@hermease Yes. All that and Arrau even manages to find the middle voice, something that is missing from most accounts of this etude. And it has such warm along with the brilliance. Like an incandescent light.
This is so distinct and right for chopin .i prefer others ARGERICH has a hammer in her hands no matter how fast she or Ashkenazy play the wrist and arm must be behind the hand .So powerful. Arrau 's pedaling so diffeent here.
Out of the many versions of this piece available, Arrau is the one who does not allow the bass figures to overshadow the the right hand. It makes this peice sound balanced and clear. Beautiful! Thanks for uploading it.
Exactly, the tonal language became more importante to Arrau when he was older, certainly when he took the task to re-record the Beethoven sonatas, he started to express the musi differently than when he was younger. Arrau never lost a single bit of his technique, i really can't see any pianist that was or still is comparable to Arrau, i think he was the most technically gifted of them all, just take the record of the liszt studies, which he did when he was 75 i think. AMAZING, the best of all!
Add to all these comments the fact that nobody had a larger repertoire than Arrau. I don't think you could name a piece that he hadn't played, and his recorded legacy is staggering. The man played virtually the entire piano repertoire and played it all superbly. What other pianist can make that claim? Even Rubinstein avoided the Chopin Etudes. Arrau doesn't get anywhere near the credit he deserves.
@karlakor I totaly agree. No one was in his league. He had this ability to capture the soul..the spirit of the music, every single performance live, dvd, reccord, are stunning. He had a treamendous power but even in his most furious moments, the tone had an incredible warmth and chrystalclear tone. it doesn't matter if it's the early recordings on a baldwin or the late on steinway..always the chrystalclear sound. The greatest of them all!
@Jakopsohn My former teacher had the great fortune to become one of Arrau's students, and I had the great fortune of hearing Arrau twice in recital. I regret that I never had the opportunity to play for him, because he is the one pianist whose advice I would value the most. He is an artist whose ego never got in the way of his service to the music, and that is extremely rare.
@karlakor you are right, Arrau was a wonderful musician, I also had the chance to hear him in London Paris and Vienna. Like every pianist he wasn t always in bestform, due to his advanced age but what a musician!!!!!!
The Chopin etudes also are from the musical point maybe the best interpretations ever done, surely one of the very best. Pollini is very little musician compared to Arrau. I appreciate also Sergio Fiorentino, Cziffra and Backhaus and Ashkenazy when playing these etudes.
i agree. how brave for relaxing the pedal, not sure this piece doesn't need a dose of sustain though!! hard to recreate a 'waterfall' without one i'd say!
this recording is from 1936 .. perfect for this time . he had the best technic at tihs time , better than rubinstein and horowitz . you have to hear the liszt paganini etudes. at the age of 25 so amazing
My understanding is that Arrau recorded this set of Etudes for EMI in the 1950s, when he was in his fifties, but still at the peak of his powers technically. (The recording was reviewed in the June 1957 issue of The Gramophone).
As for the playing, I believe it has to rank with the very finest.
An interpretation with freedom from both technical and ethical point of view. I read the biography of Arrau where he talked about that period when he was in crisis with music and concerts but later he was cured with psycho analysis and become better than before. I heard concerts and registration of last years of his life after 80 years and his interpretation were deep and very energetic. Thank You for this smart interpretation of Chopin etudes.
I was fortunate to hear Arrau live a few times in the late 1960's. But he played everything SO slowly and heavily in these years that I formed a very wrong opinion of him.
Who could know that he had such dexterity, nimbleness and freedom when he was younger? The change later was far more extreme than I've experienced with other pianists.
Did he just slow down mentally, did he no longer practice or, perhaps, did he have physical (arthritis?) problems inhibiting him? I'd really like to know.
not at all his techinqie was better when he was in his 80's than when he was younger, all his interopretations are completely and deliberatley as he played, with slower tempos, all to express more the music. he was one of the few pianists that really played the way he wanted and believed, not to impress but to express,... he was above all of the rest of the pianists,....
At the risk of incurring everyones wrath I must say that Pollinis' playing in the etudes is bleak and dreadful and memorable only for it's colorless awfulness. O.K. I am ready for the blindfold and a cigarette now.
Well, I kind of think you are right, for most of the etudes... for example this one: it sounds like Czerny. The best interpretations I've heard are from Arrau and Nelson Freire.
Sorry, but I am interested in such opinion. I am both Arrau lover and Pollini lover. I cherish Arrau's recording of etudes as much as Pollini recording. (I hate Ashkenazy recording, especially second one! Piano sounds like soap bubbles constantly bursting.) But, in my opinion, Pollini etudes is among finest recording Pollini ever made.
I love the utter confidence with which he plays them. I don't think they are cold sounding, as many people tell me, I think it has true fire, real passion underneath, yet perfectly under control. Pollini was not cold at all. He had real passion in playing. Although I do not think Pollini is technically perfect in etudes as people would have me believe, I cann't resist his driving force, his sheer confidence in executing the pieces.
The more I deal with all Chopin Etudes, listen to the discography, look at the scores the more Im getting convinced that Arraus interpretation in the whole is the very best. Even famous pianists play some pieces very fast with the result of technical and musical deficiencies because of the speed. Technical difficulties are often not obvious and you find them out only by playing yourself. Whenever Arrau played very fast or just adequate his interpretations are always so complete.
Thanks,young master Filip,for this magnificent registration...the chilean maestro Arrau was a constant visitor of Argentina...ever with the best great success...
Maybe the last pianist of the golden magnificent old school of sensitive interpretation...
Master class of interpretation. Greatest of all time.
Prototypematthew 11 months ago
@Prototypematthew
Very true!!! A real masterclass of articulation, legato and clarity!!! and an amazing limited use of pedal!!, Just marvelous
cvalde123 2 months ago
Amazing clarity of articulation.
meredith218461 1 year ago
The most important pianist in the hole world
cesardelgadoalvarez 1 year ago
@hermease Yes. All that and Arrau even manages to find the middle voice, something that is missing from most accounts of this etude. And it has such warm along with the brilliance. Like an incandescent light.
doctormistee 1 year ago
This is so distinct and right for chopin .i prefer others ARGERICH has a hammer in her hands no matter how fast she or Ashkenazy play the wrist and arm must be behind the hand .So powerful. Arrau 's pedaling so diffeent here.
lovesGenet 1 year ago
que es la vida sin saber el origen
erasmobernales 1 year ago
Out of the many versions of this piece available, Arrau is the one who does not allow the bass figures to overshadow the the right hand. It makes this peice sound balanced and clear. Beautiful! Thanks for uploading it.
hermease 1 year ago
nuestro dios juega con la musika que mejor para ser mejor ser humano
erasmobernales 1 year ago
quien puede tocar mejor es la pregunta,quien
erasmobernales 1 year ago
altro grandissimo assieme ad Argerich, Richter, Michelangeli, Rubinstein, Pollini....
Grazie!
leonboelmann 2 years ago
This is a stunning recording.
downtoearthwildguy 2 years ago
One of the best pianist ever....unforgettable..A legend never dies.
Ellinidara 2 years ago 3
Exactly, the tonal language became more importante to Arrau when he was older, certainly when he took the task to re-record the Beethoven sonatas, he started to express the musi differently than when he was younger. Arrau never lost a single bit of his technique, i really can't see any pianist that was or still is comparable to Arrau, i think he was the most technically gifted of them all, just take the record of the liszt studies, which he did when he was 75 i think. AMAZING, the best of all!
TheLanilsson 2 years ago 2
Add to all these comments the fact that nobody had a larger repertoire than Arrau. I don't think you could name a piece that he hadn't played, and his recorded legacy is staggering. The man played virtually the entire piano repertoire and played it all superbly. What other pianist can make that claim? Even Rubinstein avoided the Chopin Etudes. Arrau doesn't get anywhere near the credit he deserves.
karlakor 1 year ago
@karlakor I totaly agree. No one was in his league. He had this ability to capture the soul..the spirit of the music, every single performance live, dvd, reccord, are stunning. He had a treamendous power but even in his most furious moments, the tone had an incredible warmth and chrystalclear tone. it doesn't matter if it's the early recordings on a baldwin or the late on steinway..always the chrystalclear sound. The greatest of them all!
Jakopsohn 1 year ago
@Jakopsohn My former teacher had the great fortune to become one of Arrau's students, and I had the great fortune of hearing Arrau twice in recital. I regret that I never had the opportunity to play for him, because he is the one pianist whose advice I would value the most. He is an artist whose ego never got in the way of his service to the music, and that is extremely rare.
karlakor 1 year ago 3
@karlakor you are right, Arrau was a wonderful musician, I also had the chance to hear him in London Paris and Vienna. Like every pianist he wasn t always in bestform, due to his advanced age but what a musician!!!!!!
The Chopin etudes also are from the musical point maybe the best interpretations ever done, surely one of the very best. Pollini is very little musician compared to Arrau. I appreciate also Sergio Fiorentino, Cziffra and Backhaus and Ashkenazy when playing these etudes.
uhartchristian 1 year ago
@karlakor
i don't think i've heard any rachmaninoff or russian stuff from him.
libetta 1 year ago
tanto coraggio senza pedale
solo cziffra ha fatto tanto
RaoulTorresi 2 years ago 2
i agree. how brave for relaxing the pedal, not sure this piece doesn't need a dose of sustain though!! hard to recreate a 'waterfall' without one i'd say!
squoocher 2 years ago
Habla de piano lo mejor quien mas solamente claudio
tala om piano vem mer endast claudio.
erasmobernales 2 years ago
this recording is from 1936 .. perfect for this time . he had the best technic at tihs time , better than rubinstein and horowitz . you have to hear the liszt paganini etudes. at the age of 25 so amazing
brjssss 2 years ago 2
That's true !!
Ray0X0 2 years ago
My understanding is that Arrau recorded this set of Etudes for EMI in the 1950s, when he was in his fifties, but still at the peak of his powers technically. (The recording was reviewed in the June 1957 issue of The Gramophone).
As for the playing, I believe it has to rank with the very finest.
UWSResident 2 years ago
An interpretation with freedom from both technical and ethical point of view. I read the biography of Arrau where he talked about that period when he was in crisis with music and concerts but later he was cured with psycho analysis and become better than before. I heard concerts and registration of last years of his life after 80 years and his interpretation were deep and very energetic. Thank You for this smart interpretation of Chopin etudes.
robertoassagioli 2 years ago
I was fortunate to hear Arrau live a few times in the late 1960's. But he played everything SO slowly and heavily in these years that I formed a very wrong opinion of him.
Who could know that he had such dexterity, nimbleness and freedom when he was younger? The change later was far more extreme than I've experienced with other pianists.
Did he just slow down mentally, did he no longer practice or, perhaps, did he have physical (arthritis?) problems inhibiting him? I'd really like to know.
ipmoic 2 years ago
not at all his techinqie was better when he was in his 80's than when he was younger, all his interopretations are completely and deliberatley as he played, with slower tempos, all to express more the music. he was one of the few pianists that really played the way he wanted and believed, not to impress but to express,... he was above all of the rest of the pianists,....
arturon111 2 years ago
A Bachian almost non pedal version, quite refreshing from the average thunder and blur.
Troybeallad 2 years ago 2
this must be from an early recording. excellent tonal shading and finger legato
libetta 2 years ago 4
Absolutely brilliant! Technically perfect and full of nuance and expression. Makes one believe in God! Inspiring, beautiful what more can one say!
dwperkins 2 years ago 3
this is "the supreme version" of this piece, he almost doesnt use pedal and the articulation-sound its awersome! , thanks life for Arrau!!
visionfugitiva 2 years ago 2
cool
yanling888 2 years ago
I love that.......soap bubbles. Pollini is without doubt one of the giants of piano playing. I am just not crazy about his music making.
aardvaark069 3 years ago 4
yea but this is Arrau :P
Chopinco 3 years ago 4
oops. you're right about that. I went off on a tangent based on someone else's very mention of Pollini. Sorry. Off topic.
aardvaark069 3 years ago 4
lol dont worry :P haha, but yea Pollini is an awesome pianist!
Chopinco 3 years ago 5
At the risk of incurring everyones wrath I must say that Pollinis' playing in the etudes is bleak and dreadful and memorable only for it's colorless awfulness. O.K. I am ready for the blindfold and a cigarette now.
aardvaark069 3 years ago
Well, I kind of think you are right, for most of the etudes... for example this one: it sounds like Czerny. The best interpretations I've heard are from Arrau and Nelson Freire.
crybanshee 3 years ago
Sorry, but I am interested in such opinion. I am both Arrau lover and Pollini lover. I cherish Arrau's recording of etudes as much as Pollini recording. (I hate Ashkenazy recording, especially second one! Piano sounds like soap bubbles constantly bursting.) But, in my opinion, Pollini etudes is among finest recording Pollini ever made.
himitsunosallychan 3 years ago 3
I love the utter confidence with which he plays them. I don't think they are cold sounding, as many people tell me, I think it has true fire, real passion underneath, yet perfectly under control. Pollini was not cold at all. He had real passion in playing. Although I do not think Pollini is technically perfect in etudes as people would have me believe, I cann't resist his driving force, his sheer confidence in executing the pieces.
himitsunosallychan 3 years ago 2
As for colorlessness, I feel as seeing sunlight from very first C in first etude. Sorry, wrong English and naiveness, but my counteropinion.
himitsunosallychan 3 years ago 2
Arrau .. super pianist... perfect i mean
ilovescarlatti 3 years ago
fantastic!
fmpiano 3 years ago
The more I deal with all Chopin Etudes, listen to the discography, look at the scores the more Im getting convinced that Arraus interpretation in the whole is the very best. Even famous pianists play some pieces very fast with the result of technical and musical deficiencies because of the speed. Technical difficulties are often not obvious and you find them out only by playing yourself. Whenever Arrau played very fast or just adequate his interpretations are always so complete.
timelessartloving 3 years ago
The recording of all the Chopin etudes from which this video is taken in my opinion is the best exists as a whole... Yes, even better than Pollini's!
voolare 3 years ago
Thanks,young master Filip,for this magnificent registration...the chilean maestro Arrau was a constant visitor of Argentina...ever with the best great success...
Maybe the last pianist of the golden magnificent old school of sensitive interpretation...
Nina
Ankhsnammon 3 years ago