Alfred Cortot rare videos
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Alfred Cortot plays "Der Dichter spricht"
Special thanks to petrof4056 and Laurent Bonaccorsi who have kindly given the following information:
The girl at the beginning of the video: Lucile Bascouret
0:41 from the left to the right: Pierre Froment, Thierry de Brunhoff and Eric Heidsieck.
Cortot was 84 in this video, so this video was taken in 1961, a year before his death.
Ah Cortot!! What a wonderful musician. Transcendent. He was all passion and poetry. He had the most distinctive and beautiful tone.Penetrating - right to the soul. There was blood in his playing - the blood of a poet. I studied with a student of Cortot. One of my most cherished possessions is a 16 page essay written by Cortot in his own hand! Bless you for posting this film - how wonderful!
Phillip Wilcher
This comment was made the year I was born!
@@epicaunleashed8764 Wow! 16 years ago! How amazing is that! Blessings!
In English: "It seems to me that this last piece, "The Poet Speaks" wich is the title Schumann gave to this immortal work, shouls be conceived as a kind of intimate reverie, isn't it? It's not just about making a beautiful sound and expressive phrasing. You need also to create a sense of dreaming. The truth is, you need to dream this piece, rather than play it. Will you allow me to take your place ? (Cortot plays Shcumann: Der Dichter spricht "The Poet Speaks" from Kinderszenen "Scenes from Childhood") Here, these two phrases are not connected. These are two different elements, of the same musical state. Here, like a question... And here again, another, tenderly... asking the way. And from this moment, you should convey the music not just through the notes, but through some kind of inspiration, drawn from its immortal spirit. And now the sonorities should fade away, grow fainter and dimmer. And you are left simply in the presence of a dream wich haunts you still. "
thanx so much!
This is truly transcentant===ive been playing for over 6o years---if only i had a teacher like him---such insight and love for his craft--unique among those who lived the music --i hope i can meet him when i too step into Eternity
What a privilege to hear a great artist's thought processes while he's playing. Those students were lucky indeed.
And his hands...!!! So expressive even before they play a single note. One of the best videos of an artist on UA-cam.
Cortot is the best. Listening through the occasional wrong notes in difficult pieces, and the iffy quality of the accoustic rendition of the piano in these recordings, we still glimpse wonderful things, the sublime, the divine.
I love how Cortot was able to transform such a simple piece into something extraordinary. Thanks for posting.
Concernant Alfred Cortot, on demandait un jour à Nadia Boulanger:" Pour vous, le talent est-il quelque chose d'extrêmement important:" ? Elle répondit :" Le talent ! C'est un mot très dangereux je crois, parce que si derrière le talent il n'y a pas le mystère de la personnalité, le talent peut devenir une richesse artificielle qui fait que parmi les grands exécutants , il y a ceux qui ont toute leur âme au service de la musique et les autres qui mettent toute leur technique au service de leur âme ou qui mettent tout leur but dans jouer très bien magnifiquement avec toute la technique du monde, toute la maîtrise et puis, il suffit d'une note jouée........... Je me souviens un soir, Cortot, Alfred Cortot que vous êtes trop jeune pour avoir connu est venu passer la soirée chez moi, et j'ai quitté le salon une minute pour aller chercher un manuscrit pour lui montrer, et, très malade comme il était alors, il a mis les mains sur le piano. Il m'a semblé que je n'avais jamais entendu ce piano, c'était de la pure magie, et cela ça tenait non pas à sa technique , mais à sa vie intérieure, il a touché le piano en pensant à autre chose, mais il se dégageait de ce qui se dégage de toute grande œuvre. (1)1-Extrait d'une entrevue donnée à M. Marcel Brisebois - Émission "Rencontre" sur les ondes de Radio-Canada et retransmise le 29 décembre 1979 quelque temps après le décès de Nadia Boulanger survenue le 22 octobre précédant.
Merci xujia ! Quel plaisir de voir et d'écouter ce grand monsieur !
Totalement bouleversant, cet homme très âgé qui nous parle d'avenir, la profondeur de ce regard inspiré, l’extrême sobriété du jeu, la suspension du temps, l'éternité en partage...
Fantastique! one of the deepest musical expressions I have ever heard. I love it...
There is noone like that today that I know of!
One of the most important and beautiful thing he says about this piece, for those who wouldnt understand french, is that, rather than "play it", one has to "dream it"....
Extraordinaire ! On voit Thierry de Brunhoff dans les jeunes pianistes qui écoutent le "Maître" .
I think this man demonstrates how talent and profundity in interpretation can be equal to that in composing.
Cortot' s physiognomy alone bespeaks of genius. He is a poet musician.
Remembering ALFRED CORTOT (1877-1962) on his birthday !
Ce fut un homme comme on n'en fait plus. Ainsi va le monde...
Rien que de le regarder, et l'écouter, nous rend meilleurs.
Merci !
came back again. Can't get enough of this: He is in a trance. Sublime!
Thank you very much for this video. Much appreciated.
I never studied french, I never studied piano ; but looking at Great Maestro Cortot's eyes, I think I felt what he said: in this video he so owned that piece that the Music went into him and he gave it to everybody. Like in trance, or talking during a dream, he explained by playing and he played by explaining. I'm not so sure I have been understood but it doesn't matter so much:
I feel I understood him!
its amazing how a person so old, Cortot here, Horowitz, Horszowsky, Rubinstein and others at that age were so pianistically, agile, lucid and articulate. Other people at that age are usually dead or vegetables. Music seems to do wonders for the brain, and possibly overall wellbeing.
magnifique leçon de musique.
Spellbinding, and a treasurable glimpse into the genius of one of the greatest pianists of all time
Merci pour ce document exceptionnel ! (Thank you for this extraordinary document !)
Alfred Cortot n'est pas ici l'interprète au piano de la pièce "le poète parle" : il en est l'incarnation, littéralement.
Magnifique vidéo et magistrale leçon.
"la vérité est qu'il faut rêver ce dernier morceau mais pas le jouer": "the truth in this piece: don't play it but dream it". Lyrics of a real artist!
0:42 it's my brother's godfather Pierre Froment, later he was his assistant. He told me, he was the only person to understand himself but we had to live with him to understand him; he lived in an other world, he lived in a world where there was only music and not humans because he really didn't a human.
MERVEILLEUX merci!
Thanks for posting this!! What a gift!!
Te girl at the beginning of the video is Lucile Bascourret (with 2 "R"), she first studied with Alfred Cortot, then she became his assitant, and then was professor at the Ecole Normale de Musique founded by Cortot himself.
Only his assistant? Think Clara Haskil...and doubtless not a few other lady pianists. But his poetic muse was (and is) beyond question...
Magistral.!!!!!!!!👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Bravo pour votre traduction que j'apprécie énormément, et merci d'y avoir passé du temps!
It's such a great musician!!
Merci pour cette précieuse information.
@petrof4056 ! am so grateful to see this comment -so few perceive this insight into the elevated perceptions of Cortot.This particularly applies to Barenboim and every limited concept he reveals in speaking about Cortot.But a person's enlightenment can't exceed his perspectives so it is regrettable that Barenboim was chosen to attempt a task far out of his reach . thank you-Avis rara.
He says, "It seems to me that the last piece, The Poet Speaks (Der Dichter Spricht), as that was the title that he added to these immortal pages himself. must be transported to a plane of reverie more intimate. Not just a beautiful sound, or the expressive balance of the phrases,but more a feeling of dream. '...'May I take your place?' ...Not necessary to elide these 2 phrases- they are different elements in the same musical environment ... There is then a sort of interrogation, question, ;-and then a new one- (which) tenderly; interrogates the future. ...It is necessary to dream this piece, not to play it."
+ziv auri Thanks for your interpretation. I like he said 'It's necessary to dream this piece, not to play it.'
+ziv auri Thanks for your interpretation. I like he said 'It's necessary to dream this piece, not to play it.'
thanks.
Extrêmement émouvant .
Yes, I remember this on public TV! Wonderful!
Merci, j'y ai pris plaisir. J'aime beaucoup Cortot surtout quand il joue Chopin.
Cortot is so emotional that make me cry.......this man is an angel...see his transfigured face......
Thanks for this. I must get a translation. Perhaps if I listen to it over and over again I can understan more. I can play and I can talk, but I cannot play and talk well at the same time like this!! Pity Barenboim could not finish his sentence...
" le poète parle " oui Schuman et Cortot nous parle avec le langage " musical " vidéo très émouvante . .Alfred Cortot je vous ai aimé toute ma vie
c'est tout a fait genial ............. ce qu'il dit est presque aussi beau que la musique sur "cettle page immortelle." Je vous remerice de l'avoir telecharge.
Après ces explications si émouvantes, Cortot demande ainsi à une élève :"Voulez-vous me permettre de prendre votre place? :" Quelle grandeur et quelle noblesse de la part d'un génie de l'interprétation qui enseignait au CNSP . Ces hommes et ces femmes n'ont pour ainsi dire " pas de nationalité" , ils sont universels . Même la voix du maître est lyrique et chantante en plus de la chaleur qu'elle dégage. Évidemment la géniale explication donnée par le maître nous fait voir, d'une certaine façon , le for intérieur d'Alfred Cortot et c'est quasiment troublant d'entendre ça .
L'élève qui laisse sa place à Alfred CORTOT est Lucile BASCOURRET , fille de Blanche BASCOURRET de Guéraldi qui fut répétitrice ( au CNSMD ) et assistante ( à l'École Normale Supérieure de Musique de PARIS ) du maître.
Lucile BASCOURRET , qui avait sa propre classe à l'École Normale Supérieure de Musique , est décédée en 1992 en sortant de sa classe , dans l'escalier de l'École.Elle était aussi répétitrice de Lélia GOUSSEAU au CNSMD de PARIS.On voit aussi Thierry de BRUNHOFF et Éric HEIDSIECK à ce cours d'interprétation de 1958.
Blanche BASCOURRET de Guéraldi est décédée à son domicile parisien , 58 Bld Raspail , en octobre1982.Elles furent mes professeurs.
Lionel VIGNERESSE.
Alfred Cortot was swiss born in the french speaking part of switzerland. He studied piano and taught at the Paris conservatory of music.
the best ever Der Dichter sprich .... of all times.
Very very precious.
Wunderbar!
0:41
from the left to the right:
Pierre Froment (my brother's godfather), Thierry de Brunhoff and Eric Eyssric.
Cortot was 84 ~ here
In French: « Il me semble que, le dernier morceau, « Le Poète Parle » c'est là le titre que Schumann a lui-même ajouté à cette page immortelle, devrait être transposé sur un plan de rêveries plus intimes, n'est-ce pas? Pas seulement la belle sonorité, la détente expressive de la phrase, mais un sentiment plus rêveur. La vérité est qu'il faut rêver ce dernier morceau, pas le jouer. Voulez-vous me permettre de prendre votre place ? ...
( Cortot joue Schumann: Der Dichter spricht « Le poète parle » de Kinderszenen
« Scènes d'enfants » )... Et là ne pas relier les deux phrases, ce sont 2 éléments différents, de la même condition musicale. Et ici comme une sorte d'interrogation... Et de nouveau une autre... tendrement... interroger l'avenir. Et à partir d'ici, que ça s'inscrive simplement, non pas dans la musique, mais par un coup de génie, dans l'immortalité. Et laisser s'évanouir les sonorités, qui doivent disparaitrent, s'éteindre, et vous laissez simplement en présence d'un rêve qui se poursuit... »
Ne dit-il pas l'immortilité ? Ou l'immortinité ? Deux mots qui n'existent pas. Fourche-t-il à ce moment ? Mais il semble le prononcer tout à fait naturellement.
Il n'a pas dit que cette oeuvre était un rêve, mais a suggérée de l'interpréter en la rêvant.
MERCI !!!!!!!
Thanks for sharing this unique info! If you agree, I will copy your info to the clip explanation.
it was an artist who didn't live in the present but only in the past and the future. Nobody had his instinct for the music and his inspirations.
Totally rocking!
Thank !
Just Incredible ¡¡¡¡¡
la grande classe
"question the future"
Fantastico!
Cortot was a hugely visionary and inspirational artist/teacher, although technique-wise some of his recordings fell short of some of the standards exemplified by some of his contemporaries. He did however possess that rare artistic quality of delving into the emotional and intellectual essence of a composition to a degree whereby these sporadic splashes became inconsequential.
allow me to express my opinion. you are separating "technique" from "musicality", which is actually far from the truth. remember that any "technique" is just the ability to translate the musical image to the instrument (read what Godowsky explained about this topic). it is true that Cortot played many "wrong" notes, simply because he was never interested in playing all the notes correctly (which was quite typical for the masters of the late 19th and 20th century, it is only today many "musicians" have developed a machine-like attitude to the instrument, which actually has absolutely nothing to do with "technique"). and if you listen to Cortot's sound, his marvellous legato, his phenomenal phrasing, his voicing, his endless sound palette.. is this not the greatest possible command of a music instrument?
If I may disagree, I do in fact view technique as a means of expressing hopefully with a degree of ease ones musical concept of a work. I certainly do not as you state separate "technique from musicality" the both are inextricably linked.
What I was attempting to express concerning Cortot is - so great and noble were his musical conceptions and intuitive artistry that wrong notes and occasional technical splashes became inconsequential.
He was involved with so many musical and academic activities during his prime that I'm sure he had very little time for intensive practice. This may account for some of his recorded inaccuracies at the time, however when on form he displayed an astonishing technique (Prelude op.28 no.16 by Chopin).
We used to have such refined gentlemen and intellectuals in the public forefront... why is everything so vulgar and ignorant these days? Is this the downfall of civilization? Thank you for uploading this video.
Be optimistic. There are still plenty of smart and beautiful people around. But of course, Alfred Cortot was a legendary master that appeared only once in a while.
Probably it is because nowadays, social media exists; so it doesn't take so much to earn fame. Back then, you had to be evil or transcendental to gain any sort of public notoriety.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Wow! Where did this come from! Were more of Cortot's famous masterclasses recorded? Thanks so much for posting this precious document!
@LFZ15 No, it is not a performance, it is a master class. Very interesting!
And sooner than you think if we live that long.
et oui...ca change de Lang Lang..
haha ! trop fort :D
On ne peut pas comparer un maître et un virtuose, c'est différents
@@christopheleroux9677 ;
@@maximem1033 Maître et virtuose cela ne va pas ensemble ?
yes, no problem :-)
It is Pierre Froment himself who said me that yesterday, unfortunately he did'nt remember of who's the lady at the beginning...
Je n'ai pas d'infos concernant l'année. Mais ce cours devrait être donné vers le début des années 50.
sorry to be the one to ask this but where is this footage from and can i get a hold of it?
Last piece from "album for the youth" by Schumann called "a poet speaks"
otherworldly!
Hi jfhaight. Thanks you are right "the poet speaks" is a more exact traduction of the piece title. Regarding the details you give on the supposed background for its composition I do not think this information is critical since this video is first and foremost about Cortot and out of deferrence to him I don't think there is a need to balance what he said. That said it is worth knowing.
"He is looking for the musical opium"
Someone French above objects to the fact that Cortot uses images like dreaming. These serve as indications for interpretation and don't interfere with the particular structure of the piece, which Cortot renders very well, precisely because he 'drems' it. Schumann himself called one of his pieces 'Dreaming' and the title of this piece is 'The Poet Speaks' which has less literal relevance than Cortot's dreaming, but is nevertheless very relevant.
(continued) and here do not merge the two phrases, they are different elements of the same musical condition... and here, like a question mark... and another one interogating the future... and from here on that it simply finds its place not in music but by a strike of genius into immortability... and let the notes faint, disappear, die off and leave you simply enraptured in a dream that continues."
voilà un Maître pour les jeunots ignares de la star-ac!
cela paraît plus vraisemblable, en effet ! =) Alfred commençait déjà à perdre la tête !
quelqu'un sait en quelle année s'est déroulée ce cours ?
And even more important there were no Steinway politics in those days
Pure master
Anyone know when this masterclass was filmed and, if possible, who the girl pupil is at the beginning?
what video/documentary is this taken from?
he was not a man, he was an artist
yes, i know. it's so marvelous.. ask a french friend, the is so "subtile" that the correct words have to been said :-)
une grande leçon! du maitre
utilser le piano pour faire de la musique et non pas le contraire comme la plupart ..
Cortot IS music
100% sure about the 3 pianists present there (0:41) as there is one of them I use to meet, just the orthograph of the name of Mr Heidsieck I misunderstood
As accurately as I could translate. he said :
"I believe, the last piece "the poet's word" - a title Schubert himself chose for this timeless page - should be transposed to a level of dreaming that is more intimate. should it not ? Not only a beautiful sound, an expressive rubato of the musical phrase, but a more dreamy feeling. The truth is, one should dream this piece, rather than play it. Would you allow me to take you place ?...
info on 0.41 is wrong in my opinion. Please check my comment. thank you.
@Wien1938 The art of piano
This is cortot's late life.
@LFZ15 I like the way he talks
Where can i found this documentary ? please :)
sorry this is wrong. the person in the MIDDLE is eric HEIDSIECK. Unfortunately I dont know the other 2...
me too :)
0:43 Le jeune homme au milieu est Thierry de Brunhoff
Élève de Cortot
Fils de Cécile De Brunhoff
it's the first who turn pages (at left)
What the title of music he played?
シューマン《子供の情景》第13曲(終曲)〈詩人は語る〉
Thank you, sorry, M. Pierre Froment is aged now, he may pronounce his name badly. Thanks again to correct me
could one of you translate this into english or spanish? I will apreciate it so much.
thanks
2:36 f... o.. Daniel, you are just a clown against this
@nonogilb yes he was and I use to see him as soon as possible, i live in Brittany as well. If you know him, maybe you know my father...
@xujia1001 But... I can't understand it...