Despite it being harder than the revised version. I personally think the 1838 version sounded way better. I have a hunch that Liszt just nerfed the heck out of it just because he had tons of complaints of utterly wild and hard pieces that seemed impossible to the regular pianist.
What a coincidence. I was just listening to Petrov's recording and that led to this video being suggested to me. In my opinion, you aren't very far away from his performance, though I would probably be able to judge it better if your recording was as good sound-quality wise. Either way, that was amazing and it does the piece justice!
Thank you very much! Personally, I still feel that my performance utterly pales in comparison to Petrov's because he was able to combine both technicality and musicality into a polished, nearly note-perfect performance. On the other hand, I omitted a lot of pauses and other embellishment, which makes my performance rather dry compared to his (not to mention I missed more notes than he did).
@@ColbyChai Of course, those are all valid points. What I meant to say is that you have the potential to reach that level, not that you're already there
The con bravura section is actually way easier than you‘d anticipate. Annoying jumps, sure, but possible for sure. Maybe even at the tempo of the original caprice if you’re precise enough and give it enough practice.
@@Jartious haha, I'm glad this video means enough for you to use it as a marker of time. I'm also glad 2021-23 flew by like that; that time period was rock bottom for me. I might record and post Scherzo No. 2, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11 (first played both of these nearly a decade ago), and Mazeppa S.139 over winter break. Are there any specific pieces you'd like to hear next? Thanks for staying tuned after all these years.
@@ColbyChai Yeah I have always respected you for pulling off this piece and have watched this video tonnes of times. I'm sorry to hear how these past few years have been for you, and I hope you're doing better! I don't have any specific requests for pieces, but you seem to love Liszt (and so do I), so please keep them coming!
Wow, I don't know why I didn't have this video recommended to me before, I searched for people playing this version and found only Petrov and some other guy, you have done very good, I gave up after the first 20 bars 🤣🤣
@@ClassicallyPerfezionista It’s a piece, not a song. And yes, there aren’t a lot of recordings of this piece out there. Don’t take my comment too literally though, that’s weird.
@@ClassicallyPerfezionista Look up the difference between “piece” and “song” please. People get really uppity about the difference between those terms; I’m just trying to help you out.
@@ClassicallyPerfezionista I have only found 4 on YT. Probably a few more that aren't recorded on YT. But yes, there are very very few people who can play this.
Wtf your technique is amazing, specially for a 18yo guy. I don't care about some misses during this recording because it's a extremely difficult piece, with time you can master it and if you record again in the future it will be really good! Congratulations anyway, you did a great job! :)
@@fakiAZer it's not dumb. Many pianists have more than 30 years of piano, to play pieces like this. He has 18 years of life, he practiced for less time
@@SirloucoPiano Yeah if you think like that i guess so..But generally the techniques depend on the person and the way of practicing not obviously the time that he practiced (sorry for my english btw im Belgian)
Hi Colby, it's Tony again. I haven't made any progress on Mazeppa. Out of the limited time I have outside of work, I am working on unsuspiro slowly. I saw your performance of that the other day. Back to this version of the etude, why is it that this version is never played in live concert? I would think this would be an unbelievable showpiece for someone like Wang Yujia or Lang Lang.
I've had that same question before. Firstly, this piece lacks musicality. It might be pleasing to listen to for its melody alone, but it lacks sophistication. The more probable reason is that this piece isn't exactly a crowd pleaser. Most people can't even comprehend the difficulty of this piece, as evidenced by the braindead "play it at 1.5x speed" comment that gets parroted on pretty much every human performance of it. There are countless pieces that are less technically demanding (difficulty learning is not the issue, but rather being able to consistently execute a clean performance is) but would do a better job of wowing the crowd.
I found another recording of someone who played it at synthesia tempo! Some say he is the legendary la divina fanatic. I think I like the expression you added more though.
this is cool any thoughts on playing the s. 137 set? funnily enough i think the existing recordings of s. 140 are better than existing recordings of s. 137
Thanks. As for S.137, I don't think I'd have much to offer. It would take me years to produce a recording of the same caliber as Wenbin Jin's. To improve further upon that would be a monumental task for me.
Absolutely stunning. You are one of the probable handful of people on this planet that can play this etude. I'm debating on trying it myself as I think it's such a cool piece but my good god the thought of attempting this is making my head hurt already. I cant fathom out the fingering at all the double notes make it so hard I can reach an 11th just about but I've seen stretches of 13ths or more I think? Also the octave slides and chorded arpeggios. Jumps of like 30 notes or more it's insane. I think that one section with the chorded arpeggios was meant to be played with one hand 😂 to call this an etude is just trolling from the 1800s😂 you'd pull of s137 no 5 if you can play this you can defo do that. Great job
I primarily used slow practice, around half a page at a time. I also used rhythms occasionally, but I found that to be less effective than slow practice. You'll have to experiment; what works for me might not work for you, and vice versa.
I don't have advice specific to this piece per se. All I can say is to take it section by section and to spend sufficient time polishing it (unlike me).
@@ColbyChai Thank you, I’ll try my best 🙏 Also, great job on learning this piece! I know it wasn’t perfect but that fact that you learned it this well in a month is amazing!!
listening again... and dropping a comment to prove i was here 👍 great work just took a peek at the rest of the channel... from canon in d to this, you definitely grew up huh 🥹
I definitely can't argue with that. However, for me personally, Petrov's interpretation is more pleasing to listen to (but that's obviously subjective). To be completely honest, it's difficult for me to put a finger on exactly what I prefer more about Petrov's performance over Filipec's.
I spent an average of 2-3 hours a day on this piece for around a month. I can likely speed it up to Petrov's peak tempo and maintain it throughout the entire piece, but I lack the motivation to spend any more time on it. It's quite dreadful to play. To quote my response to another comment, "If you mean the recommended tempo of quarter = 60 bpm (NOT the speed of the violin caprice, it is neither possible for human reflexes nor for the instrument to function at that speed), it's physically impossible to maintain that for the span of the entire piece. I could only hold it for the first four measures before my wrists became unbearably tense." On a second thought, perhaps quarter = 60 bpm is achievable if one completely disregards longevity, is willing to destroy their wrists, and plans to end their career with that feat. That is not something I am interested in doing.
Honestly, the double notes passage is as hard or even slightly harder as 4b, but what makes 4b harder overall is that the difficult passage lasts for 4 mins and not less than a page for Feux Follets
Hi Caleb, can you share how you acquired the technique of playing this piece? What exercises do I need to do? I am not a professional just a hobbyist. Thanks!
Hi Tony, my name is Colby. I didn't go out of my way to practice any technical exercises for this piece alone. I only took on this piece because I knew that the technique I'd acquired over the years was sufficient to play it. Thus, I don't know of any specific exercises to learn this piece. However, I can tell you Mazeppa S.139 helped me significantly by allowing me to develop the endurance and wrist/arm speed necessary to play this piece, so much so that I'd consider it a prerequisite.
@@ColbyChai hi Colby so sorry for my mistake with your name. This is extremely helpful. I will start tackling Mazeppa. Keep up the great work! This version consistently ranks in the top 5 of the most difficult pieces by Lizst. I think you are the only one who shows the performance live.
Currently trying to learn this with subpar skill, one page through and I'm already not really enjoying it that much edit: after looking over it a few times and doing some slight analyzing, it really isn't that bad. starting to like it now lol
@@naterenz1880 "Being able to quit things that don't work is integral to being a winner. Going into a project or job without defining when worthwhile becomes wasteful is like going into a casino without a cap on what you will gamble: dangerous and foolish."
Thanks for commenting! Unfortunately, Minecraft isn't compatible with the computer I currently have with me, not to mention the fact that I lack any sort of skill at it.
@@ColbyChai oh, I meant like a cover from the game like ua-cam.com/video/mukiMaOSLEs/v-deo.html I understand if you can't, you seem like a person that's pretty busy and finding the score may be difficult. But I'll be here for what ever music you do in the future!
@@ColbyChaiit's DEFINITELY possible. Except for the accelerated jumps, 4b is doable with more precise fingers. The beginning is not as insane as 80 bpm so it is even more possible. It's just harder and requires more looseness and finger strength
Absolutely gorgeous playing btw sir imma learn some more of these I forgot how good they can sound in the right mind😁the expression is there some slow practice will get the tempo completely fixed in 1-2 weeks time 2 plays a day keep it fun always enjoy playing and hearing yourself play!
I really the respect the fact that you went for the 1838 version.
ikr, mad respect
Despite it being harder than the revised version. I personally think the 1838 version sounded way better. I have a hunch that Liszt just nerfed the heck out of it just because he had tons of complaints of utterly wild and hard pieces that seemed impossible to the regular pianist.
What a coincidence. I was just listening to Petrov's recording and that led to this video being suggested to me. In my opinion, you aren't very far away from his performance, though I would probably be able to judge it better if your recording was as good sound-quality wise.
Either way, that was amazing and it does the piece justice!
Thank you very much! Personally, I still feel that my performance utterly pales in comparison to Petrov's because he was able to combine both technicality and musicality into a polished, nearly note-perfect performance. On the other hand, I omitted a lot of pauses and other embellishment, which makes my performance rather dry compared to his (not to mention I missed more notes than he did).
@@ColbyChai Of course, those are all valid points. What I meant to say is that you have the potential to reach that level, not that you're already there
Petrov's performance was almost certainly not a single take.
@@ColbyChai How about Goran Filipecs recording?
@@Medtszkowski although I'm personally not a fan of it, it's undeniably leagues better than mine.
This is so good the piano is music to my ears
Wow your the only first person I saw in youtube who played arpeggio etude no. 4 #140 thankyou so much
heyy, see the Yi Chung Huang version
Incredibly nice! This is concrete proof that this piece is not as impossible as everyone thought it was
The con bravura section is actually way easier than you‘d anticipate. Annoying jumps, sure, but possible for sure. Maybe even at the tempo of the original caprice if you’re precise enough and give it enough practice.
I remember when this video was only a month old. How time flies...
@@Jartious haha, I'm glad this video means enough for you to use it as a marker of time. I'm also glad 2021-23 flew by like that; that time period was rock bottom for me.
I might record and post Scherzo No. 2, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11 (first played both of these nearly a decade ago), and Mazeppa S.139 over winter break. Are there any specific pieces you'd like to hear next?
Thanks for staying tuned after all these years.
@@ColbyChai Yeah I have always respected you for pulling off this piece and have watched this video tonnes of times. I'm sorry to hear how these past few years have been for you, and I hope you're doing better!
I don't have any specific requests for pieces, but you seem to love Liszt (and so do I), so please keep them coming!
when you just decide to play one of most difficult piano pieces. Really awesome!
Most underatted video in the history of youtube
holy. This piece is without a doubt top 5 in piano repetoire. And your performance was done well. You should be proud!
At written speed probably top 1
@@bboyo8307 maybe rivaled by grand etude no 6 1838 version.
Symphony N. 9 Transcription: _allow me to introduce myself_
Wow, I don't know why I didn't have this video recommended to me before, I searched for people playing this version and found only Petrov and some other guy, you have done very good, I gave up after the first 20 bars 🤣🤣
Very nice!!
And you've made it sound amazingly charming too.
Amazing playing 🔥👍
Absolutely fantastic and brave performance. You’re one in a billion!! Wonderful job!! :)
So only 8 people know how to play this song?
@@ClassicallyPerfezionista It’s a piece, not a song.
And yes, there aren’t a lot of recordings of this piece out there. Don’t take my comment too literally though, that’s weird.
@@Varooooooom ok but i keep saying this thing is a Song But Not a Piece
@@ClassicallyPerfezionista Look up the difference between “piece” and “song” please. People get really uppity about the difference between those terms; I’m just trying to help you out.
@@ClassicallyPerfezionista I have only found 4 on YT. Probably a few more that aren't recorded on YT. But yes, there are very very few people who can play this.
wow... your playing is really clear sound and INGENIOUS!!! 😍
The audio is really crisp, whatever you're recording on is great. That being said, it would be nothing without your amazing preformance!
This is incredible, one of the best versions I´ve heard of this piece!
Wtf your technique is amazing, specially for a 18yo guy. I don't care about some misses during this recording because it's a extremely difficult piece, with time you can master it and if you record again in the future it will be really good! Congratulations anyway, you did a great job! :)
so you're saying that good techniques depend on the age ? That's dumb.
@@fakiAZer it's not dumb. Many pianists have more than 30 years of piano, to play pieces like this. He has 18 years of life, he practiced for less time
@@SirloucoPiano Yeah if you think like that i guess so..But generally the techniques depend on the person and the way of practicing not obviously the time that he practiced (sorry for my english btw im Belgian)
Oh my goodness DAMN YOU REALLY DID THE 1838 VERSION
Wow brilliant performance 👏👏
You are courageous indeed to undertake this! Best regards, Alan
Holy shit wtf???? I been Searching for years of someone's recording instead of Nikolai petrov ones.
filipec and tomellini
@@ryzikxpiano both of which are better than petrov’s
@@ryzikxpiano and Leslie howard
Have you seen Yi Chung Huang play this at Liszt's intended speed. Please consider checking it out. It's alien-like.
Very impressive. Not nearly as nuanced of a performance as Petrov's, but I suppose that would be impossible at that tempo.
Hi Colby, it's Tony again. I haven't made any progress on Mazeppa. Out of the limited time I have outside of work, I am working on unsuspiro slowly. I saw your performance of that the other day. Back to this version of the etude, why is it that this version is never played in live concert? I would think this would be an unbelievable showpiece for someone like Wang Yujia or Lang Lang.
I've had that same question before. Firstly, this piece lacks musicality. It might be pleasing to listen to for its melody alone, but it lacks sophistication. The more probable reason is that this piece isn't exactly a crowd pleaser. Most people can't even comprehend the difficulty of this piece, as evidenced by the braindead "play it at 1.5x speed" comment that gets parroted on pretty much every human performance of it. There are countless pieces that are less technically demanding (difficulty learning is not the issue, but rather being able to consistently execute a clean performance is) but would do a better job of wowing the crowd.
what a blessing playing 4b
I like and am amazed by your interpretation of S.140 No. 4b, do you have any recommendations for future pianists ?
Thank you! As for recommendations for future pianists, I don't feel that I am qualified to comment on that. Perhaps consult a teacher instead?
1:10
I found another recording of someone who played it at synthesia tempo! Some say he is the legendary la divina fanatic. I think I like the expression you added more though.
This is beautiful
After 2 years this is still fucking amazing mate
excellent🤗🎹✨✨✨
This is I believe the third recording of this on youtube?? Congrats!! This is no easy feat as I'm sure you know too well lol
petrov, filipec, tomellini so 4th i think
Amazing!!
What’s the biggest interval your band can reach
An 11th.
@@ColbyChai all I can reach is a 10th (with 5 seconds of stretching) lol but I am only 14 so maybe it’ll grow
@@ioiomichalicki2911stop flexing 😢
So underrated jesus
amazing
Bro tell me how long it take u to learn this piece + how long u have been playing piano asap
It took me around a month. At the time of this video, I'd been playing piano for just over seven and a half years.
this is cool
any thoughts on playing the s. 137 set? funnily enough i think the existing recordings of s. 140 are better than existing recordings of s. 137
Thanks. As for S.137, I don't think I'd have much to offer. It would take me years to produce a recording of the same caliber as Wenbin Jin's. To improve further upon that would be a monumental task for me.
Wow, excellent!
Not bad. Can't wait to hear you play this again in five years to see whether you've practiced enough to make it sound stellar.
Absolutely stunning. You are one of the probable handful of people on this planet that can play this etude. I'm debating on trying it myself as I think it's such a cool piece but my good god the thought of attempting this is making my head hurt already. I cant fathom out the fingering at all the double notes make it so hard I can reach an 11th just about but I've seen stretches of 13ths or more I think? Also the octave slides and chorded arpeggios. Jumps of like 30 notes or more it's insane.
I think that one section with the chorded arpeggios was meant to be played with one hand 😂 to call this an etude is just trolling from the 1800s😂 you'd pull of s137 no 5 if you can play this you can defo do that. Great job
How did you practice this piece?
I primarily used slow practice, around half a page at a time. I also used rhythms occasionally, but I found that to be less effective than slow practice. You'll have to experiment; what works for me might not work for you, and vice versa.
I’m considering learning this piece in the future, any specific tips or advice on it?
I don't have advice specific to this piece per se. All I can say is to take it section by section and to spend sufficient time polishing it (unlike me).
@@ColbyChai Thank you, I’ll try my best 🙏 Also, great job on learning this piece! I know it wasn’t perfect but that fact that you learned it this well in a month is amazing!!
listening again... and dropping a comment to prove i was here 👍 great work
just took a peek at the rest of the channel... from canon in d to this, you definitely grew up huh 🥹
Have you heard of Felipec's rendition? His voicings are pretty good too
I definitely can't argue with that. However, for me personally, Petrov's interpretation is more pleasing to listen to (but that's obviously subjective). To be completely honest, it's difficult for me to put a finger on exactly what I prefer more about Petrov's performance over Filipec's.
1,25 Is the best speed
2:14
Sheet music pleasseee
How much have you practiced? And how much do you think you can speed this up? Everyone is wondering if the true tempo is possible.
I spent an average of 2-3 hours a day on this piece for around a month. I can likely speed it up to Petrov's peak tempo and maintain it throughout the entire piece, but I lack the motivation to spend any more time on it. It's quite dreadful to play. To quote my response to another comment, "If you mean the recommended tempo of quarter = 60 bpm (NOT the speed of the violin caprice, it is neither possible for human reflexes nor for the instrument to function at that speed), it's physically impossible to maintain that for the span of the entire piece. I could only hold it for the first four measures before my wrists became unbearably tense." On a second thought, perhaps quarter = 60 bpm is achievable if one completely disregards longevity, is willing to destroy their wrists, and plans to end their career with that feat. That is not something I am interested in doing.
@@ColbyChai Ok so seems like only Liszt himself is the one who played it at 60BPM :)
@@LeventK wait I think I recognise you from somewhere but I forgot where
@@ieatbananaswiththepeel4782 Possible. Check my community tab.
Nice!
Holy sh1t, very well done!!!
how did u manage to play that
By practicing.
lol ,,, can u try mereaux etude
Yo bro, reckon you'd be able to conquer Liszt's S.208a??
Have you played feux follets and how does it compare?
Honestly, the double notes passage is as hard or even slightly harder as 4b, but what makes 4b harder overall is that the difficult passage lasts for 4 mins and not less than a page for Feux Follets
The absolute most painful etude in existence.
ah yes the original!
Hi Caleb, can you share how you acquired the technique of playing this piece? What exercises do I need to do? I am not a professional just a hobbyist. Thanks!
Hi Tony, my name is Colby. I didn't go out of my way to practice any technical exercises for this piece alone. I only took on this piece because I knew that the technique I'd acquired over the years was sufficient to play it. Thus, I don't know of any specific exercises to learn this piece. However, I can tell you Mazeppa S.139 helped me significantly by allowing me to develop the endurance and wrist/arm speed necessary to play this piece, so much so that I'd consider it a prerequisite.
@@ColbyChai hi Colby so sorry for my mistake with your name. This is extremely helpful. I will start tackling Mazeppa. Keep up the great work! This version consistently ranks in the top 5 of the most difficult pieces by Lizst. I think you are the only one who shows the performance live.
@@tsong360 there're a few other video recordings on UA-cam, one of them being Petrov's.
@@ColbyChai I haven't seen one that clearly shows hand movements of the performer.
really good try at this piece! :D
you earned a sub
Now learn the violin version and play both at the same time
What the fk did i just witness
It's better than AI performance
im 18 and i would have grey hair to if i was practicing stuff like this all the time. jeez
Currently trying to learn this with subpar skill, one page through and I'm already not really enjoying it that much
edit: after looking over it a few times and doing some slight analyzing, it really isn't that bad. starting to like it now lol
wtf? possible??🤯
If only you were this good at typing smh
I'd rather not dedicate this much time into something so meaningless.
@@ColbyChai sounds like quitter mentality colby
@@naterenz1880 "Being able to quit things that don't work is integral to being a winner. Going into a project or job without defining when worthwhile becomes wasteful is like going into a casino without a cap on what you will gamble: dangerous and foolish."
@@ColbyChai and id totally type that faster than you 🥸
@@naterenz1880 Is this sarcastic
Could you do minecraft next? I think that would be cool and simple :)
Thanks for commenting! Unfortunately, Minecraft isn't compatible with the computer I currently have with me, not to mention the fact that I lack any sort of skill at it.
@@ColbyChai oh, I meant like a cover from the game like ua-cam.com/video/mukiMaOSLEs/v-deo.html I understand if you can't, you seem like a person that's pretty busy and finding the score may be difficult. But I'll be here for what ever music you do in the future!
Your hands look like Octopus
turn 1.5 speed for true Liszt level
As I've explained in the description and in multiple replies to other comments, 1.5x speed is simply not physically possible.
@@ColbyChai yep, its hard
@@ColbyChaiit's DEFINITELY possible. Except for the accelerated jumps, 4b is doable with more precise fingers. The beginning is not as insane as 80 bpm so it is even more possible. It's just harder and requires more looseness and finger strength
@@ColbyChaiit's DEFINITELY possible. Just harder
if you speed it to 1.5x up it actually sounds like the original impossible tempo
Set it on 1.5 speedm
This piece is absolute monstrosity
Ouuu very easy for me thanks I’m a very promising prodigy ig my concert soloist teacher gives me free lessons:)
Absolutely gorgeous playing btw sir imma learn some more of these I forgot how good they can sound in the right mind😁the expression is there some slow practice will get the tempo completely fixed in 1-2 weeks time 2 plays a day keep it fun always enjoy playing and hearing yourself play!
franz lizst did this with his left hand only
bro you proved that its possible but cring eprove that with fake hands and i was sure theres people played it