Alfred Cortot plays Schumann Concerto (1/4)

[Bluetooth6483]

Cortot gave his last Copenhagen-recital in 1958. According to reviews, only his below-eyes dark shadows were left of his playing!! But this recording is amazing!

[sa324003960]

Just disgusting. Can't be worse. Cortot has completely lost tempo here.

Are you sane, those who admire this poor performance?

Pick you ears!

[CardsAsWeapons]

@sa324003960

What's wrong with it? Cortot is possibly the greatest pianists of all time.  I personally think he plays this incredible musically well. Who cares about the wrong notes and such?

[carloslcarreira]

I've heard this piano concerto yesterday and I fall in love, such a beatifull pice

[donthuis]

Did not know before that this existed. Sound quality is even better than many others! For me as Cortot fan of old, it is interesting to compare his interpretation with a recent one from George Li (pianoloverok). Will he, who is still so young, one day reach the same level of mastery? Dinu Lipatti once held the same promise.

[definitivunkreativ]

Favourite interpretation.. Besides Serkin's..

[lovesGenet]

Wow ! I dislike C. simply because so many others have pointed to what I never hear except in the Franck solos. BUT HERE IS A TRUE REVELATION . Why does no one else play this personally . R. S e r k i n is very different too ! But this way is the most imaginative I've heard . My fave new recording of the Schumann.

[bloodyIla]

This sounds so beautiful!

[franco58ful]

Grandissimo CORTOT...interpretazione unica, emozionante!

[metphmet]

Very personnal and poetic interpretation.

I don't mind the wrong notes.

Don't forget the conductor in your comments: Cortot is not playing alone.

[schtroumphette7]

It doesn't work, but you can search [vier Minuten] , it is the final of the movie.

[schtroumphette7]

You must see a german movie called "vier minuten" (2007 or 2008)an amazing version of this (but completely revisited...) Thankyou for this song! I will try to give you the link.

[ongalexander]

BEST!

[adem55555]

does anybody know where I can find Cortot recordings of Schumanns "Carnival" op. 9???

[Orgelproms]

There are several recordings on CD of this piece: - Naxos Historical 8.111537,

- Music & Arts CD-858 (2 CDs), - Great Pianists Nr. 20 (Philips-RCA-EMI) 456 751-2, - Performers in comparison (The Piano library PL 296).

Please let me know if you would find any others, I try to collect all Cortot recordings, I'm a great fan.

[swojnicz]

Let´s say: DDR composers for Eastern Germans. Spitzbegenian music for white bears.

[swojnicz]

100 could be to much for Schumann and 120 to few for Mahler. And one conductor who charges more then all together.

[truecrypt]

I'm happy for the safety of you hair... you're definitely not going to lose any...

Don't be "sad" for Toscanini, - your sorrow is baseless.

Thank you for the tip ("to keep reading") - I will definitely continue to do so. Reading helps writing too... Isn't it funny how people don't like to follow their own suggestions?

[truecrypt]

Dear Mozart99900;

Regarding your interest in "horizontal" and "vertical" manners, let me address you to Robert Lee Frost who said: "Dancing is a vertical expression of a horizontal desire."

[truecrypt]

Dear Mozart99900;

1. Listen Beethoven's 7th with Toscanini.

2. Don't use pseudo-scientific terminology - it makes your arguments even more ridiculous.

3. Talking about "charlatans" - the case is actually opposite to what you trying to imply.

4. I suspect normal people would rather see you as a perfect imbecile.

[truecrypt]

There is some logic re "Germans (or Russians, or French) suppose to feel their own music *better*". Still this "theory" works only to the certain point - Richter and Gieseking have played French music probably better than French pianists, Toscanini conducted Tchaikovsky and Beethoven as good as Russians or Germans, etc. Your question about "who is the Boss?" simply doesn't make much sense. Composer is a creator, but performers are co-creators, - both need each other.

[truecrypt]

To say the truth I don't understand your comment (probably you didn't understand mine either...). "German composers for Germans"?

No need to argue with such views...

[truecrypt]

Dear Mozart99900;

You're clearly crossing the line of the civilized dispute here. Not only your musical views are somewhat doubtful, but you make far stretching political, national and racial attacks. European pianists are not fascists, Asian pianists are not the beacons of musicianship for the whole world, Russian female-pianists still can play pretty darn good and prostitution has nothing to do with it. BTW Americans have great and unique performing traditions. Calm down and enjoy the music.

[billyguns2]

What on EARTH are you talking about? What planet are you from? You make no sense to me at all, and this is the end of my attempt to establish any type of intelligent discussion with you. I am a spiritual person with strong opinions, and I love Schumann's music more than you could ever possibly understand.

[xujia1001]

Hey mate, thank you for appreciating my smallest efforts. I am glad also that there are still people who know to distinguish real treasure from the past. There are many good Russian pianists, like Lugansky or Lisitsa, still young, but potentially musical giants in history. Ofc not all can be great figures, so don't be too harsh on them:-) From music and art in general, we need to learn tolerance. Hope you have a good day!

[xujia1001]

Oh, it's probably not necesary, but still I would like to mention my gratitute to Truecryt who has continously been sharing with us his impressive collection. Due to the fact I am not good at PC, I only upload something when there is really an important rendition missing but which I happen to have, like the Richter's Valle d'obermann or the Abegg Variation of Haskil. Will try better though:-)

[billyguns2]

I have no earthly idea what you're talking about! Schumann is one of the truly great composers and a favorite of mine; I find him the most passionate and roamntic of all, and I adore this Concerto. What on earth are you on? Alcohol? Drugs? Where in ANY of my commenst have I insulted the great Schumann or Cortot? Your comments to me make no sense at all; you don't even bother to answer my questions.

[billyguns2]

Have you read ANY of my comments here praising Cortot? You are basing your entiure, judgemental opinion of me on my reaction to this ONE recording. Cortot is one ofd thje truly great pianists, butr not here' that is my opinion, and I stock to it no matter what you oir anyone else may say.

[alexilmagnifico]

OH!!!!! Cortot...!!!!

SO BEAUTIFUL! SOOOOO poetic so...

reverieful(my word).!!!!

TY FOR POSTING>..!!! so much colour poetry .. liek a passionate painter who's improvising on his canvas creating a dreadful work! This is music!

[theblueknight99]

please help me: from 6,13 It seems morricone's theme from "once upon a time in america" movie. What do you think?

[alexongcs]

BEST Interpretation of Schumann Concerto!

[billyguns2]

Excuse me, where is the ALLEGRO AFFETUOSO? I can't abide this "performance," which has no basic understanding of the different muse inspirations of Schumann and completely disregards his tempo indications; very bizarre shifts in tempi, wrong notes, and strange pedal overhangs add up to something I never want to hear again. Cortot does have a nice tone, however.

[xujia1001]

You are just a retarded noob.

Cortot was considered and prouved to be the best Schumann player.

[billyguns2]

You reveal yourself to be a person of no intelligence, as all you can think t do is insult me. Instead of having an intelligent conversation, which opens the possibility of my seeing another point of view, you insult me. How old are you, anyway? Twelve?

[billyguns2]

P.S. Cortot may have very well been one of the best players of Schumann, but not in this recording. I am a trained musician, have ears, make my living as a professional musician, and have strong opinions; I don;t have to make my opinions based on what someone told me or what I read. YouTube invites us to leave our comments, and I see no need to insult others. Did you even bother to read what I said?

[xujia1001]

Take a look at all the comments left here, you are perhaps the only one who don't like this great performance. Yes Cortot didn't always follow scores, yes he had very special rubato, and he made quite a lot of wrong notes, especially at his late days. So what? He had taste, incomparable phrasing and timbre. All he played was surprisingly fresh and even with wrong notes, we know what he wanted to express.

[xujia1001]

P.S. It's "professional" people like you who ruin the music art today, turning it into something mecanical and standard. When I see comment like yours, it makes me bad mood. But, ok, I apologise for being verbally rough.

[billyguns2]

Thank yo for your apology, which I accept. However, you are basing your entire opinion of my musical taste on my one reaction to this one performance by Cortot. For your information, anyone who really knows me and my playing and conducting knows that I deplore the current state of the musical art with all the mechanical and square performances today. I also deplore blind hero worship and lack of critical thinking.

[billyguns2]

For your information, my favorite pianist is Moriz Rosenthal. He would probably fail a music exam at today's music schools because his interpretations would be considered strange; he was a pupil of Liszt, so his Chopin is probably closer to how Chopin played, filled with rubato and marvelous color shifts. I also especially love the playing of Moiseiwitsch, Friedman, Sofronitsky, Schnabel, Edwin Fischer, Richter, Michelangeli, and Pogorelich plus a few others who are hardly mechanical and square.

[billyguns2]

Do you know Dinu Lipatti's recording of the Schumann Concerto? He captures the mood beautifully, and plays all the notes. I also like the playing of William Kapell, Walter Gieseking, and the young Ashkenazy and Van Cliburn. Cortot left us some amazing recordings, including a memorable Schumann Kinderszenen, but this is not one of his best efforts. His tone is gorgeous, however, as I already stated.

[chusomen]

I agree with billyguns2. Too bizarre, too many wrong notes, too bizarre use of the pedal. I don't think Mr. Cortot would be proud of this interpretation. Cortot is a legend, but we should be able to distinguish between poetry and weak interpretation. Sorry, just my opinion. I'm a professional classical musician as well.

[labcdaire]

Alfred Cortot was known as producing many wrong notes in all of his performances, indeed. He never was a "technician". However he was rather known for his great sense of musicality. Not to say that at these times, people were not used to CDs/DVDs remastered/computerized perfection. Playing with wrong notes did not prevent him from being a famous pianist.

[TheVieuxchat]

Le culte de la technique pianistique nous donne une foule de

pianistes qui n'ont aucun intérêt. Cortot, malgré toutes ses erreurs , est toujours intéressant , poétique , captivant.

[labcdaire]

C'est exactement ce que je voulais dire. Cortot avait un message à transmettre, des émotions, et tout cela vaut bien plus qu'une perfection technique souvent illusoire.

[alexongcs]

EXCELLENT interpretation. This is more convincing ten million times than richter's!! I love this.

[Sinfoniette]

This is a very odd interpretation. Notice that this is pretty slow, and very different in the beginning.

[SarrasaniPianoCircus]

I usually don't like much this concerto. But played so, I'm about to change opinion.

[tHEnOOSEsWING]

An excellent interpretation.

[evolsieilrak]

This is one of my favorite concertos of all time. Cortot's playing here is, not surprisingly, immensely profound. Thanks for another great recording.

[axekat]

Very good post Thank you