Young Gilels plays Chopin Ballade in G Minor, Op. 23

[gkollias14]

There are a few great pianists these include: Bachaus, Richter, Rachmaninoff, Gilels, Cortot, Horowitz, Yudina, Rubinstein, Lipatti, Paderwsky, Moseiwitch, Schnabel, Kempff, Anda, Gulda, Cziffra, Gieseking, Fischer, Friedman, Ginzburg, Gould, Hess, Haskil, Hoffman, Kapell, Ogdon, Serkin, Sofronitsky, Solomon, Arrau, Katchen, Francois, Godowsky, Michelangeli, Cliburn, Buosoni, Liszt and a few more that do not come to mind.

[forgottenbooks]

Definitely one of the best recordings of this piece ever.

[agliso]

Gilels isone of the greatest pianists.This is a marvellous interpretation.

[ANTiRussia1]

yes, gilels is a weak performer, he plays this ballade as etud , in some parts unreasonably too fast

[truecrypt]

@ANTiRussia1

I think people will enjoy your comment for years to come! ;)

[Bret6464]

For those who love Gilels, there is another version of this Chopin Ballade on YT, a live performance recorded much later, that is surreal and has extraordinary artistry and immense beauty (on the channel of Ewahartwig) :-))

[LordCalvinHastings]

Love the A Major section and the coda. :)

[movoning]

he really did let go and gave it all he got....the end result matters less than the earnestness he put into it. I can see Chopin in him...

[sgivas]

Geezzzz......everyone's a big shot critic. Oh Well....those who cant do....are critics. BTW in my humble opinion, NO ONE has ever played this piece like Chopin intended it to be played its just that difficult to capture the spirit of this composition.....Horowitz has a spectaculraly showy version...interesting---- but not Mse. Chopin's at all. Michelangeli does a nice job...and, of course, theres me :)

[slsherwoodwells]

No one of our era compares to Gilles' performance as being exactly what was Chopins' intention interpretively or technically on this instrument(with the exception of Kissin live-which is totally transcending the " impossible"-reincarnate). Askenazy, Abby Simon

[ultracoolhomies]

From 5:13 to 5:33, he is simply unmatched.

[Elsenrail29]

@ultracoolhomies yes unmatched by SPEED. But not in terms of beauty imo.

[fledgehog]

@ultracoolhomies yes....the scale down into the reprise of the Eb section is played brilliantly

[GIVASWVHS]

Great pianist, Gilels....but, I am sorry, Horowitz OWNS this piece. (and I am not a ardent fan of Horowitz.....too flashy). But...Horowitz brought out effects that would have made Chopin happy indeed. No such epiphanies here, however.

[Elsenrail29]

@GIVASWVHS I strongly recommend you to hear Perahia's and Arrau's versions. I am sure you will reconsider your opinion. regards.

[dallaspianophile]

I agree with bababablacksheep. Very beautiful, nonquirky, honest and transparent reading by a great musician. I really enjoyed it.

[babablacksheep288]

As the late Madame Adele Marcus from the Juilliard School says to her students, when it's a great piece of music, don't do anything for effects, don't get in the way of the music, let it unfold. This exactly what Gilels have done. Listen carefully, you will hear subtle phrasing, color changes, no crazy tempo changes, and the beautiful sound that Gilels gets out of the piano. Note picking is not being a great artist, With great sensitivity, Gilels communicates what the piece has to say..

[lovesGenet]

after hearing his boisterous Schumanntoccata .I expected an unthinking stlistically bad Chopin from da early Gilels.what I found was gorgeous colour with every TELLING note.He has ideas about how this music unfolds.BORING?Listen! to the subtle narrative develop .Sensitive in timing phrasings and rythms.

I was really surprised.He sounds so diferent from anyone.Wow.every measure a sensible musical shading.this is fantastic playing.I love Hofmannof course but this is wonderful!

[Elicgt]

maybe not perfect, but so unique and beautiful.

and that's how music should be...

[MaGiLo90]

Yo pienso que es una pieza muy apelante e interesante. Me gusta mucho.

[filao83]

C'est Magnifique...

Jamais entendu une aussi belle interprétation.

[Schibol]

if you listen to Horowitz, Hofmann and Cortot very often this recording might seem to be boring. But I think its only the big contrast between the Character of Gilels and the other three (who I adore in the same manner). Gilels is not searching for something extraordinary, he just play with power but very flowing, not showing hidden voices, emphasizing bass lines etc. Maybe its this lack of surprising elements......but his playing is great!!!

[FlashyCat2008]

@Schibol

I found the other three boring compared to Gilels. The more I listen to this the more I like it and the more it reminds me of Rubenstein. You know, no nonsense no messing around.

[puchalaka]

A little bit of 1 half step higher, mabe its the recorders fault.

[michael1608]

I agree. It makes for a most uncomfortable listen. Most odd that one of the greatest pianists of the 20th Century could have produced such an unappealing recording. Luckily he has others that are truly genius.

[Butters109]

It sounds like this piano is tuned a step higher than most pianos or something... strange.

[sll10]

A magical interpretation! Bravo Gilels!

[chopinopus28]

the total pianist. truecrypt,i saw your comment about geniuses. don't you think 2 names are missing? 1,gilels-2 lipatti.just wondering.

[truecrypt]

Very difficult call! ;)

If we limit the amount of piano geniuses by 5-10, Gilels and Lipatti will probably not be there...

But it's really stupid on my part to "categorize" pianists. They are so unique... Thank God we don't have to rate them!

[dolnick]

to chopinopus28: 3. Horowitz.

[FlashyCat2008]

truecrypt,

"....Gilels and Lipatti will probably not be there..."

This has to be the most outrageous comment I had read on YT regarding pianists. I agree that I am not that familiar with Gilels's work, but Lipatti? I would expect a better rating from you for a guy whose every recording is considered a benchmark. I am stunned. If you limited the amount of piano geniuses to one, Lipatti would be it.

Okay, so this is my opinion but not even in the top 5 or 10? Who are your picks?

[truecrypt]

Dear FlashyCat,

Please re-read what I said about how stupid the whole idea of "rating" is...

I understand your feelings though...;)

I'm sure if your good self would try to create a list of top 5 pianists, many people would be very disappointed too!

[Bret6464]

@truecrypt Yes rating the greats is difficult and perhaps exists only for the "rater" :-)

Having said that, Gilels is the true disciple of Rachmaninoff and Rach himself acknowledged Emil as just that. Who are we to contradict Rach? I certainly agree with him :-))

[miliona1re]

one of the best performance ever of this ballade if not the best

[janvkimm]

Gilels was one of the greatest ever.

Do you know his Schumann,Etudes symphoniques ?

He was the onely one who reaches Cortot's interpretation.

Greetings,Jan.

[Grigor99]

My God! How does he do it? What sound and phrasing!

[armpiano]

This is a GREAT pianist. He has a great sense of style! He adopts his sound and his game to the style that he's playing. It's even no use to talk about his fantastic sound!!

[helloimapianist]

So, i see he has always had a beautiful sound!

[alexongcs]

So Sweet! ;)

[amyparking]

don't let this deranged troll's diarrhea spoil your enjoyment...

for sure this has little of the depth and originality of the mature Gilels (agree re somewhat schematic phrasing), but still a fascinating historical relique. amazing how the famous iridescence of his sound arrives gloriously intact through whatever reduced sound quality it is subjected to

[Haeronthegreat]

Smith, surely your need for attention to absolutely every single phrase as entirely individual ruins the idea of structure in a piece. If phrases are differentiated based on structure, then you have a connoisseur's interpretation. Trying to be utterly expressive in every bar is childish.

[trms83br]

i totally agree with you! i think it was horowitz who said once that you must be expressive, but not ALWAYS TOO MUCH expressive, otherwise instead of grandeur you get just trivial effects... it was somethink like that.

[trms83br]

this comment was for "haeronthegreat"

[trms83br]

this is really a very clear interpretation! i think sometimes it rushes a bit, but overall it's of an extreme quality! especially the last part (Presto con fuoco). Only those who already studied this piece can understand how hard it is to play that part so fluently. I guess it is very close to what Chopin would wish... if we take his dislike of excessive rubati and banging.

[istreba]

c'est comme cela qu'on devrait voir l'oeuvre de chopin pas comme aujourd'hui plain de rubato non justifiée trop excessif avec des millions de ralenti tout cela sous pretext que c'est chopin donc romantique et donc en rajouté des tonnes .Merveilleuse interpretation

[abbjorko]

one of the best version i ever heard in my life

[smithsherman]

Beautiful expressive feeling with boring predictable phrasing.Oh that's right,I forgot that Modern Performance rulesd out Chopin's Accelerandi and varied beat placement.Oh Well!

[chad410]

I can t stop listening to the sound he makes

[lourak]

What an impassioned ending to a remarkable performance. Such youthful exuberance! Bravo Gilels.

[smithsherman]

If you like it,that means that the performer's soul must be tied on a leash and hidden,with only the hands allowed to "Realize" facts and disallow "Ghosts".

[suzettegm]

Gilels rules!

[smithsherman]

Gilels rules ...boredom.

[arwena55]

yes, it is very boring and tiring

[smithsherman]

This is what Objective Revisionism in general in Post World War 1 did to Instrumentalists.

It diminished the expressive capacity of very talented people.(Ostensibly for Good),but in the end Dehumanized us.Hello Modernity!

[pianopera]

Explain "this".

[pianopera]

This is what freakish Subjective Charlatanism in general does to instrumentalists.

It diminishes the capacity to recognize very talented people.

Ostensibly funny, but in the end it only Irritates us. Hello Uploader, know your duty!

[chad410]

come to the conclusion he doesn t like music or listen but on some strange mission. generalising is bad . many good players of today have passed down from great teachers the only thing that really has changed is the way we live today and the way we are spoiled by instant choices of loads of cds.Packaged for one aim only.if no like switch off and let others enjoy this wondeful site. cheers.

[smithsherman]

This Performance Practice Aesthetic as a whole.

[smithsherman]

It's easy to see that he is developing after the transition to revisionism has occured,because while he has decent expressive focus,the phrases are flattened

& equalized so that all unfolds predictably.

[pianopera]

How are phrases "flattened & equalized"?

[chad410]

this generalising is annoying. he has such a bel canto quality here i have no idea what Smith is on about. really

[LVB1770]

chad410, I totally agree with you, just annoying! I have no idea either.

[allegrissimo]

Smith suffers from Objective Revisionist tunnelvision...it's a disease that makes you see only 2 colours.

[allegrissimo]

Smith only has one mantra and he applies it to anything he hears. He classifies all musicians in 2 categories: anti-expressives and good musicians. Anything he doesn't like is anti-expressive and categorized as the Objective Revisionism Movement. Once you've read one comment of his, you've read them all.

[smithsherman]

By articulatively weighting equally the attack & sustain of each.

[lourak]

Excellent challenge! Keep asking him simple questions like this. You will prevail.