Ravel: Piano Concerto for the left hand / Aimard · Boulez · Berliner Philharmoniker

[videofanYT00]

Anyone else remember this on an episode of MASH?

[MYRNYE]

11-11-11 -- GREAT MUSIC TO LISTEN TO &

DREAM A BEAUTIFUL STORY :O

PIERRE-LAURENT AIMARD GREAT PIANIST :O

[PurpleMadNat]

i would liked to have seen it played by someone with only one hand just to add a little more sincerity :P however its still a breath taking piece of music.

[Maddolis]

If I ever get RSI in my right hand, this'll be the first piece I learn.

[Maddolis]

@Jakearnie Heheh, yeah.

[klavierigel]

Such a great pianist! It is the best ever performance I heard! Bravo!

[meilingleiko]

Incredible of the left hand! I enjoyed deeply the left playing counter with the orchestra powerfully also harmonically. Beautiful timbre and melody line! I’ve collected some of Berliner Philharmoniker’s DVD which purchased in Taiwan; the conductor is Sir Simon Rattle, of course including Sir Claudio Abbado and Sir Daniel Barenboim…Thank you so much and BRAVO, Dear Berliner Philharmoniker.

Best regards,

Meiling

[devinb1690]

Interesting, the contrabassoon player is playing a contraforte

[viceadmiralcongo]

Leave it to the Berlin Philharmonic to make one of the hardest wind accompaniments I've ever played sound so easy.

[midwesterntrendkill]

Music

[calpoop]

@MrHarperwill the pianist lost his right hand in WWI so Ravel could only write a one-handed piece. Just read the top rated comment up there haha.

[MyMusic0201]

@MrHarperwill

If you suffer fromm dementia, you will not be able to write a piece like this. This is absolutely incredible. One of the greatest ever!

[KPO6859]

This was written for Paul Wittgenstein, an extraordinary pianist who lost his right arm during WWII. There were several composers who created concerti for him that you may want to check out (Prokofiev, Korngold). He held most of these privately until he passed away in 1961, so many are not aware of all the left hand music. Anyway, Ravel wrote a marvelous piece of music in the concerto and it is worth adding to your collection.

[BnPire]

an really incredible performance, I think Pierre Boulez and Pierre-Laurent Aimard have made a great job together. It is the best performance of this piece I have ever heard!

[JeeRant]

Sounds kind of self-congratulatory to me.

[YofterMofter]

@JeeRant How do you mean? In a negative or a positive way?

[C00ki3M0nsst3r]

@rpollock92708 its nearer to 7 billion these days :\

breathingearth (dot) net/

[pretzelberg]

A supreme piece of music - so good that the left-hand element doesnt't matter.

[lszyman51]

Have you ever seen Jean-Yves Thibaudet play this? Extraordinary!

[davidofpiano423]

Great piano playing with one of the finest orchestras in the world....I must admit though I do enjoy hearing it this way, I've never heard it so slow! But I agree with OrchestrationOnline... it's supposed to be faster.

[Dyne2Alex]

@davidofpiano423 "it"'s supposed to be as the conductor interprets it. ofc its different than the composer intends. unless the composer himself was playing, what's the chance that some other conductor will know exactly how it should be played? interpretation, my dear watson.

[Enantiodromialist]

I don't know this recording, but Aimard is an extraordinarily thoughtful pianist whose recording of the "Concord" sonata - an admirable choice of repertoire, to make an understatement - is sublime.

As a professional musician I consider this to be arguably Ravel's greatest work, and one of the most flawless, exquisite, gorgeous pieces of music ever written; I would almost say that for the opening contrabassoon solo alone - one of the very definitions of glory.

[davisbone]

why didn't the original pianist just look for a 2nd hand shop?

[sebastianrc]

El concepto de un concierto solo para la mano izquierda es excepcional y la obra en si misma no se queda para nada atras.

[xenos82]

I know this is being EXTREMELY picky, but be careful when you say this piece was composed for Wittgenstein. Paul's largely forgotten know, and it's his youngest brother Ludwig, probably the greatest philosopher of the 20th century and a man of unquestionably incandescent genius, who is remembered as 'Wittgenstein.'

[OrchestrationOnline]

Google "Paul Wittgenstein." CRabbit86 isn't making up anything. This piece was commissioned by a one-armed concert pianist who lost his right arm in WWI.

[bagdad4]

2:51 is one of my favourite moments in all 20th century music

[johndega]

Yes, this work is unique; it is very odd,

even for Ravel, who knew how to write down exactly what he wanted. Something of this complexity and and clarity could only be written by a composer in full command of everything he knew, but also an orchestrator who had the ability to dare anything. Ravel had all this ability, and he pulled it off; giving us one of the most original piano concertos imagineable. A work of this stature and durability can stand to be interpreted in many ways.

[OrchestrationOnline]

This pianist is great - the orchestra one of the best - but the tempo! So slow! Check out the recordings of this concerto such as that of Samson François. This should be a fast march, not an "almost fast" march.

[bagdad4]

completely agree, a faster tempo gives it a danger and immediacy that this recording doesnt have

[OrchestrationOnline]

Thanks, bagdad4. For anyone who cares, this section of this concerto is marked at dotted quarter note = 138 beats per minute in the original score. Not 120 like Aimard is playing. It's supposed to be intense and brisk. Not relaxed, no disrespect.

[boxbot5]

@OrchestrationOnline if we are slaves to the score we really should just stop calling ourselves artists then

[OrchestrationOnline]

@boxbot5 You picked the wrong composer to defend on this point. Toscanini played Bolero way too fast at its American premiere, and when Ravel scolded him, Toscanini defended himself by asking "must we be slaves to the written score." Ravel answered briskly "Performers are slaves," turned on his heel and walked off.

Ravel was the composer of the some of the most perfectly and carefully conceived music. When he gives you a tempo, you'd better at least play close to it, and not 18 bpm away from it

[LLJtbone]

@OrchestrationOnline I just checked out your site. I trust that you know your stuff. Cool page btw. Are you American or from New Zealand?

[OrchestrationOnline]

@LLJtbone American living in NZ.

[LLJtbone]

@OrchestrationOnline I see, an American in NZ. That's pretty nice. I have heard NZ is a very beautiful country. I have lived in quite a few exotic locales myself but not NZ.

[ellandelachapelle]

My new favourite pianist! How relaxed he is!

[CRabbit86]

No, Ravel wrote this Concerto for a Pianist who lost his right hand in the War...

[MarkoPA50]

@CRabbit86- The Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D major (Concerto pour la main gauche en ré majeur) was composed by Maurice Ravel between 1929 and 1930, concurrently with his Piano Concerto in G. It was commissioned by the Austrian pianist, Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm during World War I.

[snakeweirdo]

@CRabbit86 Paul Wittgenstein, brother of the famous Philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein.

[lecochonbleu]

After your last comment k93, I've got to the only logical, natural conclusion when you consider that this is one of the most satisfying performances I've heard and they're doing absolutely everything right and nothing at all wrong to me.

That is both to agree with you and to disagree with you. There's no other way for me. I'll explain in the next comment.

[lecochonbleu]

<<< continued

2.

... I agree that what you're saying must be accurate regarding the writer's attitude. And I disagree that this is a misinterpretation. I think his attitude is to be subtly determined, through the purity of the music. It's not the best piece in the world, far from it, but it does have character if treated with plain truth and clarity. I don't think I know how his attitude was borne out - perhaps in even just writing a piece which requires empty clarity itself to be worthwhile.

[jaxonosu]

what a magical moment at 1:46... wow.

[lecochonbleu]

I can't agree with klingsor93 that this is a misinterpretation. I usually don't like this piece much or at all, whilst Ravel is one of my favourite writers. & this performance is so clear, true, sonorous and it sounds like music, and nice music, as a result. The more complex, discordant harmony towards the end of the clip has never sounded clearer, yet anything less sells this particular piece of writing short. The orchestra make a very difficult piece sound like music, music from a good writer,

[EttasFavourites]

Because of the former comments I was searching on Tube for other performances and I completely agree with your words. I did not even recognize it, it was difficult to go on listening ( I stopped), though I love Ravel, as you do.

You used brilliant words to explain your impressions. In fact mine.

Thank you.

[culturehorse]

..you wld needless 2 say then recommend another perf perhps? _____thx

[NiniClarineta]

In my opinion, klingsor93 is completely correct in his comments.

But despite of this fact, i am still impressed with the sonority of the orchestra. GREAT!!!!!!

[TheClassicalFun]

Thank you for the corection: Boulez is the conductor, Aimard is the piano master.

About your comment: I guess that the conductor of THE Berlin Phil does have studied Ravel before starting the rehearsals, and daring to perform this as he does here.

He would be a fool if he would risk his neck, and for the audience, and here on tube, and for the director of the Berlin Phil, because he invited Boulez, I suppose.

If it was that bad it would not have appeared here on Tube.

Absolutely not.

[TheClassicalFun]

Before I get another correction: yes, I know Boulez is a guest director, and Simon Rattle, yes, indeed, he is the director.

[redhotchiliangel]

Its obvious that Boulez is the conductor and Aimard is the soloist.

[jlaurson]

It'd be even more obvious, if it were the other way 'round.

[Susannekaffeekanne]

the bassoon rocks :)

[dxhaloxc]

i wish they would have shown the cadenza :(

[TheClassicalFun]

Boulez, already a Piano Master with one hand.... !!

Even the left one!

It is a real deLight hear him performing Ravel, to watch him also, in a wonderful elegant, passioned flow with the lyrics and rhythms of this poem, for me it is....

And the Berlin Phil brings in the colours for the words. Really exquisite!

[billyguns2]

Too slow and too ponderous, completely lacking in Gallic charm.

[TheClassicalFun]

I would love it to hear the other version, with the Gallic charm, do you have it, please send it me....

When what we hear is not fitting in our feelings of what they experience as beautiful it does not mean it is not good, and vice versa.

It is only different.

I am curious about that version you like more.

So, please, send it, if possible..

Thank you.

[CJSweatt]

Fantastic response! If only people like you were all over YouTube.

Thank you, for that comment!