@thisistides97 Go with Un Sospiro. ;) I played it in a concert once, it's really worth learning it. This is more of an etude, and I think for performance, Un Sospiro has an "easier-to-listen-to" melody, and leaves people feeling refreshed after hearing it.
@tomekkobialka I agree. There's also a lot more fingerings in Un Sospiro I'm actually currently capable of. Yeah, i love this piece but i think I'm gonna go with Un Sospiro
This is my first time preparing an advanced level piece, so I'll definitely have my hands full
I've been learning how to play this for a while now. as long as you take it very very slowly then ease into getting faster it is fine, it sounds a lot harder than it is because of how fast its played. however i found winter wind was easier to learn than this one. .-.
@xxiPr0digy Chopin's etudes are some of the hardest pieces on the planet. I watched both of the polonaises you speak of, and they aren't even on the same level of difficulty as this.
I know a guy who broke his hand playing this song.
@TheEvilEmporerBunny No they're not. :p There are tons of other piano pieces which require much more practice than this to be able to play to a reasonable standard. ;)
Sure. There are hundreds. But we must take relativity into account. Just because there are pieces more difficult than this one doesn't mean this one isn't particularly difficult. That's like saying cougars are weaklings because tigers and lions are way stronger. Yes, tigers and lions are stronger, but I still don't want to get in a fight with a cougar!
@TheEvilEmporerBunny That person must've had horrible technique then...even works like Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto doesn't break your hands at all, that's just very poor technique.
not even the Great Liszt composed music so intrinsically piano as Chopin had done. Chopin's music has a clarity that no other composer besides Mozart has been able to put together.
@asianpianist: Con Fuoco is not to describe how the song is played, it's to describe the condition of your arms and hands after attempting this masterpieces.
@Quincy5501 first off, it's not a song, it's a piece of music. And con fuoco means "with fury", it's a tempo marking - it's does not describe a condition of certain parts of your body.
"perfect technique is one that executes passages effortlessly" Chopin said.
@2009xellos: Wow. Sir, first off, I know Con Fuoco means. I was attempting to make a joke which apparently flew WAY over your head. In your zeal to prove your superior mastery of Musical Serious Business, you just made yourself look like a snobby prick.
@xxiPr0digy The song is full of same patterns. You get used to it after a while. so I give it a 6.5 "hell" would be 25-6, Grand Polonaise, poloanise op53 a flat. Going further, a MILLION would be Alkan's major and minor etude & Liszt's transcendental etudes
@xxiPr0digy it's not too bad. if this is your first time playing this song, you might face some difficulties getting familiar with the pattern, but once you get used to it for a while it doesn't become too bad. By means 25-6 means opus 25 no.6. Just like this etude is opus 25. no. 12. Grand Polonaise Brilliante, the Heoric Polonaise are not "patterns" the notes are fairly irregular. Speaking of Alkan, Alkan was the one of the greatest pianist who could confront Franz Liszt in TECHNIQUE
@xxiPr0digy At first this is not a song. Secondly this etude isn't the most difficult but Cziffra's style is so powerful. On the other hand all Chopin's etudes are very hard to play properly with beautiful sound.
@xxiPr0digy It's not so much that it is technically hard, but the piece requires equal strength and stamina in BOTH hands. I know my (weaker) left hand gets very tired and starts to hurt when I attempt it, so that's clearly something I need to work on!!
@xxiPr0digy It's extremely subjective. Personally, I'm good at very fast finger substitutions (I play organ), so I found this to be more playable than the other Chopin etudes (as in, I could play this one). It also depends on how you look at it. If you just think about it as a series of notes, you'll get overwhelmed. Think in terms of the big chords.
@xxiPr0digy You could. It's probably not a good idea to do it more than a few times, though. I found that it is a good way to wrap my head around where I needed to be on the keyboard, and break it down into manageable chunks, but when you're actually playing that piece at speed, your hand position will be very different. So, it's a way to look it, but I'm not a great pianist, so take this with a grain of salt.
@xxiPr0digy, it's not that bad once you get the technical focus of this etude down. After that you just need to learn the chords. Might be 6 or 7 on a scale of 1-10. But still, to play it with the mastery similar to that of Cziffra is incredibly difficult.
@xxiPr0digy This took me 3 years to practice just to perform it and get a 7.2 out of 10 score XDD I'd say pretty damn difficult. Can I give this thing an Infinite mark?
@Lizuro haha yeah. i found out that it is indeed in the theme song "Fight to the death"in KH2. it's clever how they incorporated a classic in their song ^_^
Well that is true... but I had to say that... hence my account name... this is pie compared to death waltz.But you have a point on how this is supposed to be played by a human being without making their fingers fall off and then the fingers of the fingers to fall off as well... but you have to admit that death waltz is one of the worlds most complicated pieces.
@ReptilianRaep Totentantz is not a joke piece, it is possible to play, indeed its hard, up there with ondine and jeux d'eau. The hardest pieces definitely belong to Ravel, Rachmaninoff and Liszt. This piece is not as challenging technically, its actually very comfortable once you get the hang of it :)
@Deathwaltzfan2010 ahh i had never heard of this piece before, i don't think that's possible it all, because it looks like it requires an enormous stretch, bigger than rachmaninoff's even. and incredible speed. even if you slowed it down it would be near impossible though i think if rachmaninoff were alive he would be able to play it, or ravel because he had some pretty big hands too
@Deathwaltzfan2010 Well, the death waltz wasn't meant to be played by a live pianist, so if you ever compare a difficult piano piece to that player piano midi, the death waltz isn't ever going to be more technically difficult.
@vclarke4433 ... Actually it doesn't, it looks like a pretty tough piece of pure music, very beautiful in many ways(and incredibly satisfying to play). I find giving visuals to music is somewhat irritating. It puts music in a straitjacket, and corrupts less informed listeners. Chopin did not call this anything. It could just as well be called the "cannon shot etude" or "making pancakes with Georges Sand"
ACTUALLY...... yes the music does look like an ocean as I'm sure it was done intentionally by Chopin. and PLEASE.....stop trying to sound smart over the internet. :D
@vclarke4433 most great composers would rather play the instrument for days and months more than have to write down the score. Chopin surely wrote the music to be like the ocean but the visual aspect probably wasn't intentional. I think he could care less about how it looked on a piece of paper 'structurally'. The wave-like look of the notes is expected since 'waves' on the piano do go up and down as well, if you know what I mean. That's what makes it sound more like the ocean. Don't sound smart
@vclarke4433 Why do you have to be insulting? Is this your way of working off frustration? I think I made a perfectly good point, and sorry for backing it up with some experience, but that is SOP. You haven't answered anything worth reading. I'll repeat it: It does not look like the Ocean, and Chopin did not write program music. And naming things "Ocean", which is done frequently, does disservice to the music in a way. If you have any valid thoughts, express them. Politely.
Good Sir, I would be happy to inform you that you are, indeed, insulting in your own measures. Though I will take your word on the fact that you have had much, "experience" in the musical arts, this does not, however, give you the privilege to disregard what others might see as they are obviously "less informed listeners" (as you put it). I do appreciate your opinion, and others as well. I would like to say more, but i do have a word limit on this. So in short, go fuck yourself. :)
@vclarke4433 The typical puritan smugness radiates from your phrases. There are less informed listeners who maybe would like to learn more and Disneyfying musical works by tagging on images is not helping. But ouritans never learn, which is why they had to go as far as America, kill all the natives, and wallow in their ignorance. Enjoy. Good day and good riddance to you.
@Malaka57 When people look at sheet music different images come to their heads...in this case, because of the way the notes run up and down the page you can compare it to the waves on the ocean. It can't be said that 'this doesn't look like an ocean', period. It's up to the reader whether it does or not. Tbh, I can't imagine not associating music with an image of some kind...as long as something provokes emotion then there's bound to be some kind of image involved.
@tomekkobialka Btw, vclarke's previous "stop trying to sound smart over the internet" comment was more of a joke...there was no need to bite back with an insult 10x worse than vclarke's. Just accept that different people have different opinions on this matter, instead of blaming 'puritans'. You're not only insulting vclarke, but all Americans watching this video as well.
@tomekkobialka Thanks. I agree that images might come to mind. BTW: I am an American. That doesn't exclude one from criticizing one's own countery and its cultural lowest common denominators. I repeat: the problem with the images, is that they take on a life of their own. My original comment was neither insulting nor agressive, but Clark decided to go nasty. And then the nastier. I am not going to apologize for having my own opinion, even if it differs from the majority view.
@tomekkobialka ... Just a note on learning: it comes from respecting others and their views and sometimes going off the beaten paths. It behoves all of us to listen forst a little and question our standard beliefs, and not get all hissy if someone challenges a long-held view. our world would be a better place if we did. and Our nations would be less arrogant if we did as well.
-_- why did all of this even happen...? I just thought the music looked like waves and it became a fight about racism, religion, and whatever else crap......wtf.....im done, fuck this. fuck it. no more.
@amelakiellas Blessed? I've failed my Grade 8 Twice. The first time i chose to play halo 3 Finish the Fight(Teehee best song ever :D) along with four other pieces and a composition, and scales and some finger excercies. I failed the Finish the fight theme and then i was assigned one by my teacher. I failed that one too. :( And now this. I'm never going to get Grade 8 :*(
@officervanhalen England national. It's a piano piece. You don't do piano tech or practical in actual musical study(You can, but it's a worthless diploma :P)
Amazing! and to those saying that this is impossible, well this etude is fairly easy ("fairly") . You want difficulty? Rachmaninoff is a more difficult chopin with russian flavor and Isaac Albeniz's Suite Iberia is walking in the line of "impossible".
Lol, people always blarbing nonsense........ if Cziffra only went for techinal aspect, he could have played this A LOT faster! He does a lot for the musical aspect as well.
I think this etude is incredibly beautiful. It's not that difficult to be honest, but it sounds so because it is really overwhelming - like the ocean :-))
Only thing I don't like about this performance is that he pounds on this piece and it is just not necessary. Technically flawless as one would expect out of Cziffra, but Chopin is about so much more than technical precision
I prefer Pollini's rendition, has more heart and shows that music does have a soul! Cziffra played it "just" like an etude... technically flawless but unfortunately he forgot to tell anything more :-(
@tjtheplay this is an absurd conversation because Chopin wrote 24 studies which are technically difficult only because he was a keybord phenom, Not because he wanted to show his bravour. In fact the difficulty of these studies is the rendition, the elegance and the meaning of armony. Ravel and Prokofev wrote pieces that they couldn't even play...the aim is different I hope this comment is understandable as i'm not an english-speaking
I haven't played this but I don't think this is too difficult. I've looked at it and contrary to popular belief, it's not that hard. It's like one of those things that looks killer unless you actually try it.
@tjtheplay Yeah, and that comes from someone who hasn't even tried it. As someone who has, I can confidently say that it is a lot harder than it looks, at least for me personally. Now, of course I'll admit my techniques are at such a low level it's embarassing, but I wouldn't say this piece is not difficult, unless you're comparing it with scarbo and mazeppa and islamey etc.
@YSFmemories "Yeah, and that comes from someone who hasn't even tried it"
When did I say that I haven't tried it? I haven't played it, but that doesn't mean that I haven't tried it.
But I guess I should have compared it to ALL music. Because compared to ALL music, this isn't hard. Considering you have Rachmaninoff Sonata's, Prokofievs concertos, and liszt stuff.
@tjtheplay Yes, and you know what? There are also pieces like canon in D, Bach's minuet, fur elise, marriage d'amour, etc etc etc... and that's not even mentioning the hundreds of little "pieces" contained in hanon and other study books... IF you're comparing this piece with ALL piano music, it is DEFINITELY in the upper echelon, as one of the most difficult pieces.
Allegro con molto fuoco means what it is, and Cziffra surely triumphed accomplish as Chopin intended to be played with utmost precision and expression.
Tbh this piece is more of a technical piece than a beautiful piece... Don't get me wrong, it's still beautiful, but it's not emphasized as much as the technicality.
@rulezz264 I don't think it was really meant to be beautiful...it is an etude, after all, and Chopin unleashes his beautifulness in his ballades and, well...Op.10 No.3 etude (what a contradictory comment :/)
@tomekkobialka I still count most "etudes" in my favorite pieces for piano. I wouldn't say they weren't meant to be beautiful, but I might be biased, being such a fan of Chopin. Even more when so well played in the video, by Cziffra.
@tomekkobialka im sorry but i find this piece extraordinarily beautiful.... it's nothing like so delicate and sensitive a piece as 10.3, but it has a powerful beauty all of its own in a completely different way
@rulezz264 Well you think quite differently than I do. I think this piece is beyond beautiful, as the saying goes, "Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder".
@rulezz264 Again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I find pieces with lots of dissonance very beautiful even when slowed down, they often show the frustration of life or the composer, granted this is piece up to speed is still a beautiful piece. I am a huge fan of Beethoven as well but his music has nothing on the music of Chopin, atleast in my eye. All I am trying to get at is that you are being quite closed minded toward Chopin's music.
I tried to empress a girl i had met with this compositon. She was very, very shocked i could even play the piano since i never let on that i have been studing for 20yrs. But she thought it was just noisy. Lol. That was 11 yrs ago. We reconnected on FB. She asked if i could still play Chopins Ocean. "Yes, but not for you".
question. Is that harder to learn than the fantaisie impromptu? So I mean, just to played technically good. I've been playing piano for 9 years and I can play fantaisie impromptu and the black keys. So all i wanna know is if that takes a lot of time to practice coz then im gonna start with that :)
I love how people make stupid comments about pieces like this when they can barely even play the piano ! I say shut up and just listen, cause this is a master piece !
I appear to have shat myself.
SharpWalkers 1 day ago
I can't read the transitions from treble to bass THAT fast.
bety1265 5 days ago
This is fast. O.o
iBelieveInTacos 1 week ago
hm. I want to have a piano piece ready by either next year or two years from now to perform.
I'm stuck between this one and Un Sospiro.
With pieces of this degree I would obviously be practicing A LOT. Just need to decide on everything.
thisistides97 1 week ago
@thisistides97 Go with Un Sospiro. ;) I played it in a concert once, it's really worth learning it. This is more of an etude, and I think for performance, Un Sospiro has an "easier-to-listen-to" melody, and leaves people feeling refreshed after hearing it.
tomekkobialka 1 week ago
@tomekkobialka I agree. There's also a lot more fingerings in Un Sospiro I'm actually currently capable of. Yeah, i love this piece but i think I'm gonna go with Un Sospiro
This is my first time preparing an advanced level piece, so I'll definitely have my hands full
thisistides97 1 week ago
GENIO
DanteSeask 1 week ago
Beautiful tragedy...
Scorpionskiko 2 weeks ago
I've been learning how to play this for a while now. as long as you take it very very slowly then ease into getting faster it is fine, it sounds a lot harder than it is because of how fast its played. however i found winter wind was easier to learn than this one. .-.
XxTheQueenOfHeartsxX 2 weeks ago
I love this interpretation! The way Cziffra crashes the keys on the first beat of each bar really reminds me of the crashing waves...
Joeyboiification 2 weeks ago
11
B337h0v3n 2 weeks ago
I'm a 12 year pianist. I tried playing the first measure, gave up, and then moved on to Chopin's Winter Wind. Easy transition.
VELFARRECLUBBA 2 weeks ago
The very first time I experienced how damn beautiful this race once was.
Damn it!
Gunta554 3 weeks ago
Hmm...well then how would you compare the difficulty of this to the Heroic polonaise in A Flat Major or the Military Polonaise in A Major?
xxiPr0digy 4 weeks ago
@xxiPr0digy Chopin's etudes are some of the hardest pieces on the planet. I watched both of the polonaises you speak of, and they aren't even on the same level of difficulty as this.
I know a guy who broke his hand playing this song.
TheEvilEmporerBunny 3 weeks ago
@TheEvilEmporerBunny No they're not. :p There are tons of other piano pieces which require much more practice than this to be able to play to a reasonable standard. ;)
tomekkobialka 3 weeks ago
@tomekkobialka
Sure. There are hundreds. But we must take relativity into account. Just because there are pieces more difficult than this one doesn't mean this one isn't particularly difficult. That's like saying cougars are weaklings because tigers and lions are way stronger. Yes, tigers and lions are stronger, but I still don't want to get in a fight with a cougar!
TheEvilEmporerBunny 3 weeks ago
@TheEvilEmporerBunny That person must've had horrible technique then...even works like Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto doesn't break your hands at all, that's just very poor technique.
mario54671 2 weeks ago
What brand piano was this played on?
AngoSkazz 1 month ago
lame recording...first--- why all of the added low Cs??? second--- the cliche ritards...
StephenHalloran 1 month ago
An upright just doesn't do this piece justice.
amazingmato 1 month ago
This is the real Kung Fu piano
j3ttero 1 month ago
I guess this is why I should continue practicing piano....
Aresman70 1 month ago
oh bitch
jakoson7 1 month ago
not even the Great Liszt composed music so intrinsically piano as Chopin had done. Chopin's music has a clarity that no other composer besides Mozart has been able to put together.
dalecampbl9 1 month ago
It's funny how it's "CON FUOCO(with fire)" when it's supposed to mimic ocean lol (although he didn't name it himself but it's kinda ironic)
asianpianist 1 month ago
@asianpianist: Con Fuoco is not to describe how the song is played, it's to describe the condition of your arms and hands after attempting this masterpieces.
Quincy5501 1 month ago 24
@Quincy5501 first off, it's not a song, it's a piece of music. And con fuoco means "with fury", it's a tempo marking - it's does not describe a condition of certain parts of your body.
"perfect technique is one that executes passages effortlessly" Chopin said.
2009xellos 4 weeks ago
@2009xellos Absolutely correct. I just hate people who don't know what they are talking about.
AngoSkazz 4 weeks ago
@AngoSkazz: LOL, you can't detect a joke either? You have my condolences.
Quincy5501 3 weeks ago
@Quincy5501 Fail. You're the one who can't detect a joke.
AngoSkazz 3 weeks ago
@2009xellos: Wow. Sir, first off, I know Con Fuoco means. I was attempting to make a joke which apparently flew WAY over your head. In your zeal to prove your superior mastery of Musical Serious Business, you just made yourself look like a snobby prick.
Quincy5501 3 weeks ago
@2009xellos Yeah with fury/fire, that's what he meant what happens to your arms after playing this :P A joke.
addeex1 3 weeks ago
@Quincy5501 "Con Fuoco" is actually to describe what happens to the sheet music of most people who attempt to play it.
MerlinTheDraconic 3 weeks ago
this is one of the easier Chopin etudes, when i took it i was like: "no freaking chance" but fingers said different ^^
BassicStorm 1 month ago
This is fucking awesome! So intense love it AAAAAA!!!!!!
jorgeamade 1 month ago
i learned the Fantasie Impromptu 2 years ago...does that change anything?
xxiPr0digy 1 month ago
How hard is this song on scale of 1-10 would you say?
xxiPr0digy 1 month ago 7
@xxiPr0digy A MILLION
tomekkobialka 1 month ago 73
@tomekkobialka Haha, I think I may reconsider learning it.
I guess this is why you learn your scales and arpeggios :-)
CooCurrent 4 weeks ago
@tomekkobialka Etudes are meant to be hard. They're 'studies'. :-)
Study hard; play the Etude well; you will be on YouTube in no time.
Montyleeny14 2 weeks ago
@xxiPr0digy It's pretty difficult to play up to speed. I didn't find it to hard to learn tho.
binks9997 1 month ago
@xxiPr0digy The song is full of same patterns. You get used to it after a while. so I give it a 6.5 "hell" would be 25-6, Grand Polonaise, poloanise op53 a flat. Going further, a MILLION would be Alkan's major and minor etude & Liszt's transcendental etudes
asianpianist 1 month ago
@asianpianist So...you are saying this is not hard..but the Grand Polonaise is Extremely hard? what do you mean by 25-6?
xxiPr0digy 1 month ago
@xxiPr0digy it's not too bad. if this is your first time playing this song, you might face some difficulties getting familiar with the pattern, but once you get used to it for a while it doesn't become too bad. By means 25-6 means opus 25 no.6. Just like this etude is opus 25. no. 12. Grand Polonaise Brilliante, the Heoric Polonaise are not "patterns" the notes are fairly irregular. Speaking of Alkan, Alkan was the one of the greatest pianist who could confront Franz Liszt in TECHNIQUE
asianpianist 1 month ago
@xxiPr0digy 4
BassicStorm 1 month ago
@BassicStorm sure.
KingKongelsdea 1 month ago
@KingKongelsdea seriously, if you compare etc op.10 no.4 and this, No.4 is much harder, hardest etudes IMO are: Op.10, 1, 2, 4 and op.25, 6, 11
BassicStorm 1 month ago
@BassicStorm I don't know if 10 4 etude is so hard. The rest is obviously very difficult. I would add op. 25 8 and 10.
Forteklapek 1 month ago
@xxiPr0digy At first this is not a song. Secondly this etude isn't the most difficult but Cziffra's style is so powerful. On the other hand all Chopin's etudes are very hard to play properly with beautiful sound.
Forteklapek 1 month ago
@Forteklapek great point, most people don't realize that the hardest part of playing chopin isn't in its technical difficulty, but in its musicality
seanchanq 1 month ago
Comment removed
futuristicity 1 month ago
@xxiPr0digy It's not so much that it is technically hard, but the piece requires equal strength and stamina in BOTH hands. I know my (weaker) left hand gets very tired and starts to hurt when I attempt it, so that's clearly something I need to work on!!
KT319 1 month ago
@xxiPr0digy Over 9000
idreamofthedead 1 month ago
@xxiPr0digy 9
dmgisi 1 month ago
@xxiPr0digy This is about a 6-7.
congelatore 1 month ago
@xxiPr0digy 11
B337h0v3n 1 month ago
@xxiPr0digy literalyl probably 9.5/10
ValentinaAmazesSuper 4 weeks ago
@xxiPr0digy It's extremely subjective. Personally, I'm good at very fast finger substitutions (I play organ), so I found this to be more playable than the other Chopin etudes (as in, I could play this one). It also depends on how you look at it. If you just think about it as a series of notes, you'll get overwhelmed. Think in terms of the big chords.
MerlinTheDraconic 3 weeks ago
@MerlinTheDraconic i see....so your advice to learning this piece would probably be to divide the many notes into chords and practice it that way?
xxiPr0digy 3 weeks ago
@xxiPr0digy You could. It's probably not a good idea to do it more than a few times, though. I found that it is a good way to wrap my head around where I needed to be on the keyboard, and break it down into manageable chunks, but when you're actually playing that piece at speed, your hand position will be very different. So, it's a way to look it, but I'm not a great pianist, so take this with a grain of salt.
MerlinTheDraconic 3 weeks ago
@xxiPr0digy, it's not that bad once you get the technical focus of this etude down. After that you just need to learn the chords. Might be 6 or 7 on a scale of 1-10. But still, to play it with the mastery similar to that of Cziffra is incredibly difficult.
PAGANlNl 2 weeks ago
@xxiPr0digy This took me 3 years to practice just to perform it and get a 7.2 out of 10 score XDD I'd say pretty damn difficult. Can I give this thing an Infinite mark?
fatalframe95 2 weeks ago
@xxiPr0digy Accually its quit easy (from an experianced pianists point of view). Oh the Irony... the most difficult ones sound the easiest...
1812over2 1 week ago
ALLEGRO CON FUOCO...magnificent
alexandros789 1 month ago
This gave me chills
MrCubish 1 month ago
the beginning sounds like something from kingdom hearts... o.o
SeoJinnn 2 months ago
@SeoJinnn I think the same whenever I hear this :)
Lizuro 1 month ago
@Lizuro haha yeah. i found out that it is indeed in the theme song "Fight to the death"in KH2. it's clever how they incorporated a classic in their song ^_^
SeoJinnn 1 month ago
hsuahsuahs,I agree with you here below!!!!haha.Men,this is simply TOO dificult to play!!!!!
HerculesOlimpio 2 months ago
It's so...pretty.
MrLieblingsessen 2 months ago
It's just so lovely I keep crying! Although there is no words,the story made up in my head relates to me.
briebriepg 2 months ago
BeaUTIFUL!made me cry
briebriepg 2 months ago
What a great Cziffra`s performance of this etude!!!
ElFuroCrack 2 months ago
Sounds MUCH better than other pieces of its style.
pcred566 2 months ago
@Sword1479
Well that is true... but I had to say that... hence my account name... this is pie compared to death waltz.But you have a point on how this is supposed to be played by a human being without making their fingers fall off and then the fingers of the fingers to fall off as well... but you have to admit that death waltz is one of the worlds most complicated pieces.
Deathwaltzfan2010 2 months ago
@Deathwaltzfan2010 The death waltz was a joke piece, wasn't it?
ReptilianRaep 2 months ago
@ReptilianRaep Totentantz is not a joke piece, it is possible to play, indeed its hard, up there with ondine and jeux d'eau. The hardest pieces definitely belong to Ravel, Rachmaninoff and Liszt. This piece is not as challenging technically, its actually very comfortable once you get the hang of it :)
JuyoNi 2 months ago
@JuyoNi I know Totentanz isn't a joke piece, I was talking about another piece called death waltz.
ReptilianRaep 2 months ago
@JuyoNi Eh, dont forget about john stump( death waltz)
Deathwaltzfan2010 2 months ago
@Deathwaltzfan2010 ahh i had never heard of this piece before, i don't think that's possible it all, because it looks like it requires an enormous stretch, bigger than rachmaninoff's even. and incredible speed. even if you slowed it down it would be near impossible though i think if rachmaninoff were alive he would be able to play it, or ravel because he had some pretty big hands too
JuyoNi 2 months ago
@ReptilianRaep umm no...wrong one this one
Deathwaltzfan2010 2 months ago
@ReptilianRaep watch?v=Gx02KOGhjes
Deathwaltzfan2010 2 months ago
@Deathwaltzfan2010 That's not the real death waltz, that's some remix of U.N Owen was her.
ReptilianRaep 2 months ago
mmh i was watching nyan-cat videos, but this is much better even it´s not annoying
8N8A8B8 2 months ago
holy fuck.
smoofgirl101 2 months ago
death waltz makes this look like pie
Deathwaltzfan2010 2 months ago
@Deathwaltzfan2010 Well, the death waltz wasn't meant to be played by a live pianist, so if you ever compare a difficult piano piece to that player piano midi, the death waltz isn't ever going to be more technically difficult.
Sword1479 2 months ago
an oboe?
LOL
bengily 2 months ago
That ole Fred could sure write some fine music!
Gman6755 2 months ago
Who else noticed that the sheet music looks like waves of the Ocean?
vclarke4433 2 months ago 37
@vclarke4433 Scroll through the comments. ;)
tomekkobialka 2 months ago 8
@vclarke4433 ... Actually it doesn't, it looks like a pretty tough piece of pure music, very beautiful in many ways(and incredibly satisfying to play). I find giving visuals to music is somewhat irritating. It puts music in a straitjacket, and corrupts less informed listeners. Chopin did not call this anything. It could just as well be called the "cannon shot etude" or "making pancakes with Georges Sand"
Malaka57 2 months ago
@Malaka57
ACTUALLY...... yes the music does look like an ocean as I'm sure it was done intentionally by Chopin. and PLEASE.....stop trying to sound smart over the internet. :D
vclarke4433 2 months ago
@vclarke4433 most great composers would rather play the instrument for days and months more than have to write down the score. Chopin surely wrote the music to be like the ocean but the visual aspect probably wasn't intentional. I think he could care less about how it looked on a piece of paper 'structurally'. The wave-like look of the notes is expected since 'waves' on the piano do go up and down as well, if you know what I mean. That's what makes it sound more like the ocean. Don't sound smart
YouVRay 2 months ago
@vclarke4433 Why do you have to be insulting? Is this your way of working off frustration? I think I made a perfectly good point, and sorry for backing it up with some experience, but that is SOP. You haven't answered anything worth reading. I'll repeat it: It does not look like the Ocean, and Chopin did not write program music. And naming things "Ocean", which is done frequently, does disservice to the music in a way. If you have any valid thoughts, express them. Politely.
Malaka57 2 months ago
@Malaka57
Good Sir, I would be happy to inform you that you are, indeed, insulting in your own measures. Though I will take your word on the fact that you have had much, "experience" in the musical arts, this does not, however, give you the privilege to disregard what others might see as they are obviously "less informed listeners" (as you put it). I do appreciate your opinion, and others as well. I would like to say more, but i do have a word limit on this. So in short, go fuck yourself. :)
vclarke4433 2 months ago
@vclarke4433 The typical puritan smugness radiates from your phrases. There are less informed listeners who maybe would like to learn more and Disneyfying musical works by tagging on images is not helping. But ouritans never learn, which is why they had to go as far as America, kill all the natives, and wallow in their ignorance. Enjoy. Good day and good riddance to you.
Malaka57 2 months ago
@Malaka57 When people look at sheet music different images come to their heads...in this case, because of the way the notes run up and down the page you can compare it to the waves on the ocean. It can't be said that 'this doesn't look like an ocean', period. It's up to the reader whether it does or not. Tbh, I can't imagine not associating music with an image of some kind...as long as something provokes emotion then there's bound to be some kind of image involved.
tomekkobialka 2 months ago
@tomekkobialka Btw, vclarke's previous "stop trying to sound smart over the internet" comment was more of a joke...there was no need to bite back with an insult 10x worse than vclarke's. Just accept that different people have different opinions on this matter, instead of blaming 'puritans'. You're not only insulting vclarke, but all Americans watching this video as well.
tomekkobialka 2 months ago
@tomekkobialka Thanks. I agree that images might come to mind. BTW: I am an American. That doesn't exclude one from criticizing one's own countery and its cultural lowest common denominators. I repeat: the problem with the images, is that they take on a life of their own. My original comment was neither insulting nor agressive, but Clark decided to go nasty. And then the nastier. I am not going to apologize for having my own opinion, even if it differs from the majority view.
Malaka57 2 months ago
@tomekkobialka ... Just a note on learning: it comes from respecting others and their views and sometimes going off the beaten paths. It behoves all of us to listen forst a little and question our standard beliefs, and not get all hissy if someone challenges a long-held view. our world would be a better place if we did. and Our nations would be less arrogant if we did as well.
Malaka57 2 months ago
Comment removed
vclarke4433 2 months ago
@vclarke4433
adaaaaa!SURPRISE
i think you are retarded!!!!!!
hahahaha
MosesRoberto 2 months ago
Comment removed
vclarke4433 2 months ago
@MosesRoberto
Better response: adaaaaaa! SURPRISE
I think you're a racist..........
-_- why did all of this even happen...? I just thought the music looked like waves and it became a fight about racism, religion, and whatever else crap......wtf.....im done, fuck this. fuck it. no more.
vclarke4433 2 months ago
@vclarke4433 Same thing
JoaoPedroGC 1 month ago
why is this not orchestrated?
match1071 2 months ago
I love Chopin, I really do, but he's kind of an overachiever.
kakashiisawesome1222 2 months ago
Fuck me, i have to do for my grade 8.
Fuck my life.
Trollz0Be0Trollin 3 months ago
@Trollz0Be0Trollin fuck you? if you are able to play such music you are blessed! don t you understand that?
i wish you to cope with it and enjoy your finger's results.
amelakiellas 2 months ago
@amelakiellas Blessed? I've failed my Grade 8 Twice. The first time i chose to play halo 3 Finish the Fight(Teehee best song ever :D) along with four other pieces and a composition, and scales and some finger excercies. I failed the Finish the fight theme and then i was assigned one by my teacher. I failed that one too. :( And now this. I'm never going to get Grade 8 :*(
Trollz0Be0Trollin 2 months ago
@Trollz0Be0Trollin is that RCM? What diploma is it?
MsFloopdedoop 2 months ago
@Trollz0Be0Trollin What evil exam board has issued this for Grade 8?! This is beyond diploma standard!
officervanhalen 2 months ago
@officervanhalen England national. It's a piano piece. You don't do piano tech or practical in actual musical study(You can, but it's a worthless diploma :P)
Trollz0Be0Trollin 2 months ago
Beautiful!! I love Chopin!
4EverAllevi 3 months ago
Is it bad that I find this to be his easiest etude? lol
TheExarion 3 months ago
@TheExarion easiest is quite strange but I think its one of the easier ones. it simply fits fingers well:D
agniky 2 months ago
@agniky haha, true xP
TheExarion 2 months ago
Who clicked this because of the thumbnail? =p
redshark618 3 months ago 3
Something simple is always beautiful. Ocean has to be so!!!
4DTHINKER 3 months ago
Amazing! and to those saying that this is impossible, well this etude is fairly easy ("fairly") . You want difficulty? Rachmaninoff is a more difficult chopin with russian flavor and Isaac Albeniz's Suite Iberia is walking in the line of "impossible".
josetato 3 months ago
@josetato dont forget ondine and jeux d'eau :) Ravel can be much more difficult than rachmaninoff:)
JuyoNi 2 months ago
What kind of a musical mind could write such an incredible piece of music like this? Only Chopin!
Gman6755 3 months ago
I can see why it's called Ocean Etude.
ColorfulHyena 3 months ago
someone tell me all the chords :)
CheekyVimto08 3 months ago
Lol, people always blarbing nonsense........ if Cziffra only went for techinal aspect, he could have played this A LOT faster! He does a lot for the musical aspect as well.
I think this etude is incredibly beautiful. It's not that difficult to be honest, but it sounds so because it is really overwhelming - like the ocean :-))
Kinjutsuu 3 months ago 3
Only thing I don't like about this performance is that he pounds on this piece and it is just not necessary. Technically flawless as one would expect out of Cziffra, but Chopin is about so much more than technical precision
snafu313 3 months ago
I like this music, and the fact that there are waves in the sheet makes this more special x3
TheMrBiermann 3 months ago
I prefer Pollini's rendition, has more heart and shows that music does have a soul! Cziffra played it "just" like an etude... technically flawless but unfortunately he forgot to tell anything more :-(
Keytaster 3 months ago
@tjtheplay this is an absurd conversation because Chopin wrote 24 studies which are technically difficult only because he was a keybord phenom, Not because he wanted to show his bravour. In fact the difficulty of these studies is the rendition, the elegance and the meaning of armony. Ravel and Prokofev wrote pieces that they couldn't even play...the aim is different I hope this comment is understandable as i'm not an english-speaking
Ultrazone91 3 months ago
I haven't played this but I don't think this is too difficult. I've looked at it and contrary to popular belief, it's not that hard. It's like one of those things that looks killer unless you actually try it.
tjtheplay 3 months ago
@tjtheplay Yeah, and that comes from someone who hasn't even tried it. As someone who has, I can confidently say that it is a lot harder than it looks, at least for me personally. Now, of course I'll admit my techniques are at such a low level it's embarassing, but I wouldn't say this piece is not difficult, unless you're comparing it with scarbo and mazeppa and islamey etc.
YSFmemories 3 months ago
@YSFmemories "Yeah, and that comes from someone who hasn't even tried it"
When did I say that I haven't tried it? I haven't played it, but that doesn't mean that I haven't tried it.
But I guess I should have compared it to ALL music. Because compared to ALL music, this isn't hard. Considering you have Rachmaninoff Sonata's, Prokofievs concertos, and liszt stuff.
tjtheplay 3 months ago
@tjtheplay Yes, and you know what? There are also pieces like canon in D, Bach's minuet, fur elise, marriage d'amour, etc etc etc... and that's not even mentioning the hundreds of little "pieces" contained in hanon and other study books... IF you're comparing this piece with ALL piano music, it is DEFINITELY in the upper echelon, as one of the most difficult pieces.
YSFmemories 3 months ago
@YSFmemories I would still say that it's closer to the middle ground.
tjtheplay 3 months ago
Allegro con molto fuoco means what it is, and Cziffra surely triumphed accomplish as Chopin intended to be played with utmost precision and expression.
GeorgeOfZala 3 months ago
Omg! Look at that score! Omg! Only a genius can play this...
December10th2010 3 months ago
Tbh this piece is more of a technical piece than a beautiful piece... Don't get me wrong, it's still beautiful, but it's not emphasized as much as the technicality.
rulezz264 3 months ago
@rulezz264 I don't think it was really meant to be beautiful...it is an etude, after all, and Chopin unleashes his beautifulness in his ballades and, well...Op.10 No.3 etude (what a contradictory comment :/)
tomekkobialka 3 months ago 13
@tomekkobialka I still count most "etudes" in my favorite pieces for piano. I wouldn't say they weren't meant to be beautiful, but I might be biased, being such a fan of Chopin. Even more when so well played in the video, by Cziffra.
dmgisi 2 months ago
@tomekkobialka im sorry but i find this piece extraordinarily beautiful.... it's nothing like so delicate and sensitive a piece as 10.3, but it has a powerful beauty all of its own in a completely different way
Aerovistae 2 months ago
@rulezz264This etude is very beautifully.
ramalamalin 3 months ago
@rulezz264 Well you think quite differently than I do. I think this piece is beyond beautiful, as the saying goes, "Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder".
chaniejbernard 3 months ago
@chaniejbernard There is beauty because of the technicallity, virtuosity and speed, play this song slow it isn't as beautiful, is it?
Then there is real beauty, for an example Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, 1st movement.
rulezz264 3 months ago
@rulezz264 Again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I find pieces with lots of dissonance very beautiful even when slowed down, they often show the frustration of life or the composer, granted this is piece up to speed is still a beautiful piece. I am a huge fan of Beethoven as well but his music has nothing on the music of Chopin, atleast in my eye. All I am trying to get at is that you are being quite closed minded toward Chopin's music.
chaniejbernard 3 months ago
Comment removed
darkkerrigan 2 months ago
@rulezz264 it's an etude, so yes it was written mainly as a study for practice :) nonetheless beautiful, indeed.
YouVRay 2 months ago
impossibru
shrt64 3 months ago
I tried to empress a girl i had met with this compositon. She was very, very shocked i could even play the piano since i never let on that i have been studing for 20yrs. But she thought it was just noisy. Lol. That was 11 yrs ago. We reconnected on FB. She asked if i could still play Chopins Ocean. "Yes, but not for you".
itsjustnopinionok 3 months ago 5
pretty cool how it looks and sounds like the ocean
ziasun11 3 months ago
Wow, I love hearing this.
gmnotyet 3 months ago
I'm not so keen on the bass interpolations, though!
gerardbedecarter 4 months ago
question. Is that harder to learn than the fantaisie impromptu? So I mean, just to played technically good. I've been playing piano for 9 years and I can play fantaisie impromptu and the black keys. So all i wanna know is if that takes a lot of time to practice coz then im gonna start with that :)
CMemorium 4 months ago
Hehe when he hits his special low notes it sounds more like a tsunami.
addeex1 4 months ago 2
chopin = impossible
ijustwantalife 4 months ago 23
@ijustwantalife It's so beautiful, though.
LinuxFingers 4 months ago
@ijustwantalife Chopin = Korean playing starcraft! OwO
edgardkeats 3 months ago
@ijustwantalife Have you heard of Gaspard de la Nuit?
Makes this look like Childs play.
tjtheplay 2 months ago
This has to be a killer for both hands.
BlackCloud21509 4 months ago
1:23 BAM!
Bochum96 4 months ago
I love how people make stupid comments about pieces like this when they can barely even play the piano ! I say shut up and just listen, cause this is a master piece !
Troytatnell 5 months ago
OMFG!
MusicForTheHeart123 5 months ago
I love this song so much
chrissyluvspeace 5 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
It's very fast but the even so the melody behind the climb is crystal claer
chrissyluvspeace 5 months ago
It's very fast but the even so the melody behind the climb is crystal claer bravo
chrissyluvspeace 5 months ago
I differ with chopin on the fourth measure. He should have put another emfasis in half way through the measure
chrissyluvspeace 5 months ago
I am so in love with the classical music.
iif5 5 months ago 5
Estudo de Chopin maravilhoso !!!!!!!!!!
NMPLage 5 months ago
One of Chopin's best, sheer perfection, unpredictable and under persepted, although i dont remember it ever being called the Ocean until know?
chrissyluvspeace 5 months ago