Chopin: Too Dry, Too Blurry, and Too Fast?

Many of Chopin’s compositions have established a performance convention through years of aural tradition, as well as its evolution largely due to change of taste, development of piano making and increased capacity in performance venues. Pianists who love Chopin often find his tempo indications, pedal markings and slurs incomprehensible while learning his music. I will try to convey my understanding of these issues with the help of an 1835 Pleyel piano, a type of instrument Chopin loved during his lifetime as well as the newest urtext edition(s). I will perform and analyze Nocturne in F Major, Op. 15, No.1 and Mazurka in A Minor, Op. 17, No. 4, as examples.