Ravel and Chopin have two things in common...they composed a relatively modest body of works but the overall quality of the entire set is so high that most of their works have been recorded or is in the active repertoire since day 1.
This is an amazing piece, and, unfortunately this recording doesn't even nearly do it justice. Poor quality is the main problem, the heavy sections at the end sound, frankly, awful. Also, there are quite a few missed notes there as well.
Ah, I usually enjoy the playing of Gilels - but this, in my opinion, was too loud throughout. Fine, some places are supposed to be ff, but the cresc-p places in the beginning don't mean "OH MY GOD THE WORLD IS CRASHING DOWN ON ME-- oh wait we're back to piano". More like a little increment, and back down again. I think the sweet leggiero feeling of the opening is somewhat lost when mf becomes f and similar. Astounding technique, though, as usual.
I love the way this person plays the coda! I am working on bringing it up to speed closer to this. I love ravel's music. The modes he uses create that wonderful airy sound, which appears very glassy to me.
The thing is that Ravel's music is totally different in conception compared to Liszt and Rachmaninoff, those two are clear followers of the so-to-say mainstream classical idea that kindof ended in late romanticism, and the technical difficulty comes from the same ideas of Mozart, Beethoven, scales, arpeggios, etc. just always making it quicker, with more notes, and more flashy. But Ravels music is totally different, and i think few of the belowed mainstream pianists get the idea of it at all..
I seriously wonder about the wisdom of comparing Ravel and Rachmaninoff. They came from two different cultures, they were very different types of composer as well. Even though Ravel was a superb pianist, I always feel he was primarily an orchestral composer, with Rachmaninoff I always feel the pure pianist.
@WackidWally2 pretty sure thats just to provide the pianist with assistance in the generalization that the bottom staff is for the left hand and the top for the right hand. so ud play the 1st note with ur left hand and the next 3 with ur right hand
wow, this is really good, except it gets a little too busy at times, and sounds off. But otherwise, this was an astounding piece. You should check out my Finale Music for some ideas. They may help spark another idea on your part. Anyway, keep composing! This was absolutely amazing!
@typohear he says, "check out my Finale Music for some ideas", then "anyway, keep composing! This was absolutely amazing!" It's a troll because i feel like there;s no way he can possibly not know that Ravel composed this a loooong time ago lol
@TheRaizen33 I don't know why I didn't see your comment before... but I thought the same thing and immediately started to transpose this piece from piano to guitar.
@Blizzara316 was there a lot of tapping because some of those octaves are pretty high up there and then it jumps down to the lower register immediately. good luck on transposing the piece by the way. i would like to hear it when it's complete would be interesting.
Very nice piece. I haven't heard it before. But now I like it. Reminiscent of the famous toccata Prokofiev. Only in Prokofiev's more elastic movement and more powerful sonority. In this case, there is the alternation of masculine episodes with more transparent. Gilels, as always, is magnificent.
This song is in a432, and not a440. because this was recorded before the international standards organization mandated 440 as the international keynote in 1953.
shortly after rock music caught on, and the nature of popular music started to get more and more aggressive over the years because of the nature of 440 being disharmonious with the natural vibrations of the universe. see for yourself type (432hz) in google and read up on it.
i love how he's able to achieve something so impressive and violent without using any real percussion, which is something that in rock and popular music in general seems to be though impossible.
@masked1one I think you have to have some kind of knack for it or else it's very hard. For me, it wasn't too awfully difficult whereas Chopin's 2nd Ballade was harder for me. I'm learning La Valse right now and I feel like I have a knack for that, too.
@kyleclef Rach 3 in its entirety is more difficult, that is a fact. But don't forget Rach 3 is a piano concerto, and it is 50 minutes long and requires more than technique to pull it off. But if you can play this, you will probably be able to play any short sections in Rach 3.
@teccomin I suppose its a personal thing, I can play all of this, but I can't play any of the Rach 3, I think its because I know what Ravel was thinking/trying to do when he wrote this, but I just can't understand the Rach 3. Lets not forget the Ravel Piano concerto, which is also a lot easier than the rach 3.
@brozors I wasn't comparing them as music, I was comparing them technically, Rach 3 is much harder, and is a FANTASTIC concerto, why do you think its so bad? Anyway, its bad to compare them as pieces because they are so different.
Have you tried this? This piece is beast. This requires some of the most difficult and awkward jumps, crossovers, accuracy, repeated notes, melody voicings, and hand alignments. Rach 3 was written for people who can only reach an octave. This was written for people with perfect timing who can launch their hands to the exact next chord within milliseconds.
@looney1023 Didn't read the other guys comment, but this piece is definately, DEFINATELY easier than Rach 3. Not saying Rach 3 is the hardest piece ever, but it is definately harder than this. Rach 3 has a lot more jumps and requires you to reach 2 notes more than an octave than you'd think.
No. Rach wrote Rach 3 for virtuosi who could only reach an octave that wanted a challenge that was actually playable. Have you seen the jumps in the coda of this piece? The chords are awkward. The true difficulty in this piece is the fact that you have no time at all to think, because if you slow down, the effect is lost. Rach 3 has slow parts that allow for the player to think.This is just once you start, you have to truck your way through till the end and act on impulse.
@looney1023 Look it up. imslp(dot)org/wiki/Piano_Concerto_No.3,_Op.30_(Rachmaninoff,_Sergei)
First movement. Page 14. First measure, second time piano bars show. You are required to reach more than an octave twice in that measure. Both in left and right hand. And this is only the first movement, and only the first time
Don't doubt me.
Not saying this piece is easy, not even compared to Rach 3, but Rach 3 just cuts the edge.
And don't doubt me. He dedicated Rach 3 to someone who felt like he couldn't be challenged by Rach's other pieces due to the fact that he can only reach an octave. Conmpared to Rach's other works which require 9ths, 10ths etc every other measure, Rach 3 isn't nearly as bad. A few rolled chords could fix that no problem, despite phiysical limitations of the player, in Rach 3. It doesn't work well when you'd have to roll every single chord in a piece. (i.e. his other piano concertos
@looney1023 First of all: Like the toccata has any big chords? I play this piece myself, and I have very small hands; no problem.
Second of all: why are we even talking about the reach of chords in the piece. Like that is even relevant to wether or not the piece is harder than the other.
Third of all: I'm not really gonna bother discussing anymore. Regardless wether you are right or wrong. I respect your opinion, but youtube discussions are just pointless and stupid.
@looney1023 Rach 3 is mostly hard because of the amount of stamina required, there are barely any sections where the orchestra is the only one playing, and there is only one real resting point at the end of mvt 1. Most people that have played rach 2 would say it's harder to put together. But that is besides the point that you can't compare a 4 minute piece with a 45 minute concerto. I have heard high school students play the Toccata, I can only name a few people who have played Rach 3 under 17.
@looney1023 i'm sorry but you are talking out your arse, have you actually even LOOKED at the score of the rach 3??????? stop being so ignorant, i can garentee than ANY pianist who plays both will tell you rach 3 is the hardest, in technical and emotional sense...
I'm not being ignorant. I'm not saying Rach 3 is easy at all! It's obviously in at least the top 10 most difficult piece ever written, but the amount of skill and technique in this one still tops it, even just barely.
@teccomin, indeed, all these composers have unique technical challenges. With Ravel, it's often how to shape the phrase exactly as indicated - the subtlety of touch required is so great that very few pianists can really do him justice. With Rachmaninov, the large jumps, muscular chords, and the simple hand size required to play much of his music makes it hard. And with Liszt, the sheer speed of much of his music makes it almost unplayable.
@teccomin technical difficulty, the Liszt Sonata beats this, altho the Gaspard de la Nuit is in same league with it. However, that is only technical difficulty. Any seasoned pianist can play it with enough practice. When it comes to depth, obviously Liszt and Rach are much harder. Altho this piece still rocks
I agree. Ravel is very hard. Espacially his piano concerto. Even the left hand concerto is really hard eventhough it is only played with one single hand.
@00davideperez00 I had always thought that Franz Liszt wrote the most technically challenging pieces for the piano repertory. But now I see where I was wrong; Maurice Ravel can rival him at times.
@00davideperez00 I always thought that Liszt wrote the most technically challenging pieces for the piano. But now I see where I was mistaken; Ravel probably rivals him.
combining the recording with a display of the according passage in the sheets enables us to make an observation:
gilels shat on what ravel wrote, regarding dynamics. he did the accents maybe for 20 secs from the start, but then disregarded them as well. yes, it is difficult, but that doesn't make a crappy realization of a piece better in any way. there is SO much missing here, so MUCH that really makes up what Ravel's music is all about.
I must listen to this piece at least 3 times a week, and have done for about a month, right before I go to bed. This and about 20 others that I've got bookmarked all from Youtube - never gets any less exciting :)))
@Parvenu333 I think your reaction is the one any serious pianist who isn't consumed by jealousy would have (sadly many people in that category post on youtube). Maestro is right that it's a bit heavy-handed, and in a sense is not typical "Ravel playing". But perhaps that concept needs broadening - by sheer excitement, machine gun rhythm and the accumulation of immense sonorities Gilels creates something that is volcanic and transcends any stylistic bickering - this is a great performance.
I dearly love the way Gilels plays most of the time, but in my opinion, this is just far too heavy-handed for Ravel. Of course it's at a technical level most of us could only dream of possessing, but the loud sections lack grace and sound like he's firing at us with a Prokofiev-designed piano machine gun.
superb toccata, and the performance was light-speed and dead on. Definitely adding this to my list of standard rep [although learning the piece could be comparatively long] Thanks for posting!
I agree with you, this is fast, but if you want to hear it faster, check out Jean-phillipe Collard's recording. I like the more relaxed tempo of Gilet though....
Yeah keeping the repeated notes going between the hands is really difficult. Then on top of the technical difficulties, trying to create some kind of melodic narrative out of the whole texture. I advise trying to learn just the repetitive notes first (correct fingering and hand keeping a good hand position) then begin to add the rest of the texture around that, may sound very confusing but breaking it down into manageable chunks really helps. Best of Luck!
In the last part Ravel was really pushing the limit harmony wise and it's just exhilirating. Maybe it's just the video but there's not much difference between pp and ff in some parts.
Interesting point, MrA. Hearing recordings can be misleading. My brother (we're both pianists) played this suite beautifully and I heard him do this Tocatta in a master class where the differences in volume were enormous. The pp's were very soft and the ff's were LOUD. But the most amazing thing was to hear the crescendos, especially the long one starting about 3:14 in this recording (and another 3:36). Hearing it live makes a huge difference.
I don't think the two can be really compared. They give me two completely different feelings. I think of rugged hills, mountains, and streams when I listen to Ravels toccata, while I think of flowers, meadows, and forests in Debussy's.
@luxienai Hey man, what's your problem? I really enjoyed this song and I think this individual is really skillful at what he does, as do you. In case you forgot, I was admiring this peace, not demeaning it. I do not need to put him and myself in a category to give a compliment. Id thought if I said that I was also a composer, which I am, he might feel more complemented. Theres no need to stoop down to the level of becoming inconsiderately defensive.
@4444matthew4444 Lol.... well... maybe i'll read the description before i comment next time =P Haha, i'll change what i said to "thank you for posting this video!" It's nice to see the notation and accents while the music is playing. =]
@B8Av3 well, being a composer, maybe you want to get more familiar with Ravel. I'm sure after his prix de Rome your compliment is his highest honor! haha i kid... but great post, thank you mathew
I am kidding too. Us classical music "snobs" love to jump all over anyone who shows any ignorance of the field, even if its innocent. I guess part of it is us being bitter at the fact that the whole world listens Lady Gaga, while maybe one person out of 40 has even heard of Ravel.
So when we hear things "I digg this song by this guy Ravel", we can get a little sarcastic and even downright nasty . But I am not sure if this attitude does more harm then good, since it probably alienates people from classical music rather then invites them to join the club.
@iamalittlespy, you're so right. Everybody has to hear about Ravel, Granados--heck, even Beethovan!---for the first time sometime. Why not here, in a (hopefully) friendly forum, where Ravel nuts like you and I can enthusiastically suggest other samples and pieces of his work? I think we music nuts are occasionally just that--nuts--and we need to remember that enthusiasms are best when shared, rather than cloistered. Well said!
@marginallymental hey people listen to beethoven scarlatti haydn,chopin mozart rach,scrabin alkan,faure franck,ravel,prokofiev,albeniz and a thousand others
@B8Av3 First of all, it's a piece. Not a "peace", and not a song. Second, you don't seem to know who Ravel is. That means you cannot be a composer. Period. Which leads to my third point, that by putting yourself on his level, you are indeed, deeply, deeply insulting him.
@LazarusErlking Ok, you know, people like you really make me feel quite pitiful towards the callously demurring insults you so often present. Yes, I made the obvious mistake of both misspelling “piece” and not knowing who this guy is. Seven months ago, I thought I already made that clear. Here just think with me for a moment, we’re both humans right? Yes? Now, I am a “fellow” human to you, believe it or not.
@LazarusErlking I in no way put myself in a position that would compare myself to Ravel other than the very fact that I am also a composer. Think of it this way: We have the same goals in life. Mmk? Just because we have similar musical pursuits does not mean my style or development of such music is anywhere near his level of mastery.
@LazarusErlking My point in saying such things before was to both let others know I admire and can relate to this man’s musical obsession AND to maybe interest others to listen to my music as well. Go ahead, click on my channel. Maybe you should learn to be more firm with your accusations before you ruthlessly defend someone I had not insulted in the first place.
@B8Av3 So, I never had any stake in this conversation at all, but I just went to your channel and listened to a couple of your compositions. I wanted to punch myself in the face after listening to the first one, and wanted to punch myself in the face again after listening to the second. Please take some kind of music theory course or something, for the sake of my two black eyes.
@Parvenu333 oh thank you =) I can tell just by that comment alone how wonderful a person you are. Such great character! Maybe you could listen to the third? Or a forth? Or even all 101 of them? Or maybe you can, actually only if you can this time control yourself from being masochistic, you can think reasonably like the other 130-300 people who are fond of and can see my music how it is and not be caught up with jealously or hate towards people with an actual passion in life.
Maybe if then you could put away your arrogance, suck it up, and prove your character and my music is worth something more than but a mere meaningless and ungrounded insult. How does Juilliard sound? Mm, I love even hearing that gorgeous name. Say, why do you think they accepted me? Was it not because they thought I had what it takes to be in the #1 school in the country? Well you’re one of the few who think so. Do I have a problem with it? No. Do I think you have some issues to work out? Yes.
@Parvenu333 I'm going to make this brief because you're obviously really not worth my time. If you think i didn't see you change your argument to make your first message seem less un-called-for and uncriticismical, sorry to disappoint you. You got the wrong impression in my last message, i do not know theory. A good example of a direct insult is when someone with uprooted sarcasm says the thing another person loves which is designed to make another feel better makes them want to hurt them self.
@Parvenu333 now if you wish to pointlessly continue this pathetic argument (mainly on your end "Mr. i change my points"), feel free to send me messages. I'd be more than happy to reply to those relevant and ignore the ones out of purely a defensive and misguided reaction to my point-making comment.
Ravel and Chopin have two things in common...they composed a relatively modest body of works but the overall quality of the entire set is so high that most of their works have been recorded or is in the active repertoire since day 1.
dalecampbl9 4 days ago
why is this piece so short? seriously!
ARunnerNamedClay 6 days ago
Comment removed
ARunnerNamedClay 6 days ago
I absolutely LOVE this piece, both playing it and listening to it! Ravel was such a genius :)
LongDriveChamp03 1 month ago
so intense..
i love it.
MoosicxXx 1 month ago
This is an amazing piece, and, unfortunately this recording doesn't even nearly do it justice. Poor quality is the main problem, the heavy sections at the end sound, frankly, awful. Also, there are quite a few missed notes there as well.
spasman 1 month ago
Awesome piece!! But yeah..pianissimo parts sound more like mf.
malit1234 2 months ago
Very cool! Awesome!!
surirach 3 months ago
Ravel is the bomb.
foxychick9003 3 months ago 21
To difficult pieces you can add Alborada del Gracioso from Mirior...Though relatively short this is up there with the other three...
cheradinine8 3 months ago
@omnizm Repeated notes--check out Islamey by Balakirev
faith1characterhope 4 months ago
i'm playing this for my grade 2 next month, its not the hardest one i'm playing but its still quite hard :(
UnoAcoustic 4 months ago
To the memory of Captain Joseph de Marliave (KIA August 1914)
F14Lolcat 4 months ago
3:13 - 3:45
plorkx 4 months ago
Never thought I'd say that about a Ravel work, but this is awesome! So well played. I think it almost sounds like some film music!
samlab0920 5 months ago
@omnizm rach 3 last movement!
jonnyenglishlim 5 months ago
Gotta love Ravel's pentatonics.
efmusic5 5 months ago
The repeated notes are quite tough... but nowhere as sick as those in alberado del gracioso
jonnyenglishlim 5 months ago
Ah, I usually enjoy the playing of Gilels - but this, in my opinion, was too loud throughout. Fine, some places are supposed to be ff, but the cresc-p places in the beginning don't mean "OH MY GOD THE WORLD IS CRASHING DOWN ON ME-- oh wait we're back to piano". More like a little increment, and back down again. I think the sweet leggiero feeling of the opening is somewhat lost when mf becomes f and similar. Astounding technique, though, as usual.
tamegomaith93 6 months ago
Wow! What an emotional rollers coaster! my heart is still racing!
Sterdad 6 months ago
This song is an emotional ride of excitement, nervousness, confidence, more nervousness, and dread -
must've been his first concert or something.
TorressssssME 6 months ago 4
it's wounderful and very original too. Debussy's toccata is not bad too.
CarnassialtheHun 6 months ago
17 dislikes? People who probably cannot coordinate their left and right hands.
traineemusician 6 months ago 4
This is a masterpiece. Simply incredible on all levels.
brianbernsteintv 6 months ago
Probably the best toccata I've ever heard...........
gsarci2011 7 months ago
Probably not what Ravel wanted, but dear lord is this amazing playing. Absolutely frightening.
BOSOX9004 7 months ago 2
@BOSOX9004 You betcha! Nimble, flying fingers. :)
Glinkaism1 7 months ago
sounds a lot like the finale of his piano concerto for two hands
thebloads 7 months ago
I love Ravel.
MsThisNameIsTaken 7 months ago
Hey, 4444matthew4444, could you tell me who's playing?
JohnRift 7 months ago
I love the way this person plays the coda! I am working on bringing it up to speed closer to this. I love ravel's music. The modes he uses create that wonderful airy sound, which appears very glassy to me.
iMixUrFace 7 months ago
I don't know who's playing but the performance is very good.
JohnRift 7 months ago
alkan's scherzi are probably more difficult.
0casteloencantado0 7 months ago
@0casteloencantado0 who cares if something is more difficult?
RediForKing 7 months ago 4
The thing is that Ravel's music is totally different in conception compared to Liszt and Rachmaninoff, those two are clear followers of the so-to-say mainstream classical idea that kindof ended in late romanticism, and the technical difficulty comes from the same ideas of Mozart, Beethoven, scales, arpeggios, etc. just always making it quicker, with more notes, and more flashy. But Ravels music is totally different, and i think few of the belowed mainstream pianists get the idea of it at all..
carlosgabor642 7 months ago
Ravel c'est tellement un romantique dans l'âme!! :)
1862Debussy 8 months ago
Clearest preformance of the Toccata I've ever heard so far
Zirocket8 8 months ago
of course its Gilels playing...
muchmoredots 8 months ago
I seriously wonder about the wisdom of comparing Ravel and Rachmaninoff. They came from two different cultures, they were very different types of composer as well. Even though Ravel was a superb pianist, I always feel he was primarily an orchestral composer, with Rachmaninoff I always feel the pure pianist.
Snafuski 9 months ago
@Snafuski Rachmaninoff I would not say is a pure pianist. His Vespers are a masterwork, which chorale music anywhere is hard to beat.
Haydnseek1 9 months ago
@Haydnseek1 True. The Symphonies are also great orchestral works. But when it comes to writing piano music is what I meant.
Snafuski 8 months ago
Can anyone tell me why the first two measures repeat the same note, but on two different staffs? Is only the bottom note staccato?
WackidWally2 9 months ago
@WackidWally2 pretty sure thats just to provide the pianist with assistance in the generalization that the bottom staff is for the left hand and the top for the right hand. so ud play the 1st note with ur left hand and the next 3 with ur right hand
dishflow 9 months ago
16 people wish they could play this.
Zorf96 10 months ago
You can't convince me that a human being can actually do that. And live.
whorace3 10 months ago
@whorace3 search for Ravel toccata, Philippe Bianconi. Excellent live performance, barely any mistakes.
arcturian627 10 months ago
wow, this is really good, except it gets a little too busy at times, and sounds off. But otherwise, this was an astounding piece. You should check out my Finale Music for some ideas. They may help spark another idea on your part. Anyway, keep composing! This was absolutely amazing!
typohear 10 months ago
@typohear troll.
UsernameHerpDerp 10 months ago
@UsernameHerpDerp troll? How?
typohear 10 months ago
@typohear he says, "check out my Finale Music for some ideas", then "anyway, keep composing! This was absolutely amazing!" It's a troll because i feel like there;s no way he can possibly not know that Ravel composed this a loooong time ago lol
UsernameHerpDerp 9 months ago
@UsernameHerpDerp lol wow i see your point. I didnt even realize this was a long time ago until now. Guess i should pay more attention then, lol.
typohear 9 months ago
@typohear Haha funniest comment ever!
TasmanBayHerbs 10 months ago
@TasmanBayHerbs im confused. wat was so funny?
typohear 10 months ago
well between 0:10 and 0:19 at least
huzzzzzzahh 10 months ago
Sounds somewhat asian at the beginning
huzzzzzzahh 10 months ago
HOLY SHIT.
trexgunkillyoudead 11 months ago
This is quite difficult. I love it
mpddiz 11 months ago
Goodness gracious O_O This is utterly brilliant! The climax is astonishingly well done ...
SergeOfArniVillage 11 months ago
This could be a metal song..
TheRaizen33 11 months ago 16
@TheRaizen33 I don't know why I didn't see your comment before... but I thought the same thing and immediately started to transpose this piece from piano to guitar.
Blizzara316 3 months ago
@Blizzara316 was there a lot of tapping because some of those octaves are pretty high up there and then it jumps down to the lower register immediately. good luck on transposing the piece by the way. i would like to hear it when it's complete would be interesting.
TheRaizen33 3 months ago
What a piece. Great music. I'm totally expressed by this music.
Simsonsimsons 11 months ago
Very nice piece. I haven't heard it before. But now I like it. Reminiscent of the famous toccata Prokofiev. Only in Prokofiev's more elastic movement and more powerful sonority. In this case, there is the alternation of masculine episodes with more transparent. Gilels, as always, is magnificent.
annakornishina 1 year ago
Wow, shitty recording, haha.. cacking all over the place.
chickenringNYC 1 year ago
Tremendous strength and balls of steel. Love it.
sonarrat 1 year ago
This song is in a432, and not a440. because this was recorded before the international standards organization mandated 440 as the international keynote in 1953.
shortly after rock music caught on, and the nature of popular music started to get more and more aggressive over the years because of the nature of 440 being disharmonious with the natural vibrations of the universe. see for yourself type (432hz) in google and read up on it.
FluteTramp 1 year ago 3
@FluteTramp The natural vibrations of the universe? Full of shit ;)
simonofhell 1 year ago
@FluteTramp Yeah, I've noticed this music is a little flat, but in a way that it sounds better.
Starbirdy9999 11 months ago
all toccata and no fugue
lindasapsford 1 year ago
@toskoramone hey rock music is just as awesome as classical!
SuperAaron895 1 year ago
@SuperAaron895 I still prefer classical and I'm 15,XD!!!
loboris1995 1 year ago
Wow this is a great SONG and its nice that a fellow composer was inspired by whoever the dude was that wrote the song.
LackingLack0 1 year ago
i love how he's able to achieve something so impressive and violent without using any real percussion, which is something that in rock and popular music in general seems to be though impossible.
toskoramone 1 year ago
just stay that it is not as important how difficult a song is as that it sound good.
and this definetly sounds good !
mcgoergl 1 year ago
GENIUS, LISTEN, RINSE, REPEAT
DJNotNais 1 year ago 2
This piece has a perfect beginning. That's my favorite part.
erdavis7 1 year ago 69
@erdavis7 I would add Jeux d'Eau to that list.
ObscureAuteur 5 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
It's amazing, there are even such things as classical music youtube comment trolls.
erdavis7 1 year ago
Whoever says Rach and Liszt are harder than Ravel certainly hasn't played Ravel.
Ravel has composed few of THE most difficult (mainstream) pieces for solo piano.
Gaspard de la Nuit, La Valse and This..
teccomin 1 year ago 35
@teccomin This isn't all that hard actually.
masked1one 1 year ago
@masked1one I think you have to have some kind of knack for it or else it's very hard. For me, it wasn't too awfully difficult whereas Chopin's 2nd Ballade was harder for me. I'm learning La Valse right now and I feel like I have a knack for that, too.
OrangeSodaKing 1 year ago
@teccomin
Alborada del Gracioso is up there aswell.
looney1023 11 months ago
@teccomin What so this is more difficult than the Rachmaninoff Piano concerto no. 3? I don't think so...thats a fact.
kyleclef 9 months ago
@kyleclef Rach 3 in its entirety is more difficult, that is a fact. But don't forget Rach 3 is a piano concerto, and it is 50 minutes long and requires more than technique to pull it off. But if you can play this, you will probably be able to play any short sections in Rach 3.
teccomin 9 months ago
@teccomin I suppose its a personal thing, I can play all of this, but I can't play any of the Rach 3, I think its because I know what Ravel was thinking/trying to do when he wrote this, but I just can't understand the Rach 3. Lets not forget the Ravel Piano concerto, which is also a lot easier than the rach 3.
kyleclef 9 months ago
@kyleclef Don't even compare man, Rach 3 is a shit concerto compared to the Ravel.
brozors 9 months ago
@brozors I wasn't comparing them as music, I was comparing them technically, Rach 3 is much harder, and is a FANTASTIC concerto, why do you think its so bad? Anyway, its bad to compare them as pieces because they are so different.
kyleclef 9 months ago
@kyleclef
Have you tried this? This piece is beast. This requires some of the most difficult and awkward jumps, crossovers, accuracy, repeated notes, melody voicings, and hand alignments. Rach 3 was written for people who can only reach an octave. This was written for people with perfect timing who can launch their hands to the exact next chord within milliseconds.
looney1023 6 months ago 25
@looney1023 Didn't read the other guys comment, but this piece is definately, DEFINATELY easier than Rach 3. Not saying Rach 3 is the hardest piece ever, but it is definately harder than this. Rach 3 has a lot more jumps and requires you to reach 2 notes more than an octave than you'd think.
iPlayPiiano 1 month ago
@iPlayPiiano
No. Rach wrote Rach 3 for virtuosi who could only reach an octave that wanted a challenge that was actually playable. Have you seen the jumps in the coda of this piece? The chords are awkward. The true difficulty in this piece is the fact that you have no time at all to think, because if you slow down, the effect is lost. Rach 3 has slow parts that allow for the player to think.This is just once you start, you have to truck your way through till the end and act on impulse.
looney1023 1 month ago
@looney1023 Look it up. imslp(dot)org/wiki/Piano_Concerto_No.3,_Op.30_(Rachmaninoff,_Sergei)
First movement. Page 14. First measure, second time piano bars show. You are required to reach more than an octave twice in that measure. Both in left and right hand. And this is only the first movement, and only the first time
Don't doubt me.
Not saying this piece is easy, not even compared to Rach 3, but Rach 3 just cuts the edge.
iPlayPiiano 1 month ago
@iPlayPiiano
And don't doubt me. He dedicated Rach 3 to someone who felt like he couldn't be challenged by Rach's other pieces due to the fact that he can only reach an octave. Conmpared to Rach's other works which require 9ths, 10ths etc every other measure, Rach 3 isn't nearly as bad. A few rolled chords could fix that no problem, despite phiysical limitations of the player, in Rach 3. It doesn't work well when you'd have to roll every single chord in a piece. (i.e. his other piano concertos
looney1023 3 weeks ago
@looney1023 First of all: Like the toccata has any big chords? I play this piece myself, and I have very small hands; no problem.
Second of all: why are we even talking about the reach of chords in the piece. Like that is even relevant to wether or not the piece is harder than the other.
Third of all: I'm not really gonna bother discussing anymore. Regardless wether you are right or wrong. I respect your opinion, but youtube discussions are just pointless and stupid.
Have a nice day.
iPlayPiiano 3 weeks ago
@looney1023 Rach 3 is mostly hard because of the amount of stamina required, there are barely any sections where the orchestra is the only one playing, and there is only one real resting point at the end of mvt 1. Most people that have played rach 2 would say it's harder to put together. But that is besides the point that you can't compare a 4 minute piece with a 45 minute concerto. I have heard high school students play the Toccata, I can only name a few people who have played Rach 3 under 17.
PhillyB702 1 week ago
@looney1023 i'm sorry but you are talking out your arse, have you actually even LOOKED at the score of the rach 3??????? stop being so ignorant, i can garentee than ANY pianist who plays both will tell you rach 3 is the hardest, in technical and emotional sense...
kyleclef 3 weeks ago
@kyleclef
I'm not being ignorant. I'm not saying Rach 3 is easy at all! It's obviously in at least the top 10 most difficult piece ever written, but the amount of skill and technique in this one still tops it, even just barely.
looney1023 3 weeks ago
@looney1023 It's the Rigaudon with an ultra attitude.
Juliaflo 22 hours ago
@teccomin, indeed, all these composers have unique technical challenges. With Ravel, it's often how to shape the phrase exactly as indicated - the subtlety of touch required is so great that very few pianists can really do him justice. With Rachmaninov, the large jumps, muscular chords, and the simple hand size required to play much of his music makes it hard. And with Liszt, the sheer speed of much of his music makes it almost unplayable.
KhagarBalugrak 8 months ago
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youwel 8 months ago
@teccomin technical difficulty, the Liszt Sonata beats this, altho the Gaspard de la Nuit is in same league with it. However, that is only technical difficulty. Any seasoned pianist can play it with enough practice. When it comes to depth, obviously Liszt and Rach are much harder. Altho this piece still rocks
youwel 8 months ago
I agree. Ravel is very hard. Espacially his piano concerto. Even the left hand concerto is really hard eventhough it is only played with one single hand.
JohnRift 7 months ago
@teccomin I personally think Debussy's toccata is harder than this particular peice. Debussy is pretty hard aswell. In all the sense of the word =P
Veraux 4 months ago
@teccomin French Virtuosism scares.. O_o
00davideperez00 3 months ago
@00davideperez00 I had always thought that Franz Liszt wrote the most technically challenging pieces for the piano repertory. But now I see where I was wrong; Maurice Ravel can rival him at times.
JLFAN2009 1 month ago
@00davideperez00 I always thought that Liszt wrote the most technically challenging pieces for the piano. But now I see where I was mistaken; Ravel probably rivals him.
JLFAN2009 1 month ago
I could tell this is Ravel without knowing. :D
F1R1NMAHLAZAH 1 year ago
Piano teacher talkin about a song he wants me to learn to play and pulls out Maurice Ravel-Toccata aw hell naw
frogman2469 1 year ago
You can certainly hear George Gershwin's influence on Ravel in this one
miiwiiplay 1 year ago
rofl that is one awesome slur at 1:55 never seen anything like that on a piano score
DJNotNais 1 year ago 3
@DJNotNais melody split between the two hands. Strange you has never seen it, it's not unusual...
henricusbajanensis 1 year ago
I love ravel
belialah 1 year ago
when i listen to this piece i am filled with an unrelenting amount of energy....
SuperAaron895 1 year ago
Techno music learned so much from classical, even if it doesn't know it.
This is pure techno!"
Olafandlafandlaf 1 year ago
combining the recording with a display of the according passage in the sheets enables us to make an observation:
gilels shat on what ravel wrote, regarding dynamics. he did the accents maybe for 20 secs from the start, but then disregarded them as well. yes, it is difficult, but that doesn't make a crappy realization of a piece better in any way. there is SO much missing here, so MUCH that really makes up what Ravel's music is all about.
chrsYT 1 year ago
I must listen to this piece at least 3 times a week, and have done for about a month, right before I go to bed. This and about 20 others that I've got bookmarked all from Youtube - never gets any less exciting :)))
bevster1 1 year ago
really action!
Gordos404 1 year ago
Holy fuck.
Parvenu333 1 year ago
@Parvenu333 I think your reaction is the one any serious pianist who isn't consumed by jealousy would have (sadly many people in that category post on youtube). Maestro is right that it's a bit heavy-handed, and in a sense is not typical "Ravel playing". But perhaps that concept needs broadening - by sheer excitement, machine gun rhythm and the accumulation of immense sonorities Gilels creates something that is volcanic and transcends any stylistic bickering - this is a great performance.
MISHA1119 1 year ago
I dearly love the way Gilels plays most of the time, but in my opinion, this is just far too heavy-handed for Ravel. Of course it's at a technical level most of us could only dream of possessing, but the loud sections lack grace and sound like he's firing at us with a Prokofiev-designed piano machine gun.
MaestroTJS 1 year ago
piece of cake
i can play this with my toes
PISSGUZZLER 1 year ago
superb toccata, and the performance was light-speed and dead on. Definitely adding this to my list of standard rep [although learning the piece could be comparatively long] Thanks for posting!
chimayai 1 year ago
I really can't get enough of this piece. It's so refreshing to listen to after listening to pop
bevster1 1 year ago
Absolutely amazing, wow
bevster1 1 year ago
no one plays it like him, so fast, yet so clear!
hotbebimauz 1 year ago
I agree with you, this is fast, but if you want to hear it faster, check out Jean-phillipe Collard's recording. I like the more relaxed tempo of Gilet though....
nayrregnes 1 year ago
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MiguelKertsman 1 year ago
this piece looks tough as hell
dalecampbl7 1 year ago
Yeah keeping the repeated notes going between the hands is really difficult. Then on top of the technical difficulties, trying to create some kind of melodic narrative out of the whole texture. I advise trying to learn just the repetitive notes first (correct fingering and hand keeping a good hand position) then begin to add the rest of the texture around that, may sound very confusing but breaking it down into manageable chunks really helps. Best of Luck!
etudepatetico 1 year ago 2
Link for the sheet doesn't work. If you need it, I may send you an updated link via pm so you can put it in the descrption.
str3123 1 year ago
wow
EltBerserker 1 year ago
that's stile!
hkk22fan 1 year ago
Honestly, I've never heard of Ravel, but I am a classical fanatic. Please don't kill me, fellow classical-fans!
AnAmericanComposer 1 year ago
@AnAmericanComposer I might not kill you but i'll say you've been definately missing out;)
1banez 1 year ago
The documentary on Ravel is brilliant.
Mamasan41 1 year ago
WOW
drgabrielsoileau 1 year ago
I can't keep from dancing everytime I hear this song.
ktm64 1 year ago 2
@ktm64 omfg
karazh 1 year ago
lovely
XVLaHireXV 1 year ago
Sparkling...
Njirkovitsj 1 year ago
In the last part Ravel was really pushing the limit harmony wise and it's just exhilirating. Maybe it's just the video but there's not much difference between pp and ff in some parts.
MrAkihiros 1 year ago
Interesting point, MrA. Hearing recordings can be misleading. My brother (we're both pianists) played this suite beautifully and I heard him do this Tocatta in a master class where the differences in volume were enormous. The pp's were very soft and the ff's were LOUD. But the most amazing thing was to hear the crescendos, especially the long one starting about 3:14 in this recording (and another 3:36). Hearing it live makes a huge difference.
TheAspenTom 1 year ago
What school are you guys at?
WMUdrummer 1 year ago
@WMUdrummer Columbia College - Chicago. You?
TheAspenTom 1 year ago
@TheAspenTom Western Michigan University
WMUdrummer 1 year ago
It really reminds me of Steve Reich's "Six Pianos"...
Even if it pretty far away from minimalism, sonicly it has some resemblance.
hnoguera 1 year ago
I love this song
Musicman1435 1 year ago 11
This sounds allmost like the super mario theme
Gorblog 2 years ago 2
This has been flagged as spam show
Debussy's toccata owns this.. lol.
wevil770 2 years ago
I don't think the two can be really compared. They give me two completely different feelings. I think of rugged hills, mountains, and streams when I listen to Ravels toccata, while I think of flowers, meadows, and forests in Debussy's.
I like both very much.
arcturian627 2 years ago 4
such a sweet piece. So unique
chutdigadut 2 years ago 3
Coming from a fellow composer, this is exquisite. Great job! :]
B8Av3 2 years ago
@B8Av3 You better be a fucking brilliant composer to call yourself a fellow composer and even put yourself in the same catagory as Ravel.
I do not mean to insult your talent, but few come close to his greatness, and can offer more critique than "omg!"
luxienai 2 years ago
@luxienai Hey man, what's your problem? I really enjoyed this song and I think this individual is really skillful at what he does, as do you. In case you forgot, I was admiring this peace, not demeaning it. I do not need to put him and myself in a category to give a compliment. Id thought if I said that I was also a composer, which I am, he might feel more complemented. Theres no need to stoop down to the level of becoming inconsiderately defensive.
B8Av3 2 years ago 18
Well...Ravel is dead, so....
4444matthew4444 2 years ago 11
@4444matthew4444 Lol.... well... maybe i'll read the description before i comment next time =P Haha, i'll change what i said to "thank you for posting this video!" It's nice to see the notation and accents while the music is playing. =]
B8Av3 2 years ago
@B8Av3 well, being a composer, maybe you want to get more familiar with Ravel. I'm sure after his prix de Rome your compliment is his highest honor! haha i kid... but great post, thank you mathew
level5elfdruid 1 year ago
@4444matthew4444 (1875-1937)
sychokillin 1 year ago
@B8Av3
I guess you are not a classical composer, maybe a singer-songwriter ? Otherwise you would have not used the word "song" to describe this piece.
iamalittlespy 1 year ago
@iamalittlespy Haha, man. I really think you should be describing the music i make maybe by the "actual music" and not the way I speak.
B8Av3 1 year ago
@B8Av3
I am kidding too. Us classical music "snobs" love to jump all over anyone who shows any ignorance of the field, even if its innocent. I guess part of it is us being bitter at the fact that the whole world listens Lady Gaga, while maybe one person out of 40 has even heard of Ravel.
iamalittlespy 1 year ago 3
@B8Av3
So when we hear things "I digg this song by this guy Ravel", we can get a little sarcastic and even downright nasty . But I am not sure if this attitude does more harm then good, since it probably alienates people from classical music rather then invites them to join the club.
iamalittlespy 1 year ago 3
@iamalittlespy, you're so right. Everybody has to hear about Ravel, Granados--heck, even Beethovan!---for the first time sometime. Why not here, in a (hopefully) friendly forum, where Ravel nuts like you and I can enthusiastically suggest other samples and pieces of his work? I think we music nuts are occasionally just that--nuts--and we need to remember that enthusiasms are best when shared, rather than cloistered. Well said!
marginallymental 1 year ago 2
@marginallymental hey people listen to beethoven scarlatti haydn,chopin mozart rach,scrabin alkan,faure franck,ravel,prokofiev,albeniz and a thousand others
afertyus1000 1 year ago
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LazarusErlking 1 year ago
@B8Av3 First of all, it's a piece. Not a "peace", and not a song. Second, you don't seem to know who Ravel is. That means you cannot be a composer. Period. Which leads to my third point, that by putting yourself on his level, you are indeed, deeply, deeply insulting him.
LazarusErlking 1 year ago
@LazarusErlking Ok, you know, people like you really make me feel quite pitiful towards the callously demurring insults you so often present. Yes, I made the obvious mistake of both misspelling “piece” and not knowing who this guy is. Seven months ago, I thought I already made that clear. Here just think with me for a moment, we’re both humans right? Yes? Now, I am a “fellow” human to you, believe it or not.
B8Av3 1 year ago
@LazarusErlking I in no way put myself in a position that would compare myself to Ravel other than the very fact that I am also a composer. Think of it this way: We have the same goals in life. Mmk? Just because we have similar musical pursuits does not mean my style or development of such music is anywhere near his level of mastery.
B8Av3 1 year ago
@LazarusErlking My point in saying such things before was to both let others know I admire and can relate to this man’s musical obsession AND to maybe interest others to listen to my music as well. Go ahead, click on my channel. Maybe you should learn to be more firm with your accusations before you ruthlessly defend someone I had not insulted in the first place.
B8Av3 1 year ago
@B8Av3 So, I never had any stake in this conversation at all, but I just went to your channel and listened to a couple of your compositions. I wanted to punch myself in the face after listening to the first one, and wanted to punch myself in the face again after listening to the second. Please take some kind of music theory course or something, for the sake of my two black eyes.
Parvenu333 1 year ago
@Parvenu333 oh thank you =) I can tell just by that comment alone how wonderful a person you are. Such great character! Maybe you could listen to the third? Or a forth? Or even all 101 of them? Or maybe you can, actually only if you can this time control yourself from being masochistic, you can think reasonably like the other 130-300 people who are fond of and can see my music how it is and not be caught up with jealously or hate towards people with an actual passion in life.
B8Av3 1 year ago
Maybe if then you could put away your arrogance, suck it up, and prove your character and my music is worth something more than but a mere meaningless and ungrounded insult. How does Juilliard sound? Mm, I love even hearing that gorgeous name. Say, why do you think they accepted me? Was it not because they thought I had what it takes to be in the #1 school in the country? Well you’re one of the few who think so. Do I have a problem with it? No. Do I think you have some issues to work out? Yes.
B8Av3 1 year ago
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Parvenu333 1 year ago
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Parvenu333 1 year ago
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Parvenu333 1 year ago
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Parvenu333 1 year ago
@Parvenu333 I'm going to make this brief because you're obviously really not worth my time. If you think i didn't see you change your argument to make your first message seem less un-called-for and uncriticismical, sorry to disappoint you. You got the wrong impression in my last message, i do not know theory. A good example of a direct insult is when someone with uprooted sarcasm says the thing another person loves which is designed to make another feel better makes them want to hurt them self.
B8Av3 1 year ago
@Parvenu333 now if you wish to pointlessly continue this pathetic argument (mainly on your end "Mr. i change my points"), feel free to send me messages. I'd be more than happy to reply to those relevant and ignore the ones out of purely a defensive and misguided reaction to my point-making comment.
B8Av3 1 year ago