Added: 4 years ago
From: theoshow2
Views: 266,432
Sort by time | Sort by thread (beta)

Link to this comment:

Share to:
see all

All Comments (470)

Sign In or Sign Up now to post a comment!
  • номерок блатной, три семёрочки....

  • Your vid went viral on Andorra

  • beautiful...

  • Leeeet's do the Tiiiiimewarp agaaaaaain!

  • Not better than Winter Wrap up though.

  • That is some ridiculously clever voicing there.

  • Demonic expression!

  • Prokofiev VS Rachmaninov

  • @cheradinine8 it was the Fifth Sonata of Scriabin's. Just saying. Last post, but I think an important detail.

  • @Gnasherator Yes u r correct... it was the 5th...

  • These duo art piano rolls are so valuable, in that they preserve the performers dynamics...Note in this take on the G minor Prokofiev brings into play his innate rhythmic sense and treats it as strictly a march, and consequently the performance seems a little slow but it has an underlying coherence that was the hallmark of Prokofiev's performing style...

  • very different and unique. love it.

  • Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff's mutual enmity started at Scriabin's funeral in 1915, after Rachmaninoff played a Scriabin sonata, Prokofiev was heard to remark sarcastically, "When Scriabin played it, I was floating in the air, but when Rachmaninoff played it, I was firmly rooted to the ground." Rachmaninoff spun round and and shouted, "What would you know about it!!!" To which Prokofiev replied, "Rather a lot actually."I believe this was their last conversation...

  • @cheradinine8 I read that in the Morganstern book on the lives of the composers. It's interesting to think of Prokofiev the performer. Very interesting. And to think he didn't like Rachmaninoff; just adds to the mystery.

  • Comment removed

  • Alexis Weissenberg plays it well too, very worth listening to.

  • @fisher00769 Gilels, Horowitz, and Richter definitely are among the best for this song. Lugansky also plays a fine version, though no modern pianist can compare with the old masters.

  • it's no a song!!!!!!!!!!!

  • @xBigBangTheory Valentina's play is not bad at all... But still, too many misses again. Rachmaninoff pieces are really for the masochist...

  • So far I think this is the best play. Hell I like it more than the one that Rachmaninoff himself made. Horowitz was missing notes all the time and while I admire Cziffra as The God of piano, somehow with that song he couldn't catch me. Any other tips from whom should I try?:D

  • ...here are two masters meet....

  • this can´t be from the 1920´s. The sound is far too good! Or is it???

  • @dannymaestro

    It's been reproduced from a piano roll : cardboard with holes destined to be played on a mechanical (automatic) keyboard.

  • @justt1ice Ah! Thank you for your explanation!

  • @justt1ice How did the dynamics got in it than if I may ask.?

  • Phenomenal! Probably the only performance that approaches Rach's. Interesting that it takes another composer/pianist, especially one that Rachmaninoff hated, to give such a terrific performance of his music.

  • @JoeTownley Cziffra's version of this better, almost as good as Rachmaninoff

  • @debeastdueeast Just listened to it. It's good but to fast for my money. I really like Prokofiev's conception, especially the slow section. Matter of personal preference, I suppose. But I think great composers often understand other great composers' works better than your run-of-the-mill phenomenal concert artists. Again, just my HO.

  • @JoeTownley Cziffra could be thought of as a great transcriber, and a very good interpreter of Liszt and Rachmaninoff. Cziffra's version is quite similar to Rach's, and it is very steady throughout, and quite lively. That's the reason I like it so much. I'm not so good a judge of who's better or who's worse...

  • @debeastdueeast I listened to Rach's right after Cziffra's. Rach's clocks in at just over 4 minutes as opposed to C's at 3:44 so there is some similarity. Somehow it just seems to go at a faster clip. I admire C when the music is brilliant; somehow not so much when the music is more somber and moody. But C is one of the few pianists who could approach Rach for technical prowess.

  • 19 dislikes? How the fk could you not like this?! Must have been on hallucinogens...

  • @skatty14 A jealous Justin Bieber has created 19 different accounts I think.

  • That's brilliant.

    How can someone dislike such a masterpiece? God, it's so beautiful.

  • Brilliant brilliant!!!

    

  • Do u know where to download this ?

  • @MrTRIBALGEAR Copy the URL and go to Google and type in "youtube to mp3", click the first one. =D

  • @MrEldest01 ow,,you are a piano prodigy? 30 min to learn rachmaninof?,,hahah biggest bullshit comment i ever saw

  • How come Rebecca Black had like 75 mill views and real music like this is only heard by few and even disliked by some?? o_0

  • @RomansChapter3Verse4

    Because this generation of America is retarded.

  • @thejesusfreak919 Wellllll there's 300 million people in America.... and yes, the intellect of the youth is questionable... amongst my peers... but... you know, there is some good in the kids my age.....

  • @lolitaeviston As to "... you know, there is some good in the kids my age....". Yes, absolutely many amazing beings who have come in at this time to save the world and dazzle us in the process. The time has come.

  • @RomansChapter3Verse4 Because this nation has a fucking lack of intellect.

  • @RomansChapter3Verse4  Who's Rebecca Black?

  • @Honeykissfire

    The biggest fail in pop music.

  • @Sand097 You mean biggest fail after Justin Bieber

  • Best interpretation to date.

  • @skybluedancer7 Seriously. Wow. I was stunned when I heard this. Lang Lang and Kissin really kill me inside when they play it... but this? This is a work of art!

  • I def wanted to hear proko plays this because i thought his compostions suited well for this piece the bouncing notes you know...

  • hey wasnt this song in the movie 'the tourist'? its beautiful

  • wow man!!!! that is amazing!!!!! but i think you missunderstood me, i am playing the piano only for 3 month and my question if you think it is possible to learn it after that amount of time?

  • @ofer20 Of course it's possible, it's just not very plausible. Rachmaninoff is EXTREMELY hard to play; I've been playing piano very seriously for about 10 years and I still find most of his music rather difficult to play. But if you're willing to put forth the tremendous amount of dedication and effort Rachmaninoff's music requires, you can play it.

  • @ofer20 in short, no. AvidCuber is right on. there's a lot of details and dynamics that make this piece great. my intention is NOT to discourage you -- actually i would strongly encourage you to commit significant time (months) to this piece because it can teach you a great deal about dynamics, improve endurance (seriously!), and it will challenge your accuracy on big jumps with your hands. in the end, you have a very impressive and fun piece! so my vote is go for it, but commit to it.

  • hey guys, do you think it is possible to learn this prelude after 3 month of piano play? h

  • Is it that Prokofiev is having a little joke with his superior and predecessor at Moscow and St. Petersburg, whose concerts are more sell out than his not so well attended ones in the States? Is it that they are in the same game? He is obviously inspired by this piece, but is drawing out its contrapuntal lines, like someone said 4 lines, it is much clearer, and there are less mistakes than in the conposer's own take, although the tempo is generally slower. This isn't down to the roll?

  • 18 people prefere richard kleiderman!!!!!!!!!

  • He understood to Rachmaninoff

  • Rach on!!

  • ALL HAIL RACH!!!

  • This presents the end of the world.

  • Anyway, that's very high quality for 1920. No "frying bacon" sound.

  • @Giordie666 its a piano roll :)) not from a disc :) thats why

  • @LLPorduction Any idea why 2 rolls are listed in the description?

  • @TheCrypticPie Don't really know. But if I had to guess it would be: 2 different companies having selling/producing the same roll. One from USA maybe? and one from UK ? hence different numbers :)

    Well thats my guess.

  • @LLPorduction Could be. Thanks.

  • i love how in the softer part you can hear like fucking 4 voices going at once, so amazing

  • sooo beautiful, just unbelievable :)

  • oh shiiiitttt. sooo geniiiiiuuuuuuus!!

  • True beauty

  • There is somthing wrong with the bit... Well but he is a genius- he is allowed to do that.

  • I can't quite put my finger on it... It's not my favourite SOUNDING version... I think... But I had goosebumps the whole way through, so this has become my favourite to LISTEN to. Mr. Prokofiev is certainly being an artist here, and bringing something out not written on the page.

  • I doubt this is Prokofiev, since the piano sounds very modern age, listen to other recordings from the `20 also sound is waaaay to good....

  • @MrStefdj - If you read the notes by the poster, you will see that this was originally recorded on a piano roll. These piano rolls can then be played back on a modern piano - and then recorded electronically. That is why it sounds like a new recording.

  • @spress15 How do these piano rolls work? Are they that detailed that they can pick up all of the expression etc because the only piano rolls I am familiar with are MIDI, which are so inaccurate and unmusical

  • so nice ! congrats

  • Which Sergei? ;-)

  • Would anyone like to explain this (supposed) feud between Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff? I've done a bit of digging around but can't seem to find much...

    Or was it more of a "competitive dislike"?

  • @keetner P. is trying to sabotage the prelude but it comes out gorgeous anyway, the pianist, and the music, too, a lot going for them. P. andR did have a feud, sort of, and P. gives an account of this in his so called "autobiography", which is widely available. Not much to it, it is basically funny, to my mind, and one would expect these two to feud, for "natural", personality reasons. P. did "feud" with Stravinsky, too.

  • @keetner According To Richter, Prokofiev disliked Rach because Rach influenced Prokofiev's music.

  • @keetner After Scriabin died, Rachmaninov gave benefit concerts for the late composer's widow. Prokofiev attended with a bunch of other musicians who looked down at Rachmaninov for being "too mainstream", however, Prokofiev enjoyed Rach's interpretation and saw him backstage afterword. He approached him and said "Not bad", to which Rach took offense and responded "What do you mean not bad?". They met once more on a steamer, and the meeting was apparently much more civil.

  • @keetner wEll, they were sort of like Bette Davis and Joan Crawford--two power horses--and there was only room for one person at the top--and they both sensed this.

  • Bravo!!! Can't stop listening to this...

  • fantastiiiic!!!!!! what a big giant!!!t

  • too slow

  • Rachmaninov i Prokofiev...niby tacy podobni a jednak tak różni ;)

  • literally, beauty full. Thank you for posting this

  • The extreme Romatic style of the middle section is sweeet

  • this is really amazing and beautiful. thank you for posting this. I'm so glad this was recorded. prokofiev continues to amaze me!

  • "There's a composer he loathed. He spoke outrageously about Rachmaninov's works. Why? Because he was influenced by them." -Sviatoslav Richter

  • @Peteer7 You can tell how much he disliked Rachmaninoff in his performance. This piece is almost anything BUT Sergei's. Prokofiev does practically everything he can to change the piece up. But still it's Rachmaninoff's, haha. Astounding performance, still.

  • didn't prokofiev HATE rachmaninoff?

  • @Ravel87 Yes...so true... i don't know why he played it ? :D

  • Genius piece. A lot of raw vital power it has.

  • Well, this is an interesting interpretation! I like it.

    It sounds as if he is offsetting the chords in a lot of places, gives it an interesting twist. 

  • Fascinating!! Theres passion that comes from the head here - which of course comes across so strongly in his own music.

  • I think i prefer Prokofiev's performance to Rachmaninoff's

  • goose bumps

  • Oh I love this piece!!! It sounds sooooooo Russian!! It's just wonderful.

  • We are lucky to have this. Wonderful to hear hear how one great composer plays the ,usic of another great composer. I'll tell you; like a composer. This is a gem.

  • @joelwarren33 this is a piano roll not a 1920's recording ..

  • @pedroborges78 Then the composer of the piano roll is a genius as I use this recording to shape my own performance. Look how brilliant the melody comes out in the mid section of this prelude.

  • @katchum yeah thats true, but prokofiev was much better. He was not only an excellent composer but also an excellent pianist!

  • hey guys! I would appreciate if someone could listen and give some comments on my version of this.... just hope i can play this well one day!

  • so fake,such recording quality shoudn`t appear in 1920

  • @chopinlytlyt - It is a reproduction from a piano roll, not a recording from 1920.

  • maybe whe can hear the difference between a "pianist" and a "musician" ?

  • In a new biography on Sviatoslav Richer. It was mentioned that Richter was very inspired by a solo recital Prokofiev gave in Odessa Richter attended as a youth. Inspired to a point that he went on to learn all of Prokofiev's works later in life. LIstening to this piano roll, I understand why.

  • .....the most atmospheric and perfect performance I've ever heard....

  • @iliaki1968 : I confirm your evaluation. I like the rhythm and tempi !

  • @MusicPredominates .....exactly!!! :-)

  • A genius!!!

  • Somethubg tells me classical music and me are going to get along very well after hearing this

  • no, no puede ser. Esta grabacion tiene una calidad demasiado buena para que date de 1920... anda... di la verdad traidor

  • Conductors will l learn about Prokofiev's intentions by listening to his playing in these recordings. There is a lot of mystery in this performance. His rhythm is not the greatest, but it's a unique interpretation.

  • @MightyZoom i like the rhythm.

  • I prefer Horowitz, this version misses emotions in a way..no matter it's actually master Prokofiev who plays it!

  • Gran intérprete, mejor tema!!

  • This is so exciting and powerful, and to go with it, it has this nice relaxing side! Brilliant song!!!

  • his interpritation is so right ... his tempo,the pulse and sound !

    you can see the difference beetwen his and lang lang's awful rendition.

    the second part was emotionally penetrating.

    Bravo Prokofiev!

  • I cannot know if it is Prokofieff; it sounds to me like a Composer playing another Composer, trying to get insights into another Master's logic & design, unveiling it layer after layer. It is far too slow, but then one needs time to contemplate the contrapuntal art which is what Rachmaninoff is about. It avoids -- almost deliberately -- the exuberance the prelude seems to invite (cf with Horowitz). I wouldn't even consider comparing this performance to a clockwork's Kissin's.

  • @hugovdg

    totally agree with you, this isnt a good rendition. If his name wasnt on this people wouldnt have liked it ; )

  • Even though boring, it does kind of sound Russian.

    I like Ashkenazy's interpretation much more -- it sounds more like a march.

  • @84Fish48Fish hmm its sposed to be a prelude.. hahax

  • @84Fish48Fish Rachmaninoff specifically said it should not sound march like.

  • @Kentodragon : Where did you read it ? The indication at the beginning of the score is "Alla Marcia", why would he have written it if he didn't want that ?

  • @ululano Rachmaninoff said in interviews that he expects great performers to interpret his work in their own way. He said he enjoys alternative interpretations. When did classical music become so braindead that people feel the score is some kind of bible?

  • @Diomedes22 how right he was. That's all people are concerned with "the score" and anyone who plays it differently gets abuse.

  • @Diomedes22 Continuous development of recorded media is responsible for that mindset. Over the past 100 years records have given a set of unwritten standards to which people have rigidly adhered. We now know that to be wrong. No great composer classical or otherwise has ever set his work in stone, interpretation is what keeps it alive and vibrant. We are fortunate to be living in a time of electronic and media revolution which by its mercurial nature has restored the freedom of interpretation.

  • @dewarfinch1 Well said.

  • @Kentodragon

    He did? Well that's just peachy. I guess I'll just have to blame the editors for telling us to play it like a march (excluding the B section, of course).

  • This is Prokofiev playing recorded on a Piano Roll, then replayed on propablyly the Welte system on a modern grand. Could well be on a Steingraeber &Söhne grand. from Bayreuth. You can hear that the roll is not quite accurate, but sure it is Prokoviev

  • EVERYBODY:

    It's not Prokofiev playing.

    Seriously, have some sense (listeners and uploader).

  • i like this performance much more than kissins

  • never EVER is this a recording of prokovief..!! this sounds far to modern, even if remastered the sound wouldn't be so clear..! don't try to fool people around here

  • @genomos90

    It's obviously not himself playing.

    Read the description, it says piano roll.

    Come on...

  • Is this for real? Didn't Prokofiev hate Rachmaninoff?? Did he actually record something of his rival??

  • @PUCITTO

    Actually, he admired Rachmaninoff. It wasn't until he complimented (I forgot his name, it may have been Horowitz) and not Rachmaninoff. Rachmaninoff gave a recital of Scriabin pieces (in memory of his death) and everyone hated his interpretations. Prokofiev didn't say anything encouraging to Rachmaninoff, so Rachmaninoff assumed that he also hated the playing.

    Prokofiev said (and I don't remember the actual words), "It was then that our friendship ended."

  • this piece is supposed to be passionate and furiously energetic, his interpretation is too languid, I almost fell asleep.

    I prefer Kissin's interpretation.

  • @Azizah2010 CORRECT. Haha.

  • @Azizah2010

    regardless wether Prokofieff plays himself or not ( And I suppose he does) this interpretation is much closer to the meaning of the prelude than Kissin´s

    version. It has to start with slow tempo and steadily gaining tempo- in the

    middle part you can here inner voices which lack at Kissin´s Version.

    The prelude starts from no where and has to end like this in the nirwana

    this is so far the best version I´v ever heard

  • the timing is very off. i dont really understand why he plays it like this. he is a good performer so im sure there is a reason!

  • @altmer616 have you seen the color photography from Russia in early 1900s?

  • Oh the 2 Sergei's

  • The unsteady, sort of lurching quality makes this performance almost Cziffra-eske. Fantastic!

  • 2 pianists in the middle? :)

  • agree

  • I can't believe how detailed the sound here is for 1920 This is the most intelligent performance of this piece .Usually Hofmann wins but here his voicings in right hand werea stunt i wont forget and how noble a tempo all hs choices here.What a fascinating pianists Prok was!!!

  • @lovesGenet

    piano roll, not recording.

  • Magnifica!

  • I love how he separates the melody from countermelody in the second section by delaying a fraction of a beat between the two. Unorthodox, but very effective!

  • There is a structure and a sense of architecture in this performance.

    That, to me, makes perfect sense coming from another great composer.

    Unsentimental but very atmospheric playing.

  • This performance is great and...absolutely russian'!!!! Only a Russian composer would understand another Russian composer so much well!!! Bravo Prokofiev!!!

  • I have listened to Richter, Horowitz, Gilels and Rachmaninoff's performance, I think Prokofiev gave this piece a noble sense, just not so passionate, however he has the most steady tempo of them. I just want to say, a same piece can be so varied, that's the beauty of it!

  • @pcho007 : absolutum

  • Totally agree!

  • @pcho007 This is my favorite piece to compare. Each of the major players has such a different take. I love the midsection of this one.

  • Yes, very special and very amazing!

    But Richter, Horowitz, Gilels - and Rachmaninoff's own performence, those are sublime :-))))

  • Very special and very good----

    Glenn Gould would say----

    PLAY IT AGAIN!!!!

  • nobody better than a russian could play this work in this way so brilliant. Prokofiev is a genius absolut

  • such a special interpretation!

  • Quite surprisingly excellent!! I didn't expect this, somehow, of Sjergjéy Sjergjéjevich Prokófjjev, the smart-aleck who openly disdained Romantic and even Classical music in general (attacking Chopin and Mozart) and who had some bitter words for American musicians.

    [To boot, he and Rakhmáñinov had a nasty falling-out after Skrjábin's death relative to how the last-named's pieces were meant to be played - relations were supposedly ended between them for many years!!]

    5/5

  • You can feel the rebellious nature of the master.

  • Dear god 2:22 automatically makes this one of my favorite renditions of this song. (Well not just that, i felt the whole interpretation was good) but wow, thats beautiful.

  • @AhrenGxc3

    I agree, in his interpretation there's something more than in others interpretations... i don't know what, but the way he plays it slower make it much more beautiful.

  • It plays not Prokofiev and most likely Gilels

  • Very beautiful!

  • does anyone know of any sheet music with pedal release symbols for this song? thanks

  • @Jocklen8 just do what you feel is best, it doesnt matter what rachmaninov felt was best, you are palying for yourself, not for him.

  • But you should always have the composer in mind. Chopin is very different from Rachmaninoff. I do agree, though, that personal taste goes just a little before composer consideration. Don't feel restricted to what you think Rachmaninoff would have liked - I think he would appreciate artistic freedom more. But keep the composer's general idea in mind, always.

  • Beautiful melody...

  • This is not prokofiev at all. Lots of notes & tempo mistakes, and quality is far beyong what it was in 20's :p

  • This is an old piano roll played played and recorded more recently.

  • is this real??

    The sound is too good even it's recorded on 1920.

  • Astonishing performance...an hymn to Music... 2:22/2:23 SUBLIME ... never heard it singing like this ....

    This is a tribute from a composer to another

  • TOTALLY AGREE. i hadnt even see your comment, and i noticed something that i had never noticed before when listening to the piece. 2:22 indeed is sublime.

  • at this point he delays his right hand by some milliseconds. so the melody is better heard. i'm trying to play it too like this... but it's fucking hard

  • that kind of playing isnt for everyone. although i see its objective is to bring out the counter melody within the music, it's an uncommonly performed practice, and is not necessarily the correct way of bringing out the counter melody.

    i would suggest playing it as most would: as chords, with emphasis. but if you do try his technique, have patience, as playing chords is a more natural tendency. good luck!

  • This is Sergei Prokofiev. No further presentation needed =) Thanks for posting!

  • @NorwegianViolinist : And the postman delivered it ; right to your ear !