Oh wow! Very interesting video. I’m an American, but I studied with Vitaly Margulis for several weeks in Germany back in the mid-late 80’s. Blast from the past! I was not aware of this recording, but what a pleasant surprise, loved it! I, too, believe this is the most difficult Chopin etude because every weakness of the pianist is potentially exposed with the tiniest margin of error. It’s like walking a tightrope made of piano wire (pun intended) Pollini’s recording has always been my go-to; IMO the evenness/balance/clarity of the underlying harmonies is unparalleled. No cheating for him.
It’s not really cheating many pianists including the masters Aube Tzerko and Leonard Shure and Schaebel and Letscititzky left out notes or rearranges sections entirely in hairy places because you weigh the risk of missing the note vs getting the overall sound especially when it’s not really noticeable and you get the same effect (depends of course on the context) especially in Liszt for example. It’s genius because you manage to reduce the slip ups and get the same sound. Keep in mind the composers who wrote these had much lighter action French pianos not the super heavy actioned grand pianos of today I got to play on Liszt piano at the museum with my teacher haha they kicked us out but it was worth it. It was soooo light which is why it’s ok to rearrange sometimes.😊
@@Vic9994546 I understand why they did it, and the fact that today’s actions are harder to play is informative, but kind of irrelevant. The pianos of today (under the right artist) can also project over a big orchestra in a big concert hall and Chopin’s piano could not, and so there’s a trade off. Pollini and others have raised the standard, just as the athletes of today outperform the athletes of the past. The fact that we know it can be done as written makes it definitive. After all it’s an etude and is designed to develop your technical capability. No matter how you slice it, omitting notes is cheating.
It's amazing how much a tempo change can alter the ambiance of a piece. In the earlier playing, we got a 'bee in the garden' feeling; light, airy, fun. With the favored playing at 126, it's more of lapping 'ocean waves'; a heavier feel, more atmospheric; along the lines of Claude Debussy's La Mer. Very interesting. . .
Thank you so much for highlighting the transcendent Margulis recording. I discovered it about 15 years ago and sent it to many pianists and friends. Then I forgot about it and I could never remember his name or find it on UA-cam. Now I am at last reunited with this magnificent performance. What a pity Grigory Ginzburg didn't record this etude!
So nice video! Vitaly Margulis was one of the most interesting musicians on earth. His Scriabin Sonata No.3 is for me the absolute reference. And I also had the luck to can hear him live twice, he was in his very late years and he played not the most demanding works but the sound of every note and every phrase was beyond this galaxy. I also had the chance to have some master classes whith him and his approach on sound production was exactly the key information for me. By the way, in the frame of a master class he also demonstrated a technical "trick" how to can play this etude whith less effort and he then played the etude very fast and light as if it was nothing difficult, of course whithout all this precious voicing, but still whith very nice sound. These were life changing experiences for me.
The argentinian pianist Nora Doallo, a pupil of Scaramuzza, played this Étude in public in Lugano, 1986 marvelously .I could hear all the notes clear as crystall !
Glenn Gould made a teenage recording that blows the socks off every other one. It's on my box set of all Gould's video recordings. The speed and precise articulation is unbelievable.
@@Chopin-Etudes-Cosplay It's possible. Gould was a notorious prankster. I couldn't find any evidence for your statement though. His student recording of the Weber Konzertstuck is evidence that he could play extremely fast and with great accuracy.
Yes, Lim was my first guess as to the performer here. I did not know Margulis before this. But, for heaven's sake, you have to do SOMETHING with this piece so that it doesn't become just a boring exercise.
Thank you for another informative and interesting video. I have just listened to Margulis's live performance of the Rachmaninov Polka de V.R. Despite his technique not being so great in places, possibly due to his age when he played it, it is quite wonderful. Reminds me a little of how my dear friend Cherkassky played it
Margulis made a wonderful original Scriabin 3rd sonata. Utterly unique. I have all his Chopin. He is certainly an original. He is always absorbing. I wish he had a better sonic engineer, but he is/was very special.
katsaris is like a building inspector; instead of living in the house and enjoying it, he is in the attic and basement exploring the structures and presenting them to the resident as exciting elements. Really annoying when you just want to sit in the living room and relax…
@@jjannem When you don't want to know the innate details, sure; however he's a musician's musician. He brings out the stuff you don't hear for piece you hear all the time. I wouldn't recommend only listening to him, but occasionally those details are what takes a nice structure to a beautiful one. I for one would tour the basement in the Sistine Chapel. Similarly the arches and flying buttresses on a cathedral are meant to be admired and seen.
@@Roescoe for me, Katsaris seems to pay attention to external things only, the deepest essence and true character of the music is drowned in the compulsive and neurotic search for polyphony, even where the essential part of the music is somewhere else... if only Chopin were so superficial. In the 80s, Katsaris was one of my favorites, unsurpassed as a virtuoso, on the other hand, I think he has never been a very deep interpreter, like the greatest masters...
Hi, This is my first time here. I think I'm going to enjoy this site. YOur presentation was good, and your commentary interesting and informative. I will tune in often
One of my favorite recordings of this piece is quite unknown, by Yiling Su. The voicings she brings out are unique and the piece has a wicked witch-like character only made possible by her rapid tempo. It’s so perfect that I question how real it is… Margulis is indeed a great discovery too! I actually find it’s more and more common these days for performers to bring out the inner voices in this piece though!
Margulis has taught many many years in Freiburg in Germany. I studied with one of his best students, Bernd Glemser. This type of technique seemed to be his specialty, I recommend listening to his recording of Rachmaninoff's e-flat minor prelude, op. 23 nr. 9, which is also extremely difficult. It’s available on UA-cam!
YES! I used to go over this piece in the wee hours of the morning on arrival at my workplace. Always the most elegiac resort before the morning light. Would love to be able to play it, but alas! PWG
The fact that Margulis brings out a melody in the middle voice is noticeable from the very beginning of the piece. So does Cortot in really different and delicate ways.
It’s not a melody. It’s a countermelody, and bringing it out in such a heavy handed way gives it sense of verticality that makes the performance feel contrived.
Thanks for great compilation and analysis. You might want to listen to the version of Cecile Licad available on you tube - think from 2002. There is no piece that technically too difficult for her - but she has unique thoughts and minor tempi and inner voice accentuations that are great.
The really interesting question is the *philosophical status* of these inner melodies in Chopin. Found eg in Perlemuter all over the place. If purely technical considerations govern whether they are playable, their status in the overall matrix of the piece is blurry. This suggests to me that, sous entendu, all great art relates to Platonic archetypes; while lesser art merely imitates their effect. The anonymous presenter is spot on and first rate!
Thank you for your enlightening video, and for pointing me to Vitaly Margulis ! Regarding this etude, György Cziffra reveals inner voicing although he plays the piece much heavier than Cortot ….
It takes a great musician to make these etudes sound like great music. Remember Schnabel's dictum? Cortot does this in his inevitably echt-poetic performance. Rubinstein would likely be as poetic, a pity he never recorded it.
tempo is a very subjective thing. someone can take a very fast tempo and it can sound rushed or out of control while someone else can take a fast tempo and play with a great deal of warmth and musicality. you can take a slow tempo and have the piece just labour along or feel like it is being pulled through mud. then again you can take a slower tempo and create such beauty that time seems to stop if only for a moment. it is something that an artist can do that says, this is me.
My dear fellow Pianist I enjoyed your posting. It was very interesting. I would like to point out though that the best performance of this would have been the Pianist and the Composer himself by the name of Fred. Brilliant person that gave such wonderful Keyboard music for eternity.
Actually the Schirmer edition shown here from IMSLP only has the Op.10 Etudes. I was inspired to go out and buy the Schirmer (Friedheim) edition of the Etudes so enjoy his commentary and also get the Op.25 Etudes which said edition is not on IMSLP.
I liked hearing Cortot very much. I’ve hit my head on this one my whole life. That’s a great model. I reference Pollini always. You take issue with pianists who make this sound too much like an etude. I don’t share that disdain, at least for this Etude. It IS an etude, and I don’t think there are great musical depths to plumb here. I won’t tell you not to like such a quest! Go for it. For me? Revelation of some Inner Line? Meh. It’s just a matter of what you want out of it. There’s a lesson in this Etude. That’s what I want. That’s all I want. Even upon achieving the ideal technical presentation I want from it, I don’t expect to play it for anyone. Why? It just isn’t particularly great music. It’s a great etude! That’s just how I feel about it. Anyone can feel differently and I won’t dispute it.
My father was a professional musician with great orchestras and I remember him saying, "Even the best pianists can't count." Listening to the tempi and tempo changes here seem to show how right he was.
Fascinating! I am working on this etude since some time...as an amateur pianist. For me virtuosity is not speed, but the perfect control allowing to bring out all the subtleties of a piece, like hidden melodic lines as you illustrated with this different interpretations. Very inspiring, thanks!
Cortot is my favorite. It used to be Margulis but I think he’s a bit too eccentric. Cortots phrasing sometimes gives it a dance like quality, also what an even touch. Also his left hand and pedaling I’ll never get enough of. Which makes everything.
@pablobear4241 First of all, Cortot's inner voices never sound artificial, eccentric or unreasonable; It sounds quite natural and holistic. Cortot's detailing never disrupts the basic flow, logic and emotion of Chopin's composition. The inner voices revealed by pianists such as Margulis, Katsaris and Superton sometimes seem artificial to me and some things should remain details. They're nice to listen to, but I don't think they're the definitive recordings. Still, some of Margulis's recordings of Chopin etudes, which I already know, are really good. Cortot's pedaling is amazing, and the secret is that he adopted Chopin's training. When Cortot is learning a piece, he does everything with his fingers at first, just like Chopin wanted, without touching the pedal. After learning the piece completely with fingers, he starts using pedals. In this way, the pedal can be used in detail without drowning anything. As Hofmann said, the fingers should be the main role and the pedal should be the assistant. Cortot's pupil Vlado Perlemuter stated that this approach was very correct, but he said that it would take months to learn a Chopin etude this way: "There's no time for this." Although learning the piece with the help of a pedal makes things much easier, it reduces clarity and control. I think it was the right approach to prevent pianists from using pedals while learning the piece, as Chopin did. But this is a much more troublesome and risky approach.
@@OzanFabienGuvener thank you for the amazingly insightful comment!! It makes me happy to know I’m doing things right! Brahms waltz B major is written all staccato, but I practice it JUST HOW YOU SAY. I try to make it legato and learn it completely with the fingers first, then use pedals. It’s moreso a recent development for me but it’s great advice!! What about Manshardts book have you read it? It seems as if you have. I’m only at the beginning, been quite busy to finish it.
@@OzanFabienGuvener didn’t read the last part about the time. It’s not risky IMO and it’s what a serious artist should do. Barere wouldn’t perform something live until he learned it after a year. I think pianists may get too big of a superficial rep because of editing and recording. You need way more of a time and serious approach to the pieces to do them the justice they really deserve (think Lhevinne 25 6). I really think this is a big secret that’s missing from old school. Time and patience, more thinking like a Sisyphean sculptor that will always be carving their marble.
Agreed !! Finally, a young person who really understands the difference of the great artistry of piano playing as compared to the common place belligerent woodpeckers of today! Check out Moritz Rosenthal Chopin Etude Op posthumous Ab Definitely hors pair
So what happens if you play the top stave with the left hand (but easier fingers for the chromatic scales) and play the bottom stave with the right hand?
The Cortot recording sounds a bit rough in places. Towards the end, the left hand pounds the keyboard twice noticeably (for no good reason) which reduces the musicality and rhythmic flow of the entire etude.
Wonderful video! I have a recording of Margulis playing Chopin Nocturnes with some very effective choices of tempi. Love Cortot recording. Speaking of Cortot, I have come across some recordings where there is a piece is duplicated, one that says "Take on Shell" and one that says "Take on Tape". Does anyone know what "Take on Shell" means?? Google hasn't been very helpful in this regard.
Sempre legato, piano, crescendo......it wasn't clear for me to recognize this. I studied a lot of Chopin, but I was always reprimanded on what the composer wrote in the composition, and had to play on what the composer wrote. It makes an enormous difference. And the composer is always right...........or not ?
Let's be honest. Backhaus' performance is beyond the capability of most pianists. What makes 10:2 difficult is not speed but cumulative muscle fatigue. It requires careful planning to reduce fatigue.
The 'mystery pianist' slows down at the points that cause the most fatigue. I don't regard his performance as driven by musical considerations. The overriding concern is compensation for fatigue.
I thought you were going to talk about Lazar Berman for a moment 😂 After hearing this recording though, I'm wondering: how the hell is that even possible?
The Margulis recording is nice in some respects, however, it is energetically impotent. Pollini’s recording is best, he achieves something most Pianist miss, that is, a full, continuous legato in the chromatic line, as well as the bringing out of the two lower notes of each chord in the right hand. Bachaus recording, while lacking in some respects (i.e. many breaks in the chromatic line, missed Notes, lack of continuous legato, etc), is closer, in tempo, to the energetic requirement Chopin intended. 144bpm is the lowest end of the spectrum for this piece.
Very interesting. Impressed by Margulis although I found his tempo variations a bit too exaggerated. Didn't like Backhaus at all. Too fast with the dynamics ignored. Played like he didn't care much for Chopin.
The mystery pianist plays it like a singer with rubato, like he's breathing in between long phrases. The first one was way too fast, almost like AI doing it. Pollini plays it like playing Bellini
Fascinating overview of this piece and the many ways it can be played! For a long time I idolized Vadim Rudenko's blazing speed in this etude but have since developed a real appreciation for the variety of ways a great deal of poetry and real MUSIC can be generated from this deceptively "unmusical" piece. Czerny must have been really enamoured with this work and the technical advances it provided - he imitates it in his Op. 365 no. 19.
I actually really (really) like annique gottlers recording (i probably butchered her name but whatevs), she also brings out the middle voices alot (its a running theme in her recordings of the etudes).
The Polish pianist Josef Hofmann found a lot of inner melodies in pieces that no one else heard. It's quite striking to hear it and amazingly difficult but incredibly beautiful. Most pianists sound amateurish in comparison, especially in Chopin. It's no wonder Rachmaninov and others of that generation heId him in such high regard.I tried doing it in even easier pieces and just gave up. I went back to playing "classical" guitar.
Margulis version is my favorite. Amazing video - I love learning about these pieces. UA-cam affords me the classical music education I never could. Thanks for this. You are gorgeous, btw. 😍
Thanks a lot for posting all those great examples. But Margulys was well known as a great teacher, I think, he has an extremly interesting recording of BachWTK (probably both books) But, please, try to find a recording of russian pianist Vadim Rudenko - because, this is the best performance I've ever heard of this etude, in 1994 in summer festival in Salzburg, when I was in masterclass of his teacher, Sergej Dorensky. I have a live recording in one old tape cassete, but can't find it- it is completely incredible- great pianist Lugansky said the same opinion, when I talked with him in Ljubljana after his recital. Rudenko is playing this etude with such kind of "easy flow", like this is nothing.. in incredible speed, but you can hear absolutely everything, and it is music, not only technic! Vadim Rudenko had than a extremly beautiful recital in Salzburg where he played Bach, Mozart, Schubert Brahms, some romantic russian composer, and in the end Tschaikovsky- Pletnjev Nutcracker (no worse like the author, maybe even better!), and he played this etude for one of bis pieces.. we stayed without words.. He had a sound of piano no worse than for instance, E. Gilels! Good luck with practicing and all the best, you are very nice person
Cole, I enjoyed all the performances of this astonishingly difficult Chopin Etude that you featured . . . and of course . . . I am looking forward with great anticipation to your own interpretation and performance. Cortot was truly magnificent, but for me, the performance by Vitaly Margulis remains outstanding because, as you remarked, he revealed a poetic dimension in the music that was somewhat lost with the technical fireworks of those who wanted to impress with speed. As I say . . . I can't wait to hear what you have in mind for your performance . . . but I hope you have your fingers well insured as this music should come with a high level dexterity warning! B R A V O !
@@dimitartsonev77 No, but I know people who have played all the Etudes and they say the thirds Etude is the hardest. I watched one fellow attempt to get going on it at an international piano competition, only to keep messing up - he was asked to stop by the jury.
What a discovery. He's so supple and so incredibly seductive, playing with such rhythmic freedom and charm. My go-to for the Etudes is generally Cortot or Ginzberg, both of whom often surprise with playing that's as full of irresistible personal touches as Margulis is here. Like you, I'm eager to hear more from him.
@@EttorealbertoGelli-vr6sz Yes, Giinzberg is a magnificent pianist whose name we should hear more often! His staggering and easy virtuosity is matched and enhanced by his poetic delicacy and immense tonal allure. To me his Schulz-Evler Blue Danube Arabesques is even more irresistible than Lhevinne's--effervescent, witty, charming, and played with such a delicious feel for rubato and with a sparkling songfulness that makes it all soar.
Fascinating video, thank you! Margulis' use of rubato lends a new perspective to the etude; more videos similarly focusing on several performances of a single piece, please!
Cortot found something usually overlooked on Chopin's music. A line moving from, say, left to right, bass to treble. Chopin did that a lot, but it's usually not marked. However, once one catches on to this, it shows up all over the place, and can actually make the piece easier to play by rebalancing the weight towards a more favorable advantage for an upcoming progression.
That's the case with every single piano piece, up until the early 20th century. It's only normal for passages to reoccur, often in a similar form. What you decide to accent on is entirely up to you. There are tons of hidden melodies (intentional or not) everywhere. Rachmaninoff was the master of that.
I really like those recordings that go against the beaten pat, that make me hear more, and then again, hear more inside a piece I have known for years.
By far, Margulies performance has everything! The Chopin rubato, the inner voices, the atmospheric touch and the light, delicate, precise touch. Off to seek out his other work! Thank you!
What a wonderful program! I was unfamiliar with Vitaly Margulis, but his playing of the Etude makes one think more about what was in Chopin's mind when he wrote all of them and the clues that the printed music offers. What a wonderful world we live in where we can sample so many of the world's great artists' interpretations - it's like having a music library in the next room. I, too, played the a minor Etude when I studied with Richard Cass, a wonderful teacher, charming person, and a student of Cortot. I was so glad to see Cortot recognized as someone who had plumbed the depths of Chopin's thinking and it reminded me of Mr. Cass's story of how, in studio, Cortot would call on him to play this Etude which he played with the shimmering mystery you spoke of. There were two notes that Mr. Cass marked out of the edition I was learning from. I wish I had asked him why because they weren't difficult to play. Your video has opened up new possibilities in revisiting this piece. Thank you!
I love this etude. I couldn't tell you off the top of my head who plays the recordings I've been listening to for years of the Chopin etudes, but the way he plays this one sounds, to me, so mysterious, and perhaps at times haunting, but always mysterious. I love it. That performance you share at 8:06 is amazing, I've never heard this piece played like that before! It's very cool!
The etude is gorgeus and unique. My motther was an amateur pianist but she performed that etude surely in a slower tempo but with some kind of charm and I was absoltutely mesmerized. I think i wanted to become a profefisonal pianist afther i heard this etude performed by my mum .She was i already tell you an amateur.
I Really, Really enjoyed this video. For Me my favorite is Cortot. I especially liked the clarity and musicality, plus he brought out the accents in the Bass octives which most other pianists rather glossed over. Reminds me of my days in Music, History, Litature and CRITICISM class (thank you Dr. David Z Kushner).
Thank you for an enjoyable post. I agree that the Margulis interpretation is technically stunning with note emphasis being incredibly difficult to control while so much is happening with the 3rd, 4th and 5th fingers of the right hand. The tempo variations, however, are especially beguiling and create an ever-moving ambience that is irresistable. They somewhat reflect the 19th century practice of accelerating slightly during crescendos, and retarding equally during dimenuendos. This technique can breath wonderful sensitivity into pieces such the Grande Polonaise Brillante of Chopin. Just as with the A minor etude, playing the polonaise below the metronome marking and deliberately using velocity dynamics "in concert" with loudness changes makes the softer middle sections of the piece come alive .... most noticeably after the chromatic double octaves and before the main theme returns. Best wishes. Cass Alexander. Victoria. Australia
Cortot brings out the staccato in the left hand which provides contrast with the legato runs in the right, which is I think the idea. To my ears Margoulis is too wilfully 'expressive' with the ritardandi, pedal, and the inner voicing. Oddly, in trying to be 'Chopinesque', as pianists will, we lose the gossamer lightness, playfulness and innovation of Chopin's nature which other artists bring out more successfully. Bunin also maintains the staccato approach, which makes his Op. 10 No. 3 meltingly lovely by contrast. With Margoulis that would not happen but, perhaps he was playing that etude as an encore in isolation, which would work. Incidentally, I highly recommend Bunin's traversal of both sets of the etudes, if you are not familiar with them already. I put Op 10 no. 2 and ended up listening to them all.
that "mystery performance" reminds me of what Rachmaninoff supposedly said to Horowitz when discussing the questionable technique of a certain pianist by passive aggressively stating he played Chopin "very musical"... but I'm sure mr Margulis has a fine technique. Reminds me of Lisiecki's recording of the etudes when he was still in his teens (?).. very musical and under tempo. I'm not a pianist myself and by default envy anyone who is able to play piano and in particular these pieces haha.. having said that, I - like anyone here I guess - very much enjoy listening to different recordings of the same piano literature.. and of course compare 😀 I appreciate when pianists at times go overboard when bringing out inner voices etc.. (hello Cyprien Katsaris!) and tinker with the tempo enough so that the underlying pulse gets lost (as in this mystery performance kinda) .. but most of the time I prefer these pieces being played as technical exercises; subtlety is key. To tinker so much with tempo and brining out inner voices .. can also result in sounding..dare I say.. a bit provincial. Love Anievas' set - who strikes a nice balance between musicality and required technique - and have a special fondness for the almost derailing kind of virtuosity brought by Gavrilov in his mid 1980's recording though anything but subtle in some (most?) haha.
Great video as always, Cole! My favorite of the performances you highlighted here was definitely Cortot's. I like the dry sound for this etude, as well as the tempo close to Chopin's 144, and I think Cortot's playing has more personality than Pollini's, as great as his performance is. In particular, I really love the way Cortot plays the left hand accents in the B section; I've never heard them that pronounced before. I'm looking forward to seeing your interpretation of this etude soon! On a completely unrelated note, I'm curious whether you are familiar with Scott Joplin's music, and if you might be interested in featuring any of it on your channel at some point. His pieces brings me much joy, and I find the extent to which they are ignored by the classical piano world disappointing. All of them are charming, and they would make for delectable encores!
The Margulis is very interesting and I love hearing those middle voices so dramatically, but the rubato choices, to me, seem sometimes just quirky. Cortot all the way for me!
I can’t deny a partiality for Cortot’s interpretation…Cortot was truly the Chopin pianist par excellence!! For me Cortot was for Chopin what Schnabel was for Beethoven….
Without any doubt the Margulis version is by far the most beautiful, and to make such a demanding technically top difficult piece to sound purely musical and take the ears to the colour fisrt, and secondly finding those phantomatic inner ideas:that is the Great Art.The Backhaus is breathtaking, yes, the Pollini like mostly, just pianism.Many thanks to make me discover this.And totally agreeing with Lisitsa.She just wants to impress pianistically, in totally everything she does.Her so called "Masterclasses" than can be found on UA-cam are dreadful , or should I say dreadempty.
![[UNBANNED] A SCANDALOUS Theory about Horowitz's peculiar Piano Playing Technique](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/C6iVT1qyj_8/mqdefault.jpg)
That Vitaly Margulis recording is WONDERFUL. So musical, delicious phrasing, spooky dynamics... SO ENJOYABLE.
Gorgeous.
Couldn't agree more. Sheer delight.
I was convinced that it was Cyprien Katsaris since he has a tendency to find those hidden melodies.
I took some lessons from Vitaly at some point. In hindsight.. I didn't deserve his teaching at all.....
Oh wow! Very interesting video. I’m an American, but I studied with Vitaly Margulis for several weeks in Germany back in the mid-late 80’s. Blast from the past! I was not aware of this recording, but what a pleasant surprise, loved it! I, too, believe this is the most difficult Chopin etude because every weakness of the pianist is potentially exposed with the tiniest margin of error. It’s like walking a tightrope made of piano wire (pun intended) Pollini’s recording has always been my go-to; IMO the evenness/balance/clarity of the underlying harmonies is unparalleled. No cheating for him.
It’s not really cheating many pianists including the masters Aube Tzerko and Leonard Shure and Schaebel and Letscititzky left out notes or rearranges sections entirely in hairy places because you weigh the risk of missing the note vs getting the overall sound especially when it’s not really noticeable and you get the same effect (depends of course on the context) especially in Liszt for example. It’s genius because you manage to reduce the slip ups and get the same sound. Keep in mind the composers who wrote these had much lighter action French pianos not the super heavy actioned grand pianos of today I got to play on Liszt piano at the museum with my teacher haha they kicked us out but it was worth it. It was soooo light which is why it’s ok to rearrange sometimes.😊
@@Vic9994546 I understand why they did it, and the fact that today’s actions are harder to play is informative, but kind of irrelevant. The pianos of today (under the right artist) can also project over a big orchestra in a big concert hall and Chopin’s piano could not, and so there’s a trade off. Pollini and others have raised the standard, just as the athletes of today outperform the athletes of the past. The fact that we know it can be done as written makes it definitive. After all it’s an etude and is designed to develop your technical capability. No matter how you slice it, omitting notes is cheating.
It's amazing how much a tempo change can alter the ambiance of a piece. In the earlier playing, we got a 'bee in the garden' feeling; light, airy, fun. With the favored playing at 126, it's more of lapping 'ocean waves'; a heavier feel, more atmospheric; along the lines of Claude Debussy's La Mer. Very interesting. . .
Thank you so much for highlighting the transcendent Margulis recording. I discovered it about 15 years ago and sent it to many pianists and friends. Then I forgot about it and I could never remember his name or find it on UA-cam. Now I am at last reunited with this magnificent performance. What a pity Grigory Ginzburg didn't record this etude!
Absolutely loved Vitaly Margulis’ interpretation. Thank you
So nice video! Vitaly Margulis was one of the most interesting musicians on earth. His Scriabin Sonata No.3 is for me the absolute reference. And I also had the luck to can hear him live twice, he was in his very late years and he played not the most demanding works but the sound of every note and every phrase was beyond this galaxy. I also had the chance to have some master classes whith him and his approach on sound production was exactly the key information for me. By the way, in the frame of a master class he also demonstrated a technical "trick" how to can play this etude whith less effort and he then played the etude very fast and light as if it was nothing difficult, of course whithout all this precious voicing, but still whith very nice sound. These were life changing experiences for me.
The argentinian pianist Nora Doallo, a pupil of Scaramuzza, played this Étude in public in Lugano, 1986 marvelously .I could hear all the notes clear as crystall !
So glad I found your wonderful channel. Thanks so much I look forward to more videos and to watch all your videos.
Ohmygod that's STUNNING! The one around 126. You get to hear the emotion in the piece!
Very inspairing. Thanks a lot for your dedication and your passion❤
Glenn Gould made a teenage recording that blows the socks off every other one. It's on my box set of all Gould's video recordings. The speed and precise articulation is unbelievable.
He did that as a joke. It was him and one other pianist playing the chords
@@Chopin-Etudes-Cosplay It's possible. Gould was a notorious prankster. I couldn't find any evidence for your statement though. His student recording of the Weber Konzertstuck is evidence that he could play extremely fast and with great accuracy.
That was my guess of the mystery pianist.
A version by W.Backhaus is very unforgettable.
Margulis' one is fascinating. Yunchan Lim also does this kind of voicing in this piece as well as a number of other chopin etudes.
Yes, Lim was my first guess as to the performer here. I did not know Margulis before this. But, for heaven's sake, you have to do SOMETHING with this piece so that it doesn't become just a boring exercise.
@@Chopinzee613Lim was also my first guess.
Lim is a bit heavy handed by comparison.😢
@@Chopinzee613Boring???
Thank you for another informative and interesting video. I have just listened to Margulis's live performance of the Rachmaninov Polka de V.R. Despite his technique not being so great in places, possibly due to his age when he played it, it is quite wonderful. Reminds me a little of how my dear friend Cherkassky played it
Margulis made a wonderful original Scriabin 3rd sonata. Utterly unique. I have all his Chopin. He is certainly an original. He is always absorbing. I wish he had a better sonic engineer, but he is/was very special.
I thought it was Cyprien Katsaris. He is also known for finding hidden melodic lines, and unique interpretations.
Very much so. I could only tell that it wasn't him when I listened to the LH.
@@Roescoe And because of the rubato. I think he wouldn't do it like that. But definitely he would do the inner voices.
katsaris is like a building inspector; instead of living in the house and enjoying it, he is in the attic and basement exploring the structures and presenting them to the resident as exciting elements. Really annoying when you just want to sit in the living room and relax…
@@jjannem When you don't want to know the innate details, sure; however he's a musician's musician. He brings out the stuff you don't hear for piece you hear all the time. I wouldn't recommend only listening to him, but occasionally those details are what takes a nice structure to a beautiful one.
I for one would tour the basement in the Sistine Chapel. Similarly the arches and flying buttresses on a cathedral are meant to be admired and seen.
@@Roescoe for me, Katsaris seems to pay attention to external things only, the deepest essence and true character of the music is drowned in the compulsive and neurotic search for polyphony, even where the essential part of the music is somewhere else... if only Chopin were so superficial. In the 80s, Katsaris was one of my favorites, unsurpassed as a virtuoso, on the other hand, I think he has never been a very deep interpreter, like the greatest masters...
Hi, This is my first time here. I think I'm going to enjoy this site. YOur presentation was good, and your commentary interesting and informative.
I will tune in often
One of my favorite recordings of this piece is quite unknown, by Yiling Su. The voicings she brings out are unique and the piece has a wicked witch-like character only made possible by her rapid tempo. It’s so perfect that I question how real it is…
Margulis is indeed a great discovery too! I actually find it’s more and more common these days for performers to bring out the inner voices in this piece though!
Exactly it was whom i expected!! I had the same experience while listening to nocturne op.27 nr. 2. Listen to Margulis!
Great video. Thank you very much.
Thanks for all the great videos!
Margulis has taught many many years in Freiburg in Germany.
I studied with one of his best students, Bernd Glemser.
This type of technique seemed to be his specialty, I recommend listening to his recording of Rachmaninoff's e-flat minor prelude, op. 23 nr. 9, which is also extremely difficult.
It’s available on UA-cam!
YES! I used to go over this piece in the wee hours of the morning on arrival at my workplace. Always the most elegiac resort before the morning light. Would love to be able to play it, but alas! PWG
The fact that Margulis brings out a melody in the middle voice is noticeable from the very beginning of the piece. So does Cortot in really different and delicate ways.
It’s not a melody. It’s a countermelody, and bringing it out in such a heavy handed way gives it sense of verticality that makes the performance feel contrived.
@@gojewla a counter-offer is still an offer ;)
Chopin was a master of countermelody. It's such a special part of his compositions. However, I must say that the inner voice here IS THE MELODY.
@@gojewla I disagree. The inner voice here IS THE MELODY. The chromatics above are NOT the melody.
@@thomassicard3733 nah. Those chords are just filling in the harmony.
Thanks for great compilation and analysis. You might want to listen to the version of Cecile Licad available on you tube - think from 2002. There is no piece that technically too difficult for her - but she has unique thoughts and minor tempi and inner voice accentuations that are great.
Shishkin in the chopin competition takes the cake for me. The speed and articulation in that performance was just ridiculous
The really interesting question is the *philosophical status* of these inner melodies in Chopin. Found eg in Perlemuter all over the place. If purely technical considerations govern whether they are playable, their status in the overall matrix of the piece is blurry. This suggests to me that, sous entendu, all great art relates to Platonic archetypes; while lesser art merely imitates their effect. The anonymous presenter is spot on and first rate!
Thank you for your enlightening video, and for pointing me to Vitaly Margulis ! Regarding this etude, György Cziffra reveals inner voicing although he plays the piece much heavier than Cortot ….
I'd always considered the "Winter Wind" etude to be the hardest. I will have to now re-consider.
I play them both, and for me it's not close. Although the Winter Wind requires more sheer stamina it lies under the fingers far better.
It takes a great musician to make these etudes sound like great music. Remember Schnabel's dictum? Cortot does this in his inevitably echt-poetic performance. Rubinstein would likely be as poetic, a pity he never recorded it.
tempo is a very subjective thing. someone can take a very fast tempo and it can sound rushed or out of control while someone else can take a fast tempo and play with a great deal of warmth and musicality. you can take a slow tempo and have the piece just labour along or feel like it is being pulled through mud. then again you can take a slower tempo and create such beauty that time seems to stop if only for a moment. it is something that an artist can do that says, this is me.
My dear fellow Pianist I enjoyed your posting. It was very interesting. I would like to point out though that the best performance of this would have been the Pianist and the Composer himself by the name of Fred. Brilliant person that gave such wonderful Keyboard music for eternity.
Actually the Schirmer edition shown here from IMSLP only has the Op.10 Etudes. I was inspired to go out and buy the Schirmer (Friedheim) edition of the Etudes so enjoy his commentary and also get the Op.25 Etudes which said edition is not on IMSLP.
I liked hearing Cortot very much. I’ve hit my head on this one my whole life. That’s a great model. I reference Pollini always.
You take issue with pianists who make this sound too much like an etude. I don’t share that disdain, at least for this Etude. It IS an etude, and I don’t think there are great musical depths to plumb here.
I won’t tell you not to like such a quest! Go for it. For me? Revelation of some Inner Line? Meh.
It’s just a matter of what you want out of it. There’s a lesson in this Etude. That’s what I want. That’s all I want. Even upon achieving the ideal technical presentation I want from it, I don’t expect to play it for anyone. Why? It just isn’t particularly great music. It’s a great etude!
That’s just how I feel about it. Anyone can feel differently and I won’t dispute it.
I had never thought about this étude being the most difficult. I might have picked the Opus 25, no. 11.
8:06👏👏👏BRAVÍSSIMO 👏👏LINDÍSSIMO,PERFEITO!👏👏🇧🇷
very interesting 👍👍👍👍👍
My father was a professional musician with great orchestras and I remember him saying, "Even the best pianists can't count." Listening to the tempi and tempo changes here seem to show how right he was.
Fascinating! I am working on this etude since some time...as an amateur pianist. For me virtuosity is not speed, but the perfect control allowing to bring out all the subtleties of a piece, like hidden melodic lines as you illustrated with this different interpretations. Very inspiring, thanks!
I found a similar situation with Emre Yavuz performance of Rachmaninoff 2nd sonata, light years ahead of all the masters. Even Horowitz but only just
Cortot is my favorite. It used to be Margulis but I think he’s a bit too eccentric. Cortots phrasing sometimes gives it a dance like quality, also what an even touch.
Also his left hand and pedaling I’ll never get enough of. Which makes everything.
@pablobear4241 First of all, Cortot's inner voices never sound artificial, eccentric or unreasonable; It sounds quite natural and holistic. Cortot's detailing never disrupts the basic flow, logic and emotion of Chopin's composition. The inner voices revealed by pianists such as Margulis, Katsaris and Superton sometimes seem artificial to me and some things should remain details. They're nice to listen to, but I don't think they're the definitive recordings. Still, some of Margulis's recordings of Chopin etudes, which I already know, are really good.
Cortot's pedaling is amazing, and the secret is that he adopted Chopin's training. When Cortot is learning a piece, he does everything with his fingers at first, just like Chopin wanted, without touching the pedal. After learning the piece completely with fingers, he starts using pedals. In this way, the pedal can be used in detail without drowning anything. As Hofmann said, the fingers should be the main role and the pedal should be the assistant. Cortot's pupil Vlado Perlemuter stated that this approach was very correct, but he said that it would take months to learn a Chopin etude this way: "There's no time for this." Although learning the piece with the help of a pedal makes things much easier, it reduces clarity and control. I think it was the right approach to prevent pianists from using pedals while learning the piece, as Chopin did. But this is a much more troublesome and risky approach.
@@OzanFabienGuvener thank you for the amazingly insightful comment!!
It makes me happy to know I’m doing things right!
Brahms waltz B major is written all staccato, but I practice it JUST HOW YOU SAY. I try to make it legato and learn it completely with the fingers first, then use pedals.
It’s moreso a recent development for me but it’s great advice!!
What about Manshardts book have you read it? It seems as if you have. I’m only at the beginning, been quite busy to finish it.
@@OzanFabienGuvener didn’t read the last part about the time.
It’s not risky IMO and it’s what a serious artist should do.
Barere wouldn’t perform something live until he learned it after a year. I think pianists may get too big of a superficial rep because of editing and recording.
You need way more of a time and serious approach to the pieces to do them the justice they really deserve (think Lhevinne 25 6).
I really think this is a big secret that’s missing from old school. Time and patience, more thinking like a Sisyphean sculptor that will always be carving their marble.
Спасибо! Я всегда не понимала погоню за скоростью. Как говорят в Моаковской Консерватории, всегда найдется китаец, который сыграет быстрее тебя. :)
Listen to Margulis’ Scriabin. Magical.
Agreed !! Finally, a young person who really understands the difference of the great artistry of piano playing as compared to the common place belligerent woodpeckers of today!
Check out Moritz Rosenthal
Chopin Etude Op posthumous Ab
Definitely hors pair
Cortot's recording year 1942? Do you think it's better than 1933?
So what happens if you play the top stave with the left hand (but easier fingers for the chromatic scales) and play the bottom stave with the right hand?
Have you listened to Yunchan Lim version??
It took me about 7 yrs before it settled.
So expect this etude to take a long time before it is genuinly freeflowing
The Cortot recording sounds a bit rough in places. Towards the end, the left hand pounds the keyboard twice noticeably (for no good reason) which reduces the musicality and rhythmic flow of the entire etude.
Wonderful video! I have a recording of Margulis playing Chopin Nocturnes with some very effective choices of tempi. Love Cortot recording. Speaking of Cortot, I have come across some recordings where there is a piece is duplicated, one that says "Take on Shell" and one that says "Take on Tape". Does anyone know what "Take on Shell" means?? Google hasn't been very helpful in this regard.
Possibly it means "take on shellac" referring to shellac records.
For me, the master of "hidden melody line" is still Cyprien Katsaris.😆
nice: Cortot also played it in 432 Hz :)
Sempre legato, piano, crescendo......it wasn't clear for me to recognize this. I studied a lot of Chopin, but I was always reprimanded on what the composer wrote in the composition, and had to play on what the composer wrote. It makes an enormous difference. And the composer is always right...........or not ?
My favorite Chopin Etudes performance is by Adam Harasiewicz. Here's his Op. 10 No. 2:
ua-cam.com/video/hgej4Wqe_No/v-deo.html
pollini is 124. not 144
Hahaha, nope I’m afraid not! (He is exactly at 144)
@@TheIndependentPianist Yes, 144 - which is Chopin's metronome mark. (Of course, being Pollini ...)
Let's be honest. Backhaus' performance is beyond the capability of most pianists. What makes 10:2 difficult is not speed but cumulative muscle fatigue. It requires careful planning to reduce fatigue.
The 'mystery pianist' slows down at the points that cause the most fatigue. I don't regard his performance as driven by musical considerations. The overriding concern is compensation for fatigue.
I thought you were going to talk about Lazar Berman for a moment 😂
After hearing this recording though, I'm wondering: how the hell is that even possible?
I know, it’s amazing finger control!
I would very much like to know the name and status of these commentators ,and perhaps listen to them to play !
The performance by Vitaly Margulis in my opinion is the most Chopinesque. Maybe, maybe not. I can imagine Chopin playing the piece in a similar way.
The Margulis recording is nice in some respects, however, it is energetically impotent.
Pollini’s recording is best, he achieves something most Pianist miss, that is, a full, continuous legato in the chromatic line, as well as the bringing out of the two lower notes of each chord in the right hand.
Bachaus recording, while lacking in some respects (i.e. many breaks in the chromatic line, missed Notes, lack of continuous legato, etc), is closer, in tempo, to the energetic requirement Chopin intended. 144bpm is the lowest end of the spectrum for this piece.
Check out Dmitry Shishkin's performance on this etude!
I don’t know why so many pianists don’t use the sostenuto pedal for that long sustain low E octave before the recapitulation.
Because the left hand has nothing busy but just to hold the E octave? (Unless you want to free the left hand to cheat and help right hand 😈)
Very interesting. Impressed by Margulis although I found his tempo variations a bit too exaggerated. Didn't like Backhaus at all. Too fast with the dynamics ignored. Played like he didn't care much for Chopin.
It’s called rubato!
The myster is Vitaly Margulis I believe
By far the greatest performance of this etude is by Glenn Gould, of course.
The mystery pianist plays it like a singer with rubato, like he's breathing in between long phrases. The first one was way too fast, almost like AI doing it. Pollini plays it like playing Bellini
Did Oscar Peterson or Art Tatum do this piece?
Hi Cole, I produced this, ( Chopinistic - A Major Resurrection Etude ), maybe you will enjoy it, let me know🎶🎹
Cortots is definitely the most inspiring performance for his careful observing of Chopins pedalling, which makes the music so warm.
Cortot is the best for Chopin and Schumann
But why did he leave the water running?
@@johnbanach3875 it was just too good to listen to he had to dumb it down a little :)
Fascinating overview of this piece and the many ways it can be played!
For a long time I idolized Vadim Rudenko's blazing speed in this etude but have since developed a real appreciation for the variety of ways a great deal of poetry and real MUSIC can be generated from this deceptively "unmusical" piece.
Czerny must have been really enamoured with this work and the technical advances it provided - he imitates it in his Op. 365 no. 19.
The Czerny look alike is quite fun and amusing-as well as fearsomely difficult!
The Ukranian pianist's bringing out of the middle line was scrumptious! How on earth did he manage it? Quite sublime!
I actually really (really) like annique gottlers recording (i probably butchered her name but whatevs), she also brings out the middle voices alot (its a running theme in her recordings of the etudes).
Amazing, I’ll look it up!
Thank you for exposing Annique gottlers, I'm listening to it right now
@@Nick-qs9ux that is good to know :)
Annique Gottler is absolutely superb in all the Chopin etudes, available on UA-cam. Also check out Zlata Chocheva, another modern master.
The Polish pianist Josef Hofmann found a lot of inner melodies in pieces that no one else heard. It's quite striking to hear it and amazingly difficult but incredibly beautiful. Most pianists sound amateurish in comparison, especially in Chopin. It's no wonder Rachmaninov and others of that generation heId him in such high regard.I tried doing it in even easier pieces and just gave up. I went back to playing "classical" guitar.
Margulis version is my favorite. Amazing video - I love learning about these pieces. UA-cam affords me the classical music education I never could. Thanks for this. You are gorgeous, btw. 😍
Thanks a lot for posting all those great examples. But Margulys was well known as a great teacher, I think, he has an extremly interesting recording of BachWTK (probably both books)
But, please, try to find a recording of russian pianist Vadim Rudenko - because, this is the best performance I've ever heard of this etude, in 1994 in summer festival in Salzburg, when I was in masterclass of his teacher, Sergej Dorensky. I have a live recording in one old tape cassete, but can't find it- it is completely incredible- great pianist Lugansky said the same opinion, when I talked with him in Ljubljana after his recital. Rudenko is playing this etude with such kind of "easy flow", like this is nothing.. in incredible speed, but you can hear absolutely everything, and it is music, not only technic! Vadim Rudenko had than a extremly beautiful recital in Salzburg where he played Bach, Mozart, Schubert Brahms, some romantic russian composer, and in the end Tschaikovsky- Pletnjev Nutcracker (no worse like the author, maybe even better!), and he played this etude for one of bis pieces.. we stayed without words.. He had a sound of piano no worse than for instance, E. Gilels! Good luck with practicing and all the best, you are very nice person
Cole, I enjoyed all the performances of this astonishingly difficult Chopin Etude that you featured . . . and of course . . . I am looking forward with great anticipation to your own interpretation and performance. Cortot was truly magnificent, but for me, the performance by Vitaly Margulis remains outstanding because, as you remarked, he revealed a poetic dimension in the music that was somewhat lost with the technical fireworks of those who wanted to impress with speed. As I say . . . I can't wait to hear what you have in mind for your performance . . . but I hope you have your fingers well insured as this music should come with a high level dexterity warning! B R A V O !
Op. 25 No. 6 is harder than that.
@@franksmith541Have you played both?
@@dimitartsonev77 No, but I know people who have played all the Etudes and they say the thirds Etude is the hardest. I watched one fellow attempt to get going on it at an international piano competition, only to keep messing up - he was asked to stop by the jury.
@@franksmith541 true 25 6 is really the hardest, 10 2 is probably the 2nd hardest
What a discovery. He's so supple and so incredibly seductive, playing with such rhythmic freedom and charm. My go-to for the Etudes is generally Cortot or Ginzberg, both of whom often surprise with playing that's as full of irresistible personal touches as Margulis is here. Like you, I'm eager to hear more from him.
Dear TOM Happy to ear the name of GINZBURG !!! Tank you
@@EttorealbertoGelli-vr6sz Yes, Giinzberg is a magnificent pianist whose name we should hear more often! His staggering and easy virtuosity is matched and enhanced by his poetic delicacy and immense tonal allure. To me his Schulz-Evler Blue Danube Arabesques is even more irresistible than Lhevinne's--effervescent, witty, charming, and played with such a delicious feel for rubato and with a sparkling songfulness that makes it all soar.
Fascinating video, thank you! Margulis' use of rubato lends a new perspective to the etude; more videos similarly focusing on several performances of a single piece, please!
Cortot found something usually overlooked on Chopin's music. A line moving from, say, left to right, bass to treble. Chopin did that a lot, but it's usually not marked. However, once one catches on to this, it shows up all over the place, and can actually make the piece easier to play by rebalancing the weight towards a more favorable advantage for an upcoming progression.
That's the case with every single piano piece, up until the early 20th century. It's only normal for passages to reoccur, often in a similar form. What you decide to accent on is entirely up to you. There are tons of hidden melodies (intentional or not) everywhere. Rachmaninoff was the master of that.
@@alanpotter8680 Chopin's way of doing this was a little more subtle
I really like those recordings that go against the beaten pat, that make me hear more,
and then again, hear more inside a piece I have known for years.
Margulis also recorded some wonderful Scriabin!
Seongjin Cho was also dropping notes and redistributing the chords in the Chopin competition of all places 😅.
By far, Margulies performance has everything! The Chopin rubato, the inner voices, the atmospheric touch and the light, delicate, precise touch. Off to seek out his other work! Thank you!
Margulis performance is something else... Bringing out that middle voice at the same tie you play all the cromatic shenanigans...
What a wonderful program! I was unfamiliar with Vitaly Margulis, but his playing of the Etude makes one think more about what was in Chopin's mind when he wrote all of them and the clues that the printed music offers. What a wonderful world we live in where we can sample so many of the world's great artists' interpretations - it's like having a music library in the next room. I, too, played the a minor Etude when I studied with Richard Cass, a wonderful teacher, charming person, and a student of Cortot. I was so glad to see Cortot recognized as someone who had plumbed the depths of Chopin's thinking and it reminded me of Mr. Cass's story of how, in studio, Cortot would call on him to play this Etude which he played with the shimmering mystery you spoke of. There were two notes that Mr. Cass marked out of the edition I was learning from. I wish I had asked him why because they weren't difficult to play. Your video has opened up new possibilities in revisiting this piece. Thank you!
A superb podcast and podcaster! Bravo!
I love this etude. I couldn't tell you off the top of my head who plays the recordings I've been listening to for years of the Chopin etudes, but the way he plays this one sounds, to me, so mysterious, and perhaps at times haunting, but always mysterious. I love it.
That performance you share at 8:06 is amazing, I've never heard this piece played like that before! It's very cool!
The etude is gorgeus and unique. My motther was an amateur pianist but she performed that etude surely in a slower tempo but with some kind of charm and I was absoltutely mesmerized. I think i wanted to become a profefisonal pianist afther i heard this etude performed by my mum .She was i already tell you an amateur.
I Really, Really enjoyed this video. For Me my favorite is Cortot. I especially liked the clarity and musicality, plus he brought out the accents in the Bass octives which most other pianists rather glossed over. Reminds me of my days in Music, History, Litature and CRITICISM class (thank you Dr. David Z Kushner).
Thank you for an enjoyable post. I agree that the Margulis interpretation is technically stunning with note emphasis being incredibly difficult to control while so much is happening with the 3rd, 4th and 5th fingers of the right hand. The tempo variations, however, are especially beguiling and create an ever-moving ambience that is irresistable. They somewhat reflect the 19th century practice of accelerating slightly during crescendos, and retarding equally during dimenuendos. This technique can breath wonderful sensitivity into pieces such the Grande Polonaise Brillante of Chopin. Just as with the A minor etude, playing the polonaise below the metronome marking and deliberately using velocity dynamics "in concert" with loudness changes makes the softer middle sections of the piece come alive .... most noticeably after the chromatic double octaves and before the main theme returns. Best wishes. Cass Alexander. Victoria. Australia
I'm just wondering if Michael Andreas will play this piece that well, for me no doubt because he always surprised me with all of his performances.
Cortot brings out the staccato in the left hand which provides contrast with the legato runs in the right, which is I think the idea. To my ears Margoulis is too wilfully 'expressive' with the ritardandi, pedal, and the inner voicing. Oddly, in trying to be 'Chopinesque', as pianists will, we lose the gossamer lightness, playfulness and innovation of Chopin's nature which other artists bring out more successfully. Bunin also maintains the staccato approach, which makes his Op. 10 No. 3 meltingly lovely by contrast. With Margoulis that would not happen but, perhaps he was playing that etude as an encore in isolation, which would work. Incidentally, I highly recommend Bunin's traversal of both sets of the etudes, if you are not familiar with them already. I put Op 10 no. 2 and ended up listening to them all.
that "mystery performance" reminds me of what Rachmaninoff supposedly said to Horowitz when discussing the questionable technique of a certain pianist by passive aggressively stating he played Chopin "very musical"... but I'm sure mr Margulis has a fine technique. Reminds me of Lisiecki's recording of the etudes when he was still in his teens (?).. very musical and under tempo.
I'm not a pianist myself and by default envy anyone who is able to play piano and in particular these pieces haha.. having said that, I - like anyone here I guess - very much enjoy listening to different recordings of the same piano literature.. and of course compare 😀
I appreciate when pianists at times go overboard when bringing out inner voices etc.. (hello Cyprien Katsaris!) and tinker with the tempo enough so that the underlying pulse gets lost (as in this mystery performance kinda) .. but most of the time I prefer these pieces being played as technical exercises; subtlety is key. To tinker so much with tempo and brining out inner voices .. can also result in sounding..dare I say.. a bit provincial.
Love Anievas' set - who strikes a nice balance between musicality and required technique - and have a special fondness for the almost derailing kind of virtuosity brought by Gavrilov in his mid 1980's recording though anything but subtle in some (most?) haha.
Great video as always, Cole! My favorite of the performances you highlighted here was definitely Cortot's. I like the dry sound for this etude, as well as the tempo close to Chopin's 144, and I think Cortot's playing has more personality than Pollini's, as great as his performance is. In particular, I really love the way Cortot plays the left hand accents in the B section; I've never heard them that pronounced before. I'm looking forward to seeing your interpretation of this etude soon!
On a completely unrelated note, I'm curious whether you are familiar with Scott Joplin's music, and if you might be interested in featuring any of it on your channel at some point. His pieces brings me much joy, and I find the extent to which they are ignored by the classical piano world disappointing. All of them are charming, and they would make for delectable encores!
The Margulis is very interesting and I love hearing those middle voices so dramatically, but the rubato choices, to me, seem sometimes just quirky. Cortot all the way for me!
extremely interesting! Thanks for sharing!
I can’t deny a partiality for Cortot’s interpretation…Cortot was truly the Chopin pianist par excellence!! For me Cortot was for Chopin what Schnabel was for Beethoven….
Without any doubt the Margulis version is by far the most beautiful, and to make such a demanding technically top difficult piece to sound purely musical and take the ears to the colour fisrt, and secondly finding those phantomatic inner ideas:that is the Great Art.The Backhaus is breathtaking, yes, the Pollini like mostly, just pianism.Many thanks to make me discover this.And totally agreeing with Lisitsa.She just wants to impress pianistically, in totally everything she does.Her so called "Masterclasses" than can be found on UA-cam are dreadful , or should I say dreadempty.
Exquisite video as always...what do you think of Earl Wilds complete set of Etudes.....