Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849): Mazurka in F Minor Op. 68 No. 4 (1849)

“Chopin@Home” – Recording Series by Villajasmin

Jasmin Fors, piano / Recorded in February 2024

Video sheet music: The first French edition by J. Meissonnier (1855), edited to match Henle’s Urtext Edition (1975)

My recently written story “Lectio Musicum: Sing until your instrument takes over” is closely related to this performance and interpretation of Chopin’s Mazurka op. 68 no 4. The composition is rumored to be his last, and would also have been left unfinished due to the composer’s impending death.

In the story, Chopin’s voice suddenly starts to speak to an artist sitting at the piano, practicing the mazurka in question. Chopin expresses his ironic opinion about the interpretation: as dead as its composer. He begins to open up about the common features of art and human life, the pulse and its rubato, the emotions and colors of music, also a bit of philosophy, and finally gives a piano lesson; the result is this interpretation. I apologize for the ‘singing’, but I hope the story could explain and forgive it all...

Unfortunately only the Finnish version exists so far on my website (Lectio Musicum). Hopefully, the English translation will soon be available!