Alfred Cortot plays Chopin "Barcarolle" Op.60

[NemoProkofiev551]

Lordy... his trills are absolutely extraordinary and his dynamics...

Cortot, hats off to you, big guy!

[donthuis]

After recently aquiring an old acoustical recording of the Barcarolle bij Rubinstein (1928), I was surprised that in that time his interpretation was way below this one from Cortot. Grandiose and very emotional it is and indeed the sound quality is quite OK. I often postprocess old recordings like these myself with a little reverb ("middlesized room"). PS The Chopin Berceuse by Rubinstein I posted recently is fine.and emotionally much closer to Cortot than his Barcarolle.

[PaloAltoSea]

Truecrypt, Thank you for uploading this magnificent performance. This sound is much better than other Cortot's record. Do you know when and on which label this was recorded? Unfortunately, due to their limited recording technology, many of those by Cortot sound very poor, despite his great performance. I just wonder how you can get this good sound.

[truecrypt]

@PaloAltoSea

May be YT compression technology makes it sound better? I noticed that YT adds some reverberation... Usually it's not so great but in this case we've got a winner! ;)

[bookguy12000]

Truecrypt. I love you. Nohomo.

[animumaurarium]

Drug effect...

Completely positively :)

[genchan205]

やっぱりコルトーの演奏はいつ聴いても素晴らしすぎる

[fxv26]

what a fantastic piece

Love it

[jecian1978]

Commenting on a great pianists interpretation is so uprecise. How could you compare Rubinstein, Horowitz o Cortot? All of their interpretations are sublime. It's like making love to the most exquiste women born at my time. How can you discriminate one or the other if they are all sublime?All one can do is savor each and everyone of them. They all have their charms and specialities and yet they all interpret the same exquisiteness. They all make you "climax' with thier exquisiteness.

[ntrimm]

@jecian1978 Can't argue with the reality of your thought. Maybe we need the slap in the face with your kind of wet noodle assessment to get your point across. Your grade: A+ for X rated originality. Oh Yeah.

[mikejr41387]

@jecian1978 LOL i love your comparison.

[ongalexander]

WOW! Эта хорошо!

[Jamesgs007]

Great performance, thanks a lot for posting this video.

[truecrypt]

Dear redrothko,

I'm torn between natural desire to delete certain comments and leaving them "untouched". Upon consideration I decided NOT to delete them... Here are the reasons:

1. I don't want to be seen as a tiranic and anti-free-speech person.

2. Those moronic comments don't demean performer's greatness. They rather demonstrate intellectual and musical impotency of those "commentators".

3. Be pro-active: mark such "comments" as spam or thumb them down.

[pianopera]

I just learned that you can still read those comments that are thumbed down to minus 6 or less...by clicking on the "reply" option.

Btw, thanks for not deleting these completely useless and idiotic discussions, there are most amusing to read! ;-)

(But of course, you shouldn't combine it with listening to the great Cortot)

[Noshirm]

Agreed! ):-0) Who could imagine that this sort of trash could find its way into such a forum! By the way, what an incredible performance by Cortot of the Barcarolle! When was this recording made?

[goroundit123]

just simply beautiful...although his technique was criticised by Rubenstein and probably others...he was Magic

[mikejackson4ever]

So, I take it from all of these comments by Asian and western pianists (I assume that's what you guys are [forgive me, if I presume without studying the comments exhaustively]) that the single most devastating compliment a classical pianist can be paid is that they performed a song "adequately"... ? You see, these are the sort of problems you WANT to have. Myself, as an amateur piano player (I'd never use the word "pianist"), I could only dream to play "adequately".

[zamyrabyrd]

I happen to like this performance and most other Chopin's music played by Cortot. The improvisatory quality is the most endearing (apropos of the composer himself), the lightness of the phrasing, the slightly off balance of the same that give the impression of rocking in a boat and last but not least, the finely gradated dynamic levels.

[pastafantastica]

Je suis heureux!

[Paulo78180]

Simplement la meilleure Barcarolle, avec Lipatti, Zimmerman et Rubinstein !

[soami2u]

Simply gorgeous!!!

[callenishss]

wow theres always something deep about his music

[billyguns2]

This boat is moving swiftly across the water. I prefer Lipatti, Rubinstein in 1957, Moiseiwitsch, and Horowitz's RCA recording.

[PhillipLWilcher]

Wonderful!

[antoinezygfryd]

J'aime à la folie,à côté de Sofronitski.

Fabuleuses audaces dans le phrasé!

Beauté transcendante des timbres...

[wagnertasos]

my favourite chopin piece..and cortot...the absolutely magical sound..amazing performance..

[go9zu]

I love this "Barcarolle-contest" of youtube.Sofrinitsky,Cortot,Arg­erich,Zimerman etc. Thanks for posting this video(audio) of Cortot.

[ffurgy]

What a joy to hear his work...

[SarrasaniPianoCircus]

Great playing! We must ever remember of him and of Samson Francois when we speak about Chopin interpreters.

[libetta]

beautiful pleyel sound

[K189T]

We love you Alfred!

[Spaffyhull]

Ravishing performance - I only wish the sound could be up to modern standards.

Still, one can tell that Cortot is a Chopin stylist and interpreter 'par excellence' !

[Serjei]

The first minute of Cortot's playing is enough to catapult the listener into an aura of magics and miracles of sound. What a fortune that there are audio documents of such immortal performances.

[ilovescarlatti]

@Serjei

i agree. i love Cortot

[bassodivo]

truecrypt thanx for such a great post.

[ilovescarlatti]

My God what a pianist he was !!!! thnak you for posting ...I love Cortot... please hear its Chopin esutdes and preludes .....

[flugelmaniac]

This is I think one of the most correct

interpretations of this piece. Cortot captures

the 'Italianate' style in his phrasing, something which is often not heard at all.

Really nice!

[optimusito]

Can you explain me pls about the facts to notice in thouse kinds of phrasing? i mean how to difference styles of phrasing? i am not an expert, just an amateur and would thank you a lot if you help me to understand it.

[flugelmaniac]

This style of phrasing is when the pianist plays the theme( melody) in the style of

Italinian music( particularly Italian opera

but also other traditional music)

[musiclover83]

Bravo!

[billyguns2]

Please also listen to Sofronitsky, Lipatti, Artur Rubinstein's 1957 recording, and Benno Moisiewitsch (all of these need to be posted on YouTube); all are different, and all valid. I find Cortot's amazing performance to be the most playful. Truly a great pianist and creative musician!

[donthuis]

Another testimony of his firm belief that evoking a perfect atmosphere stands way above any technical consideration. Something lost nowadays: too many prefer a more mechanical, faultfree rendering to real "interpretations". Interpretation is just as the word signifies: it stands for interpreting the composers intentions more than copying the notes on paper. How long do we have to wait for somebody like him to appear to the stage....?

[nico22059]

there´ll never be pianists like him. Seems that everyone prefers to listen to methronomial interpretations, with flawless technique and no feelings. That´s why there are so many asian pianists on the stage. There are some great asian pianists, like this little girl, Rachel...but the most of them are like casio calculators...they just play notes.

PEACE!

[kasyapa]

i agree with you about aesthetics, but you should get rid of the racist tinge in you.

[nico22059]

Well...it´s not something racist...I just say, and most pianists think like me, that asian pianists sound the same...there are some exceptions. One of them is Dang Mai Song (or whatever his name is) that plays really well...and here in youtube there´s a girl called Rachel that is trully a miracle...

Other than that, I don´t know more. There are lots of asian international stars (lang lang, Yundi Li, for example), that I can´t stand: the lack of deepness in their interpretations.

[snaaptaker]

Nico,

Check out Aimi Kobayashi, a 12-year old Japanese girl. She is "truly a miracle". Look under her name, or under Klingsor93, who has posted a ton of her videos, as have others.

She plays like a fully adult concert artist, as good as the very best. Her Chopin 1st Impromptu is at least as good,IMO, as Cortot's, if not better.

[nico22059]

I wouldn't dare to compare Cortot with Kobayashi...but indeed she's one of the very little exceptions of what I said before...she'll become a great piano player, unless she looses that thing that makes her unique...that's what happens to most of this prodigies

[strav12]

I think Cortot is the perfect Asian pianist - no other European could play with his magic, feel or power.

[libetta]

He is Swiss-French, not Asian

[strav12]

Er, I think you've missed a few notes here. Read nico22050 comments for the rest of the score...

[bassodivo]

hahah.lol....how did you get that wrong. His name isnt even asian. what gave you the idea he was asian? I never knew an asian named Alfred.lol..

[strav12]

Didn't realise musicians could be such idiots. OK - there was an earlier discussion about Asian piano players - and in response to that I said that Cortot was like a perfect Asian and could play like no European - why? Because he connects with an emotionalism which Asians find natural and for Europeans its like constipation coming out. I also said this to prove that most Euro-pianists are fascists, racists and elitist snobs - but I didn't realise they were idiots as well.

[lokopiano]

Uhmmm very interestibg your sub realistic coment

i had a friend with a last name Richter and i realize he has a very chinese soul according with your froggy theory of Asian emotionalism...... LOL.

Are you serious or are you trying to spread shit ( like the hipopotamus) to somebody in special ........?

If you don´t understand what is what, much better close your asshole ( well i thing you are speaking by that way) and go to any other place but not to make comments about music.

(to continue)

[lokopiano]

Did you ever listen to "european, "fascists, elitist, racist, etc. " like Michelangelli, Pollini, Goulda, Klein, Rubinstein, Horowitz, etc. ??

Or you really think any asian monkey pianist as the asshole Lang Lang is better than them ,,and specially more "Natural emotional" in a chimpance style?

lokpiano

[strav12]

That's right, fascist - no debate - just shut up the other person, right? Very, very clever. Richter's best performances were in Siberia not Carnegie Hall - he couldn't stand Europeans either, hated America and thought Karajan was a pretentious asshole (like you? - I leave the question mark here for debate.). Love Asia, dude!

[lokopiano]

The real Richter, was extremely supersticious and for that reason he didn´t complete his US tournee in the seventhies. And also of course , he was extremely gay.

Karajan was an imbecil. I didn´t like him .

BUT Asia? for occidental music? Asian emotivity? . Of course they have emotivity, but a kind of insane one specially concerning music who they still don´t understand.

Listen the chinese monkey player bin bin...or lan lan.or maybe Lang Lang ?

lokopiano.

[nico22059]

Lang lang thinks that his playing is deep because of making those ugly faces that I can´t stand. Yundi Li, on the other hand, doesn´t make too many faces, but he´s the typical pianist that puts too much emotion in their playing (he over-hearts his interpretation), even more than he should, and just to make his pianism look deep...

If asian pianists grow up, and stop playing just notes with no feeling, or without too much feeling, they´ll be great pianists, otherwise, they won´t last long...

[alexongcs]

I totally agree. That is the fault of many asians!! I am one, i understand these very horrible faults!!!! People should play from the heart and simply, sincerely, not with any added salt or sugar!!

[wonphi]

Yundi Li is very good, don't even try to say he isn't deep. Deserving of first place in the Chopin competition and at 18 years old too.

[nico22059]

so? Does that make him a better musician? No, it doesn´t... I don´t care what a jury thinks...that´s not the absolute truth

[wonphi]

Yes, it DEFINITELY makes him a good musician. these "juries" are high caliber pianists and judges, some spanning across the olden days. Their opinion is definitely respectable. unlike yours. you haven't the credit nor skill to judge whether Yundi Li is good or not. So I won't be talking if I were you.

[lokopiano]

Yundi Li is also a kind of pianist who look for something a kind of Martian for him.

Is a genetic problem.

I think in the near future should be a division of Occidental music playing in Occidental way or in Oriental way . Much better in that way ...so you can take your choice.

lanlan...is just a piece of shit. ( sorry for those words, but nothing is more closer to describe him)

lokopiano

[nico22059]

well...I agree with you about lang lang, very much

But, I still can´t get how come that asian pianists almost always have perfect technique, but only very little of them use it in benefit of music...and they always make those exagereted faces, but that´s not exclusive of asians...some occidental pianists do that as well...and I don´t get the point of doing so...

[lokopiano]

Sorry but until now i don`t know any asian pianist with a "Perfect technique".

Most of them have a horrible and ridicolous technique. maybe you want to say : They don`t make any mistake. Is that a perfect technique??????? NEVER.

They practic 28 hours ...yes 28 hours a day . 24 during the whole day and 4 hours when they sleep........So they rest 4 hours during sleep time becuase the other 4 ones they poractice while they sleep..........

Sounds sub realistic no?

(go to next message)

[lokopiano]

They basically their teacher is a kind of GOD...In Asin mentallity the teacher is something lkike that. They repite..........repit.........­and repite...........They can die repeating........Thesame way a dog is trained togive to you his leg ............

repetition , and more repetition without any knowledge of the piece they are gonna play.

lokopiano

[nico22059]

Yes, I ment that they don´t make mistakes, not perfect technique, sorry...

And I think the same about them, they just repeat...

But anyway, there may be great asian musicians somewhere, but they just aren´t well known...

[lokopiano]

Oh yes. Are some of them who are good, but in all my years of listening and playin , and listening.........i didn´t found no one great.......... In string sinstruments is different , They are much better ( mostly as violinists) . I have a personal theory on Why this happen, but i am extremely lazy to explain it.. :-)

lokopiano

[paideianow]

You're not lazy. You're just plain stupid.

[zamyrabyrd]

I really do agree with you, thanks to my own experience with Japanese and Korean musicians. So many of them think that note perfection is the summit of Western music and sacrifice practically everything to get it. This may have to do with "self-expression" being alien to their own artistic and intellectual traditions, instead pulling silly faces to impress the public. Lang Lang's Chinese teacher cut and paste interpretations from recordings for him to memorize--counterfeit cash, I'd say.

[lokopiano]

It´s so difficult to read in places like youtube .......brained persons. as you.

Well, also from my own ( not too long) experience teaching mostly japanese pulpils i realized it.

Concerning lanlan, i can´t understand how a person like Gary Graffman accepted him as a pupil ¿?¿?¿ and tolerate him to make all the stupidities he make? strange world this one.

lokopiano

[lokopiano]

Completely right.

I think it never will be a complete understanding of something which is not yours, who doesn´t belong to you.

As my ZERO understanding of Asian culture.....specially the plain japanese culture and the chinese ( alittle bit less plain) . Korean is more alive, and the other "Asias" are more exotic and expressive in a natural way.

Is also a BIG difference, and the answer is in this question:

(read the next coment please ....too few 500 words)

[lokopiano]

The question...well...2 questions:

1)Why Asians are so interested in learn in a voracious way the occidental music?

2)Why the occidentals don`t pay a dime to learn oriental music? ( of course are some very few exceptions).

The answer ismore than clear ( i think) ,

For that reason is not way to go back and could be better to teach the classical music in two styles and people can get the option: in a occidental style or in a oriental style.

Like : Your steak .......well done? or just not?.

[paideianow]

Deficiente mental.

[paideianow]

Mentecato.

[alexongcs]

I, am an asian, but i COMPLETELY agree. I have no time for pianists who place priority on physical perfection, whether western or asian pianists. But yes, no doubt, most chinese/asian pianists turn out stale because they do not search enough, because they are limited in their thoughts. However, I do admire a little, lang lang's desire to be original, but he fails me in total because it is so predictable his playing.

[zamyrabyrd]

Thank you. I didn't mean to be insulting but I have personal experience with this. It's the cultural envelope of the music that is missing, just as if someone wanted to learn Kabuki theatre from the outside. It's possible but not without a total immersion in the whole language and culture. One family member is so happy that they "learn both cultures" but it is really Western seen from the lens of the Eastern culture. Devotion to and copying exactly one's teacher is not IT, at all.

[paideianow]

Usted es el que tiene problemas genéticos, redomado imbécil.

[didilevolcan]

I completely share your point of view, and i can't help hearing Cortot, François for example rather than all these photocopiers digitally perfects but totally musically empty. Thanks from a modest pianist. So long Donthuis

Didilevolcan

[donthuis]

Thanks for your reaction. But one clarification on my part: although I find Lang Lang more a circus artist then a fine pianist, my feeling about Yundi Li is quite different. For me he is closer to the Chopin tradition than the other Chinese. But one should close the eyes when listening to him in order not to be distracted by his face (on which he is indeed emotionally overdoing it).

[pincheruso]

That is Great - damn,we lost so many things since he died...!One of the most interesting figures on a piano horizont - probably,we`ll never have somebody like him anymore...PITY!

[marcelmombeek]

he knew how to make music. I call these pianists "magician's" at the piano. Something we miss these day's.

[K189T]

Why, in your mind? I think we lose more and more musicality because we're focused on the technic, and we forget music. We think the technic is an aim: not at all: it's only a mean.

[ika2312]

Agree, modern pianists are more worried about the form, not the meaning :( Cortot is just incomparable

[nico22059]

yes...we´ll miss that golden generation, not just of pianists, but of musicians

[alexongcs]

I lovvee your comment.. !!

[nico22059]

I agree with you

[smithsherman]

Cortot must have driven the Anti-Expressive Gestapo crazy.Everything he does has zero to do with Facts & everything to do with

Ghosts.He'd never get in conservatory today.

[garsir0507]

STUPID IDIOT

[supersmashmike45]

poor

[gangaglietti]

sei un cretino presuntuoso e se non capisci

studia

[celpiano2]

the only people who wont get into conservatory are mindless non pianists like you who criticize, Cortot is probably the closest thing to a Chopinist, probably more so than Rubenstein, and who are you? ABSOLUTELY NO ONE!

[strav12]

You write like he plays...;) I completely agree with you.

[go9zu]

:-))Hey!thanks for posting it,that's a marvelous interpretation:-)cortot has such a natural way to play this piece...

[truecrypt]

glad you liked it... and check Sofronitsky too...

[lokopiano]

Sofonitsky is bay far superior. First of all: This piece is a "Barcarolla" and by itself has a meaning.

Cortot ( despite the very good artist he was) didn´t understand the message.

To fast (specially the 1st section).

Rubinstein version is georgius too.

lokopiano.

[ericrouach]

who the hell do you think you are to judge that beatiful performance??? cortot has perfectly understood the meaning of the barcarolle

[lokopiano]

And who the hell do you think are you to judge that beautiful performance ? TOO.

Who te hell are you to know Cortot HAD ( not has) a perfectly understood the meaning of the Barcarolle ? .

You are just an amateur with no knowledge, and ridicolous emotional being who became angry when somebody touch your idol like the stupid Klingsor 53 when somebody don´t prase AImi Kobayashi........

LOL.

Go to any place and try to take any vacation seminar in music apreciaton.

lokopiano

[ericrouach]

i have the courage to post my own playing before criticising others...

and believe me, you dont have a quarter of my knowledge

[lokopiano]

Ho .........ho.....horohoho......­.christmas time ¡¡¡¡

We have a kind of "Mandrake" in this place........ "you dont have a quarter of my knowledge".........HO ho LOL.......

So yo already know my pianistic and musical level....... :-)

Are you a pianist who plays a lot, who have inserted quiet good amount of videos in youtube, who studied composition too, and who actually make a paralell career of conductor too ( not a big one), and who dictate seminars?

So in this case

go to next

[paideianow]

Bestia.

[paideianow]

Cateto.

[RabidCh]

Cortot's Barcarolle reminds me of life and its times where events whisk you away faster than you can appreciate them. The fast tempo allows a perpetual drive through most of the piece which to me is like a series of events. It isn't really a Barcarolle.

but that is why I like it more than Sofronitsky's although his is good and Rubinstein's and Lipatti's.

[alexongcs]

Yes. Cortot not only portrays life and the universe, but a scene from his heart, one which is so warm and inviting, we cannot fail to not behold.

[paideianow]

Cretino.