Saint-Saens Etude en Forme d'une Valse Cortot Rec.1919

This is a legendary recording.In his book "Horowitz," Glen Plaskin writes,"the french master (Cortot)did give him(Horowitz) occasional lessons and assignments. These began in 1928 and continued sporadically for the next few years. Cortot was struck by the clarity and projection of Horowitz's tone but showed distain for the idea of making a career on temperament and technical brilliance. 'Horowitz has a great genius for getting things ready for performance' Cortot would tell his students. But Cortot made no secret of his reservations about Horowitz's intellect,and was never convinced that as a performer he desired to be a re-creator in service of the composer. A Cortot pupil,Thomas Manshardt,remembered that Cortot believed Horowitz 'came to study in order to discover how he,Cortot, managed the double notes in the Etude en Forme d'une Valse by Saint-Saens,which Horowitz concidered a miracle of velocity and light brilliancy as played by Cortot. Cortot thought this an inadequate reason for studying. Years later he gleefully declared "I never told him how it was done." '

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Saint
• Saens
• Etude
• Cortot

[AllaBreve3]

Jean Micault : "Cortot told me that after Horowitz have heard this recording, he decided to go to him to study. Cortot told me, laughing very loud with his bass voice "Quand il m'a rencontré il a été bien décu !" (="When he met me he was delluded !") I know that Horowitz and Cortot remained always in contact. I have heard too -but not from Cortot himself- that Horowitz have also studied composition.Cortot himself conducted the orchestra for Horowitz in the 3d Concerto of Rachmaninov.

[Beckmesser2]

@AllaBreve3 What a pleasure it was to read your comments regarding Cortot, Horowitz and the Saint - Saens Etude. I did not know that Cortot conducted the Rachmaninov 3rd Concerto with Horowitz or that they had remained in contact. Evidently, from your comments, Cortot's interpretive view of the concerto differed from that of Horowitz. I hope that you continued to play,at least on occasion , the Saint-Saens after hearing Silvio Ceccato label it as "useless Music."

[Offduty5Z66]

This is what happened when Cortot practiced a piece for more than five minutes!

[NOSEhow2LIV]

Yes, Yes, Indeed, a "miracle of velocity & lite brilliance!" A model of how to play the piece and no-one else ever comes close.

[17mathieu]

I thought cziffra's performance was impressive, but this is...holy crap..wow!!! bravo cortot!!

[8cubanm]

Bravo Maestro. Bravo indeed. Rest in peace.

Daniel Morales

[OrangeSodaKing]

Libetta is the only thing I've heard that comes close to this! Those double notes at the end sound so killer...

[AllaBreve3]

For Beckmesser : thank you. Jean Micault is 86 but his next concert will take place on the 24th May 2011 in Germany. He have still played this piece, of course, after this anecdote with Silvio Ceccato !

[AllaBreve3]

Jean Micault (suite) : But Cortot was not happy with the result, as for him Horowitz played "Trop virtuose" ("Too virtuoso". I have myself several time studied this "Étude en forme de Valse" with Cortot and it was considerated, in the little parisian circles, my "Cheval de Bataille" ("My best piece") Until Silvio Ceccato, a very important personality in the italian musical world, declared to me "È Musica inutile" ("It is an useless Music").

[asv8104]

He skipped one section (repetition), so it is shorter 

[stephenjoeagi]

Only Cortot could play like this. No other comment is necessary.

[aardvaark069]

I also don't think that these textures and 'lite brilliance' could be achieved on a Steinway. This playing custom-made for Pleyel and perhaps Bechstein.