Added: 5 years ago
From: pongxma
Views: 282,283
Sort by time | Sort by thread (beta)

Link to this comment:

Share to:
see all

All Comments (506)

Sign In or Sign Up now to post a comment!
  • Crazy hands

  • what the...... :O

  • easy ;) jajajajaja...its amazing

  • (jaw hits ground)

    I am floored...wow

  • :O

  • Richter one of my favorities.

    This Chopin etude is unbeatable by anyone, anywhere--Mr. Richter was

    simply a GREAT PIANIST!

    Long live his mastery of the greatest instrument on the face of earth!

    SaraHagen10

  • The old Richter and his sewing machine lol. 

  • @bolawarrior

    But that seems to pick up more and more excited spirit.

  • What is an etude? Certainly musical dexterity at the expense of interpretation; after all the notes provide that: A splendid performance, one never to be beaten...

  • his hands are moving so fast he looks like claymation

  • :O ... that's fucking stupid

  • whaaaaaat this is sickkkk!!! FUCKIN AWESOME

  • Richter refused to appease anyone with sentimentality, he's the Nietzsche of pianists, awesome power with a deep sense of responsibility, pride without hubris.

  • Comment removed

  • i think no other pianist can even come close to this interpretation.

  • だんだんと精神が興奮していっているのが手に取るようです。

  • @Ballpen13579

    please sir, keep your propaganda to yourself, speak in english and CAPS like anyone else if you want to state how awesome this preformance is.

  • Definitely the fastest but he plays it like an exercise. Horowitz's performance (on Youtube) is much more musical and brings more clearly the internal melodies and he dialogue between the LH and RH. He also gets a better sound and does things with both pedals that Richter doesn't even attempt. It would be hard to argue that Horowitz was the greatest interpreter of this rep. (Liszt didn't make any recordings).

  • i like it when he throws the hankie

  • Has any other pianist been able to replicate this performance this well? I've love to see a video of it.

  • @TokyoFreeze79 No, Richter set the standard for this etude. I have been advised against playing it because it is impossible to replicate that.

  • @Albertthefatcat5

    Amazing. Thanks for your insight. Maybe one day we will be graced by another Richter.

  • everybody can see that his technic is outstanding, and because of that someone seems to not recognize his musicality. Ive never heard any pianist greater than him, and i dont think i will. But, off course there are some other greats

  • rippin it up mein homeboy

  • some how it is very clippety clop.

  • Apparently this is a home movie he did in Siberia during the 50s. It is not compressed or sped up in any way, he was this good. Probably took a couple of takes, though, which is why he tossed the hanky at the start. Why do I always think Young Frankenstein?????

  • demon fingers..... wonder how he did with the ladies with those beasts

  • @Foxhound1112 probably not too well seen as he was gay.

  • Richter is incredible!!!! In my opinion,one of the best pianists ever!!!

  • listen to valenina lisita

  • Best pianist ever. By far.

  • I heard more than 20 versions of Chopin étude op10 no 4. This one is different and differentiated from others. It is simply amazing!

  • haha! He looks like a mad scientist when you first see this clip...i kinda laughed..lol

  • 大濕....

  • The 4th étude is not bad either(indeed,lol!!!)

  • Richter at the top of his game - insane.

  • It is not only the speed and acuracy that make this performance amazing.

    It is the overhelming power of his huge hands, his volcanic temper and he surely had much more power to spare...

    And it does not sound percussive, although the recording devices were far from todays technology and the piano is probably not first class instrument...

    Anyway thanks for posting very impressive.

    It looks like a the Tsar of Russia is playing!

    ps English speaking countries please forgive my English...

  • @Geisterschiff

    Forgive your English? You have attained a proficiency that most learners would love to have?? I think this is a joke. Anyway, starting sentences and paragraphs with "And" is to be avoided.

  • O.O *Sits at computer desk with wide eyes* I'm speechless...

  • It's the best perfomance of all time!!!!!!!!! o.m.g.

  • Everyone can see the frame rate of this old tape is faster than reality..

    Still this is the best performance ever

    Stop arguing

  • I think I just lost my virginity to this performance.

  • Love the way he threw his handkerchief on the piano at the start! It's almost like saying: "BRING IT ON CHOPIN!"

  • Beautifull !!

  • Amazing!

  • カッコイイ

  • I can't believe there's always some donkey who dislikes these kind of performances...this is totally outstanding...

  • Which the fool speeded up this etude, he must be the insane, beatifulness means accurate speed of the piano play, especially of Chopin

  • awesome

    指の動きがいかれてる...

  • modestamente...ma dico modestamente.....sono più bravo io...(modestamente) XD

  • jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesu­s!!!!!!!!

  • cheesus crust

  • kill him !!!!!

  • holy shit

  • THE MASTER KILL!!!

  • El video esta acelerado, cuando arroja el pañuelo se nota.

  • i dont kno if its on youtube but if you find Earl Wilds 10/4 you will not be dissapointed its incredibly accurate and clear especially the opening bars

  • how many piano-es he broke ?

    THAT IS A LEGEND EMOTION!!!!!

  • すごい、そしてめちゃくちゃ速い笑

  • 意味不ーーーーーーーーー・・・

  • esta loco ja

  • master

  • the devil lacks emotion and plays this slowre too!!!!

  • Never thought I'd hear anyone play this faster than Argerich (she really has no overall equal)...but I think Richter does it a bit more sensitively in the quieter sections. I'd say overall that, musically/technically, Horowitz does the piece the most justice, also Pollini is amazing, BUT MY GOD, any human being doing this - all the players mentioned...it is just a miracle. Have we lost sight of our God and what He has accomplished in His creation?

  • Comment removed

  • As a violin fanatic,I used to find the piano to be somewhat lacking in flare.That ended with my first acquaintance with Richter,a brilliant virtuoso who knows how to deliver exquisite music with a certain very interesting attitude.He simply made the piano interesting.....

  • @HeifetzRanew

    You just haven't been listening to the right pianists. There's plenty with "flare" besides Richter. But i agree there's far more bad then good.

    I love the violin too! But it's still just one instrument. Where the piano is an all-in-oner!

  • I love the stool!

  • 指見えNEEEEEEE

  • god

  • Bi - Centeario de Frederic Chopin POLONIA celebrando junto a los interpretes y amantes del compositor el nacimiento de

    Chopin

  • lol i think its cause all old videos are sped up. havn't you guys seen those old documentaries where everyone walks like penguins? their sped up

  • @Eddyf24 That is horribly incorrect.

  • then why

  • @Eddyf24 It's not sped up...Richter is famous for a reason.

  • i wans't talking about richter's playing. Why do old films, like this one, appear fast and sped up

  • @Eddyf24 Oh, I meant that this is how fast it actually is. If you're asking why they may appear so then:

    You can tell just based on the scratch/dust (the small lines and dots you see in the film fractions of seconds) that the quality is no where near today's video quality.

    Also, alot of time, the videos are sped up when you see them in clips from somewhere. You might be be confusing intetional speed up with "choppy" frame rates and generalizing the majority of all "old films."

  • @Eddyf24 an example of the "scratch/dust" I mentioned is right at 0:27-0:28 it's extremely quick and it's stereotypical for old film have this 'defect.' Anyways, the choppy framerates are the man thing that  makes it look fast.

  • omg look at his fingers :O

    so fast.....

  • The performance is outstanding, I think he wanted to make a statement with this famous Etude. With this incredible performance he just wanted to say : I am the best . And he's very close to the point.

    But the best technician of all times is Horowitz , and his version of this etude it's to me better than the Richter 's one in terms of musicality , tempo and cleareness of touch.

  • :O have you actually sped up the timing in this?! I mean seriously :S :S

  • i love it this fast. it brings out rhythmic threads, such as the quarter-note chords, that do not hang together otherwise.

  • The best playing of this Etude!I agree with Twerovnzxclb comments about Richter.

    My favourite pianist.

  • Thanks. I completely agree with your last post. This piece just asks to be played very fast. I don't see what more interesting things you could do with it when playing slower. Besides, Richter still has the right dynamics. I love this. It's crazy and intense. I always have to smile when he hits those final bass notes. He just totally dominates the instrument and the piece.

  • Anyways, as for the comments on this being "too fast", well, yeah it is much faster than most play. Maybe it's not enjoyable for some to listen to, but being a piece that seems (to me) to be an image of desperation and anxiety, faster playing imo suits it. Richter's performance of this piece here really immerses me into what (one might imagine) Chopin's world could sometimes be like. I can't really enjoy the slower interpretations like I can this one. They don't seem as intense as they should.

  • 4) Richter did often play pieces extremely fast. See: his performance of Miroirs, for example.

    5) If Cziffra's "Grand Galop Chromatique" performance is legit, then I don't see why this can't be.

    6) Richter was one of the greatest 20th century pianists, and this was a piece he was very likely familiar with since fairly early in his life (I think he says he played this as an encore for one of his first performances). He'd likely been playing this piece almost all his life.

  • Correct me if I'm wrong, but if this video was sped up, then it must have been done so in recent times with a modern computer. There's no way they could have sped up this video while keeping pitch and video synchronization in tact without modern technology. So to find out the truth, somebody would have to compare the source material with this youtube clip. Am I right? I want to know the definitive answer because people keep arguing about this vid.

  • @tweriovnzxclb: It's the same as the source, "Sviatoslav Richter the Enigma".

    I doubt this was edited: 1) There's no way Richter would agree with them editing it (even though he was dead at the time).

    2) As you said, I doubt they had the technological capability at the time to do so seamlessly, and the budget of the company making the film seemed -quite- low.

    3) The playing in this version is much more aggressive, in terms of -dynamics-, not just speed, from his other performances.

  • Ehrfurcht vor dem begnadeten Kopf und den begnadeten Händen

  • He didn't just play this, he ATTACKED it! And I love how he throws the handkerchief on the piano before playing with what seemed like utter disgust. It's like he had an axe to grind before playing this piece.

  • Ich spiel die selber, und auch andere Chopin Etuden..

    und ich muss sagen in dem Tempo in dem er diese Etude spielt ist sie anatomisch NICHT möglich

    von 0:34 - 0:36 ist der wechsel der rechten hand unmöglich..

    Und bei der letzten Seite die linke hand, schafft man vl im tempo aber gleichzeitig mit so einer feinmotorik dass jeder Ton die perfekte lautstärke hat..

    Ich kann nicht glauben dass dieses Video nicht vorgspult ist...

  • at first i thought it was too fast

    but then it just started sounding REALLY GOOD

    really controlled and dynamic

  • if you want non-musical, listen to either benny bennasi or lady gaga

  • It has plenty of feeling. all you have to do is imaginate. Music is a 2 part struggle- you listen and you think.

  • @Atma01 you dont think, you feel

  • As a shred guitarist, I can confidently say that this video is sped up. Perhaps not tremendously so, but there are certain passages that are navigated with impossible accuracy.

  • @Daim0th Guitar shredding might be harder to do at this speed ... I don't know; as a piano player I can confidently say that this speed is (at least) physically possible. I analysed the frequencies of the audio track and if the clip was sped up as a result of the film being played at an incorrect rate, the pitch would change. It hasn't, it is in the original key, C-sharp minor. It's plausible it's sped up without a change in pitch, but I don't think that's the case. I think Richter is a maestro.

  • @Daim0th

    Muscle memory works wonders when you work at such pace

    The accuracy is based off his familiarity with the piano he basically knows the positions by heart.. i'm sure you feel that when you play the guitar

    This is definitely possible

  • It has plenty of feeling.

  • Troppo veloce: non mi piace. Ascoltate Rubinstein.

  • Medici Arts 'Richter* DVD contains this same clip as bonus. That clip turns more than A1=450Hz which is very very astonising. But playing time is same as in this video here. I think Medici Arts should mention about this feature in the clip. It must be quite old film.

    This video really turns A1=442Hz. Really surprising for me. Maybe it is impossible never find out the tempo he really playd this etyde at those days.

  • I bet any asian pianist just shit themselves watching this

  • Some people posting here seem to have a very simple and false equation in their heads: great speed = non musical. This is simply not the case. Firstly it should be noted that not only was Richter a great technician but he's also an outstanding musician with great imagination. Secondly remember that this is an ETUDE. These etudes are designed to address a specific technical challenge of piano playing. This etude is designed to improve dual hand velocity, so his interpretation matches the purpose

  • Comment removed

  • richter has the speed record for this piece lmao

    fingers on steroids

  • i laughed like i pig ! haha xD

  • This is just incredible good, but the Horowitz version it's more musical and yet techically stunning...hands up for both!

  • saswaulia maraari. geniosia kaci!

    great! nothing to say more.

  • saswaulia

  • A incredible musician. Here he's quite of demonstrating and his physical pleasure as a performer replace ours as music listeners. But it's so straight, neat and full of energy! I also love the thing with his handkerchief at the very begining!

  • this is insane awesome

  • If sped up on tape the pitch would be higher. It is possible to compress digital recordings where the tempo is sped up but the pitch stays the same. This film was done I believe in 16mm during the 50s and is real time being analog. What you see is what he did, exploring the physical limitations of the human body. Catch some of the Richter Bach recordings; he wasn't just a speed freak, he was a fantastic musician.

  • wow, he played it Extremely fast but accurate....

  • it looks like it was fast-forwarded... hmm..?? but it wasn't! loved it!!

  • Holy fucking shit!

    Come cazzo fa a farlo così veloce?? Ma lo suona come indicato sopra lo spartito o è ancora più veloce?

    Dio santo sono rimasto a bocca aperta e alla fine quando ha fatto le ultime due ottave di do diesis ho sparato un "cazzo!" che l'avranno sentito anche giù in strada!

    Santo Richter...

  • the devil plays chopin.

    no words.

    the best performance of all time!

  • 0_0 rayos! que rapido! 0_0

  • damn, je is like fuck the piano and start playing love it

  • DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • per me scorda il pianoforte e lo suona più lento...

  • no way ! he cant be playin that fast..but if he is ! my god he is a mad man !!!!!

  • yes he is playing it that fast, i have it on live performance

  • a7aaaa <<< w feeha mofta7a

  • crazy loool

  • E il piano disse: «ok, ok, mi arrendo, mi arrendo! Farò tutto quello che vuoi!»

    Come interpretazione, scherzi a parte, è certo troppo testosteronica e muscolare per essere pià di un esercizio: sembra uno sfogo più che una esecuzione.

    Ma un video come questo resta nella storia di ciò che un essere umano può arrivare a fare quanto a controllo cosicente del movimento.

    Sono semplicemente allibito, resto a bocca aperta anche se come interpretazione ovviamente non lascia il segno.

  • is this real speed?

  • Well, all-righty then!

    Now that he's warmed up, maybe he can play something difficult! <8-0

    That's what I call digital dexterity!

    Man attacks piano -- Wow!!

  • Watch the hand kerchief amd see if there is a natural reponse ?

  • Técnica i sentimiento....1000 stars

  • LOL

  • really a TORRENT ETUDE!! :-) He is the piano demon!!

  • omg WOW!

  • hay le hace la competencia a cziffra

  • um..wow!!

  • The ultimate.

  • ..im just so impressed and amazed how fast and accuratelly human fingers can move.really impressive

  • 0_0 no hay forma!

  • this isn't too fast. and the video isn't sped up. richter and cziffra play the fastest op. 10/4s.

  • too fast!!

  • that's because of the way video capturing was back then. Like you'd notice how people move awkwardly in the first videos.

  • es espectacular como toca de preciso y bien, eso esta claro, pero yo personalmente no puedo apreciarlo del todo porque lo interpreta demasiado rapido, yo lo prefiero un poco mas lento. la obra es esplendida

  • i like that the camera is like....on top

    its quite brilliant actually. i should do my concerts like through a glass floor. or somethin

  • Richter war ein Gigant !!!

  • 11 seconds faster than freddy kempf's O.o............ amazing

  • critics abound! lol

  • definately not sped up, this is from the richter dvd, if it was sped up the pitch would be higher, and ive learned to play some of this song, and certain bits you can play pretty fast hehe

    doubt i'll play it that fast tho!

  • PURE SKILL

  • What kind of "bench" or rather "stool" is he sitting on? :p

  • hell ya

  • Holy. Shit. In. My. Pants.

  • Questo non è un'uomo! è una furia della natura!!!!!!!!!!!

  • impressive .... richter is really the best !!! :D

  • This is the fastest I've heard this piece.......than again it is Richter

  • simon barare plays about the speed or even faster, I think. But barare's playing is a little too light and not as dramatic as richter.

  • C'mon, its Richter, how can anyone believe its fake? Christ he's played harder pieces than this

  • Svaka cast!

  • holy shit!

    that is unreal....

    the camera can not keep up with his hands.

  • god llike...

  • this hasnt been sped up at all.

    and you can see for yourself

    play the video in the beginning when its showing his whole body, you can see the very end of his open jacket, when it moves, it moves like the jacket would according to his torso, which is also moving slowly if u dont look at the hands. if this were sped up, the subtle movements of the end of his jacket would seem sporadic, which they dont, up until the part where he moves his arm down the register really fast, which is reasonable.

  • no.. impossible

  • ...and this has NOT been speeded up!

  • Ignore his fingers,his body,his transcendental techique,even his sound and focus on what he is playing.He only plays what Chopin has wrote and nothing else!

  • Sped up because of the old method of filming :) But it's pretty impressive all the same! Lovely piece :D

  • Extremely impressive, but not sped up. Ignore his hands, and watch the movements of his body.......

  • wow, he was playing so fast the camera was incapable of capturing the majority of the movement of his fingers so it looks like they were teleporting.

  • HOLY SHIT.

  • holy...shitt !

  • keep practising boys and girls.

  • but I want to go outside and play.

  • 丫伯

    你好猛

  • wow O:

  • Too fast imo, but damn this guys got talent to play it so accurately at that speed.

  • its called motor memory

  • The Film lasts shorter than Richter's performance ;)

    That's why it took him only 1:36 mins to play that piece, however: P.E.R.F.E.C.T

  • o_O