EMIL GILELS spielt BEETHOVEN - Sonate C Dur op.53 'WALDSTEINSONATE' [1/2]

[geminian7846]

A pity the end of the movement has been cut off.

[geminian7846]

A pity the end of the movement has been cut off.

[pelsie100]

Wat een diepgang!

[zhangshinyi]

his touch on notes like the one at 4:52 is so gorgeous

[OrangeSodaKing]

This is the best Waldstein on Youtube, best Waldstein ever. Gilels owns this sonata.

[lisztnut]

@OrangeSodaKing I totally and completely agree with you on this being the best Waldstein. People have said that Arrau's is the best, and I simply find that laughable. He has no rhythm and is frankly boring.

[OrangeSodaKing]

@lisztnut Hmm, I think Arrau's is very very good, and I don't think it lacks rhythm or excitement at all... I just like Gilels' the most.

[lisztnut]

@OrangeSodaKing as a pianist, I disagree with you. Arrau lacks rhythm, this has always bothered me in his playing. I find it flat and uninteresting most of the time.

[berlinzerberus]

@lisztnut Arrau hat also keinen Rhythmus und ist langweilig, ... und das von einem College-Professor und Konzertpianist, da kann doch was nicht stimmen. Genau das Gegenteil ist der Fall, Rhythmus ist ja nicht nur das metrische Vorwärtsdrängen ohne Punkt und Komma. Arraus sinngebende polyrhythmische Phrasierung mit Akzentuierungen, Verschiebungen, Accelerandi und Ritardandi sind legendär. Man höre nur die 'Les Adieux' Sonate op. 81a von Beethoven. Rhythmischer kann man das Stück nicht spielen!

[OrangeSodaKing]

@lisztnut Also as a pianist, I guess we have differences with our views. But we can agree on Gilels' being the top notch for this piece.

[lisztnut]

@OrangeSodaKing yes, indeed, I really enjoy Gilel's gorgeous sound and approach to this piece. Have you heard his Brahms B-flat Concerto? I prefer others for the D minor, but his B-flat has always moved me the most. Russians seem to gravitate towards Richter's B-flat, but I always felt that Gilels understands the music better.

[OrangeSodaKing]

@lisztnut I haven't heard his yet, but my current favorite is Alicia de Larrocha's. I will listen to Gilels'!

[lisztnut]

@OrangeSodaKing I noticed you're in school. I'm somewhat older than you. I got my master's at Juilliard, and then went to NYU for the doctorate. My teachers included Abbey SImon, Eugene List, and Jerome Lowenthal.

[berlinzerberus]

@lisztnut It is all the more astonishing to read such an extrem gross error of judgement in the special qualities of Claudio Arrau´s pianoplaying!

[lisztnut]

@berlinzerberus sorry, but I don't find Claudio Arrau's playing exciting, and many pianists I know feel the same way. Sorry to disappoint you on that. I apparently have a very different concept of what constitutes good piano playing? I have heard some of his playing that I liked, but usually it was when he was younger. As he aged he got increasingly boring, in my humble opinion. I also don't care for Schnabel's playing for the most part.

[lisztnut]

@berlinzerberus you must understand that I have very different tastes than what is usual in Europe, especially Eastern Europe. As a pianist I mostly play Liszt, Chopin, Rachmaninoff. I am not interested in playing Schubert, Brahms and Beethoven so much. I play the composers I play well, and don't concentrate on those I don't. I have just performed both Liszt Piano Concertos on one concert, and performed the Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini a week ago.

[lisztnut]

@berlinzerberus and, you will never hear me play Bach, unless it's a transcription by a Romantic composer, such as Busoni. I've been told that my best playing is in Liszt and Rachmaninoff, and I play a lot of 20th Century, including the complete works of Ravel. See, I have different tastes from you in Europe. I once toured Hungary and offered to play complete Ravel. Do you know what I was told by the Hungarian sponsors? "That's not music!" 

[lisztnut]

@berlinzerberus PS are you also a pianist? Most pianists I know don't really care that much about expressing our opinions of our peers. It is usually the "amateurs" who have this desire. This is extremely rare for me to say what I've said here, and if I've offended you or anyone, I apologize. Everyone has their own tastes, and I urge you to listen to the first two minutes of Martha Argerich playing the Waldstein and then Claudio Arrau (at half the tempo) and see what you think.

[berlinzerberus]

@lisztnut My knowledge about music is well founded and I feel I should advise you to have a look at my last Arrau videos where he played Beethoven in 1970. To say Arrau has no rhythm and that was the starting point of our discussion, is real nonsense. In your PS you speak about comparing the tempi of Martha Argerich and Arrau. Faster or slower tempo has nothing to do with rhythm. In my opinion Martha Argerich doesnt have neither the profundity nor the sound and sonority to play Beethoven well!

[lisztnut]

@berlinzerberus I always keep an open mind about everything musical. However, I was speaking in a "generality" when I said Arrau has a poor sense of rhythm. I was not referring to tempo. I heard him play the Emperor once and the last movement had some kind of strange thing going on which didn't resemble the rhythm on the page. If my student had done that I would have corrected them. Also, slow tempos do NOT equate with "depth" of musical feeling. That's a myth.

[lisztnut]

@berlinzerberus I frankly couldn't listen to more than two minutes of Arrau's Waldstein as it was just too boring for me. Sorry. I promise to try again and see if I can 'endure' it.

[lisztnut]

@berlinzerberus incidentally, I am not alone in feeling that Arrau could be boring at times. I've heard it from others and officially read it in print by some very respected American critics. One of them said that Arrau should not play Mozart because he simply didn't understand this music. By the way, your profile page is full of opinions about pianists, why are you attacking mine? It is very, very rare for me to express my opinions on pianists, and so I was seriously bothered by Arrau.

[lisztnut]

@berlinzerberus I am not a fan of fast tempos for their own sake. In fact, I am one of the few pianists I know who despises Martha Argerich's recording of the Rachmaninoff Third Concerto simply because it's too fast and out of control. So, please don't get me wrong. I would prefer sitting with you in person and demonstrating what I mean about Arrau's lack of rhythm. It's a "feeling" rather than a tempo issue.

[berlinzerberus]

@lisztnut In fact, the older Arrau got the more difficult was it for him to accomplish the required standard, pretty normal I think: reduction of tempo, weak fingers and and,but lacks of rhythm,n e v e r!

Perhaps we have complete different meaning about rhythm. The 'tempo rubato' for example has something to to with it, the agogic as well. Arrau was well known for his'Texttreue'and he also used to hold on rhythm,but he was also free in the rhythmical arrangement. Straight forward can be unrhytm.

[berlinzerberus]

@lisztnut I am just uploading the second movement and Finale of op.57. You will be surprised probably how masterful Arrau takes care of rhythm. But as you know music is not only rhythm and the grandness of an artist can´t be reduced to rhythm.

Mr. Arrau was one of the most fascinating musical personalities I have ever met!

[OrangeSodaKing]

@lisztnut You play the Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini? I'm interested in your opinion of Philippe Entremont's recording, which I have uploaded.

[olivleonardo]

What a beautiful video! From which DVD is it? It's worth buying!

[680stp]

Gilels' is the go-to version for this sonata.

[ReturnOfTheStienway]

!!!

[EmiliaGilels]

:-)

[crushonhim]

he is the best!!!!



[classicvinylbiz]

Gilels, Op. 7, Sonata in E flat major - recorded one year before his death:

watch?v=kEfGQ1kBM5o

thanks and best wishes.

[itchy2806]

NO ONE plays Waldsteinsonate like Emil Gilels!

When he plays Waldstein, he is sooo deep in my heart and in my soul!

But NO ONE plays Moonlightsonate like Wilhelm Kempff!

Please, people, you must be see when Mr. Kempff plays piano. It´s soo wonderfull too!

I can´t say: Mr. Gilels are the best pianist!

I can´t say: Mr. Kempff are the best pianist!

The two men are so wonderfull pianists!

This two men have broken my heart! I love they!!!

[berlinzerberus]

thank you very much for this lovely comment :-)

..you are so right!

[TheSimmylein]

@itchy2806

yes, you're completely right: Wilhelm Kempff played the Mondscheinsonate better than everybody else ..... and Mozart's KV331 (türkischer Marsch).

[gemanieto]

Gilels has something special and makes me cry. Love all his performances. I wish I saw him life...

[toricreates]

4:30 sequence ... absolute best

[AndreAx1985]

NO ONE plays Beethoven like Emil Gilels.

[WaldemarKoszlowsky]

.....Wilhelm Backhaus....The Best :)

[SmellyourPee]

genius

[uhartchristian]

Gilels did like to play in Ossiach Carinthia austria and I think this recording was done there live. Anyway I do remember he did play this sonata there and the church seems to be this church in Ossiach. It was about 40 years ago or a little bit less. Between 1969 and 1972. It was incredible. well we can hear it here... After Backhaus death he was the invited major artist of the festival there.

[uirz]

Super

[chad410]

yumm

[Toxxic88]

wow awesome *****