A# Or A Natural In The Chopin Op.25 No.6?

Hi there all I've been listening to Valentina Lisitsa float over the keys of chopin op.25 no.6. Then I listened to a few more artists - Sokolov, Kissin, Pollini, Ashkenazy etc. I must have listened umpteen times before I realised the strange brief fleeting odd harmony I had heard but not fully realised in bar 7 where the trilling thirds is repeated a 4th higher. I quickly looked at my copy (Henle) and there was the third plainly written - f# . I've not yet looked to see if my cortot edition is different. Valentina clearly plays A natural: Cortot also: But then listen to Sokolov and you hear the A# And 5 pianists - Ashkenazy, Pollini, Richter, Periah, and Arrau all play A# So anyone know the background behind this A natural instead of the A# as written as far as i can see. cheers

Hi there all I've been listening to Valentina Lisitsa float over the keys of chopin op.25 no.6. Then I listened to a few more artists - Sokolov, Kissin, Pollini, Ashkenazy etc. I must have listened umpteen times before I realised the strange brief fleeting odd harmony I had heard but not fully realised in bar 7 where the trilling thirds is repeated a 4th higher. I quickly looked at my copy (Henle) and there was the third plainly written - f# . I've not yet looked to see if my cortot edition is different. Valentina clearly plays A natural: Cortot also: But then listen to Sokolov and you hear the A# And 5 pianists - Ashkenazy, Pollini, Richter, Periah, and Arrau all play A# So anyone know the background behind this A natural instead of the A# as written as far as i can see. cheers I've always played the natural myself. There are many such discrepancies in Chopin, due to many different sources and various original publications. Obviously some may simply be mistakes, but there are often different readings that are equally valid.

Thanks Cziffra for your reply. I originally played the A natural and it sounded right. But there is a kind of beauty about the A# so perhaps I will alternate and practice both. cheers