pestatasti wrote:I am returning to the original discussion to give my very personal opinion, which I hope will be a welcome contribution for SammyChopin.
First of all (it may seem trivial but) it is fundamental to consider that the expressive difficulties in Chopin are equal to (if not greater than) the technical-mechanical ones. Without mastery of rubato, legato (or rather, legatos), and with a flat timbre, any piece, even (indeed, I would say especially) the one that seems most approachable, loses depth; it becomes as muddy and poor as a "difficult" piece played without technique.
For this reason, in my opinion, the preludes are absolutely pieces... rated 90/100. Among the most difficult...
From my point of view (and my experience), with the exception of a few pieces (such as op. 69, no. 1), to tackle Chopin it is better to start immediately with the work that concentrates all his "instrumentarium": the etudes.
One might say: "but my technical level does not allow it yet". To this objection, I would respond with a series of observations.
Firstly, no one "is born knowing how" [is born learned]. The goal is to grow, and so instead of risking learning an apparently easy Chopin incorrectly—thereby fossilizing errors that are difficult to eradicate—it is better to approach the "didactic" work par excellence with absolute humility.
Secondly, let us not forget that Chopin was a pioneer of technique, revealing a series of gestures (use of wrist, arm, forearm, and body, exploitation of weight) that were unrecognized until then; the etudes are a sort of primer for these technical gestures, transmitting the codes to decrypt the difficulties of "mature" pianism: they should not be seen merely as "difficult" pieces, but rather as pieces that help overcome difficulties.
Thirdly, keeping in mind the teachings received and, above all, observing how those who truly play well move (in another recent discussion, Valentina Lisitsa was mentioned), understanding how to approach every single passage, following a good study method made up mostly of concentration and, why not, thanks to good reading, one can make giant strides even in a short time.
I was incredulous when I read your post: very few people think this way and I am extremely happy to have read this thought of yours, which is not insignificant at all, at least for me. Thank you truly