Rafal Blechacz - Etude op. 10 no. 8

[fredericfranc]

...what do you think of his hand-balance conntrol? Is this not too secco, too dry? Does he not sacrifice too much of the musical possibilities, the "singing" posssibilities of the piece, for this mere repeated pianistic pow-pow in your face? So staccato, so callous? so show-offy and cynical? But the pianist in me liked it anyway. Like we like to say around here, the pianism is always a damn distraction from the music..

[Forteklapek]

just perfect articulation

[doris122]

Niesamowite !!! 

[RyderVidz]

Tu Polacy, przejmujemy ten film. Blechacz mistrzem świata. Koniec, kropka :)

[moniusia23]

I love Rafał Blechacz !!!! <3

[freeqwerqwer]

Played like a robot on speed

[lagunagreg]

@juiceforjoe- there's room for all tastes here. it's a big planet! Myself, I'm not that fond of H's playing most of the time.

[lagunagreg]

@juiceforjoe- so you like it slower and, to be honest, a little stiffer?

[lagunagreg]

@juiceforjoe - I don't know how else you'd play it

[Lilyanne29]

Słuchając pana Blechacza stwierdzam 2 rzeczy 1)Urwał się z naprawdę dziwnej planety 2) Jezu jak ja bym tak chciała grać. Kciuki do góry xD

[Celia555mariposa]

he plays good

[Tomidlo1971]

@Celia555mariposa LOL, yea good

[MrPneunomia]

if he looks like chopin, he must also sound like him...

[eungirs]

this is great...

[joosh1125]

gay gay gay gay oops wrong video

[geuros]

He's great!!! True Polish hero!! I love Chopin etudes played by Perahia, Backhaus and Blechacz. Do you know, if K. Zimmermann recorded some etudes?

[huguespl]

kiedyś będę lepszy...;)

[billyguns2]

This is technically brilliant playing, with some nice musical ideas along the way; I think it could be less percussive and "down" in feeling, more playful and leggiero.

[dancingwithoutwords]

Still a little louder the left hand melodies would be amazing, thank you for posting, I love this guy , full of textures and colors .. that's difficult !

[BachScholar]

How does he play without moving?

[Marcelo721]

@BachScholar Soon I'll upload the video in good quality of this study and I will be adding more gradually. Look for it with the same title, but will be without a hyphen. A greeting ...

[Stebanick]

@BachScholar

because he is very fast, and you dont see his movs x)

[trschaefer]

Wonderful playing!!

[anonymousQ45]

i like the way the chords are phrased at 0:11

[pedercic99]

very fast and efficient

[nousernamewhatsoever]

how can you not burst out clapping after that...

[MrIgorzaumm]

too fast i think! It is hard to someone that do not understand too much of scholar music assimilate this interpretation (not my case) , so i think that the horowitz and arrau interpretations are more satisfatory from this point of view.

[puhijun]

@MrIgorzaumm But I thought this is an etude? I rather think Horowitz kinda play too slow. I'm pretty sure Richter would think so as well :)

[ilikehaku1100]

@MrIgorzaumm The point of the etude is to play loud notes at high speed.

[LxR2112]

@ilikehaku1100 u don't play etude loudly with high speed only...

U play etudes flowingly, effortlessly, and as beautiful as possible with required tempo

[ilikehaku1100]

@LxR2112 This particular etude calls for such measures

[LxR2112]

@ilikehaku1100 yeah not loudly, but beautifully right?

[ilikehaku1100]

@LxR2112 If you have ever played this etude, you would know that the fast forte notes is the hardest part.

[LxR2112]

@ilikehaku1100 I'm playing this etude, that's why i'm watching this video as my inspiration...

[712Stephen]

@ilikehaku1100 Actually, this etude was written to practice legato runs, phrasing and bringing out the melody.

[Gregory98]

wow!

[Grigor99]

This is one of the best of this etude.

[iplongnin]

I never heard this vigor from others

[nocturne163]

amazing !!

[anabenedicto]

Great!. 

[Darrning]

Non male.

[MrMrMikayel]

Bravo!!!

[alchavezb]

Amazing...

[Timmytimtimtm]

there's also some revolutionary at 0:38

[OriginalBasaliskos]

I just wish his left hand were a bit louder, like the way Biret plays it, but keep it this tempo. This tempo is wonderful.

[Eels12]

I have listened to a lot (not all) of the great artists and nothing comes close to making me feel enthralled the way i did when i heard this. this is absolutely the best i have heard and my favorite interpretation. bravo

[MrChuchiii]

wow I love how he play Op. 53 but in respect of this song Valentina Lisitsa is better , any song that Valentina Lisitsa plays is better than any one i love her !!!!!

[Ravel87]

Unique, indeed.

[orlando2130]

Very high level performance.... I prefer it more calm. It's not so dramatic peace like he intend to do in some places. Left hand is rushing sometimes. Maybe it gives that unnecessary emotion. . . Anyway, very very good playing.

[LawrenceSLNg]

I heard that he won a chopin international competition. Great performence!!!!

[SepiaLatimanus]

Blechacz is obviously big-time.

[lovesGenet]

Blechacz is def interesting.His own ideas on Chopin style .Not big contrastsor self -imposed but marvelous ideas of a Pogo more for the big line and directness with a fine no smudges technique.Brill fingerwork and characterization here.This is one of best interps of #8 I know

[sweetnessglyc]

Beautiful.... *breathless*

[cedricrlongreen]

oo I played this one. It's fun. Chopin is brilliant. The ending was annoyingly difficult though but still brilliant lol

[noirvalentin]

Chopin has reincarnated in the person of Rafal Blechacz. Even physically he looks like him!

[Shyshak99]

Polish blood ;)

[Hiroshima49]

Great performance of this Chopin Etude; superb technique and convincing intepretation...

[wesmusic72]

He is better than Lang Lang, Li Yundi and Yvgeny Sudbin in the interpretation of Chopin. Have a great music career ahead! Looking forward to Rafal making landmark recordings in Chopin, Beethoven, Liszt.

[Topiety]

Look for Mr. Blechacz to make all of the benchmark recordings of Chopin in coming years! Absolutely world-class performance!

[enzogrella1]

great musician.....thanks

[3tristan]

Rafal Blechacz is a great man!

[mdoub]

superb pianist

[AlmaSchiwago]

amazing technique!!! how does he always do it?!!

[pierolivier111]

what level is this piece?

[pookiehohn]

God.

[pierolivier111]

No i think it's like 14 but I'm not sure.

[pookiehohn]

On what scale?

[ihrtmusic12334]

if you are actually asking that, then it is too hard for you.

[pierolivier111]

if you're actually thinking that, then you're a retarded megalomaniac

[demosj]

I'm afraid ihrtmusic12334's right.

[COCOONFABULA]

This is so clear, I can hear all the notes, sounds like he didin't use the pedal. I don't know many recordings of this piece but my favourite are Rafal's and Lisista's

[Aul1kki]

I like this one and lisitsa's version of this piece too, but I prefer the one by berezovsky played in tokyo recital, which is not in youtube anymore. It's little bit different than many others, but I like it.

[voolare]

Try also Horowitz' and Pogoerlich', theyr versions are also amazing!

[marieraikiru]

Pollini's is great too

[TheFilantrop7]

Absolutely AMAZING !!!!!

[borysjohn]

He's amazing...

[rokkusia]

Rafał jest najlepszy!

[Ewqa8]

Oczywiście! Bezspornie!!!

[concerto35]

This is the best rendition that I have ever heard - clear and unbelievably precise!!

[MELOVESTHETRUMPET]

there were some parts he rushed on, but i really shouldn't be saying this, cause i suck and he rocks.

[bsdkflh]

...get a kill pill or something...

[ryab55]

he looks like chopin almost.

[MELOVESTHETRUMPET]

he actually does.

[druglover200]

@ryab55 Right now i have a portrait off wikipedia of chopin and this video up so i can compare cuz i was thinking the samething. you believe in reincarnation? lol

[ClassicalOJazz]

GREAT

I posted an extensive comment for his interpretation of Polonaise op. 53.

In fact it was difficult to me to find a great young pianist with a superior interpretation skill.

Some great older pianists are

Michelangeli, Cziffra, Rubinstein, Gilels, Richter AND

Pollini, Gavrilov, Pogorelich

Listening to this etude I only confirm my opinion (that was based only on op. 53). The boy is very good. His interpretations reveal a music gift that very few pianists have.

[mdoub]

that's why he bested everyone in '05....

[moonstaff1234]

Yeah, after hearing Yeol Eum Son's Winter's Wind, I was like how did she lose? After hearing this I'm starting to understand.

[leopianotuner]

While he is clear, the pace of his arpeggio is a bit too choppy for my taste. I heard an amateur play this piece with such a f;uomg flow that it sounds so fitting amd matira; to this piece. Also, I think the ending wasn't bravura but slow.

[KennYWooD2]

hahahahaha

[Turanga1i1a]

Awesome! His articulation is so clear and confident!

[rickideemus]

Bravo!

[nearenough3]

Clear. It's amazing isn't it? Chopin composed these things when he was about 20 years old and nearly 200 years later we still compete with each other as to who can play them the best. Oh! to have some composers around today that can equal Chopin!

[ihrtmusic12334]

brilliant!

[shanliangchibang]

fast and clear

he must be a great pianist in the future,more excellent than pollini,zimerman,agrich,bunin,­and,yundi li.

[KearneyPiano]

argerich will never b beaten i think :P shes just legendary!

[lonycka]

He is the best!

[pian000]

wthax so fast

[Lyapazavecunhee]

C'est quand même difficile dans une étude de ce genre de faire dans l'original tout en restant dans le concret :)

[antoinezygfryd]

Oui,vous avez raison,mais peut-être s'agit-il justement de NE PAS rester dans le concret?!

Remarquez aussi qu'il n'y a aucun rubato,que le phrasé est uniforme et que le directeur artistique s'appelle Mr Métronome...

Pourquoi aussi enregistrer quelque chose qui a déjà été fait mille fois?

Ce qui m'effraie surtout est la banalité du toucher,-un technicien japonais fait mieux !Mais cela ne donne pas ENVIE d'écouter du Chopin.

[hedones]

Un "technicien japonais" fait certaiment mieux, ce qui n'est le cas ni des "techniciens" français, allemands ou guatemaltèques... La médiocrité franchouillarde de votre remarque illustre exemplairement le niveau d'analyse des internautes lorsqu'ils se piquent de quelque mélomanie dominicale. Cordiales et "techniciennes" salutations.

[Lyapazavecunhee]

Cette étude n'est quand même pas fait pour qu'il y ait trop de rubato, je pense... C'est difficile de placer du rubato là-dedans, et si on en met ça gâche un peu la carrure statique de l'œuvre. C'est sûr que ça ne vaut pas certains nocturnes, les concertos ou d'autres œuvres pour orchestre de Chopin, mais j'aime beaucoup cette étude et cette interprétation me convient. Je la travaille justement, et quand j'aurai atteint le niveau de Rafal Blechacz, je me permettrai de critiquer :)

[antoinezygfryd]

Jouer ainsi est à mon sens l'équivalent de faire du figuratif en peinture.

N'oubliez pas non plus que l'usage intensif du métronome est devenu un mot d'ordre à un moment où l'Europe dévastée avait besoin de sortir du chaos laissé par la Grande Guerre.

Enfin le rubato est ce que Liszt en a dit,et le pianiste ici fait exactement le contraire.

[GiovanniEMB]

Enfin, quelques remarques parsemée de préjugés raciaux, ça manquait presque sur youtube. Franchement je ne sais pas où vous avez vos oreilles, vous tous. Le tempo n'est pas très stable et il y a même des coquetteries de rubato dans la mélodie à la main gauche. En plus le pianiste respire de façon évidente à chaque phrase. Le toucher donne une couleur très fraïche et agréable. Quoi demander de plus?

[vrljikkerssfesst]

clarity of notes.... not overpedalled....

[julkadab]

absolutely amazing!

[concerto35]

One of the great performances of this particular Etude.

[Lyapazavecunhee]

It's really beautiful. It encourage me because I work on... =)

[NOSEhow2LIV]

Brilliant & very enjoyable. Seems note-perfect as well; i really can't detect the "mistake at 0.22". Only slite quibble: the thin, brittle tone quality. Recording probably to blame.

[zielarzopl]

where? i can't hear it... lol!

He's amazing...

[wrdpianist]

wooo delicious!!

[patricioapaez]

He's really good at chopin!

[tothemax91]

toooo fast.

[maxiczekos]

It's prefect:)

[tothemax91]

lol

[KearneyPiano]

i think its sad that your calling it too fast just because other recordings you have heard are slower and absolutely no other reason

its really funy

[machikna411]

I LOVE HIM

[Lyapazavecunhee]

It's one of my favourites etudes ! But I prefer when there are video =)

[jvsuus]

Then try milos mihajlovic op.10 no.8

I think that video is from Moscow

[parule]

But I prefer his op.10 No.8

[parule]

When there's no video it's much more breathtaking. Just listen to his sound and incredible technique! Isn't it really breathtaking?

[blargen456]

I agree; there was a video of this on YT 6 months ago, but it represents the magic of his playing/victory better when given only the recording.

[blargen456]

However, his Op. 10 no. 10 is a must-see on video. :)

[w3sp]

Do you happen have it?

[w3sp]

No video :(