Bolet - Chopin Ballade No. 4 Part 2

[carlhopkinson]

The sound he produces from the piano is exquisite...

[bratzko79]

wow: when he turns up the volume at around 1.49.....

[1q2w3e4r660]

O-M-G

[zwergnaase90]

Best version I've ever seen

[mikex01234]

That was very nice. I could have seen him play at a local college in New Jersey for $5 in the early 80's. I wish I had gone.

[dberry02jr]

Holy crap! Now I know why people like Bolet. Thank you for posting this - and with such high quality too!!! I will be looking forward to listening to more Bolet in my future :D

[s1earle]

I saw him perform live at the Sydney Opera House in the 90s and he was a fine stock of both man and performer, and his encores were very well picked and apt. Truly a great performer devoid of that stupid 'sway'...I have seen some of the younger ones fall off their performing chair and laughter has abounded, very appropriate.

[twotwothousand]

WOW!!

[MinorityMans]

This ballad is almost a symphony, and Bolet gives the most coherant and convincing interpretation i've come across.

[hayesy316]

If you could smash a piano like you could smash a guitar, you'd do it after this piece.

[SilenceTheQuiet]

@hayesy316 AHAHAHA i laughed at your comment, obviously haha:) but i agree! i love the end to this Ballade!

[Ritorneremo1]

There is one word only - brilliant!

[etiam161036]

Merci,Sissco, pour cette superbe découverte, pour moi... Magnifique interprétation, sa main gauche m' envoûte... Que c' est beau...

Vive CHOPIN, vive BOLET !!!......

[4thlord51]

I have a CD of him playing many of Liszt most's technical works and he nails all of them perfectly.

[calcmandan]

I wish I could produce such a beautiful tone in this piece like Bolet did.

[fledgehog]

3:20 that chord is so beautiful...

[fichan25052505]

i think this is the best interpretation of the ballade i have heard.

[gianpaga11]

Great Maestro!!!

[cgjr91]

This is the best version I have heard! Simply amazing. He makes it look so easy and soo much emotion he puts into it!!

[calcmandan]

Freaking fantastic!!! What a fantastic... FanTASTIC.

I can't say enough, I was so TAKEN by his interpratation. What a magnificent musical mind. Did I say fantastic?? No? Then I'll have to say it then.. Fantastic!

[stefanpetkovic]

Second best after Zimerman

[Elsenrail29]

@stefanpetkovic Correction second best after Perlemuter

[FishGush]

this is first class piano playing..

[4785689]

what is the thing where he sat?

[lacrymosa85]

@4785689 it's called a piano

[kazuya31]

0:53 Bolet always puts in his little extra grace notes in random spots and theyre always awesome!

[FishGush]

a great master.. outstanding performance.

[marginallymental]

How could ANYONE call Chopin a drawing-room composer? This is the Polish equivelant of Napolion crossing the Alps!

[lambomb222]

he looks like hitler

[solow1991]

@lambomb222 you're an idiot...

[lambomb222]

@solow1991 whaaatttt he does look like hitler

[AlexAlcyone]

Bolet's phrasing is fantastic! One of Chopin's greatest compositions IMO.

[GhostChance1]

The Greatest Artists are always in control. Bolet is such a fine example of just such artistry. The American obsession with excitement and show subsides occasionally, and at these moments, artists like Bolet will be noticed and revered, as they should be. This murderous Coda requires understanding and respect for the architecture- not just musicality, wild abandon, and technique.

Thanks for posting this!

[marginallymental]

@GhostChance1, so beautifully said! I read once that Bolet didn't think much of Horowitz' flailing--he thought it degraded the instrument. I wonder what Mr. Bolet would have said about Zimmerman...?

[HyperLisztFan]

I get nervous watching him sitting so hunched at the keyboard, but the sound he generates is extraordinary.

[FishGush]

wow.. i'm speechless, meastro bolet.

[marginallymental]

Jorge Bolet was a very tall man. Hence the hunching over. His hands were large, too, although slender. I think that accounts for much of his technique.

[apples171717]

very lovely and the ending was perfect!

[aslanov]

what a neat and original ending.

such clear, and perfectly articulated playing

[hybridamerica]

Flawless!

Fine interpretation.

[baxuashvili]

a ver, si alguien no le gusta como toca, ke toke como bolet y luego opine, sera posible?

[satsatur]

Bravíssimo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!

[samuelngkee]

Great Chopin with beautifully played!!!!!

[fredericballade4]

I think its a good interpretation of the piece. He plays the notes so clearly. However, I prefer Rafal Blechacz.

[Gothic1982]

He plays the ending "cascade" section of the coda so clearly and beautifully.

[Venoks]

C'est énorme ce qu'il arrive à faire ! Magnifique !

[dexterityhunter]

Incredible playing! Bolet's command of the keyboard was matched by just a very few others - and maybe even unsurpassed.

[jubulalau]

Sissco for President!!!!!

[DrJobs]

i like it

[sebastianrc]

Great Interpretation....I prefer Zimerman's playing however this is full of passion and very well played

[220392123]

Me too, Zimmerman's Chopin ballades are incredible.

[Trisinty09]

This is the absolute perfect piece for piano.

[jku9870]

One of my favorite pianists

[SHINYamAHA21]

SOUL....

[cellestialX]

He is like many of the greatest pianists of this century rolled into one. Depth

[gianpaga11]

Veramente grazie! Thank you! Magnificent!

[fabscud]

ahhh Sissco thank you... I've never heard the Ballade played like that. He made me feel every single note. And the coda! the final part of the coda is stumbling.

[jorgeliebermann]

Mi amigo,JORGE BOLET,interpreta Chopin "A LA GRAN MANERA".Qué injusto es que esté casi olvidado.

[TJFNYC212]

Bolet, whom I heard play several times in NYC, was in my opinion a superb master and a little underrated...... what do you all think?

[soami2u]

I heard Bolet twice in person: in recital in NY (he played Haydn F Minor Vars., Brahms Handel Vars., Liszt Sonata & 12th Rhapsody); and with orchestra in NJ (Rachmaninov #2). He was GOOD, but I was slightly disappointed...he is absolutely MAGNIFICENT here in Chopin Ballade--also fabulous in Chopin 3rd Sonata. I think he could be a bit overly cautious in some of his perfs, as were many other great artists (like Godowsky), but I think his reputation as one of the great pianists is now secure

[moonlightgarden12am]

underrated is an underrated way of putting it....plain and simple, he was robbed of the recongition he deserved, because alot of people were so enthralled by rubinstein and horowitz...sure two great masters of the piano....but bolet produced sounds and phrases that the other two dreamed about ....no offense fans...but absolutely true! in my opinion, as far as sound goes, and judging by his liszt and chopin recordings, jorge bolet was the best piano player / interpretur, throughout the 1900's

[220392123]

YES! His rendition of Chopin's nocturne in F minor op. 55 no. 1 is the epitome of excellent technique and feeling and interpretation for chopin pieces.

[AlexAlcyone]

@moonlightgarden12am as I always say, if you want to be good it's in the fingers, heart and mind.... but if you want to be famous it's all in the eyebrows....

[sophsdtr]

@AlexAlcyone

LOL!! You are SO CORRECT!!!

[sealkingdaniel]

@moonlightgarden12am

I guess Bolet is simply the kind of pianist that requires a more thorough understanding in music to appreciate.

I absolutely agree with you on the sound part,

Bolet can create the most amazing sound with whatever piano.

Also, his study on counter-melodies is always superb.

However, as far as force is concerned, he always seems to put grace and poise as his priority. Hence when a piece requires a bit of fury, he always comes slightly short.

[moonlightgarden12am]

@sealkingdaniel well sir i agree with everything u say till the very end...then i strongly disagree with your last statement....and instead of using my words to debate this subject i will only challenge you listen to bolets interpretation of liszts funerailles (the march movement)....and i can guarantee you once having done so, you will see that the only thing that comes up short is your last two sentences...

[moonlightgarden12am]

@sealkingdaniel or if funerailles does not convince you of his ability to "create fury" as you say (which i dont see how it could not), another peice to help shed some light this matter would be his interpretation of reminescence of don juan..and.after listening to either or both of these masterpeices im sure you will see that indeed a hurricane was only just waiting under his fingernails for the right moment to leash havoc

[MISHA1119]

@moonlightgarden12am I agree completely - read my comment below. A sad tendency for listeners who don't themselves invest significant time at the piano is to assume that the great names always have the best interpretations of every piece they play. No trusim is more absurd. Neither Rubinstein's f minor Ballade, facile and perfunctory, nor Horowitz's, nervous and skittery, can come close to matching the combined fragrant poetry and epic, soaring grandeur of Bolet's transcendental performance.

[Mihai127]

@MISHA1119

Holy crap dude, that description is the bomb!

[buddydog1956]

@moonlightgarden12am I thoroughly agree with you! I understand his teacher was a student of Lizst.

But anyway, his recordings of Chopins Ballades are my definite favorite. Rubinstein comes in there better close though...

[Lyapazavecunhee]

It sounds like Bella Davidovitch's version... in better.

I like that.

[ClassicalOJazz]

Bolet and Rubinstein are the masters of Chopin interpretations.

Bolet was a piano genius.

Excellent!

10 stars.

[ClassicalOJazz]

Superb performance!

[SwePianoholic]

This is sure more poetry than Zimmermann...IMHO

[asdfgftw]

lol yea.. 4:28 certainly took me by surprise. excellent recording.. such a heart-wrenching piece.

[freeqwerqwer]

is he sitting on a bamboo chest ?

[tweriovnzxclb]

Good, but in my humble opinion Zimerman is on a higher level on every account.

[jei66]

The order, timing, emphasies, dynamics..everything is absolute poetry! Absolutely correct @m 37 where LH octaves enter. How wonderful you play the spaces between the notes. You are truly Godly!

[laqin007]

this is the hardest Ballade.

[soami2u]

This is definitely one of the 3 or 4 best Chopin Fourth Ballades I have ever heard! I am more impressed with Bolet's performance each time I hear it! Bolet was a titan among pianists....and his Chopin is every bit as brilliant as his Liszt!

[satothequeen]

MASTERPIECE......no words....

[joaquindalessio]

CHOPIN WAS GOD. Nothing else...

[bfoolish2006]

How about...touched by god.

[soami2u]

Magisterial....he builds the climaxes so well, knowing when to hold back. Many pianists speed up when there's a crescendo (so many artists accel. @ m 37 where LH octaves enter), but Bolet holds everything under control. And the line, the line! Nothing is ever done for "effect"--it's always at the service of the music. Bolet was a patrician.

[FredilYupigo]

He makes it look like I could play it. Of course, I can't. Wonderful.

[gladandgood]

@FredilYupigo That's what I thought--at first. Then it got more difficult.

[herbatadom]

I prefer Stanislaw Bunin's interpretation.

[bojsa85]

it was well performed ... but I found it a bit dry. It didn't keep my attention as other performers have done so.

It's perfect ... technically and musically ... but there's just something missing ...

[klausknulp]

he looks a little bit stiff, but his music is completely different! i like his playing a lot! it's amazing. the piano is singing. he has everything under control. an honest artist! thank you!

[001account]

Not fiery enough eh? Well lets take a look at the score. does Chopin write agitato or any change in tempo markings at all until the accelerando? No. The 5 chords are marked pp and the coda is f. this implies a stark contrast but the f isnt the loudest marking, it has to allow for a ff later on. this has all been taken into account in this performance. the tempo is just right to allow a decent accelerando and the forte just right to allow a fortissimo.

[bicsc7]

I dislike his coda. It lacks passion and fire, which someone like richter does so well.

[Grigor99]

This interpretation is first-rate. But, you know-most pianists play the last 4 chords completely out of rhythm. If you count in 6 (counting 8ths) the last 4 chords should be longer. I don't know why everyone seems to do that-even some of the greats!

[Haeronthegreat]

I don't think that really matters. They just try to make them climactic. Personally, I like them to be fairly brisk, but others like to drag them out.

[prestomoltoagitato]

this guy just handled the business.

i like his interpretation of his 15th nocturne.

[misotoma]

he's not horowitz but he plays this ballade better then any other pianist has tried.. ever.. i.m.o.

[lecheparavaka]

yes, I never heard this ballade better played than him

[K189T]

Have you heard Pollini? He's wonderful.

[hohohee1]

@misotoma different piano/ surrounding creates a different sound .. i.m.o. but he stil has great talent in creating a good sound for this ballade

[MISHA1119]

@misotoma No, he's actually much better than Horowitz in the f minor Ballade, and in much else of the Chopin and Liszt repertoire as well. I am a tremendous Horowitz fan, but Bolet is universally recognized as one of the greatest pianists of the 20th Century. To his students he stressed a strong but flexible rhythm, a warm, singing tone, broad (not overly fast) tempos and clear articulation even in the most rapid passages, all very much in evidence here. Not a bad way to play the piano.

[bobbphysics]

@MISHA1119 Richter was better than Bolet though

[icyshandy]

Beautiful...

[TheTradge]

Woww!! 2:11, that's the most passionately I've ever heard anyone play that!! Orgasmic!!

[judyrosati]

Everything is beautiful besides 2.48 - 2.55. Generally perfect! just how i feel it. richter's interpretation is quite good too.

[poisonalien]

Rubato all over the pieces and at one's ease is obviously no taste and ruin of music, this performance is just the opposite, proper phrasing and rubato, full tone, you may say "his technique is........ " but abusolutely not on his interpretation

[mikejunior80]

I don't have a problem with his technique or his interpretation.

[poisonalien]

when talking 'bout rubato with "class" and taste, especially in Chopin's works, it's not about how he played in in "french salon" or how special you could make the piece become, it's about the all and the one! in a "phrase" or a passage, you pull/draw, and you retract, just like a elastic rubber band - while you pull it, some parts of this band is soft and lengthened, some parts are tightened. What to do to make it still a whole piece instead of snap it?

[poisonalien]

those who said that "a student sitting and practicing with a metronome" , might have no idea what's the difference between "generally keeping the tempo" , and "playing like machine/metronome"

do you have any idea of the elastic theory, or say "rubber band way" of playing Chopin's works???

[CrabtasticBudgie]

Wow, I didn't realize hitler was such a great pianist!

[redgress17]

hahahahahhahahhah

[eriksatie9]

:D ...I can't stop laughing...

[barelyapianist]

looks like the sims

[ric55]

Interesting to watch this great performance by another pianist capable of thinking outside of a box-these are always my favourites.Of course this Ballade presents unusual technical difficulties which increase as the work unfolds-and in a more concentrated way than in Chopin's most difficult work, the Allegro de Concert Op.46-which hardly anyone plays nowadays for some obscure reason.Many thanks,Sissco.

[zhangensprachen]

Each in their own way is very difficult. I would say in total, I find the 4th ballade the hardest to play well - its coda being the biggest challenge of them all. The third ballade is more difficult than most people imagine partly because it is so mellow and seemingly laidback. The coda of the second ballade is also very difficult to pull off well.

[ThunderJacky]

well said, the 1st ballade -> good technique, 2nd -> speed & strength, 3rd -> strength & stamina, 4th -> EVERYTHING!

[misotoma]

this comment makes no sense to me.. how can u try to bundle up the ballades in their own corners by rank of difficulty?? thats so silly. maybe u need to play all 4 of them.. then u can say something meaningful. (to see what i mean look Berezovsky ballade no. 2 F minor)

[soami2u]

I think the pedaling in the A-flat Ballade is quite tricky...the only Chopin piece I have found with more difficult pedaling is the Barcarolle, Op. 60. A whole book could be written about pedaling in Chopin. What's even better is to find a really good teacher who can teach it...though somebody once wrote flatly that pedaling cannot be taught. I frankly think a good ear and good listening are the requirements for good pedaling.

[NeoComposer]

Which ballad is the hardest and easiest if the Chopin Ballads?

[ivrykeys]

The 11th Ballade in F-Double Sharp Quadruple minor, Op.93b is the most difficult in my opinion. His Ballade No.6 in C-Triple Flat major, Op.-47 is the easiest I think.

Good luck finding those sheets! They are more difficult to find than learning the pieces. hehe

[NeoComposer]

Thanks for fake sheets!!!!!!!

[Kachukeland]

lol he plays like me! Only my teacher yells at me for hunching over my hands like that : )

I think my favorite performance of this is Horowitz. But if you see the video of Richter playing the coda, he's awesome too!

[JaapHH]

amazing! maybe even better than Zimerman's interpretation! just unbelievable, truely amazing!

[buprup]

Well, emphasizing the last four notes was initiated by Cortot, but Bolet's effect is much better.

[antoinedelacroix]

That is an outstanding performace, no doubt. But there is two words I have to mention, Elena Kuschnerova.

[barelyapianist]

haha the way he plays those last notes at the end its like some kid smacking a keyboard...fucking briliant playing!

[Tassadar11]

Playing for a year i have mastered Bachs Minuet in G minor but his playing this seems like i blow...

[Tlllllllllllllll]

The accustics is awesome!

[jjp009]

The last four notes of the bar just before the four last big chords are absolute magic (at 4:28)!! Although certainly not the way Chopin wrote or intended them to be played, they are so original to Maestro Bolet and the most exciting ending to this masterpiece I've ever heard any pianist perform! This guy is my new favorite artist! I'm sorry he's long gone now and I never got to see him live.

[ProkofievRules]

I personally enjoyed this interpretation more than Rubinstein's 1959 recording(which i absolutely adore). So focussed, so exploratory, so fluid, and sure. This is, in my opinion, where musicians should be going with their music, not faking orgasms with their facial expressions and hoping that all that wasted energy will positively translate to their music. Beautiful, artistic playing.

[markma5511]

Hey I just noticed that too.  It's horrific that one has to watch a musician's facial expressions

[ProkofievRules]

I just think it looks fucking stupid and takes away from the music. A bit of a smirk here and there is just fine, and so is showing-off, and doing controversial things like telling Leonard Bernstein to take a hike(like Glenn Gould did), but after a while, it gets to be really fucking stupid, all of it.

[jjp009]

Wow! I wish you could do slow motion on YouTube, because watching this guy's fingers is like watching a thoroughbred racehorse running! Superb. And true, no facial expressions, no wild body movements, nothing to distract from his art and the composer's intentions! First class. Is Bolet still alive?

[misotoma]

yeah its kinda like Horowitz.. this guy does kill the ending theme of this Ballade.. unlike Zimerman where he throws off alot of flare.. but still.. i have to say that bits and pieces from Bolet/Zimerman interpretations' would make an amazing ballade. Especially Bolets final 2 mins.

[misotoma]

Yeah your right. He is amazing the way he plays, and handles the piece. I would have loved to see him play Chopin's Nocturnes, from hearing on what Sissco has he is a great interpreter on at least those 2 he has recorded. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but this guy is really different.

[rachman1noff]

I like Zimermans energy.

[vinimorgado]

I prefer Yundi Li

[Kachukeland]

I can't decide who's performance of this peice is better, Bolet's or Zimmerman's. I like Zimmerman's coda better than Bolet's, but Bolet's left-hand arpegios are more exciting. Plus, I think Zimmerman is in love with himself... heh heh... overall, if I could play as well as either of them, I'd be happy!

The End.

[Kachukeland]

p.s. Vladimir Horowitz played this peice better than both Bolet and Zimerman, so Horowitz wins! :)

[retrogamerdave]

um, Horowitz's performance of this piece was the most whacked thing I had ever heard him play. I think there's a reason he withdrew that recording shortly after its release. I could hardly believe my ears..

[Kachukeland]

I agree, I know which recording you're refering to, but I have an album where Horowitz plays it phoenominally.  Especially his coda.

Have you heard Ingrid Fliter? She plays this piece also, and her coda is as good as, if not better than, Horowitz's coda.

[ProkofievRules]

regrettably i have not heard that recording, do you have a posting like on rogepost or something? I'd be very interesting in hearing this.

[soami2u]

I recommend the Novaes recording (late 1960s, at the end of her career). It has such sweep and nobility. I wouldn't say it's better than the Bolet performance here, but it's one of my favorites. I'd take it over Horowitz, Rubinstein or any of the younger pianists of today.

[retrogamerdave]

Bravo! That was FABULOUS!

[eligarf]

ditto d9's remarks! and rejanemaga's.

[davidf996]

this is a great performance.

[mangore1]

add your videos to TURBOUPLOAD. I want this video please.

[rejanemaga]

Thanks for posting.

[dgaranin]

It seems that everyone who only hits the right keys is better than this.

[soxwox]

No, he isn't...

[aaabbbccc5]

Zimerman is better...