I am enjoying getting to know this gentleman's performances and recordings, but I must admit here, I too, am disturbed by the schizophrenic variations within the basic very fast tempo. At first I wondered if it was down to poor editing as one finds with pitch discrepancies in Gould's English suites. But I think not. I won't be taking this one to my desert island.
Cziffra György....was his name... did not want to interpret / and sell/ his musical genius to some
cheap guys in Budapest, Hungary. He left the country for...showing his phenomenal interpretation of ANY music with more than a touch of passion...I've been there... I think nobody deserves to listen to him, to his fantastic self expression...it is a privilege to listen to his music, God bless his soul.
He's just fucking toying with this piece :DD he could have ended it in 1.10 :D but no... freakingly awsome interpretation... I can play better - *arrow to the knee* - NOT.
A performance where musicality is sacrificed for ferocious speed is certainly impressive, but he changed tempo drastically multiple times, seemingly more out of convenience than musicality. Thus, if he was capable of playing it well in extreme tempo, he fails to prove it here.
@BjornHegstad strange he doeas so on technically less demanding places. he certainly is a phenomenal pianist and not just some technique clown. his interpretation is "sound", very sonor, deeply romantic, in the best sense of every (even compositional) etude and ferocious unlike any other. Cziffra is a more modern Liszt. Of course some of his pieces are just pianistical girlandes without content, but as with Liszt most of what commonly is perceived as charade is true pianism. he's the man..
@BjornHegstad just listen to his recordings of the Liszt - Etudes (Grandes or Transcendetal). That's soo terrific. He brings out a very dark, almost brutal, yet stunningly controlled and diversified interpretation. It's definetly worth giving it a try.
one of the best! :-D I love how many people make themselves sound so important by talking about profundity, musicality and other things they say this pianist is lacking..
For Chopin etudes I always think of Rachmaninov who once said to Horowitz that he (a pianist they were discussing) played Chopin very 'musical'.. meaning that this pianist slowed things down because of not having good enough technique. Cziffra combines technique with ferocity and that's how it should be in this etude ;-)
@TICETOCAR Hahahaha so true, on youtube, everyone is a piano expert, or a guitar expert, or a whatever-you-want expert. I hate everyone who say '' No this is not how it should be played blablabla ''.. would be so boring if everyone actually played it the same way, the way '' it should be done '' haha. I love Cziffra, and I've never heard other pianists play the piano like him, he's unique !
@simp144 Yeah while it is true that there should be freedom in artistic expression there are standards to which someone must aspire, and some self-proclaimed "artists" fall by the way side of this goal and are praised as their betters are ignored, which I find disgusting.
I am not sure what Cziffra's motive is. Music or King of the hill.
I wonder why I was ever impressed by fast fingers. Many people have nimble fingers. Now I am more inpressed by pianists like Gieseking or Barenboim who memorised all the Beethoven sonates by the time they were 15.
@marcelmombeekpiano No,in my opinion he is not like Richter.So,your argumentation does not hold.Richter is a supreme pianist and makes a lot of fantastic music.Cziffra doesn't.Zeg maar wij kunnen toch vloms klappen met elkaar he?
@marcelmombeekpiano This is the most ridiculous pianoplaying ever.What a clown.House of the flying fingers.Nothing more.Not a single note of music.Showing off what chinese litlle girls can do a lot better than him.The fact that he always looks to the right at the audience illustrates his narcistic nature."Look,but dont listen,how fast I am." Pure nonsens pianist.
Only absolute musical ignorant could write something like this. Hence I guess there's no point in discussing with you (but I couldn't resist to react, there are truely always things which surprise me again and again..)
This interpretation is marvelous, so colourful and live. Cziffra is pure genius.
Hello Fellow Pianists - FREE YOURSELVES - he has played this as intended - These 24 etudes require individual expression after technical mastery has been attained. He made it his own - we should all do it in some way. Whats the point of sounding like everyone else - this is such a fresh look at it. Forget the tempo - its the color - big washes of sound - It is wonderful to hear anything played in many ways. I think Chopin would have found this to be dynamically modern and fitting. SUPERB
GOD. im fast on piano but this.. GIVE ME YOUR SPEED. i tried this piece. no i can't play it, but i can play some things with 1 hand only... tried this fast...nope xD. this is just so technically sick.
Wow!!! Awesome! All you can do is smile! He sounds like he is just having fun with this piece! and he makes it his own... So fast and powerful with color! I'm JEALOUS!!! So nice to hear it done this way for a change!
@medviation i am of the same opinion,it is good,original unrepeatable technique,but still some important notes are missing and in few moments the tempo shouldnt be so overdone,nevertheless along with richters version this is my favourite
Boom! How does he make that sound out of the piano like that? He must be hiding another instrument under that piano and is playing that with his third hand :P
@Pianoforteization He's striking the notes in the bass without pedal, then pedaling again as soon as he gets off the note or notes so you get that impact sound and then the resonance without the bass notes ringing and blurring the texture. He has great and sometimes weird pedal techniques to go along with his fingers.
FWIW in terms of displays of speed, Cziffra's is faster than Richter's: despite the longer runtime resultant from his pulsating temporal interpretation, he plays all the fastest, accelerando PcF-->Prestissimo runs at a 10 or 20 percent faster pace and with more thunderous cresendos & dynamics to boot. And this def. isn't sped up haha
Talking about speed, Richter could easily play faster as well. It's a general rule you should be able to play about 20% faster than you do live and in studio. What I think limits the speed is when you have to do the same note twice in a row. There is definitely a limit in the piano mechanism there!
@anonymousQ45 I Love this Boom too and 1:30-1:34 is a very serius thing lol. The version would sound very strange but I would like to listen this on organ the 1.30-1.34 would sound very powerfull in the pedal¡¡¡
Although I prefer a certain consistency of sound in the Chopin etudes, I appreciate what Cziffra tried (and accomplished) with this performance. The etudes are continuously referred to as the pieces that exemplify functional ornamentation, or difficulty for the sake of beauty rather than difficulty. Music, to me, requires more than simply playing notes, otherwise the robotic inclinations would smother interpretation. Tho I like consistency, I enjoyed that Cziffra attempted something different.
Cziffra has total mastery over this piece- he's stretching and compressing the music as if it were putty, speed and volume wise. Sounds like child's play to him. He could've probably played as fast as Richter (though not nearly as controlled) if he had chosen to.
@2ndAveLine nearly as controlled??? richter's technique pales in front of czifras... he's up there with godowski... the only man ever compared technically with liszt
@fireb0rn yeah... musical interpretation choice belongs to you
yet as a technitian cziffra is a beast and i have to say that he is also a great interpreter, in many cases (when he feels like playing deeply and not sweeping the piece) the best
yet richter with an astounding technique is very good
too over the top on some interpretations but yet, i like his beethoven´s above anybody else ;)
@alejandrothefader Haha, I mean controlled as in dead strict tempo-wise. Richter's is such, Cziffra seems too bored to want do it that way ;) Richter is like Thor, god of thunder, while Cziffra is Loki, the shapeshifter.
And, hmm, I don't even think Godowski could've played it this fast!
@2ndAveLine nicely put but i disagree, the man that changed chopin etudes to make them harder as he found them easy COULD play it as fast, yet cziffra made the transcedental etudes harder (he actually adds trills and stuff to play with) so, well the answer is this ,they have mastered the piano so i stfu and practice more and finish off all the chopin etudes
and then, i will be able to at least talk closely to cziffra or godowski in the afterlife on any pianistic toppic (kiding) nice talk :P
@KV467 No. it's Cziffra, which is fine by me as I have never heard Chopin play. Have you? You must be basing your opinion on some other pianists' idea of what Chopin intended. Why would you want Cziffra to conform and not bring anything new to the table?
I don't know about comparing this to Richter for best or worst... This is a very "different" interpretation, and quite frankly, if you listen to it with a bit more open of a mind and less of a "pretentious classical" asshole mindset, you'll notice it's not to be compared in the same light. It's an interpretation of it for sure, but rather a hard one to compare to others, especially Richter's.
@yelvaberry faster in no ways communicates better as this performance was far more intriguing to the ear and I must say that this man is truly just having a great deal of fun while playing. anyone may play fast interpretation is true skill
@JCThomsonMA Thank God, someone with some sense! I totally agree with you: I am very sure Chopin would be truly appaulled by this unmusical playing. Cziffra may have had a larger than life personailty in some ways, but listening to this makes you realise just how small his brain was!
@JCThomsonMA Interesting statement.What I find hard to wrap my head around though is where you get that feeling from.I mean sure,a lot can be inferred about Chopin from the music he wrote,but it not possible to determine how he intended his music to be interpreted,i.e "how it should be played"You say so surely but really,did Chopin specify how his works should or shouldn't be played?.And besides,I think it a safe bet to say Cziffra had a better understanding of Chopin's mindset than you ....
please allow me to refer you to the following article (whcih is concordant with everything I have read on Chopin interpretation, or better, playing):
info-poland.buffalo.edu/classroom/chopin/AL.html
You see, we don't always have to infer Chopin's pianistic aesthetics: they are recorded. And I'm not claiming an understanding of Chopin's "mindset", only knowledge of music history. Listeners can judge for themselves whether Cziffra's is the True Style...
I love this so much and I can't belive, that you can play it as fast as him,but Ithink its a bit to fast... (it's only my oppinion) but I aggry with the others that he is a god!
The performing of Aimy Kobayashi is great and amazing. But ... it's a pity she can't play the middle of this piece because of her age. Let's see that later ^^ About Cziffra, it's wonderful and as 1almaz3 said : It's not the best interpretation for a good "amator" pianist but it's very interesting listen to him, how he plays (played actually ...) etc. However sometimes I feel as tat1685 : a little sea sick after hearing it ! Too strong to me ? well I don't know. Whatever I admire his work XD
@khoreno I have to agree. Sometimes he plays too much with the tempo for my taste. I bet it would be cool to see in person...one of those things that is lost in a recording.
@Gothic1982 eh, what the fk does that mean? Listen to Kissin, Berezovky etc . this piece , to me, rendered around 2 minutes is fine. And what the fk has speed todo with anythin?. There are no prizes. It doesn't sound better. As for this rendition, to me, it sounds shit. To many nauces its an etude that need consistency and dramatic intervention where needed. It is not a Nocturne
@kinkokonko I think it sounds great. and also it's an etude by Chopin.. have you ever listen to REvolutionary etude? and you think there is no rubato in it? chopin etude requires not only great technique but also great expression and emotion.
and also gothic 1982 is obviously saying that cziffra plays this piece not only technically.
@nyuk36 Having seen Kissin play this and many other Chopin Etudes live all I can say is I don't like this interpretation. Tome , with the chromatic scales, you need to establish a definite tempo. There are other parts where rubato can be introduced but I really feel this etude requires less than others. Certainly a great deal less the the Revolutionary which has the Octave themes. And by there designed nature the Nocturnes require even more
@kinkokonko I completely value your opinion on this play as much as i value mine so i'm sorry if i sounded offensive or condescending on the earlier comment. but i still think cziffra did quite a job on this etude. it's very contrary compare to pollini's work. i'm very happy to be living in the generation blessed with technology that we could so easily compare masters works and share our opinions
@kinkokonko before you say this rendition of the Chopin Etude her by Ciffra sounds shit, I would like to hear you playing it.... I think we will be able to judge what shit is really.... Sorry for being rude with you but you are rude with Cziffra who was a real dramatic interpret with a stunning technique, better even than Horowitz. And this virtuosity comes from Liszt directly. You know Chopibn and Liszt were friends and did dedicate works one to the other, the most important ones!!!
@uhartchristian Having heard Kissin play this live, relative to that this is indeed shit. I don't know why you think he had better technique than Horowitz, though I would expect Horowitz would revert to Kissin on the best technique. Yes Liszt and Chopin were friends, but Chopin was often annoyed with Liszt taking liberties with his interpretations. As for Music, Chopin metaphorically pisses on Liszt and displays him as he is, technical wizard but no Genius composer.
@kinkokonko you like Kissin ok no problem but Cziffra was great and muchg better musically than Kissin ever will be. Well I just want to repeat your way of insulting a good pianist is very unpleasant. Who are you to have the authority to insult other pianists like this???? By the way Liszt Sonata was dedicated to Chopin and one of the Chopin Sonatas to Liszt.... Stop your stupid cvomments
@uhartchristian Actually listen to this first. It is all over the shop. If this was a Nocturne I could respect it slightly. It is not. It must has definite, consistent tempo. Dynamics are purely in the volume not the tempo. I don't like idiots who believe this 'orginality' equates to 'musicality'. It doesn't. As for Kissin. He is so fking great, especially with Chopin, that you can not put the medicore, random pianist in the same ball park.
how can you be so jeaolus aout cziffra´s virtuosismo,he is one of the biggest interpreters of chopin and listz,he has a exclusive style thanks to him incredible technical capability,you just dont understad what he is trying to do with a etude that so many pianists play that he wanted it to be a special performance,he deservers all the respect in the world,five stars
@morvensky , even the best students at julliard and curtis cant come close to his technique. richter is a great pianist while cziffra is THE greatest.
He truly is toying with this etude...I think the uneven tempo gives it a unique and mesmerizing quality, especially at 1:25-ish it seems like a woman building up to a big O! hehe
It is not a track & field competition, where he who touches the finish line is crowned the winner. That just misses the point of what is being communicated. but obviously on thte surface of things SPEED KILLS, just in boxing!!!
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you're quite right. really this is utter shit. "I'm playing it this fast becasue i can" - that is ALL he is saying, nothing more. He has no musical soul whatsoever. Anyhow, in today's piano world there are literally thousands of young pianists out there who could do this, it is absolutely nothing special by today's standards. To stand out from the crowd they need artistry. Check out Benjamin Moser at this year's leeds piano competition. He's a cut above the rest.
good god! awesome! i've played all these etudes and this IS incredible. believe it. he clearly could play more like the way many play - all notes by slower tempo (but still very fast by most standards) - BUT ciffra simply is TOYING with this piece. that's for sure.
cziffra's technique was mind-blowing, but i don't care too much for the give and take in tempi in this etude. it's still played technically flawlessly, but i wish it were a bit steadier.... just my taste.
Pour moi rien ne vaudra la légèreté de Valentina Lisitsa, bien que je doit avoir que cette version est originale, un petit peu trop même. Mais c'est plus claire chez Lisitsa, regardez donc ces études en DVD c'est bien plus détendu, je me sens stressé, compressé avec cziffra.
Nice performance of the ballade, which fits his style better. However, this etude is a complete mess. Cziffra was a pianist of a limited interpretative range and a temperament of a jazz musician. Even his sometimes highly praised technique was spotty too.
there are so many errors and forgotten signs in his interpretation, same but a little extremer is richter, he wouldnt come on any musicschool with this inmature playing.Try to speak english that the others can understand you, too.
Si il prends cette étude a ce tempo, c'est volontaire !! Jouer a cette vitesse implique forcément qq imperfections, mais sort moi une seule interprétation de la campanella sans fausse note
The tempo is just one of very much mistakes he did but anyway let's talk about the tempo he doesnt hold the tempo which means he isnt capable of playing at such high tempo. His campanella is "played" in the same way, the first phrase is played fast till the grace notes come and then he slows down extremly because it gets a bit difficult but there are less musical mistakes to make.Overall he was just on the surface of musical possibilites to express onesself .Try to speak english.
Je ne pense pas que Cziffra n'est pas capable de jouer cette étude plus rapidement, c'est a dire que ce n'est pas par souci technique mais parce qu'il pense cette étude ainsi. C'est représentatif d'une époque, aujourd'hui la plupart des gens jouent de facon plus claire et on peut sentir qqfois un manque de clarté chez les "anciens" (écoutez les enregistrements de Rachmaninov !!)
Your comments are nearly hilarious, do you know anything about Richter or Cziffra? obviously not as they were some of the greatest virtuosos of the 20th century.Any musicschool? what does a pianists need schools for if they are giving recitals and audiences love them? For that matter they both were succesful on their studies. Tempo in this piece is not a misstake, chopin himself marked extreme tempo for this (88bpm for a half note) its PRESTO
There is good reason to argue for this to being so fast. I nearly heard it in Argerich's US Debut in Carnegie Hall, but I hear it much more here in the most ingenious of ways. The ultrafast speed allows the alto and tenor voices to be a melodic singing line while all the flutter starting in the right hand is just "color", glitter bells dangling in the wind. Cziffra's phrasing based on this alto/tenor line is unbelievably mastered, treating the runs as mere flutter as it should be. Love this!!!
I completely, 100% agree with you on that one...Cziffra really knows not only the notes but the effect they are intend to make, and though an interpretation like this might not even be considered by a lesser technician, Cziffra is able to pull off the speed necessary to make the effect almost natural under his command - he really brings out the most natural melody lines and puts everything else into the context of the background or in the atmosphere that it was intended for by the composer.
Some have commented that the various changes of speed have detracted from the performance - but I would venture to disagree here: Viewed as a whole, this is very true. However, each change of tempo is carefully matched with the phrase. Things like speeding up on an ascending arpeggio, accenting the top note, then slowing down coming down. This performance is full of these kind of details. So I think you have to really "zoom in" to "get" this kind of playing.
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CZIFFRA = BESTER PIANIST ALLER ZEITEN!!!
BEST PIANIST EVER!!!!!!
oscarpeterson60 11 hours ago
He simply KILLS Martha Argerich and Sviatoslav Richeter together!! Ajajajaajajajaj great!
Dihelson 1 day ago
CZIFFRA IS THE BEST!
oscarpeterson525 3 days ago
I am enjoying getting to know this gentleman's performances and recordings, but I must admit here, I too, am disturbed by the schizophrenic variations within the basic very fast tempo. At first I wondered if it was down to poor editing as one finds with pitch discrepancies in Gould's English suites. But I think not. I won't be taking this one to my desert island.
jonjon1957jonjon 2 weeks ago
Cziffra György....was his name... did not want to interpret / and sell/ his musical genius to some
cheap guys in Budapest, Hungary. He left the country for...showing his phenomenal interpretation of ANY music with more than a touch of passion...I've been there... I think nobody deserves to listen to him, to his fantastic self expression...it is a privilege to listen to his music, God bless his soul.
joesince2005 2 weeks ago
nothing can beat richter... not even Cziffra. Obviously in timing :)
Kris9502 2 weeks ago
Tensely insane or insanely tense...I love it. Refreshing to hear this unique interpretation.
dream7184 3 weeks ago
Absolutely fantastic, Cziffra is always the best !
DocMatt64 1 month ago
He's just fucking toying with this piece :DD he could have ended it in 1.10 :D but no... freakingly awsome interpretation... I can play better - *arrow to the knee* - NOT.
DuhuKaralius 1 month ago
AWESOME!
manfredmuller36 1 month ago
GREAT,GREAT,GREAT!
manfredmuller36 1 month ago
A performance where musicality is sacrificed for ferocious speed is certainly impressive, but he changed tempo drastically multiple times, seemingly more out of convenience than musicality. Thus, if he was capable of playing it well in extreme tempo, he fails to prove it here.
BjornHegstad 1 month ago
@BjornHegstad strange he doeas so on technically less demanding places. he certainly is a phenomenal pianist and not just some technique clown. his interpretation is "sound", very sonor, deeply romantic, in the best sense of every (even compositional) etude and ferocious unlike any other. Cziffra is a more modern Liszt. Of course some of his pieces are just pianistical girlandes without content, but as with Liszt most of what commonly is perceived as charade is true pianism. he's the man..
agniky 1 month ago
@BjornHegstad just listen to his recordings of the Liszt - Etudes (Grandes or Transcendetal). That's soo terrific. He brings out a very dark, almost brutal, yet stunningly controlled and diversified interpretation. It's definetly worth giving it a try.
agniky 1 month ago
What an idiot..I mean Cziffra.. not Chopin.
abmsghost1 1 month ago
one of the best! :-D I love how many people make themselves sound so important by talking about profundity, musicality and other things they say this pianist is lacking..
For Chopin etudes I always think of Rachmaninov who once said to Horowitz that he (a pianist they were discussing) played Chopin very 'musical'.. meaning that this pianist slowed things down because of not having good enough technique. Cziffra combines technique with ferocity and that's how it should be in this etude ;-)
TICETOCAR 2 months ago
@TICETOCAR Hahahaha so true, on youtube, everyone is a piano expert, or a guitar expert, or a whatever-you-want expert. I hate everyone who say '' No this is not how it should be played blablabla ''.. would be so boring if everyone actually played it the same way, the way '' it should be done '' haha. I love Cziffra, and I've never heard other pianists play the piano like him, he's unique !
simp144 1 month ago
@simp144 Yeah while it is true that there should be freedom in artistic expression there are standards to which someone must aspire, and some self-proclaimed "artists" fall by the way side of this goal and are praised as their betters are ignored, which I find disgusting.
1Buttonmasher 1 month ago
I am not sure what Cziffra's motive is. Music or King of the hill.
I wonder why I was ever impressed by fast fingers. Many people have nimble fingers. Now I am more inpressed by pianists like Gieseking or Barenboim who memorised all the Beethoven sonates by the time they were 15.
That seperates the men from the boys.
janvandoedelpuk 3 months ago 2
He's playing with the piece
Choltik 3 months ago
@marcelmombeekpiano No,in my opinion he is not like Richter.So,your argumentation does not hold.Richter is a supreme pianist and makes a lot of fantastic music.Cziffra doesn't.Zeg maar wij kunnen toch vloms klappen met elkaar he?
abmsghost1 3 months ago
@marcelmombeekpiano This is the most ridiculous pianoplaying ever.What a clown.House of the flying fingers.Nothing more.Not a single note of music.Showing off what chinese litlle girls can do a lot better than him.The fact that he always looks to the right at the audience illustrates his narcistic nature."Look,but dont listen,how fast I am." Pure nonsens pianist.
abmsghost1 3 months ago
Only absolute musical ignorant could write something like this. Hence I guess there's no point in discussing with you (but I couldn't resist to react, there are truely always things which surprise me again and again..)
This interpretation is marvelous, so colourful and live. Cziffra is pure genius.
kedlubajz 3 months ago
@kedlubajz Musical ignorant?Haha...dont be so full of yourself.
abmsghost1 2 months ago
Circus clown
NanuParma 3 months ago
@NanuParma Bourgeois punk.
jccpiano 3 months ago 2
I feel the way he changes tempo...it's very natural
JamesTR4 3 months ago
Quite expressive, but I agree that the timing and tempo changes are a problem-they are disruptive and the continuity is lost.
pianojoseph84 4 months ago
his speed changes are confusing.. and do not seem natural to me :/
VoiDukkha 4 months ago
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@marcelmombeekpiano only play notes? HAHA as it would be so easy to do that
piano0b 4 months ago
@marcelmombeekpiano only play notes? HAHA as it would be so easy to do that
piano0b 4 months ago
When Chopin played his pieces, he never played them the same. Soooo, i see nothing wrong with this(:
piano9977 4 months ago
Cziffra's interpretation of 1:26-1:29 is so tremendous. It sounds like someone being murdered
bhh1988 5 months ago
Hello Fellow Pianists - FREE YOURSELVES - he has played this as intended - These 24 etudes require individual expression after technical mastery has been attained. He made it his own - we should all do it in some way. Whats the point of sounding like everyone else - this is such a fresh look at it. Forget the tempo - its the color - big washes of sound - It is wonderful to hear anything played in many ways. I think Chopin would have found this to be dynamically modern and fitting. SUPERB
mbmkeyboard 5 months ago 3
Even though I don't agree with where he applies it sometimes, I think no pianist mastered the art of rubato better than Cziffra.
yojukitomodele 5 months ago
I have never heard the textures that Cziffra brings out in this piece.
fierydog 5 months ago
GOD. im fast on piano but this.. GIVE ME YOUR SPEED. i tried this piece. no i can't play it, but i can play some things with 1 hand only... tried this fast...nope xD. this is just so technically sick.
xAnonymousss 5 months ago
A strangely manipulated tempo.
aardvaark069 6 months ago
wow LOL awesome no words to describe.. so mean
Zoldi77 6 months ago
Wow!!! Awesome! All you can do is smile! He sounds like he is just having fun with this piece! and he makes it his own... So fast and powerful with color! I'm JEALOUS!!! So nice to hear it done this way for a change!
GeorgeSand78 6 months ago
thats...just...
bryan16love6love 7 months ago
すがやん、ありがとう。(この場の雰囲気を尊重して記号はつかいませんでした。)
SatoshiChannel 8 months ago
Good technique, bad phrasing for me. And I think it's overdone, just like most of his arrangements.
medviation 9 months ago 5
@medviation i am of the same opinion,it is good,original unrepeatable technique,but still some important notes are missing and in few moments the tempo shouldnt be so overdone,nevertheless along with richters version this is my favourite
Axotrotl 9 months ago
gross how he re-wrote Chopin at the end, and in one other spot.
WorldCupSeoul 9 months ago
Sure this isnt richter?
magior329 10 months ago
ULTRAKILL @ 0:59
Tiki656 10 months ago 13
Boom! How does he make that sound out of the piano like that? He must be hiding another instrument under that piano and is playing that with his third hand :P
Pianoforteization 11 months ago
@Pianoforteization He's striking the notes in the bass without pedal, then pedaling again as soon as he gets off the note or notes so you get that impact sound and then the resonance without the bass notes ringing and blurring the texture. He has great and sometimes weird pedal techniques to go along with his fingers.
AndrewFinch1 11 months ago
pizdietcs :D
DuhuKaralius 11 months ago 2
Fiery and passionate. Astonishing playing.
piano345 11 months ago 2
FWIW in terms of displays of speed, Cziffra's is faster than Richter's: despite the longer runtime resultant from his pulsating temporal interpretation, he plays all the fastest, accelerando PcF-->Prestissimo runs at a 10 or 20 percent faster pace and with more thunderous cresendos & dynamics to boot. And this def. isn't sped up haha
BloodyLovin 1 year ago 3
@BloodyLovin
Talking about speed, Richter could easily play faster as well. It's a general rule you should be able to play about 20% faster than you do live and in studio. What I think limits the speed is when you have to do the same note twice in a row. There is definitely a limit in the piano mechanism there!
ekrium 11 months ago
His is not just playing the fastest of all, he is also putting turmoil in it, what others forget to pure in...
Kiarinadia 1 year ago 3
Ugh ... he absolutely butchered this piece in terms of dynamics.
712Stephen 1 year ago
He's much much more than just virtuosity!!!
Erik83474 1 year ago 2
Thi interpretation is not my cup of tea...
trschaefer 1 year ago
AMAZING! He could easely finish it in 1:30!
Ok Argerich and Richter are playing it faster, but you don't get this feeling of easiness like with Cziffra!
CrazyCziffra 1 year ago
0:59 BOOM! love that
anonymousQ45 1 year ago 4
@anonymousQ45 I Love this Boom too and 1:30-1:34 is a very serius thing lol. The version would sound very strange but I would like to listen this on organ the 1.30-1.34 would sound very powerfull in the pedal¡¡¡
enriquem90 1 year ago 2
@enriquem90 1:30 is the con fuoco possibile section. Cziffras is good for speed but if you want to hear detail listen to Perahia
anonymousQ45 1 year ago
Richter is faster muhaha.
I'm just kidding. But here it is true.
Actually I love them both.
RediForKing 1 year ago
Although I prefer a certain consistency of sound in the Chopin etudes, I appreciate what Cziffra tried (and accomplished) with this performance. The etudes are continuously referred to as the pieces that exemplify functional ornamentation, or difficulty for the sake of beauty rather than difficulty. Music, to me, requires more than simply playing notes, otherwise the robotic inclinations would smother interpretation. Tho I like consistency, I enjoyed that Cziffra attempted something different.
AcerbusEquinomin 1 year ago
Cziffra has total mastery over this piece- he's stretching and compressing the music as if it were putty, speed and volume wise. Sounds like child's play to him. He could've probably played as fast as Richter (though not nearly as controlled) if he had chosen to.
2ndAveLine 1 year ago
@2ndAveLine nearly as controlled??? richter's technique pales in front of czifras... he's up there with godowski... the only man ever compared technically with liszt
alejandrothefader 1 year ago
@alejandrothefader
I have to agree, even though Richter is my favorite pianist. Cziffra is insane.
fireb0rn 1 year ago
@fireb0rn yeah... musical interpretation choice belongs to you
yet as a technitian cziffra is a beast and i have to say that he is also a great interpreter, in many cases (when he feels like playing deeply and not sweeping the piece) the best
yet richter with an astounding technique is very good
too over the top on some interpretations but yet, i like his beethoven´s above anybody else ;)
alejandrothefader 1 year ago
@alejandrothefader Haha, I mean controlled as in dead strict tempo-wise. Richter's is such, Cziffra seems too bored to want do it that way ;) Richter is like Thor, god of thunder, while Cziffra is Loki, the shapeshifter.
And, hmm, I don't even think Godowski could've played it this fast!
2ndAveLine 1 year ago
@2ndAveLine nicely put but i disagree, the man that changed chopin etudes to make them harder as he found them easy COULD play it as fast, yet cziffra made the transcedental etudes harder (he actually adds trills and stuff to play with) so, well the answer is this ,they have mastered the piano so i stfu and practice more and finish off all the chopin etudes
and then, i will be able to at least talk closely to cziffra or godowski in the afterlife on any pianistic toppic (kiding) nice talk :P
alejandrothefader 1 year ago
Not quite Chopin's notes but a lot of good powerful emphasis on the accents.
skimask777 1 year ago
@KV467 No. it's Cziffra, which is fine by me as I have never heard Chopin play. Have you? You must be basing your opinion on some other pianists' idea of what Chopin intended. Why would you want Cziffra to conform and not bring anything new to the table?
starborg9 1 year ago
really bad tempo changes
davidbaker03 1 year ago
his rubato is like lang lang's but worse
Pianomaster26 1 year ago
Goddamit!!!!
TomSuha 1 year ago
I absolutely love his interpretation of 1:30 - 1:35 !!!!!!!!! So much force and emotion is put forth.
daytonmlivingston 1 year ago
@daytonmlivingston i prefer horowitz's :p
HomerJ666 1 year ago
Great performance!
AntipovSvyatoslav 1 year ago
I think it's a fake. You must of bumped up the speed on garageband or something, lol.
hymntonight 1 year ago
I don't know about comparing this to Richter for best or worst... This is a very "different" interpretation, and quite frankly, if you listen to it with a bit more open of a mind and less of a "pretentious classical" asshole mindset, you'll notice it's not to be compared in the same light. It's an interpretation of it for sure, but rather a hard one to compare to others, especially Richter's.
djmixah 1 year ago
How about that, faggots? Lisitsa AND Richter played this etude faster!
yelvaberry 1 year ago
@yelvaberry faster in no ways communicates better as this performance was far more intriguing to the ear and I must say that this man is truly just having a great deal of fun while playing. anyone may play fast interpretation is true skill
mkakashi1993 1 year ago
Incredible virtuosity but Richter is simple the best performance of this Etude.
CRRPMEX 1 year ago
wow he isn't just playing the piece, he's playing with the piece lol its like a freaking roller coaster ride hahaha.
zs1230 1 year ago
Forgive me all you lovers of super-high-energy pyrotechnics, but I have a feeling Chopin would have been appalled by this approach to his music.
I know it's an etude, but it should still be played musically and with good taste above all else.
As Cortot said, the Chopin etudes are as much about musicality as about technicalities. (I paraphrase).
JCThomsonMA 1 year ago
@JCThomsonMA Thank God, someone with some sense! I totally agree with you: I am very sure Chopin would be truly appaulled by this unmusical playing. Cziffra may have had a larger than life personailty in some ways, but listening to this makes you realise just how small his brain was!
totallycynical 1 year ago
@JCThomsonMA Interesting statement.What I find hard to wrap my head around though is where you get that feeling from.I mean sure,a lot can be inferred about Chopin from the music he wrote,but it not possible to determine how he intended his music to be interpreted,i.e "how it should be played"You say so surely but really,did Chopin specify how his works should or shouldn't be played?.And besides,I think it a safe bet to say Cziffra had a better understanding of Chopin's mindset than you ....
HeifetzRanew 1 year ago
@HeifetzRanew
please allow me to refer you to the following article (whcih is concordant with everything I have read on Chopin interpretation, or better, playing):
info-poland.buffalo.edu/classroom/chopin/AL.html
You see, we don't always have to infer Chopin's pianistic aesthetics: they are recorded. And I'm not claiming an understanding of Chopin's "mindset", only knowledge of music history. Listeners can judge for themselves whether Cziffra's is the True Style...
JCThomsonMA 1 year ago
Great velocity, awesome, this is a great piano virtuoso ....
d4ni3lschi4v0 1 year ago
it's amazing to hear. as for the quality of the music the original ranks higher than the remix, of course.
ibclappin 1 year ago
I love this so much and I can't belive, that you can play it as fast as him,but Ithink its a bit to fast... (it's only my oppinion) but I aggry with the others that he is a god!
2009Coldmirrorfan 1 year ago
ummmmm:::it's good but.......the TEMPO.....!!!!
OBEID1988 1 year ago
too much rubattoo...:) and accelerando...:)
Michal812 1 year ago
The performing of Aimy Kobayashi is great and amazing. But ... it's a pity she can't play the middle of this piece because of her age. Let's see that later ^^ About Cziffra, it's wonderful and as 1almaz3 said : It's not the best interpretation for a good "amator" pianist but it's very interesting listen to him, how he plays (played actually ...) etc. However sometimes I feel as tat1685 : a little sea sick after hearing it ! Too strong to me ? well I don't know. Whatever I admire his work XD
SheetMusicHunter 1 year ago
To me, this is the best one!!!! =D!! I like the performing of Aimi Kobayashi too.
/watch?v=Vn7UnQWkcjY
edtskyline 1 year ago
Cziffra shows what is possible..... Its not how Chopin did play but its really interesting.
uhartchristian 1 year ago
Amazing as always from Cziffra. Just wish he didn't lose the pulse so much.
khoreno 2 years ago
i agree :D
RapboxingTrio 2 years ago
I couldn't agree more. I felt a little sea sick after hearing it.
tat1685 2 years ago
@khoreno I have to agree. Sometimes he plays too much with the tempo for my taste. I bet it would be cool to see in person...one of those things that is lost in a recording.
bennettpiano 1 year ago
He's obviously just playing with this piece. He could easily play it with a regular tempo and finish it in 1:30 or less.
Gothic1982 2 years ago 48
@Gothic1982 YES..he is not playing it..but he is playing with it........it just happens to be GREAT!!
bandong1234567890 2 years ago 4
@Gothic1982 eh, what the fk does that mean? Listen to Kissin, Berezovky etc . this piece , to me, rendered around 2 minutes is fine. And what the fk has speed todo with anythin?. There are no prizes. It doesn't sound better. As for this rendition, to me, it sounds shit. To many nauces its an etude that need consistency and dramatic intervention where needed. It is not a Nocturne
kinkokonko 1 year ago
@kinkokonko I think it sounds great. and also it's an etude by Chopin.. have you ever listen to REvolutionary etude? and you think there is no rubato in it? chopin etude requires not only great technique but also great expression and emotion.
and also gothic 1982 is obviously saying that cziffra plays this piece not only technically.
nyuk36 1 year ago
@nyuk36 Having seen Kissin play this and many other Chopin Etudes live all I can say is I don't like this interpretation. Tome , with the chromatic scales, you need to establish a definite tempo. There are other parts where rubato can be introduced but I really feel this etude requires less than others. Certainly a great deal less the the Revolutionary which has the Octave themes. And by there designed nature the Nocturnes require even more
kinkokonko 1 year ago
@kinkokonko I completely value your opinion on this play as much as i value mine so i'm sorry if i sounded offensive or condescending on the earlier comment. but i still think cziffra did quite a job on this etude. it's very contrary compare to pollini's work. i'm very happy to be living in the generation blessed with technology that we could so easily compare masters works and share our opinions
nyuk36 1 year ago
@kinkokonko nicely put
mkaudio9 1 year ago
@kinkokonko before you say this rendition of the Chopin Etude her by Ciffra sounds shit, I would like to hear you playing it.... I think we will be able to judge what shit is really.... Sorry for being rude with you but you are rude with Cziffra who was a real dramatic interpret with a stunning technique, better even than Horowitz. And this virtuosity comes from Liszt directly. You know Chopibn and Liszt were friends and did dedicate works one to the other, the most important ones!!!
uhartchristian 1 year ago
@uhartchristian Having heard Kissin play this live, relative to that this is indeed shit. I don't know why you think he had better technique than Horowitz, though I would expect Horowitz would revert to Kissin on the best technique. Yes Liszt and Chopin were friends, but Chopin was often annoyed with Liszt taking liberties with his interpretations. As for Music, Chopin metaphorically pisses on Liszt and displays him as he is, technical wizard but no Genius composer.
kinkokonko 1 year ago
@kinkokonko you like Kissin ok no problem but Cziffra was great and muchg better musically than Kissin ever will be. Well I just want to repeat your way of insulting a good pianist is very unpleasant. Who are you to have the authority to insult other pianists like this???? By the way Liszt Sonata was dedicated to Chopin and one of the Chopin Sonatas to Liszt.... Stop your stupid cvomments
uhartchristian 1 year ago
@uhartchristian Actually listen to this first. It is all over the shop. If this was a Nocturne I could respect it slightly. It is not. It must has definite, consistent tempo. Dynamics are purely in the volume not the tempo. I don't like idiots who believe this 'orginality' equates to 'musicality'. It doesn't. As for Kissin. He is so fking great, especially with Chopin, that you can not put the medicore, random pianist in the same ball park.
kinkokonko 1 year ago
@Gothic1982
yeah he stretches sometimes tooo much
kinkajoes 11 months ago
@Gothic1982 i think 1:49 is a regular tempo
piano0b 4 months ago
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Cziffra kinda cheats and goes expresso where he can and andante where he cannot.
petie32 2 years ago
Andante? Are you deaf?
yellingLoL 2 years ago 15
expresso? fast coffee, eh? ;-)
silverbud 2 years ago 6
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playing fast doesn't rime with playing well
s2818sa21 2 years ago
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i don't like it at all... bad tempo
niitac 2 years ago
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is this Cziffra???
DEEZA95 2 years ago
how can you be so jeaolus aout cziffra´s virtuosismo,he is one of the biggest interpreters of chopin and listz,he has a exclusive style thanks to him incredible technical capability,you just dont understad what he is trying to do with a etude that so many pianists play that he wanted it to be a special performance,he deservers all the respect in the world,five stars
FelipeTrujilloBilbao 2 years ago 57
This is a great one.
TheCinemaization 2 years ago 5
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TheCinemaization 2 years ago
rubato very exxagerated...i dont like the 0:11...there's no right hand...
camileludwig 2 years ago 4
very interesting tecnique :)
Angel94angel94 2 years ago 4
This is impressive, but a good deal of conservatory students could pull this off. Richter's on the other hand, his is above human capacity.
morvensky 2 years ago 3
@morvensky , even the best students at julliard and curtis cant come close to his technique. richter is a great pianist while cziffra is THE greatest.
semprebrio 1 year ago 2
He truly is toying with this etude...I think the uneven tempo gives it a unique and mesmerizing quality, especially at 1:25-ish it seems like a woman building up to a big O! hehe
BloodyLovin 2 years ago 6
SVIATOSLAV RICHTER..1.30 MIN.....O.o... the best!!!
gonzal0999 2 years ago 4
It is not a track & field competition, where he who touches the finish line is crowned the winner. That just misses the point of what is being communicated. but obviously on thte surface of things SPEED KILLS, just in boxing!!!
KarlTausig 2 years ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
you're quite right. really this is utter shit. "I'm playing it this fast becasue i can" - that is ALL he is saying, nothing more. He has no musical soul whatsoever. Anyhow, in today's piano world there are literally thousands of young pianists out there who could do this, it is absolutely nothing special by today's standards. To stand out from the crowd they need artistry. Check out Benjamin Moser at this year's leeds piano competition. He's a cut above the rest.
jegspillerpiano 2 years ago
well etude was written as a excercise so.... i think it did it right
mrmonkeybuns 2 years ago
yes, in tempo, but in music the worst of all
mombeekmarcel 2 years ago
good god! awesome! i've played all these etudes and this IS incredible. believe it. he clearly could play more like the way many play - all notes by slower tempo (but still very fast by most standards) - BUT ciffra simply is TOYING with this piece. that's for sure.
tedly10027 2 years ago 11
Amazing the way he plays with the tempo...
melimoa 2 years ago
irregular
v4liumfrance 2 years ago
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warrenmmmmm 2 years ago
Brilliant, brilliant!
Thank you for posting this, Phillip!
Bard023 2 years ago 2
polini version is the best imo
Brackhmmarr 2 years ago
I wish I could "see" Cziffra playing this in front of me... I wish...
felix0911176727 2 years ago 4
cziffra's technique was mind-blowing, but i don't care too much for the give and take in tempi in this etude. it's still played technically flawlessly, but i wish it were a bit steadier.... just my taste.
semicolin 2 years ago 6
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Cziffra plays too fast. The flight of the bumblebee is an example
Angel94angel94 2 years ago
Great! But why... "agitato"?
btw... Incredible from 1:30 to the end
framaulo 2 years ago
oo he does not respect any tempo!! omg
4ubi 2 years ago
Pour moi rien ne vaudra la légèreté de Valentina Lisitsa, bien que je doit avoir que cette version est originale, un petit peu trop même. Mais c'est plus claire chez Lisitsa, regardez donc ces études en DVD c'est bien plus détendu, je me sens stressé, compressé avec cziffra.
Ragtimejoplin 2 years ago
On s'en fou de comment tu te sens avec Cziffra mdr!
hailkayy 2 years ago
c'est un commentaire, on est donc là pour donner son avis, si tu ne l'a pas remarqué chaque personne ici jusqu'à présent fait ça...
Ragtimejoplin 2 years ago 2
Too fast. Too many tempo changes. Chopinn wrote this Etude, not Liszt.
mlaux72 2 years ago
Cziffra est remarquable! J'aime son interprétations!
AsmoTheDragon 2 years ago 3
out of the ordinary....great!!!!!
Dodosicily 2 years ago 3
This is my absolutely favourite version of this etude. Love it <3
inuitka 2 years ago
Pathetic! Fortunately, the etude is too short to be mangled beyond recognition, but the pianist is doing everything to achieve just that.
mltube 2 years ago
Sorry you feel that way. What didn't you like about it?
If you'd like to see Cziffra's musical side, he has a beautiful recording of Chopin's 4th ballade here on utube. You should give it a listen.
sirvio666 2 years ago
Nice performance of the ballade, which fits his style better. However, this etude is a complete mess. Cziffra was a pianist of a limited interpretative range and a temperament of a jazz musician. Even his sometimes highly praised technique was spotty too.
mltube 2 years ago
Musicality? where are you?
JakWho92 2 years ago
Pas chez toi en tout cas...
Balingeo 2 years ago
dont get mad it's just my opinion, if this is like your taste it's ok but i dont like cziffras playing at all
JakWho92 2 years ago
Ce n'est pas une question de gout, on n'est obligé d'admettre que c'est une interprétation géniale.
En revanche, on est pas obligatoirement d'accord avec celle ci...
Balingeo 2 years ago
there are so many errors and forgotten signs in his interpretation, same but a little extremer is richter, he wouldnt come on any musicschool with this inmature playing.Try to speak english that the others can understand you, too.
JakWho92 2 years ago
Si il prends cette étude a ce tempo, c'est volontaire !! Jouer a cette vitesse implique forcément qq imperfections, mais sort moi une seule interprétation de la campanella sans fausse note
Balingeo 2 years ago
The tempo is just one of very much mistakes he did but anyway let's talk about the tempo he doesnt hold the tempo which means he isnt capable of playing at such high tempo. His campanella is "played" in the same way, the first phrase is played fast till the grace notes come and then he slows down extremly because it gets a bit difficult but there are less musical mistakes to make.Overall he was just on the surface of musical possibilites to express onesself .Try to speak english.
JakWho92 2 years ago
Je suis désolé, mon anglais est trop mauvais...
Je ne pense pas que Cziffra n'est pas capable de jouer cette étude plus rapidement, c'est a dire que ce n'est pas par souci technique mais parce qu'il pense cette étude ainsi. C'est représentatif d'une époque, aujourd'hui la plupart des gens jouent de facon plus claire et on peut sentir qqfois un manque de clarté chez les "anciens" (écoutez les enregistrements de Rachmaninov !!)
+++
Balingeo 2 years ago
Your comments are nearly hilarious, do you know anything about Richter or Cziffra? obviously not as they were some of the greatest virtuosos of the 20th century.Any musicschool? what does a pianists need schools for if they are giving recitals and audiences love them? For that matter they both were succesful on their studies. Tempo in this piece is not a misstake, chopin himself marked extreme tempo for this (88bpm for a half note) its PRESTO
no errors here, they're rather inside your head!
mursum151 2 years ago 3
Cziffra was a phenomenal pianist.
His Chopin etudes renditions are fabulous.
In fact I prefer this interpretation of op 10 n.4 to the a bit faster Richter's one (that is impressive considering the required finger agility).
The reason is that in this case Cziffra piano "sings" the melody delivering a superb dynamics.
ClassicalOJazz 2 years ago
There is good reason to argue for this to being so fast. I nearly heard it in Argerich's US Debut in Carnegie Hall, but I hear it much more here in the most ingenious of ways. The ultrafast speed allows the alto and tenor voices to be a melodic singing line while all the flutter starting in the right hand is just "color", glitter bells dangling in the wind. Cziffra's phrasing based on this alto/tenor line is unbelievably mastered, treating the runs as mere flutter as it should be. Love this!!!
clairannette 2 years ago 4
I completely, 100% agree with you on that one...Cziffra really knows not only the notes but the effect they are intend to make, and though an interpretation like this might not even be considered by a lesser technician, Cziffra is able to pull off the speed necessary to make the effect almost natural under his command - he really brings out the most natural melody lines and puts everything else into the context of the background or in the atmosphere that it was intended for by the composer.
squishym 2 years ago 3
He is the best...! Its Extraordinary !
theradiantcheetah 2 years ago
WOW. totally original!
RandomCoked 2 years ago
I've never heard anything like this before!
very unique intepretation, in bringing out some lines
virtuosowannabe 2 years ago
Ciffra is THE UNDISPUTED !!!
...and I'm talking about the music too .
Speed is just a thing, many craftsman (artisan) can play so fast ..... but play fast + music and virtuosity .. This is Cziffra the Undisputed !
embertelengyermek 2 years ago
god.....
qdbdbp 2 years ago 2
This is a fantastic recording, Cziffra brings out 'inner voices' which aren't supposed to be melody notes, in some parts of the study, but i like it!
scottyschumann18 3 years ago 3
God, no matter what piece we all know by rote recording and practicing, Cziffra just reinvents it and "rocks" it.
I just think he makes almost every piece he plays sound *better*.
BloodyLovin 3 years ago 4
Some have commented that the various changes of speed have detracted from the performance - but I would venture to disagree here: Viewed as a whole, this is very true. However, each change of tempo is carefully matched with the phrase. Things like speeding up on an ascending arpeggio, accenting the top note, then slowing down coming down. This performance is full of these kind of details. So I think you have to really "zoom in" to "get" this kind of playing.
javacisnotrecognized 3 years ago
APM 2k
Elkhwind 3 years ago
Truly an artist!
thepianomaniac 3 years ago
better richter
7milord7 3 years ago