Vladimir de Pachmann (1848-1933): Chopin - Nocturne op.72 #1

Vladimir de Pachmann was one of the unique figures of 19th century pianism. He was born in the Ukraine and spent a long time in study in Europe before he began concerting before the public properly in 1882. From then until the 1920s he was regarded as one of the top half-dozen pianists in the world, and he has become known primarily as one of the greatest exponents of Chopin ever (though he was more than capable of performing much else besides).

His style belongs to no particular school and he produced no pupils to speak of. He was comparecd to Liszt, in so far as his approach was of his own and stood unique.

However, his approach to Chopin in particular was informed by a great deal of thought and study: similarities exist between his playing and that of Rosenthal, both of whom represent different branchs of an "authentic" Chopin tradition (where Rosenthal studied with Chopin's pupuil Mikuli, Pachmann studied with Chopin's last teaching-assistant Vera Kologrivoff Rubio). It is noteworthy that Rosenthal approached Pachmann for some guidance on Chopin performance.

In his last years, Pachmann developed a reputation as something of a performing clown in his concerts, with a penchant for babbling commentaries through his performances. This reputation is however undeserved: he began recording in the very early days of the grammophone, and his playing, even late in life, could display extreme sensitivity and undertanding. It by no means possible to assume all Pachmann recordings are going to be wonderful, but those that capture him properly can be moving and beautiful beyond almost all others. And his interpretations are refreshingly and utterly distinctive.

This lovely rendition of Chopin's Nocturne in E minor op.72 no.1 was made in 1927.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• vladimir
• de
• pachmann
• piano
• classical
• recording
• chopin
• minor
• op.72
• no.1
• nocturne

[kjw163]

Simply beautiful! So natural sounding. I know many worship the likes of say, Argerich and Kissin, but sadly, they're lacking in the ability to create nuance and color at the piano. All show, and no glow. Those two (and many others) need to take the time to listen and absorb the artistry of Pachmann, Cortot, Paderweski, D'Albert, Koczalski....they could learn a lot from that.

[toneeeeeee]

Jesus. It's like silk...Maddening genius...

[gerardbedecarter]

Maybe this is Chopin himself playing !!!

[zamyrabyrd]

the golden age of piano playing

[bozzelgreeb]

Oh boy. How lucky we are to have this message

from the past that may still have come from the future. de Pachmann anecdotes are droll, but they have diminished his reputation. I learned

from this performance tonight, will play the nocturne first thing tomorrow to see just what I have learned, but a great performer really is

the lead listener, the captain of the listening.

The hands do things at a contraption; a ghost

of the vision appears. That's what it's all about

when you are this good.

[drydyboy]

Why do you say that?

[finepianos]

This is yet another example of great pianism in all it's beauty.

Fantastic performance and interpretation.

Yes ,these were geniuses.

[Troybeallad]

Excellent and atmospheric.

[meredith21846]

A fascinating historical document. The playing is not as mannered as I had expected, in fact it is rather lovely.

[phantom4087]

That was exactly what I was thinking: the heartbeat of a young person in love. His playing is always full of vitality; even sad music is full of energy and never dead and tired.

[stan724]

Most of the pianists of today don't know what a nuance is. Furthermore, they don't give a damn.

[Ankhsnammon]

the most enchanted rubato....essence f improvistion...a melancholic doubt...the essence of chopin.

L'essence de la mèlancholie...

ankhsnammon