Ravel, Gaspard de la Nuit - I. Ondine (Martha Argerich)

[manjusaka92]

I like the way her fingers run :)

[v1e1r1g1e1]

I've been practising this at home. I have mastered the first three notes.

Come back in 3,456,545 years. 

I'll let you know how I'm going.

Genius! Utterly gorgeous, ethereally beautiful music! Such gifted people - both composer and virtuoso.

[dichter55]

No one plays Ravel as good as Martha.

[paulphilip1]

@dichter55 i agree she is fantastic but i do prefer perlemuter there is a recording of him playing this when he was 89 you should listen

[maternalheart66]

This piece has such a hypnotic, seductive quality to it, and Martha carries it off with grace and precision. I'm learning it now and her performance is definitely my goal, hopefully one day I can get half as good as this.

[malbecgarcia]

comment est il possible de jouer ainsi ...Martha n 'est pas humaine...she is an Angel !

[plibby77]

How unfair that this recording skips on the most gorgeous climax at around 3:35 - 3:36.

[wukillah]

What a class, what a charm ! and what an interpretation

[MrJefferson1997]

it's such a non-affordable legendary video

[geertdehoux]

But, at the beginning, the right hand doesn't go well at all...

[Dennischek]

@geertdehoux how dare

[geertdehoux]

@Dennischek

Dare ?

[dinkydoghnut]

@geertdehoux yeah it's pretty weird... I wonder why

[geertdehoux]

@dinkydoghnut

What do you mean ?

That the beginning doesn't go so well ?

Well, it might be because she wasn't used to perform this very delicate thing on this piano, who knows ?

FINALLY someone who agrees with me...!!

[rexy69]

wot is the deal with the water fall!!!! I want to watch her play not watch water fall! is there another video of this with her actually playing the piano! :P she is amazing

[avalanche183]

Watching a waterfall during the climax of the song. How disappointing(visually). Obviously the music is AMAAZING.

[rvn10rvn17]

beautiful but she still can't beat her teacher in this piece..

[geertdehoux]

@rvn10rvn17

You mean Michelangeli ?

Michelangeli was a unique case.

[rvn10rvn17]

@geertdehoux yes.. michelangeli.. the atmosphere he created in playing this was simply sensational.. i used to hate this piece a lot but after listening to michelangeli, everything changed..

[geertdehoux]

@rvn10rvn17

Did you hear him perform this in concert ?!

Unfortunately, I didn't.

His recordings of this so difficult piece are legendary.

A cordial greeting,

Geert Dehoux, pianist.

[rvn10rvn17]

@geertdehoux of course no, he died when i was 5.. there was actually a better recording from him but erased already.. luckily i downloaded it before if you're interested and that's the best gaspard ever to me..

[geertdehoux]

@rvn10rvn17

I have several live recordings of Ondine (the whole Gaspard) by Michelangeli.

When and where was yours made, please ?

Thanks,

Geert.

By the way, the first recording the young Mich. made of Grieg's Piano Concerto is, in my opinion, probably the most beautiful performance I've ever heard!

Do you know it ?

[rvn10rvn17]

@geertdehoux oh, i can't remember the date..

it's not easy to get his recording, i've only heard his beeti's, ravel's and rach 4's concerto and his debussy..

[CHiBiGOAT92]

Beautiful recording!!!! I just wish that he hands had been showed more (we want to see her play!)

[MrJefferson1997]

Stunning techniques, I got my emotions flying..

[shopindani]

belisimoooo!!!!

[shopindani]

bravo!!

[ondineshimmers]

thank you for posting, it's entrancing

[hotbebimauz]

so magical..i feel in another world.. this is so incredible.. shes the best

[misspeckpeck]

i heard she is (was?) a nympho since she has had 7 husbands, is this true?

[TheAspenTom]

Not that many husbands, but who knows about the number of lovers, "mentees," etc. But why call her a "nympho"? Rubinstein was a notorious womanizer, but nobody would call him a name like "nympho." She's one of the most incredible musicians of the last half century -- a truly dramatic and sensitive pianist, lover of languages, and apparently passionate in her love life, too. I'd say that's an enviable balance in life!

[misspeckpeck]

becasue she's a female -- females are supposed to be demure .....

[TheAspenTom]

Thank goodness she's not demure.  "Demure" belongs in an earlier era or with other people.

[th3wing3dpaint3r]

@misspeckpeck You are supposed to be educated. It's a shame we can't all be perfect though...

[MvdM2]

@misspeckpeck

who are you to discuss her private life on youtube? It doesn't have anything to do with how well she plays the piano or how well an artist she is. You're commenting on a video called 'Martha Argerich plays Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit' not a video called 'Martha Argerich's love life'.

[ixd735]

No.

[MrJefferson1997]

she plays it perfectly...

<3 this song very muchh

[SonicAllure]

how on earth does she do that black key gliss?! everyone else i've seen plays it haha

[Csibon13]

its not really hard but watch out you can break the tops of the black keys if you aren't careful, happened to me like three times:(.

[orlando4166]

La amo, siempre la he admirado, desde niño supe de su existencia por los comentarios que hacían mis padres, es decir de su gran maestría en el piano, excelente, para mi es una de las mejores del mundo. Recomiendo que escuchen su CD del concierto de Rachmaninov, alto virtuosismo. Impresionante

[redbuddha0]

I think there comes a point where comparisons are meaningless. I love how Martha Argerich plays this but I also love how Arturo Michelangeli plays it. I've listened to both versions so many times, but all I'm doing is comparing excellence with excellence, brilliance with brilliance. Each has their own contribution. Anyway, every time I look at the score it just amazes me that anyone can even play this, let alone play it so well. This is such a difficult piece.

[funfunpiano]

i like you play this piece, I love flowing water and you catch this feeling very well, you play ravel's is very well, great !

[mebbio]

Incredible, incredible. She and Michelangeli, imho the best for Ravel.

[LittleArgerich]

and Richter =) they are the best!!

[mebbio]

@LittleArgerich oh yeah! The great Svijatoslav too :-)

[JeanVPaul]

and Samson François he is the best with Ravel

[gouloum2222]

gosh we know what water is !!! show us martha argerich ...

[uhartchristian]

to work on the compositions of Ravel does improve the abilities of producing different sound. It was an important period for Martha Argerich when working on it. Her sound got even more mature thanks to this.....

[arturon111]

Alicia de Larrocha's Gaspard is better,.... better sound, more clarity and more musical,....

[rigel48]

Your assertions are very personal. Alicia de Larrocha is a great pianist (and not only in spanish music) but she is not better than Argerich in Gaspard de la Nuit. Martha Argerich's range of nuances and tones is exceptional and her musical grasp if this work has few competitors.

[EdiEllerymissing]

Not really. The video is on youtube. If you compare you'll find this a lot more expresive, clear and musical. If you compare the old recordings from both of them the diference is even bigger.

My point is, de Larrocha is not better, just different. I like better Argerich, but that doesn't makes her better.

[pooklehead]

Beautiful interpretation of possibly the most beautiful piece of music of all time.

Blessed be!

[heyyowhatsupyo]

Fantastic Job! You are the best pianist around.

[flic71]

Che pianista meravigliosa...

[Powerslider]

Too bad the sound quality is so aweful. I'd love to hear this in high definition....

[pianowhiz1]

Such a mystical and awesome piece

[MusicBeautyLove]

I think the waterfall and the waves are nice touches! =)

[sexandthesuburbs]

I'm working on this piece now. Omg i'm scared of the glisses... i have super short stubby nails and my fingers always bleed whenever i do glisses.. and these are on black keys!!! Any advice anyone:??????

[gtyler7292]

just keep at it. you can wear bandages etc. to try to protect your fingers, but i've never found them to be all that helpful. The worst thing you can do is anticipate a black key glissando with fear and hesitation. You just need to charge through it. Even if your fingers bleed at first, just keep at it and eventually they will toughen up.

[Darklord12356]

@gtyler7292

I'm supposed to start learning this piece and I'm already scarred by the white key glissando practice at the end of Prokofiev toccata haha. (blood blisters....gaaaahhhh.)

[PeterStuttgart]

look at Ivo Pogorelich, he does not play this part as a glissando..it wprks very good

greets

[sexandthesuburbs]

thanks! will check it out

[peduzzi89]

I used to completely agree about the waterfall but now I realize it's part of the impressionism of Ravel's music, not just a cheap piece of flair

[hungaryhotshot1]

I'd like to see her playing all the way thru.

The long video (waterfall) interruption is distracting, annoying and unnecessary.

Video maker wants his 5 cents worth in..

[su0576]

素晴らしい。

[GBV1961]

eccezionale!!!!!!!

[KearneyPiano]

ive never been more inspired by anyone that i have been by this magical woman

[whateverhte]

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

[exfalsoquodlibet]

beautiful

[Irelandlass7789]

gosh this is soo beautiful and flowly. just gorgeous...wow

[robbiethemann]

wtf would i watch this if can't see her hands!?

[KearneyPiano]

Because thats not the point of the music in any sense whatsoever.

[robbiethemann]

lol

as in

she plays this like no other. i want to WATCH HER play otherwise i'd just listen to my recording.

[jedwards1211]

Wow, this is a strange video, dark, intimate and meditative.

Argerich is one of the best at playing this I think. Other performers I've heard can't get enough of a handle on that though right hand part to make the piece flow naturally.

[00JulioCruz00]

Una hermosa pieza interpretada por un belleza intelectual como lo es Martha Argerich.

[luvelasquez]

she plays soo sexy and freely... i am in love for her.. and her hands are hipnotic!!

[piedijon]

right on...

[Powerslider]

actually its such a small detail compared to the overwhelming richness of her playing!

Bravo for uploading this again, thx!! youtube isnt complete without this piece by martha.

[Chisy1234]

actually it would be more interesting if we saw her hands all the time ...