Murray Perahia Chopin Ballade no. 4

[chadmaster410]

not real legato sorry

[AvidHobbyist]

he looks like miss swan! excellent performance of this masterpiece.

[abmsghost1]

@hendrik044 I would advice to leave it like it is.But if you want to delete go ahead.Wat houd je eigenlijk tegen?Belachelijke kommentaar geven om jezelf belangrijk te voelen?

[carsonlo]

I didn't know Professor Snape played the piano.

[JazZebra]

at 8:46 its like chopin thought "let me through this ending in for all those who thought the rest of the piece was hard"

[maestrojimbo]

@Shivalingam9 He hardly ever releases wrist/arm - maybe that's why he has had to cancel so many concerts due to hand injuries. As Rosina Lhevinne said - "Fingers, fingers, fingers - that's all I hear!" Still love his musicianship, though.

[liszt85]

@maestrojimbo: In 1990, Perahia suffered a cut to his right thumb, which became septic. He took antibiotics for this condition, but they affected his health. In 1992, his career was threatened by a bone abnormality in his hand causing inflammation requiring several years away from the keyboard, and a series of operations. Do you mean to say that the bone abnormality was caused by his failure to release his wrist/arm? If so, that's the most absurd thing I've heard in a while. :P

[klausknulp]

murray is a living legend. one of the best pianist in all times

[hellboyreloaded]

/watch?v=a_Adh_H2Roc

[TheJmd441]

Zim is great; but I have to go with Murray's live take on #4.

P.S. there are no "best" renditions of any Chopin work(except for the one the

composer left behind; but was voted off the island 'cause Rachmaninov

played it faster.) So much is personal choice; and we are lucky to have options;

among which to choose

[musicandminastirith]

ringo starr playing classical music!

[TheRealBobbyChase]

i love the looks of ecstasy on his face as the young Perahia channels the brilliance of the master Chopin

[stefanpetkovic]

This is divine but I think Zimerman is better.

[FishGush]

I like it.. but please listen to bolet :)

[fastben2010]

c'est pas mal il faut écouter celle de samoschko au concour reine élisabeth de belgique

[fastben2010]

c'est pas mal il faut écouter celle de samoschko

[christinehoffmanred]

Magical !

[lewars1912]

Is it my computer or does this sound out of tune? Notes sound wobbly.

[juniore1]

@lewars1912 is just the recording. Like in the old movies, you know :)

[lewars1912]

@juniore1 I was being tongue in cheek about my computer but I'll agree with you about it being an old recording. Nothing worse than wobbly notes. Does something to my ears :)

[maestroadam]

Peerless.

[sanfranpam]

Magical - for me, this is just right.

[erasmobernales]

Perahia har sitt plats i musiken for alltid vackert och väl spelad,chopin.

Perahia tiene para siempre su lugar en la musica i muy bien interpretado,bueno chopin.

[fxv26]

one of the best interpretation of this poetry

[ibclappin]

my favorite chopin ballade performances are done by perahia. i have them on cd. this one is great, and i like the one i have on cd even better, i think it's a little older.

altogether amongst so many greats i prefer perahia's chopin. he proves that playing chopin's pieces exactly like how chopin wrote them without getting all creative and changing things around and ruining the music does NOT mean playing them flat and lifeless. his way of playing chopin is similar to rubinstein's i think.

[Chopin1976l]

@brassmonkeyjew: so 63 it too old to be sharing musical genius. You know nothing of this man and his capabilities for if you did you would not be making such absurd statements. I have attended many recitals of perahia all throughout the last two decades and his playing has only become more impassioned. His technique has not lost any of it's vibrancy. None!

[willpianofreak]

inspiring

[gcaee]

Wow !! 7 months !!@@

what a long journey !!

[mangagrl01]

is there a video of Perahia playing Chopin's 2nd scherzo? I can't seem to find it on YouTube...

[lanarv]

PERAHIA's !!! performance TOUCHES MY HEART SO DEEPLY..:-) Soo..I keep watching this video for..7 months now..:-)

Again.. So grateful for sharing !

[TheGreatPerahia]

Going to see this magnificent pianist live at the Bridgewater Hall next week and he is playing not this ballade but ballade no.3 alongside a second half dedicated to Chopin and first half includes Bach and Beethoven and I am really looking forward to the concert, he remains one of the greatest performers still on the concert platform today.

[TheGreatPerahia]

And the silly twit did himself no favours in his own P.R when he said pianists after the age of 60 were past it. The only thing I can suggest is that pianists over the age of 60 do still have it and are not past it and that really infuriates him as he tries to establish his position alongside far greater pianists than he and also he is hacked off he never really had it in the first place. All pyrotechnical wizardry with no thought to the performance or sensitivity to the composers intentions

[TheGreatPerahia]

Perahia still sounds ten times better even with poor sound quality than that buffoon Lang Bang as he bangs, clangs, crashes and wollops his way round the piano IN DIGITAL QUALITY SOUND I MIGHT ADD WHICH MAKES IT SOUND EVEN WORSE OR HEAVEN FORBID YOU WASTE YOUR MONEY ON A TICKET TO SEE HIM LIVE(AS IF?) in a feeble attempt to extract some sort of music out of the piano that is audible AS MUSIC. Perahia in digital sound quality and live performance has no comparison with Banger Langer.

[lewars1912]

@TheGreatPerahia I think you secretly love both Bang Lang and Lang Bang.

[TheGreatPerahia]

@lewars1912 Believe me I have tried to appreciate his playing as he has such a cult following but find I no soul in his playing, if his interpretations matched his showmanship he would have everything, but as it is he is just the latter.

[maestroadam]

@TheGreatPerahia I too dislike Bang Bang.

[TheAL845]

@maestroadam Well, have you ever heard him live?

[Frozentoes1]

@mdoub

You make abslolutely no sense. Try again.

[ronaldjevans]

This is from a VHS tape of a WKAR production circa 1981, televised from the Kellogg Center on the campus of Michigan State University. Hence one can't expect "digital" quality.

[SimplifiedIce]

I have never doubted Perahia's musicality, especially in Chopin and Bach. A great recording! Are there other recordings by him playing the other 3 ballades? I would be interested to watch.

[youvebeensmoked]

Yes, he has recorded all 4

[spike2133876]

this recording sounds sooo much like horowitzs piano. its very mellow and a tingly nasal sound. love it

[adrct]

Very well put.

[youvebeensmoked]

I think it's partly the sound quality, but I do understand what you mean

[animalover82]

i love this song its really amazin

[juzzyfuzz]

Argh! It's not a song, it's a piece. There are no words!

[kettlebellconvert]

i wish it were a better recording because despite the low quality i still keep listening

[RapidFire929]

simply amazing, IMO best of the 4 ballades

[cattleman6420012000]

This is magnificent playing. Fabulously musical.

[OJD84]

fantastic work. why aren't the audience on their feet at the end?

[flouz2]

@OJD84 all snobs !!!!

[PhilPhilUSA]

truly unsurpassibly magnificent

[herraotic]

I can hear the dynamics of Horowitz here.

[zurzica51]

that's right!

[lanarv]

What a beautiful dialogue..piano-pianist :-)

He sees nobody..So impressive,and expressive :-)

Can't stop watching it..

[aznfilamdude]

My new favorite interpretation of, in my opinion, the most beautiful piece in piano literature

[davidgray2]

This could well be Horowitz's piano...it sounds like it. Horowitz let no one touch it, however he liked Murray Perrahia so much he lent it to him for concert use. I don't know when it was though. Anyone got any ideas?

[deleuzeguattarixxx]

I agree

[davidgray2]

Haha you just made the idiots shoot themselves in the foot! Although you have to admit, he does play it quite well!

[cattleman6420012000]

Extremely beautiful and sensitive playing.

[Gman6755]

Oh yeah, like that piece was hard!!!! Just kidding!!! Amazing playing here!!

[paradajz13]

touching. beautifull tone. just great!

[Ginatus]

Same here... Though I've never thought Snape has that type of hair ( I imagine it longer and more tangled, as it was in the book). I'm more reminded of that crazy assassin Anton Chigurr (Javier Bardem) in No Country for Old Men. This guy's just a bit more friendly-looking...

[Elicgt]

hahaha Snape...

[Paulo78180]

What a lovely hair he used to have !

[rocklikeluda]

Incredible! This is easily one of my favorite Chopin pieces.

[AvidHobbyist]

good one. But you gotta remember: it's the 80's.

[bassodivo]

this is pure love!

[ri8009]

from still anuder admirer

[HansVonBulow]

I have heard Perahia live, and there is something so magical in his sound you need to be there in person to hear it. If you ever get a chance, do whatever it takes to hear this man in person, you will not regret it!

[pila406]

@HansVonBulow I have been in a masterclass he gave. It was breathtaking! Truly fascinating!

This is one of the greatest musicians I have ever heard.

[guillermopv90]

the best recording i have heard of the best piece ever made for piano

[bassodivo]

i second that motion

[maestroadam]

@guillermopv90 you know, I agree. I think as well, that this is the greatest piece ever written for solo piano.

[akossziklai]

@guillermopv90

"Zoltan Kocsis plays Chopin's Ballade 4 live" THE BEST

[Distefanix]

@guillermopv90 you should listen Zimermann

[paulphilip1]

@Distefanix i like zimermann and perahia but i much prefer to listen to perlemuter

[mx19idlewilder]

@guillermopv90

oh dude... just listen to zimerman, harasiewicz, rubinstein, pollini... perahia's interpretation is not bad of course but imo it's nothing senstaional...

[guillermopv90]

la mejor interpretación de la balada no 4 de chopin, en mi opinión

[utubuser10]

The first time I heard Perahia was on the radio sometime in mid 80's with his interpretation of Chopin's Fantaisie Impromptu. It was almost an effeminate interpretation certainly lacking the 'agitato' I was so accustomed to hearing. But the more I listened the more I was entranced by his playing. When it was over, I misunderstood the announcer to say that it was "Marie Perahia" thus confirming my intitial impression. Regardless, I love Perahia - certainly a GIANT among giants!

[ToledoWingNut]

The short section around 2:40 is, to me, the most sublime piano 'moment' of all time. There's a section in Scarlatti's Sonata no. 87 that comes close but this one makes me swoon. Brilliant.

[stienwayz]

wow!!!

[piedijon]

yeah, this guy is amazing.

[Rure]

My goodness, this man just blew me away with his interpretation.

[dirtybirdiebob]

Whats the name of this man?

[deichhorn]

Murray Perahia

[PhillipLWilcher]

It has been said that every aspect of technique touched uponm by Chopin in his etudes is addressed in this Ballade. That in itself is wonder enough.....

[PhillipLWilcher]

I've been having a love affair with it all my life! The opening three octaves float in from out some silvery stillness - and then the narrative that follows, all passion and poetry so measuredly spent. This Ballade alone places Chopin amongst the choicest masters of his art for here more than anywhere his writing is so closely aligned to Bach and it is that that sets Chopin apart - his counterpoint - and Perahia here is a Prince! Utterly superb!

[rabengeraun]

Glorious account of one of the masterpieces of the piano repertoire. Even then Murray was a beautifully sensitive performer; everything he has done since has, in my view, simply confirmed his status as a giant of the keyboard, not only in our own time but of any time.

[halevans7]

Absolutely phenomenal!

[shijunpiano]

I love the beginning so much!! This is a rare recording.

[aaabbbccc5]

Good work!