Gulda plays the legendary Emperor directed by George Szell, excerpt of 1.mvmt.

[oitotheworld23]

thank goodness gulda is on his rear end playing and not trying to conduct at the same time.

i love his playing by the way.

[pfirnett]

I agree with theBike45 the Szell/Fleisher combo is the standard. Every time I listen to it it brings me to tears!

[CYTL1960]

It has been 45 years. Wondering if the whole performance can be posted?

[newFranzFerencLiszt]

@CYTL1960 just SEARCH, man. It's already here, since february

[theBike45]

Szell recorded this piece with Leon Fleisher (and I believe the entire cycle)

and I consider that performance heads and shoulders above any rendition I've ever heard,

including this one. I believe that it's still available on CD.

[rwocmo]

Absolutely masterful conducting. It's interesting to watch Szell conduct the "recitative" passages for solo piano at the beginning. As he was such a control freak, it's surprising that he didn't conduct the cadenza!

[helerota]

GULDA WAS AND IS GREAT,TOTALLY ALIVE,WONDERFUL!

[chicagoman58]

Szell was the greatest conductor, and conducted the greatest orchestra ever, the Cleveland.

[xcomposerpianistx]

Gulda is a fantastic pianist, one of the best of all times. Great technical skill and musical mind. Wonderful in live performances.

[uhartchristian]

gulda was a great musician but in later years his lack of technique did go so far that he left the classical repertory.

He just wasn t any more able to produce a good sound.

He also did distroy his career with the famous television recording of Mozart sonatas, which was a big scandal at that time. the first naked pianist on stage.... he wasn t invited for a long time to play after that....

[Bloodclaatkrabbz]

@uhartchristian: someone should put that naked footage on youtube :D

[glezzery]

Stunning! Gulda played with such dynamics and touch.

And SZELL!

I still believe he was the greatest conductor ever.

[chicagoman58]

@glezzery

[chicagoman58]

yes, and he directed the greatest orchestra ever, the Cleveland!

[jepcorp]

@glezzery Szell is tops on my list for conductors too---he is precise and perfect, very Karajan-like. His cycle of Beethoven's Symphonies, recorded on Sony Classical, are IMO, the best ever---musically perfect.

[UlfenDaddy]

@glezzery Dr Szell and "his" Clevelanders were a national treasure. There are still dozens of top-flight players in the US (and throughout the world,) who were formed under his leadership. "Greatest ever" is surely an opinion: but that he ranks among the top 10 names anyone can list isn't disputed. I heard him live only once (with Isaac Stern,) and he was not in his best form; I was privileged to have studied with men who learned under him.

[47viviane]

pleeaaaaase pretty please DO give us the beginning and the remainig movements!!!

This is breathtakingly beautiful and for me excactly how it's supposed to be played, so powerful. At first you think it's about tempo with Szell but it isn't - it's his energy - work is love made visable as the saying goes ...

[Metalloys]

can you please upload the remaining movements ... pleeez

[etucker82]

Just stunning. Please, give us the rest!

[enantiodrom]

Szell was really a genius, he knew Beethoven deeply and here he follows goulda perfectly

[billyguns2]

WOW!

[berlinzerberus]

0:45 [dramatizing the thrill] till 0:56 [dramatizing the scale]

really great moments of gulda´s tremendous skills playing the piano.

[berlinzerberus]

friedrich gulda´s greatest time,no doubt,great pianoplay although he keeps his body statically but nonetheless his motions on the piano are never stiff.

with amazing power and technique he has a true sense for the dramatic aspects of the emperor and beethoven generally.

what a pity that he change to an "enfant terrible"of all pianists in more adavanced and mature years.

[alterierter]

I don´t understand why it is a pity ?

IT IS SO GREAT WHAT HE DID!

[berlinzerberus]

...no,not during his late years.heused to perform all these horrible happenings on stage and therefore it is no wonder that the decadence of his personality accorded with those of his pianoplaying.

you should listen to the emperor of this period here on youtube,conducting the orchestra of ndr hamburg by himself.nothing remained,he had surely developed himself to a ridiculous clown.

[taviona]

Not at all.

[etucker82]

The performance was not with NDR, it was with the Munich Philharmonic. And it is a wonderful performance, whatever one thinks of his stage mannerisms.

[47viviane]

you're absolutely right and re: the -lack of - body movements he doesn't waste his energy on swaying and these absurd gestures that for me make it unsufferable to watch Brendel who looks like the Marx Brothers' impersonating a pianist - ridiculous

and I agree about the later years although it's very polite of you to call these "mature" ha-bloody-ha more regressing into adolescence with all this "enfant (sic!) terrible" stuff as you put it..............

[danceofthegoblins]

There are no words for Gulda's Beethoven.

Bravvisimo to the nth!

[vova47]

Gulda is phenomenal- but we already knew that. Funny seeing him in a formal attire. Thanks!