Ashkenazy plays Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 Rondo (1/2)

[jlhist64]

I am in a Classical Music Mode today. This is one of the most beautiful and expressive Conerto's ever made in my opinion. Played by Vladimir Ashkenazy and the London Philharmonic in 1974. Ludwig Von Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor".

[pbarroso001]

Gret performer and a great performance. I saw Ashkenazy in Lisbon playing the Rachmaninov piano concerto no. 3, and was wonderfull.

[stringisking]

He even looks a bit like Beethoven!

[rothschildna]

PERFECTION!

[lordcroesus]

He makes it seem impossibly easy.. Bravo!

[DENDI110]

это просто супер

[stickitupyapipe]

Gee, who does this guy think he is? Technically very good, but dear me, he´s trying so hard to sound unique, and , as such, fails miserably.

Just play Beethoven son. You don´t have to reinvent him. He was doing just fine before you arrived on the scene. LOL.

[Flubly]

@stickitupyapipe This does not strike as a particularly eccentric performance as far as Beethoven goes. His expressive range is merely matching the manic tendencies in Beethoven's structure.

[nareeek]

look at minute 5:00 that he try in minor :)

[paullubliner]

This piece of music is without doubt one of the World's Greatest  Possessions, composed by perhaps the greatest musical genius who ever lived. Sorry Mozart fans, your guy is a bit too flowery, self plagiarizing and repetitive.

[m3gtrtopdriver]

@XnovemberrisingX I see your point mate :)

[m3gtrtopdriver]

@XnovemberrisingX Does that mean that you like classical music or not?

[jmuslvr]

The orchestra is far from second class. It is the LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA. Hellooooo! And Ashkenazi isn't too forceful, harsh, and hard edged. He plays with something called passion. A quality which is lacking in most of today's so called great pianists.

[freeqwerqwer]

This orchestra is second class, too sluggish and not musical. Ashkenazi is clearly talented but a bit on the forceful side, too harsh, too hard edged.

[freeqwerqwer]

@paullubliner, I will not bend to your 2nd class opinion. You must pull yourself up or remain a philistine.

[paullubliner]

@freeqwerqwer: The reality is as stated. There are so many aspects to the multitudinous complexity found in much of Beethoven's works that frankly Mozart on only rare occasion achieved. Jupiter, yes and several others, mostly Mozart was too flowery and self plagiarizing often to the point of distraction. Pretty little melodies certainly, but as far as multidimensional scope and depth well son, it takes one with an ear to discern. You are the Philistine here. Try some Arthur Honegger and GROW!

[freeqwerqwer]

He attacks the piano a bit much, too much muscles and not enough musicality.

[Flubly]

@freeqwerqwer Beethoven was manic depressive and the emotionally fragmented nature of his music lends itself to performances like this. Taming it is against the nature of the piece.

[PunChopin]

I love Beethoven

[maestro2000x]

He went into conducting because he has severe arthritis in three of the fingers of his right hand. He still plays, but he no longer performs or records because of the pain. I'm glad he's at least still contributing to the world of music in some way!

[jakaroo94]

Wow.

[relaischat]

Isn't he wonderful ? what happened to this guy ? Why did he go into conducting ? I know why........he got bored with the piano.......yep, the old story......too many concerts too soon in life before knowing people and literature and paintings. Life guys. Life comes first and then something solidifies inside the music soul and THEN it gets better and better and never boring but when you go too fast too soon then .............you lose something you can't get back.

[TheR3volutionary]

@relaischat He has recorded more of the piano repertoire than anybody else...he is an amazing individual

[monobrow638]

IT'S ALAN RICKMAN!!!

[danielhh06]

le chef est Bernard HAITINK.

[danielhh06]

c'est Bernard Haitink qui dirige

[AlwaysDOA]

Maybe he should gel his hair.. so it dont .... flail around so much.. =]

[desmone1]

Ashkenazy! A god amongst men.

[0Clairvoyant0]

I think the piano might feel violated for some parts of his performance.

[aschkani]

endlich gefunden, das ist seit meiner Kindheit die beste Musik, was ich gehört habe, abe ic weiss nicht, warum Ashkenazy mit soviel Betonung spielt.

[InterlochenFan]

I don't think it gets any better than Ashkenazy playing the Beethoven concertos......if you don't own them, by the set of all 5 played and conducted from the keyboard, with the Choral Fantasy thrown in as an added treat.....wonderful!

[Ellinidara]

Perfect,the best Ashkenazy.

[IViolentiAmorosi]

BIG ASHKENAZYYYYYYYYYY

[oOoPIANOoOo]

Incredible playing

[TheLovelyPiano]

My fav. He is IMPECCABLE!!!! I love the way he plays EVERTHING better than ANYBODY!!! LOVE this man!!!!

BRAVO!!! 5 stars for a 100 star performance!

( :

[833th0v3n]

@TheLovelyPiano Yeah . He the best when it come to Rachmaninov in my oppinion xD . And with other composers he always make it sound really good . Something "unique"

[mdoub]

LOOK IT'S SEVERUS SNAPE ON THE PIANO

[malak789]

haha

[kv310]

ppchak77

You are showing your absolutly lack of understanting about classical music by saying this things.

First of all, Beethoven admired Mozart, he learned a lot of M. and then he tried to make something different. Beethoven lived 10 years more than Mozart, and in the last 10 years he did the best of his work (last piano sonatas, the ninth, last string quartets).

Do you think Mozart would not improve his skills if he were given 10 more years to keep composing?

Still want to compare?

[deinse81]

Let's say we do still want to compare.

If you want to compare, compare works, not speculation. Betthoven is the better composer, because his music is better.

[blichilde]

I couldn't do without anyone of the great composers...

[HolyMotherofGrid]

When you compare the major GIANTS of music, i think it is purely a matter of opinion whose compositions are "better" than the other. Each generation produces a few composers and musicians who rise the VERY top of the musical world.... Leonin, Dufay, Obrecht, Josquin, Palestrina, Thomas Tallus, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Waagner, Brahms, Stravnisky: these and a few other of the True Geniuses of European music cannot be directly compared and one or another declared "better" than another.

[oterdverg]

Grieg and Tschaykovsky

[kempff95]

superb musician !!

[Galiag2009]

IMPRESIONANTE.

AMAZING!!!!

[Chrisjuchniewicz]

Could you upload he rest of this concerto with Ashkenazy? It's an amazing version..

[taviona]

you can buy the DVD with all five piano concertos with Ashkenazy and Haitink on amazon. it's pretty awesome :) (some ouvertures and the 8th symphony are included as well.. good deal for about 18 pounds)

[Matthewfawr]

That's good news.... do you know whether or not there are any DVDs of Ashkenazy playing Chopin & Rachmaninov?

Seen the Chopin etude, but apparently there is lots of fooyage which I can't seem to get my hands on :)

[MiguelTicona]

tiene las manos chicas!

[taviona]

Could you upload he rest of this concerto with Ashkenazy? It's an amazing version..

[Benboswell57]

ENERGY

[rotemle22]

i think it sould have 7 out of five stars... its amazinggg lol.....

[sultanov10]

Ashkenazy, uno de los más grandes pianistas actuales, sobre todo por su gran repertorio!!

magnífica grabación!!!!

[WithinTheAtom]

Hermoso.

[LeePrice86]

surely there is no better composer of piano music than Ludwig!?

[ppchak77]

Mozart.. 27 piano concertos..

Says a die hard Beethoven fan who does not identify himself with Mozart.. but..

[rcc400]

BUT NONE AS GREAT AS THIS CONCERTO

SAME WITH SYMPHONIES

MOZART's 41

Are not better than

Beethoven's 9

[ppchak77]

Lol.. I did say I am a die hard Beethoven fan.. for the symphonies, it is a different equation, keep the ninth on one side, keep everything else together on the other.. the ninth is still better..

But one should not completely ignore other things.. Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto Number 1 (Horwitz / Toscanini for example), Rachmaninov Number 2.. they are good for a change.. ;)

[LeePrice86]

i suppose so ppchak77, but does quantity really mean quality? mozart may have done more, but were they better? i think not!!

[willb48]

Divine.

[dgontar]

Thank you very much for posting this.

[willb48]

Magnificent. Ashkenazy is like a flame, burning through this masterpiece.

[PARISA7777]

Great performance :)!!!

Thank you so much for sharing . . .

[julioanoguera]

insuperable

[juditoro]

esta genial

[contrerados]

Vigorous and passionate, graceful and subtle...he is a superb and rare occurrence before the piano. Bravo!!