 60 | Daniel Barenboim (piano)
蕭邦：升F大調船歌，作品60號 | 丹尼爾·巴倫博伊姆（鋼琴）

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A romantic gondola ride, complete with a love affair, musically staged on the piano: These are the rapturous terms in which one could describe Frédéric Chopin’s Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, Op. 60. The popular piano piece is performed here by Daniel Barenboim in a concert titled "Daniel Barenboim Plays Frédéric Chopin at the Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall." The concert took place on February 28, 2010, for the 200th anniversary of Chopin’s birth, as well as the 60th anniversary of Barenboim’s stage debut.

Born near Warsaw, Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) was a child prodigy and soon became one of the most important pianists of his time. From youth onward, he mainly composed piano works and also earned a place in history as a piano teacher. His compositions were influenced by Polish folk music, as well as by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and many other renowned classical composers. Although he never wrote an opera himself, the arias of Italian bel canto — especially those of Vincenzo Bellini — provided plenty of inspiration for him. In 1831 at age twenty, the Polish composer left his homeland and eventually settled in Paris. There, the piano virtuoso performed in the city’s salons and quickly became a celebrated pianist, well-known composer and sought-after teacher.

Improvising at the piano was customary in the Parisian salons, and Chopin was regarded as a master of this art. It's even said that he sometimes struggled to write down his pieces afterward. Yet the Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, Op. 60 is anything but improvisatory. In reality, it's a perfectly crafted masterpiece of Romantic piano music. Composed between the autumn of 1845 and the summer of 1846, it was Chopin’s last major work for piano. The piece is dedicated to Baroness Clotilde von Stockhausen. Chopin was friends with her husband, a German diplomat, to whom he had previously dedicated another piano composition.

The Barcarolle for Piano Solo is famous for good reason, as it possesses several remarkable qualities. Formally, it initially appears Romantic and dreamy, yet it is actually a strictly structured piano work reminiscent of a classical sonata, with a short introduction, two contrasting thematic group and a conclusion featuring recapitulation and coda.

In terms of content, one might get the impression that the Barcarolle belongs in the category of program music —that which depicts or tells a story, scene or event outside of the music itself. Chopin was an outspoken critic of the style, which was wildly popular in the 19th century, but nonetheless, the genre of barcarolle certainly evokes a ride on a Venetian gondola. Originally, a barcarolle was a Venetian boat song written in 6/8 or 12/8 time. While listening to Chopin’s Barcarolle, one can almost imagine a gondolier pushing the boat away from the shore (as suggested by the musical introduction) and then steering it through the waters of Venice with calm rowing motions (reflected in the gently rocking barcarolle rhythm). Because of the lyrical, song-like melodies that characterize both themes, some have suggested that Chopin had secretly portrayed a love scene in a gondola swaying on the waves. The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche — who was also a pianist, composer and music connoisseur — associated the piece with the image of a gently rocking boat.

Whether one embraces the idea of a lovers’ duet hidden within Chopin’s Barcarolle or not, this profoundly Romantic piano work is marked by extraordinary elegance and radiates an almost aristocratic flair. It's no surprise that the Barcarolle remains a favorite concert piece among virtuoso pianists to this day.

Film Provided by DW Classical Music