Скачать или смотреть Chopin - Barcarolle, Op. 60 [Score Recording] -- Joseph Renouf, piano

Here's my 2016 audio recording (with accompanying musical score) of Chopin's Barcarolle, one of the composer's latest and greatest works. Composed just three years before his untimely death at the age of 39, the work displays the hallmarks of Chopin’s mature style, including polyphonic complexity, rich texture, otherworldly lyricism, and harmonic subtlety. The term “barcarolle” denotes a boat song, though Chopin’s use of the form constitutes a far less explicit evocation of vessels and water than, say, Mendelssohn’s Venetian gondola songs or Liszt’s “Gondoliera” from the “Venezia e Napoli” in the Italy supplement of the Années de pèlerinage. Chopin, rather, transforms it into one of the grandest musical expressions of love and longing ever written. The central climax erupts in rapture.

A notable technical feature of the work is the extensive use of embellishment. Thirds, sixths, and legato chords abound and are employed skillfully as part of the musical line. Frequent grace notes and extended trills add to the oscillating effect. As in many of Chopin’s more lyrical works, such as the D-flat major nocturne, Op. 27, No. 2, the composer’s melodic intentions are so strong that the double notes represent two independent voices singing in a duet. The 6/8 barcarolle rhythm rocks to and fro beneath the amorous song, though its execution simultaneously demands the liquid rubato that is so essential to performance of Chopin’s works.

The tempo designation of allegretto (generally the next tempo down from an allegro) is a curious feature. In spirit, the work generally seems to move at more of an andante pace, but as he was wont to do, Chopin may have wanted to caution against any sort of dragging, mooning, or wallowing.