Fantaisie Impromptu

Enchanting and mesmerizing the world

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Performances

I have listed some videos of Fantaisie Impromptu Peformances. They include some of the loveliest recordings, plus one harp version and lastly one played by me in Singapore. You can slow down some performances to 25% and hear them. Bars 13 onwards will sound different since the melody doesn’t come out. Usual performance speed is about 70bpm, though the indicated tempo is 84 bpm which sounds a little rushed. The 1834 Fontana version is the most widely played, and most YouTube videos feature that. The 1835 version can also be found. Some versions, such as those recorded by Abbey Simon, feature Klindworth’s Variant during the slow movement. In general, typical listeners will not be able to differentiate the differences. Even relatively poor performances can have a dazzling effect on someone who has never heard the piece. If you have never learnt the piece, I encourage you to try it! The 4 on 3 may be difficult at first, but once you get the hang of it, everything is pretty simple. There are very few chords in the piece, and for the vast majority of the piece, its just 1 finger per hand at any point in time. The relative ease makes it a piece favoured by many young pianists who may lack a large handspan. Even the rare octaves can be masked by playing the top or bottom note.


Li Yundi

This was one of the earlier ones on YouTube. Many consider it one of the best around.


Daniil Trifonov

This is the Deutsche Grammophon version by Trifonov


Jana Boušková

This is a harp version, which sounds great too!


Artur Rubinstein

Video shows 1834 version, but music is 1835 version


Tzvi Erez

1835 version. Note the lack of thumb/little finger accents in this version in Bars 13-22.


Abbey Simon

This version features Klindworth’s Variant during the slow part


Big Cannon Fairy

Played by me!

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