Prelude in C sharp minor- Rachmaninoff (played by Vladimir Horowitz)

[avalokiteshivara]

Not Horowitz.

[BalladeNumber1Opus23]

The two top comments are ridiculous.

[alucoq]

Es cierto no mamen este pianista ni de broma es Horowitz, sin tratar de menospreciar, Horowitz tenia un estilo unico.

[gusmcleod922]

I want this video on my X518 phone.

[nearenough3]

Horowitz never played this piece in public nor made a recording or it, nor is it listed in his concertography or repertoire. The performance while good, is careful and monotonous and has no dynamic twists or emphases peculiar to H's style. This is a fake created by someone who needs attention.

[volodya75]

¿Qué pendejo puede creer que este sea Horowitz?

[Laudan08]

2:13 Too slow. It isn't Horowitz. He has played harder chordal arpeggios faster. Anyways, nice performance.

[MsKendoro]

never ever! This is NOT Horowitz playing it. There are some chords that sound like being played with a random touch. Horowitz had so much organization and clarity even in the fff...it can't be him...

[drebubbles]

if this is horowitz i am the creator of the universe.

[kingurfay]

I don't want to believe that Horowitz would have made such a big mistake: at 0:38 and 2:52 in this video there's D natural, that ruins the whole prelude...

[Shikamoyie]

@kingurfay By god you're right.

[langlois1]

@kingurfay Have you heard the controversial (1968?) Carnegie Hall performance in its unedited version? Also, even Richter had some misreadings and even very sloppy playing at times. I hardly think a couple of misreadings or mistakes are grounds for dismissal of this as an authentic Horowitz performance.

Also, ruining the whole prelude? You must be kidding . . .

[kingurfay]

@langlois1 I think in this recording there's nothing about misreadings or mistakes like the performer didn't know about them, he makes the D natural willful, otherwise it wouldn't be present in both places of the major relative chord, E. Hence I think this is a performer fantasy, not a Rach's choise of express. The major seventh on the relative and it's 'resolving' depict Rachmaninoff somehow naturally, you don't need to be a musicologist to observe that.. show me a score with the damn D natural

[langlois1]

@kingurfay I'm not entirely clear on the point that you are making . . . and the hostility of your final remark?

[TMiKiLLZoMbieZ]

SERGEI . RACHMANINOFF . ! not sergey or rachmaninov SER-GEI . RACH_MANINOFF repost this onto other videos that have this great composers name Spelt Incorrectly

[AtomHeartFather42]

@TMiKiLLZoMbieZ Get over it. Rachmaninov/Rachmaninoff is translated from Cyrillic. By scholars.

[muurtalo]

@TMiKiLLZoMbieZ You're just full of it. Has anybody pointed that to you?

[TMiKiLLZoMbieZ]

@muurtalo No 

[xXAzNBa0Xx]

and everytime im playin im just wondering how on earth this pianist could make this sound

[jthaw]

Not to put too fine a point on my argument that this is NOT Horowitz, but let me add that the chord triplets that begin at measure 36 are just not performed with the kind of shimmering brilliance that Horowitz would bring to this. Though this particular performance is nicely done, it just does NOT have the raw power and stunning finger work that Horowitz would surely bring to this piece.

[jpr53196]

this piece is beast right now im working on it!!!!!!



[aeabottss22]

@jpr53196 good luck with the hard parts like the beginning, the middle, and the end.

[jthaw]

Sorry, but this is NOT Vladimir Horowitz performing. As far as I know, he never recorded this piece. To my ears, it sounds a bit like Lazar Berman, though perhaps someone out there with time to kill can verify that.

[satyu131089]

I'm not sure this is Horowitz... Nowhere close to the magic that he could create

[jthaw]

@satyu131089 For some reason, an earlier response of mine did not post, and if it eventually does, then my apologies for duplicate information. What I said was that, to my knowledge, Horowitz never recorded this particular prelude. This sounds very much like Lazar Berman and his recording IS on Youtube. Also, Horowitz had a very close personal relationship with Rachmaninoff and I find it hard to imagine that he recorded this piece. Why? Because Rachmaninoff came to loath this prelude!

[jthaw]

@satyu131089 Yes, I agree. This recording, though very good, does not have the Horowitz stamp. I happen to like this particular prelude, though as I mentioned in another post, Rachmaninoff came to despise it. In fact, he referred to it as "It"! So I am rather dubious about this being Horowitz since they had a close personal relationship - father and son - and out of respect for Rachmaninoff, Horowitz likely would NOT have recorded this, though he surely played it.

[satyu131089]

@jthaw Yeah, Horowitz has said in interviews that Rach was almost fatherly to him...But I think Horowitz could have still recorded the piece.. Also remember that when Rach told him to change the tempo of Tchaikovsky Concerto, Horowitz did not cos he was sure it was right...And Rach, I think hated the prelude cos it overshadowed the other 23 preludes though he felt many were better than Op3 No2..Not because he felt it was poor...

[jthaw]

@satyu131089 Sathya, yes, of course Horowitz could have recorded this prelude. However, the question is: did he? As I mentioned, there is really no reliable evidence that he ever recorded this particular prelude. If you have evidence, then let's see it. As for Rachmaninoff's feelings about his famous prelude, it seems he came to loathe it from being asked to perform it so often. Of course, it's a fine piece of piano literature. I don't think anyone is arguing to the contrary.

[capncoolio]

This is the first recording I heard of this song and I absolutely adored it. I proceeded to listen to... countless other recordings, and always ended up back at this one.

That changed, recently. I implore anyone who reads this comment to search "Gilels prelude C sharp minor" - it should be the first video - and listen to that. It has so much more raw energy; it is utterly captivating. :)

Thanks for listening to my rant (if you could call it that :P)

[alexjrmarino]

@capncoolio try rachs own version! Well, it's a roll alright, but still carrying the soul of a great man!.. Although I admire Gilels especially for this prelude, and Horowitz who has a league of his own with dynamic touch, the sense of timing with rach is just dazzling...

[giuseppe35789]

this is Horowitz !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[XxbambambxX]

@ImmortalSpecies so i have to dislike the top comment ? xD

[ImmortalSpecies]

@XxbambambxX Start by liking mine :).

[XxbambambxX]

@ImmortalSpecies done ;)

[wayneredhart]

@ImmortalSpecies Based on the fact that Horowitz never recorded this piece. Also, I recognise the performance- particularly the really bizarre sounding piano. It's played by the pianist Martin Jones.

[langlois1]

@ImmortalSpecies I wouldn't be prone to immediately dismiss this a performance by Horowitz, but it lacks a lot of the mercurial temperament, extreme voicing and rubato, and brilliance of sound usually found in his playing. I would at least say that it sounds a bit out-of-character.

[langlois1]

@langlois1 That having been said, it is a good performance, no matter who is actually playing!

[bfeyalcin]

Great job.. Mr. Not Horowitz :-)

[88Keizer]

this can't be Horowitz, like this one the most though :P 

[rgrannell1]

no way is that horowitz, not a chance

[goodmanmusica]

FAKE! is not horowtiz

[cynic150]

I am pretty sure that this is Horowitz: I know his style well.

[RachPhantom40]

I think that Horowitz never played or recorded this piece.

[dale731]

The key to why Horowitz did not play this piece is because Rachmaninoff himself grew tired of it. He was asked to play it ad nauseum. It's the same with the longer cadenza from the Rach 3. Rachmaninoff didn't play it, so neither did Horowitz.

[blevwins]

its easy to recognize that this performance is not horowittz´s , Just listen the piano hi had a spevial piano and this does not sound like it

[fevercovers]

Não é o horowitz

[pianogirlie456]

I played that, too. Listening to that version was a big help to practise for myself. It`s just amazing!

[RendyanHunter]

epic music i love it

[MetalNicola]

This isn't Horowitz..

[DantewarheitAO]

@MetalNicola Yes but who is it then ? It's still a very nice interpretation.

[ImmortalSpecies]

@DantewarheitAO Vladimir Horowitz.

[LordMgls]

@MetalNicola Are you quite sure? It does sound like Horowitz to me - at least in the beginning.

[Cerpth]

@MetalNicola That's his father.

[KegPatcha]

From 0:00 to 4:28, I peed my pants.

[MyNameIsBucket]

@KegPatcha How long were you holding it in? That's not healthy.

[jthaw]

@KegPatcha I'd be interested to know on what recording you find this performance? As I mentioned below - and you can easily verify this with respect to Horowitz's discography which is well known - he did not record this prelude.

[Spiessgradindhahbrun]

..could play it the whole day :)

[professorakos]

This is a bad joke i suppose for many reasons,Horowitz never perforemed this prelude to start with (except if you can announce the company that recoreded and serial number of cd ofcourse) not to mention the dynamic which is not even close to the style of horowitz, and so on and on.

[Nganguenf]

I'm just happy to see that I have ever played this wonderful piece...Even though if it is not as marvellous as the Horowitz's rendition!!

[gropsscholli]

2:32 just great. EMOTION



[Rambuzzle]

My friend played this the other day, and it was amazing, so I want to learn it soon. I've been playing piano for about 7 years now, and I believe I'm almost ready...

[dangeorge13]

only Horowitz can play Rachmaninoff how the music and rachmaninoff himself intended. this proves my point as this version is perfect!

[fledgehog]

when was this piano roll recorded?

[giuseppe35789]

Dio

[SophieMadeleineEve]

The thing is that Horowitz despite his excellent communication skills and potent transferrability and excellent interpretation skill just plays a tad too loud...this score is marked piano, i think that is was Sergei Vasilievich intended. If only Vladimir his colleague and friend would play the beginning and middle like he plays at the end and this would be a great interpretation and from what we can see now what the composer wrote. It just seems too pathetic when it is inflamed.

[rollsroyce59]

@SophieMadeleineEve

Imho.. you should give Horowwitz some slack. I think that Vlad was 75+ when he recorded this version. ( Our ears are not as good as when we were 18-30. He might have been a bit heavy handed at that age.) History tells us that Bach was deaf when he wrote the 9th . I still go for every stop when I do the Tocatta & Fugue in D minor. I'd KILL for having subtile hands like; Horowwitz.

[aeon2805]

@rollsroyce59 It seems your messed dude.Bach , Beethoven and 9th and Tocatta and Fuga just naah!

[DeBonle]

@rollsroyce59

If Bach was deaf when he wrote the 9th you were blind when you read it...

[oaoJ69Joao]

Best version

[LuisPolena88]

great.



[avalokiteshivara]

Huahuahuahua Horowitz sempre destroçando ao tocar as obras de Rachmaninoff!!

[recep31aq]

GREAT!

[EduOrta142536]

how the hell does the grat pianists make the accents very well performed in this piece(agitato)!!!

[239Nicks]

@EduOrta142536 they're great pianists, that's why )))

i'm learning it now and really struggling with right hand in that part

[forgottenbooks]

I just haaaaaave to learn this piece.

[recep31aq]

@forgottenbooks

i learn it too...

how long do you play piano?

[forgottenbooks]

@recep31aq I've been playing for two years.

[bekirwicz]

Long ago on radio, I think, Rachmaninoff was in a bind for cash and sold this piece for a few dollars. Henever got any royalties for its performance because of that.

- And everywhere he performed it was always requested!

[Zhermenas]

@bekirwicz

This work was one of the first the 19‑year‑old Rachmaninoff composed as a "Free Artist", after he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory on 29 May 1892. Because at the time Russia was not party to the 1886 Berne Convention, Russian publishers did not pay royalties, so the only financial return he ever received for this piece was a 40 ruble (about two months' wage of a factory worker) publishing fee.

[Vesivian]

@Zhermenas lol you wikipedia-ed it. xD

[IRband]

@Vesivian

why not?;D i remebered i read about Prelude in a book about Rach when i was studying in Music academy, and tried wiki - and there it was:) BTW i've tried to put a link to it, but as you know links don't work in comments. anyway i think it's much better to post wiki than post some rumours about radio or fire;D

[Vesivian]

@bekirwicz Dollars? No. He composed this piece after waking up from a dream of him burning in fire so he began to compose this piece. When published he earned around 25 cents.

[hypsophilus]

beh, se per questo anche il signor Fritz K. suonava roba sua dicendo di aver riscoperto grandi capolavori del passato. Quella del falsario è un'arte; poi ad alcuni riesce bene, ad altri meno...

[kasyapa]

this is on an upright piano or close to it - this is emphatically not horowitz. come on, guys, use your ears.

[demosj]

@kasyapa You're certain it's not a piano roll recording? :(

[checkmatesolidier]

demosj - that would be an unknown piano roll, then. therefore, i doubt it.

[4785689]

FAKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[tegrenath]

I just looked it up and if this is indeed from "The Best of Rachmaninov" on ASV then the pianist is Martin Jones. Very well-played though.

[shubus]

That ending is just to die for it is so beautifuly played. The Maestro brings new life to this hackneyed prelude.

[prestoagitato2]

I always press the back button when I hear pianists play the first three chords in a way I don't like. This is one of the first times I've actually listened past the first three chords because he plays them at a perfect speed to my ears! A lot of pianists play it too fast and it ruins the solemnity of it. I think the beginning is the most important part. Also mmm at 2:33 and onwards, he picks up the pace and it's fantastic. And the end is just sublime.

[tegrenath]

@prestoagitato2 I used to do the same thing, but the version by Rachmaninoff himself here (/watch?v=mTRm_N6MHz4) is still one of my favorites and I still can't stand the opening of it. The rest of the piece more than make up for the beginning tempo though. IMO, of course.

[MrSimon9876]

@prestoagitato2 they are not chords...they are octaves..

[prestoagitato2]

@MrSimon9876 I don't know why the hell I said chords lmao.

[demosj]

@prestoagitato2 I was thinking the very same. It's amazing how this is certainly a piano roll recording yet even so it's still the best.

[tony92montana]

I doubt Horowitz ever recorded it, played nice though

[FoxtrotTangoWiskey]

i have been searching for ages to hear horowitz play this piece and i wasn't disappointed :) thanks for putting it up :)