The peril of listening to Cortot's Chopin and that of many other early pianists is their stunning musicality in the depth of their interpretations. This often makes it a chore to listen to our contemporary mechanics who are technically superb but somehow stunted. Chopin is hard to interpret, to achieve that other worldly spontaneous quality which many fellow composers and musicians commented on when hearing him play. He sometimes chastised pupils' playing by saying "that's a dog barking."
The peril of listening to Cortot's Chopin and that of many other early pianists is their stunning musicality in the depth of their interpretations. This often makes it a chore to listen to our contemporary mechanics who are technically superb but somehow stunted. Chopin is hard to interpret, to achieve that other wordly spontaneous quality which many fellow composers and musicians commented on when hearing him play. He sometimes chastised pupils' playing by saying "that's a dog barking."
Cortot lost third and fourth finger of his right hand, and the index and third fingers of his left hand in a grenade accident in WWI. Being the child of a rationalistic nation, he turned this into an advantage, made less be more, and developed a pianistic style that became an unequaled glory of the French pianism for the 20th Century and beyond, and a rebuke to all the pianists who find the full complement of 10 digits only an impediment.
Hofmann is unbelievable in everything he touches this his 4th ballde and andante spianato&polonaise :such a Chopin style.Here is wht i have been looking for solutions to things Chopin wrote that I read and dont feeli ever get right.i rarely feelCortot but this is exceptionalin a score easy to misinterpret.Sounds honest and it has meaning.Finally.go back to his op.28 and etudes.This and hisFranck finally got through!Funny .Lots of details:no sounded b flat return Eflatsec before menomosso
I adore Horowitz's performance of this from the 1940's and Cécile Licad's much later, even more poetic and equally virtuosic interpretation, but both owe much to Cortot, whose lyrical insight and sense of fantasy remains incomparable.
How tedious mere excellence appears in the light of artistry of this calibre!
Greater accuracy and hard-edged virtuosity like Grante's are no match for this depth of feeling.
This is great, and I certainly agree when you say newer pianist seem to lack emotion in favour of sheer technicality, but you should check out Bendetti Michelangeli if you want to find "greater accuracy and hard-edged virtuosity" with equal "depth of feeling"! ;-)
I think your thoughts are so true about Cortot and Horowitz!!
Probably my 2 favorite players - yet so many are great. A 1st Ballade that sticks in my my is Josef Hofmann's live recording- of course i'm partial to over the top stuff - but his natural singing tone / wild virtuosity is hard to dismiss - the spontanaeity is alarmingly satisfying... yet Horowitz and Cortot own the soul? Cortot found the key. Horowitz unlocked the chest.
First there was Cortot, then there was Horowitz. The more I listen, the more i realize how eerily similar these two artists are. I can see where Horowitz got many of his ideas.
Both men play with extraordinary passion, vivd color and wild imagination --- the essence of Romanticism. Both were not afraid to take chances, hence the playing could get a little sloppy at times, but it is always INTERESTING.
I totally agree. Horowitz and Cortot are heirs of Chopin's art, where pure musical ideas and concepts have the priority on pure technique. Other pianists are due to Liszt's strand: powerfull, bright, histrionic but a bit circus-like and musically poor. I like the first ones!!!
One of the best recordings of this piece that I've ever heard.
mobeck 4 months ago
@mobeck Yes, he adheres to 'the principal of the violation of expectation' and makes the music sound so spontaneous and fresh... :=)
ArtsTwinned 2 weeks ago
Beautiful music.
1979Musicfan 4 months ago
la mejor intepretacion algo asi la voy a tocar yo grande alfred cortot
davidimprontus 6 months ago
This tells a story, a good interpretation, in good proportions original and convincing
dgaranin 1 year ago
No one plays Chopin better than this guy.
PorroFirst 1 year ago
I think that ashkenazy's one is the best.
fra3131993 1 year ago
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LoloGalller 2 months ago
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The peril of listening to Cortot's Chopin and that of many other early pianists is their stunning musicality in the depth of their interpretations. This often makes it a chore to listen to our contemporary mechanics who are technically superb but somehow stunted. Chopin is hard to interpret, to achieve that other worldly spontaneous quality which many fellow composers and musicians commented on when hearing him play. He sometimes chastised pupils' playing by saying "that's a dog barking."
saunsnaen 1 year ago
The peril of listening to Cortot's Chopin and that of many other early pianists is their stunning musicality in the depth of their interpretations. This often makes it a chore to listen to our contemporary mechanics who are technically superb but somehow stunted. Chopin is hard to interpret, to achieve that other wordly spontaneous quality which many fellow composers and musicians commented on when hearing him play. He sometimes chastised pupils' playing by saying "that's a dog barking."
saunsnaen 1 year ago
worst interpretation ever
Farnola89 1 year ago
Cortot lost third and fourth finger of his right hand, and the index and third fingers of his left hand in a grenade accident in WWI. Being the child of a rationalistic nation, he turned this into an advantage, made less be more, and developed a pianistic style that became an unequaled glory of the French pianism for the 20th Century and beyond, and a rebuke to all the pianists who find the full complement of 10 digits only an impediment.
fredericfranc 1 year ago
@fredericfranc
which is why he can play with all 10 of his fingers in post war videos...
RabidCh 1 year ago
@fredericfranc This is nonsense. He had 10 fingers his whole life.
dermusikverfallen 1 year ago
@fredericfranc in "alfred cortot rare videos" he still had 10 working fingers. This is nonsense, isnt it?
dermusikverfallen 1 year ago
Grande Alfredo!! Immortale...
schonklang 1 year ago 4
L'interprétation de Chopin ou même d'un autre compositeur par Cortot est toujours grandiose!
nicoejz 2 years ago
Hofmann is unbelievable in everything he touches this his 4th ballde and andante spianato&polonaise :such a Chopin style.Here is wht i have been looking for solutions to things Chopin wrote that I read and dont feeli ever get right.i rarely feelCortot but this is exceptionalin a score easy to misinterpret.Sounds honest and it has meaning.Finally.go back to his op.28 and etudes.This and hisFranck finally got through!Funny .Lots of details:no sounded b flat return Eflatsec before menomosso
lovesGenet 2 years ago
Voilà, un vrai presto con fuoco!!!
chipheo24 2 years ago
Music is beyond technique! Play, play, play!!!!!!!
JLorz84 2 years ago 3
But there must be a minimum technique to play expressively.
ReturnOfTheStienway 2 years ago
of course!!!
JLorz84 2 years ago
I adore Horowitz's performance of this from the 1940's and Cécile Licad's much later, even more poetic and equally virtuosic interpretation, but both owe much to Cortot, whose lyrical insight and sense of fantasy remains incomparable.
How tedious mere excellence appears in the light of artistry of this calibre!
Greater accuracy and hard-edged virtuosity like Grante's are no match for this depth of feeling.
Pischnaholic 2 years ago 16
This is great, and I certainly agree when you say newer pianist seem to lack emotion in favour of sheer technicality, but you should check out Bendetti Michelangeli if you want to find "greater accuracy and hard-edged virtuosity" with equal "depth of feeling"! ;-)
rohayhupiano 2 years ago
I think your thoughts are so true about Cortot and Horowitz!!
Probably my 2 favorite players - yet so many are great. A 1st Ballade that sticks in my my is Josef Hofmann's live recording- of course i'm partial to over the top stuff - but his natural singing tone / wild virtuosity is hard to dismiss - the spontanaeity is alarmingly satisfying... yet Horowitz and Cortot own the soul? Cortot found the key. Horowitz unlocked the chest.
PhilPhilUSA 2 years ago
@Pischnaholic That's interesting :=)
ArtsTwinned 2 weeks ago
First there was Cortot, then there was Horowitz. The more I listen, the more i realize how eerily similar these two artists are. I can see where Horowitz got many of his ideas.
Both men play with extraordinary passion, vivd color and wild imagination --- the essence of Romanticism. Both were not afraid to take chances, hence the playing could get a little sloppy at times, but it is always INTERESTING.
Pischnaholic 2 years ago 3
i agree with you, this performance is very similar to horowitz 1965's concert at carnegie hall, but horowitz is "cleaner"
vlad432 2 years ago
I totally agree. Horowitz and Cortot are heirs of Chopin's art, where pure musical ideas and concepts have the priority on pure technique. Other pianists are due to Liszt's strand: powerfull, bright, histrionic but a bit circus-like and musically poor. I like the first ones!!!
JLorz84 2 years ago 2
yes I do agree with your comment!!
chipheo24 2 years ago
wow!!!i can t belive i found this interpretation......with Cortot!!!!!!!!thanks a lot!!!
maddybluemusic 2 years ago 7
you know that horowitz learned from cortot the light technique ?
cortot was a great teacher!
the interpetetion is perfcect !
kempff95 2 years ago 3
what is that? the light technique? I can't find it anywhere.
LACEANGEL1 2 years ago
Keep looking.
Frozentoes1 2 years ago
Is he actually playing double minor thirds at the end of the coda? Wow!
schubert06 3 years ago
I believe that to be a Carl Tausig addition
aardvaark069 3 years ago