Ashkenazy plays Rachmaninoff Étude Op 39 No. 6

I love this piece, I remember watching Valentina Lisitsa's interpretation, and while I agree it's absolutely astounding, I think Ashkenazy plays it a lot better.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Rachmaninoff
• Etude
• Tableaux

[satyu131089]

lisitsa isn't great enough to be compared to ashkenazy... stop kidding me, ppl....

ashkenazy is close to the levels of horowitz, cziffra, rachmaninov and rubinstein....

lisitsa is just another concert pianist....

[OverFjell]

@satyu131089 While I agree wholeheartedly with the first half of your statement, Ashkenazy is indeed one of the great masters of our time, Lisitsa isn't just another pianist, I think she's a real firebrand, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if her performances over the years come to amaze people the way Horowitz or Argerich did.

[satyu131089]

@OverFjell lisitsa is amazing... i too love her chopin etudes and liszt pieces....but the thing is i have seen lisitsa being troubled by certain challenging pieces like Carmen Fantasy, Chopin 27 2 nocturne etc.... none of the great pianists ever lacked the technique that virtuosic pieces demanded...and the colorations that ashkenazy gives musc is almost never found in lisitsa's.... she spends more of her mind playing the right notes unlike those geniuses...

[OverFjell]

@satyu131089 I think she does not lack the technique, if you watch her video of Liszt's Totentanz, that much is evident, as for lacking the colourations of music, we have to take into account Ashkenazy is a much older and more mature pianist, with much more experience, maybe once Lisitsa is as old as Ashkenazy, she will give much more mature and colourful interpretations. I understand what you're saying, BUT, I think she has extreme potential to be the next great female pianist.

[MyPhenomena]

I disagree, I think Valentina Lisitsa's interpretation is better. But this is nice too

[OverFjell]

@MyPhenomena Like I said in my description, Lisitsa's is phenomenal too, I love them both, I just feel ashkenazy's is a little more mature, but less energetic.

[chexg]

Why can't I compose music like this..... Rachmaninoff was a God!

[4hm3dimr4n]

@chexg

I know how you feel. I'm hoping to get close to being up there one day =/

I wish I could just drop everything and focus on music.

[pffortes]

I heard this piece for the first time in a performance by Valentina Lisitsa. Although she has an incredible technique, her interpretation does not compare to Ashkenazy's. His interpretation is so much more musical. He brings out so much more of the depth and beauty in this piece. Compared to his performance, she sounds like she's doing finger exercises ala Carl Czerny "on steroids".

[sweetdreamspantoponr]

I feel like the way Ashkenazy plays this piece is more controlled than the way Lisitsa plays. I think they both have their strong merits, and I also think this version is way less scary than Lisitsa's... as for which one I like best, I just can't choose D:

[cordfluidnevoie]

Ashkenazy Rules sorry for the vague comment but that's it he fucking rules! lol

[Starbirdy9999]

This sounds a lot like Rachmaninoff's playing...

[ChrystF]

@satyu131089 Lisitsa plays it faster. So you don't know how it would sound, if she played it as slow als Ashkenazy. And: you don't know if he made it of little pieces...you can't see him...

And Horowitz: at his time, yes he was good, live. But the recordings do not reach the quality of Lisitsa.

[ChrystF]

@satyu131089 Lisitsa plays it faster. So you don't know how it would sound, if she played it as slow als Ashkenazy. And: you don't know if he made it of little pieces...you can't see him...

[afertyus1000]

@MyPhenomena i disagree some of her playing is technically lacking compared to Ashkenazy and Richter

[Archimond789]

@satyu131089 watch fo example lisitsa´s chopin etude Ocean and you will see that she is amazing and one of the most briliant pianist ever. She simply plays her own style, which is incredible. and she understand music like she does. Of course, everyone likes something else but i think, we don´t say thet some great pianist is better than another. :D