The title and thumbnail have nothing to do with the content. You compared unknown pianists with mega famous ones like Barenboim Richter and Cortot, who are in fact the more famous and favourite ones.
Agreed, the comparisons are obvious and exaggerated. I did this to showcase the different pillars more clearly. I made a follow-up video going more in depth, comparing pianist of the same caliber. Here's a link if you're interested: th-cam.com/video/bsw3a5iu6cs/w-d-xo.html.
@@ClassiTope Yes. I watched it and I mostly agree with the second video, except for the liszt etude where Trifonov played it absolutely amazingly. The fast part was so rythmical, that it created a shocking antithesis with the slower part you mentioned. Of course he exaggerated with the muddled sound, so that the clear rythmic part becomes more effective.
Liked the video very much but why did you put Lang Lang's face in the thumbnail if you are not going to analyse his performances, it would be interesting to dive into it. I listened to him do nice things lately, but I saw him live DESTROY a Mozart sonata to the point he literally broke a piano string during the performance 😮💨
@@ClassiTope here it is, the quality is not good so I could not find the exact moment it happens but you can hear towards the end that the E5 is not there anymore th-cam.com/video/7JWOwI66-ag/w-d-xo.html
Frankly, I don't think any of these passages are memorable. Cortot's 2nd Ballade is an eye opener, but he seems to play a simplified arrangement of that (ascending) passage; alternating chords. That's how he's able to reach that tempo.
Of course not just a mastery of dynamics (though in itself this is extremely difficult). Also of course technique, voicing, phrasing, rubato, pedaling, rhythmic control/tempi. But can you change the 'tone colour' of notes _at a given dynamic_ by using some special kind of key pressure, surely not(?).
@@thearm95 I could make a video on the topic of "Tone Color" alone. Compare 1) Prokofiev - Piano Sonata No. 7 and 2) Debussy - La Cathédrale Engloutie. I believe there's more to it than just those strictly definable parameters. I wouldn't know how to define it exactly, however.
@@ClassiTope Worth mentioning that 'tone colour' is the most widely affected by the piano, room, microphones and recording technique. So comparisons across recordings aren't going to mean very much unless it's two pianists in the same competition or something.
Tbh, it comes off less as a genuine interpretation choice, and more of the pianist playing slowly to avoid mistakes. I have attempted that Ballade before, that section is just very annoying to get down - as others have pointed out Cortot has to "cheat" a little bit and rearrange it for it to be playable quickly.
Nice video! I liked the points you covered! Two pieces of feedback: if you want to talk while the music continues playing, make sure your voice can be clearly heard above the music. I would lessen the audio level of the music and make sure your voice level is always good. Also, for the future, when making a video that has a lot of musical examples, making sure the audio levels of the music matches your voice levels may help. This way people may not have to adjust the volume when when the audio switches between your voice and the music. This can be tricky to do when the music has a wide range of dynamic contast.
@ClassiTope I've always noticed your voice sounds AI generated or heavily filtered/compressed for background noise or that rain effect suppression. If you fix that your vids will be better 👍🏽
Very good video. Nicely written - succinct and not too long. 10-15 minutes is about right for a "lecture" video on abstract concepts, without getting boring. (Many of the piano tutor videos are not carefully written and meander, end up too long). However, some of these concepts could benefit from further elaboration, like Orchestration. I followed the points in your examples easily. Except for the last one, I don't think Martha Goldstein captured the spirit of the Fantasie-Impromptu well, though it was better played than the first example.
Thanks! I intended the expression parameter to be one of subjective quality, to explain difference in taste. I believe it'd be ignorant to just attribute an interpretation to objective parameters.
@@republiccooper I posted a second video where I compare pianist who all had access to the best equipment. You might want to check that out, there the playing field is evened: th-cam.com/video/bsw3a5iu6cs/w-d-xo.html.
There is no 'best' pianist. They're all second to nobody. And - 0:46 -- it's probably a case of the piano setup and the room, which is different to the setup and room at 1:05. Also - the recording at 0:51 sounds a bit off - because the recording appears to have skipped and the sound just abruptly changed.
There might be no best pianist, but it's still important to develop a personal taste. The purpose of the video was to give some direction in this path. For the Beethoven example I swapped between two recordings, perhaps a bit confusing indeed.
I absolutely agree with you, @southpark. I get so sick of "BEST" being thrown around! In the arts, there is probably better and worse, but even that is largely based on convention and opinion. I find it quite difficult to compare two recording which have very different audio qualities. That is partially what is happening here. I do think it is good to educate oneself on what to listen for in music, and what is generally thought of as more beautiful aesthetically. BEAUTIFUL, however, in our musical world today seems strangely twisted, especially in the world of popular music. How can some of the ugliest voices be so highly prized? Take Louis Armstrong for example--it blows my mind that his version of "What a Wonderful World" is a classic! He should have been shot for singing like this! His voice sounds worse than fingernails on a chalkboard! th-cam.com/video/e1FN047_LT0/w-d-xo.html
@@ClassiTope I agree with you CT. And Daniel's particular touch - velocity and timing for that piece -- is excellent. That particular interpretation from Daniel is excellent. The setup on the piano - including the sound and room features, combined with his particular interpretation/touch/handling/expression - is indeed excellent.
@@ojotut hahaha! Know what you mean ojotut - about Louis that is! I agree! That will definitely be related to what you rightfully and correctly mentioned - about taste/preference etc. At first, I remember first hearing his singing of it a really long time ago - a raspy but smooth singing voice. It sounded fairly unique - not heard of before. It was only much later that it was the uniqueness of that instrument (his voice) which made it stand out. And probably very special. But - definitely know what you mean! Not everyone's cup of tea. Thanks for posting!
Agreed, any amateur pianist who's attempted to record themselves playing music on a phone knows that, without stellar audio equipment and setup, the dynamics will just kind of go away no matter how good of a pianist you are.
For this kind of compare and contrast, I feel a good candidate would be this interpretation of the Barcarolle - th-cam.com/video/ywm0X6XFYHY/w-d-xo.html
The title is somehow clickbait. And most of the comparisons are irrelevant. You compare almost unknown pianists to great ones. Then Harald Vetter (don't know him) seems to be playing the Chopin etude op.10 no. 4 on a digital piano, while Cortot (great pianist) is playing an acoustic piano (and a good one); what's to compare there? And so on.
(Copy-paste from another comment) The comparisons are indeed obvious and exaggerated. I did this to showcase the different pillars more clearly. I made a follow-up video going more in depth, comparing pianist of the same caliber. Here's a link if you're interested: th-cam.com/video/bsw3a5iu6cs/w-d-xo.html.
It is more or less funny that there is so much Cortot in your examples, because Horowitz said (to Rubinstein, if I remember correctly) that Cortot was not technically able to play Chopin and they both laughed. And that is far from the worst that must be said about Cortot.
All music must 1: speak (in it's own language), 2: sing, and 3: dance. These things seem to have not been brought out in any way by the pianists you have presented in this video.
For the Fantasie, I prefer the Martha Goldstein because I could hear the inner melody, the accent more clearly. Especially when the the part that the dynamic was Piano she keeps the accented melody Forte while the accompaniment down to Piano. I would say that Martha Goldstein recording was less rounded or legato compared to Oriano De Almeida. In the Oriano De Almeida recording, I just don’t feel the clearness of it and I also think the rubato was a bit exaggerated like in the part after the Crescendo to Forte I think it just to mannered and exaggerated. But I am sure that some might like to hear the accents in the left hand at the Pianissimo part in the first recording. For me I will go for the second one.👍
Yeah that ritenuto was so clear and let the melody enter so well. Also the accent placement change was so clear and made the piece much easier to understand and enjoy.
I’m really tired and fed up with bait & switch on TH-cam but I didn’t expect it in a Classical upload! Shame on you! You prominently feature pics of Yuja Wang & Lang Lang - but there’s nothing in your piece about them! Shame on you!😡😡😡
The title and thumbnail have nothing to do with the content. You compared unknown pianists with mega famous ones like Barenboim Richter and Cortot, who are in fact the more famous and favourite ones.
Agreed, the comparisons are obvious and exaggerated. I did this to showcase the different pillars more clearly. I made a follow-up video going more in depth, comparing pianist of the same caliber. Here's a link if you're interested: th-cam.com/video/bsw3a5iu6cs/w-d-xo.html.
@@ClassiTope Yes. I watched it and I mostly agree with the second video, except for the liszt etude where Trifonov played it absolutely amazingly. The fast part was so rythmical, that it created a shocking antithesis with the slower part you mentioned. Of course he exaggerated with the muddled sound, so that the clear rythmic part becomes more effective.
Honestly, i think that my favourite pianist, Zimerman, doesn’t lack any of that.
Liked the video very much but why did you put Lang Lang's face in the thumbnail if you are not going to analyse his performances, it would be interesting to dive into it. I listened to him do nice things lately, but I saw him live DESTROY a Mozart sonata to the point he literally broke a piano string during the performance 😮💨
I'd be interested to hear the performance of the Mozart sonata, as well his good ones. Maybe you could send a link?
@@ClassiTope here it is, the quality is not good so I could not find the exact moment it happens but you can hear towards the end that the E5 is not there anymore
th-cam.com/video/7JWOwI66-ag/w-d-xo.html
@@federicoalcaraz2993 Sounds almost like I'm listening to Prokofiev. 😬
Frankly, I don't think any of these passages are memorable. Cortot's 2nd Ballade is an eye opener, but he seems to play a simplified arrangement of that (ascending) passage; alternating chords. That's how he's able to reach that tempo.
3:20 the entire time i was going "ouch, ouch, ouch!, OUCH, OUCHHH"
4:08 Jean Dube just appropriately diminuendos into playing more softly here rather than divining some esoteric change of 'tone colour'.
Do you believe his performance can just be explained by his mastery of dynamics?
Of course not just a mastery of dynamics (though in itself this is extremely difficult). Also of course technique, voicing, phrasing, rubato, pedaling, rhythmic control/tempi. But can you change the 'tone colour' of notes _at a given dynamic_ by using some special kind of key pressure, surely not(?).
@@thearm95 I could make a video on the topic of "Tone Color" alone. Compare 1) Prokofiev - Piano Sonata No. 7 and 2) Debussy - La Cathédrale Engloutie. I believe there's more to it than just those strictly definable parameters. I wouldn't know how to define it exactly, however.
@@ClassiTope Worth mentioning that 'tone colour' is the most widely affected by the piano, room, microphones and recording technique. So comparisons across recordings aren't going to mean very much unless it's two pianists in the same competition or something.
6:23 I personally prefer the spontaneous dignity he expresses with the slower tempo and dramatic accents.
Tbh, it comes off less as a genuine interpretation choice, and more of the pianist playing slowly to avoid mistakes. I have attempted that Ballade before, that section is just very annoying to get down - as others have pointed out Cortot has to "cheat" a little bit and rearrange it for it to be playable quickly.
Nice video! I liked the points you covered!
Two pieces of feedback: if you want to talk while the music continues playing, make sure your voice can be clearly heard above the music. I would lessen the audio level of the music and make sure your voice level is always good.
Also, for the future, when making a video that has a lot of musical examples, making sure the audio levels of the music matches your voice levels may help. This way people may not have to adjust the volume when when the audio switches between your voice and the music. This can be tricky to do when the music has a wide range of dynamic contast.
I'll fix this in my next video, thanks for taking the time to comment!
@ClassiTope I've always noticed your voice sounds AI generated or heavily filtered/compressed for background noise or that rain effect suppression. If you fix that your vids will be better 👍🏽
What do they suck?
Very good video. Nicely written - succinct and not too long. 10-15 minutes is about right for a "lecture" video on abstract concepts, without getting boring. (Many of the piano tutor videos are not carefully written and meander, end up too long). However, some of these concepts could benefit from further elaboration, like Orchestration. I followed the points in your examples easily. Except for the last one, I don't think Martha Goldstein captured the spirit of the Fantasie-Impromptu well, though it was better played than the first example.
Thanks! I intended the expression parameter to be one of subjective quality, to explain difference in taste. I believe it'd be ignorant to just attribute an interpretation to objective parameters.
You know Jean Dubé the Goat
A lot of the performances are severely affected by the quality of the instrument and its possibilities.
Cortot played on an incredibly different instrument, one with less possibilities. Still he achieved a more touching rendition, i believe.
@@ClassiTope But what about the recording equipment and quality? That's a factor too.
@@republiccooper I posted a second video where I compare pianist who all had access to the best equipment. You might want to check that out, there the playing field is evened: th-cam.com/video/bsw3a5iu6cs/w-d-xo.html.
There is no 'best' pianist. They're all second to nobody. And - 0:46 -- it's probably a case of the piano setup and the room, which is different to the setup and room at 1:05. Also - the recording at 0:51 sounds a bit off - because the recording appears to have skipped and the sound just abruptly changed.
There might be no best pianist, but it's still important to develop a personal taste. The purpose of the video was to give some direction in this path. For the Beethoven example I swapped between two recordings, perhaps a bit confusing indeed.
I absolutely agree with you, @southpark. I get so sick of "BEST" being thrown around! In the arts, there is probably better and worse, but even that is largely based on convention and opinion. I find it quite difficult to compare two recording which have very different audio qualities. That is partially what is happening here.
I do think it is good to educate oneself on what to listen for in music, and what is generally thought of as more beautiful aesthetically.
BEAUTIFUL, however, in our musical world today seems strangely twisted, especially in the world of popular music. How can some of the ugliest voices be so highly prized? Take Louis Armstrong for example--it blows my mind that his version of "What a Wonderful World" is a classic! He should have been shot for singing like this! His voice sounds worse than fingernails on a chalkboard! th-cam.com/video/e1FN047_LT0/w-d-xo.html
@@ClassiTope I agree with you CT. And Daniel's particular touch - velocity and timing for that piece -- is excellent. That particular interpretation from Daniel is excellent. The setup on the piano - including the sound and room features, combined with his particular interpretation/touch/handling/expression - is indeed excellent.
@@ojotut hahaha! Know what you mean ojotut - about Louis that is! I agree! That will definitely be related to what you rightfully and correctly mentioned - about taste/preference etc. At first, I remember first hearing his singing of it a really long time ago - a raspy but smooth singing voice. It sounded fairly unique - not heard of before. It was only much later that it was the uniqueness of that instrument (his voice) which made it stand out. And probably very special. But - definitely know what you mean! Not everyone's cup of tea. Thanks for posting!
Agreed, any amateur pianist who's attempted to record themselves playing music on a phone knows that, without stellar audio equipment and setup, the dynamics will just kind of go away no matter how good of a pianist you are.
you couldve captured all of these terms into just "articulation" but aight
I love it (:
For this kind of compare and contrast, I feel a good candidate would be this interpretation of the Barcarolle - th-cam.com/video/ywm0X6XFYHY/w-d-xo.html
What a great content
The title is somehow clickbait. And most of the comparisons are irrelevant. You compare almost unknown pianists to great ones. Then Harald Vetter (don't know him) seems to be playing the Chopin etude op.10 no. 4 on a digital piano, while Cortot (great pianist) is playing an acoustic piano (and a good one); what's to compare there? And so on.
(Copy-paste from another comment) The comparisons are indeed obvious and exaggerated. I did this to showcase the different pillars more clearly. I made a follow-up video going more in depth, comparing pianist of the same caliber. Here's a link if you're interested: th-cam.com/video/bsw3a5iu6cs/w-d-xo.html.
Nice vídeo 🎉
What is the piece from minute 00:00 to 00:20 ?
Gnossienne 3 - Erik Satie
It is more or less funny that there is so much Cortot in your examples, because Horowitz said (to Rubinstein, if I remember correctly) that Cortot was not technically able to play Chopin and they both laughed. And that is far from the worst that must be said about Cortot.
Cortot had a great sense of musicality, which serves well as examples.
Beethoven is GOD!! 🎹🎹👊🏾✨😈
All music must 1: speak (in it's own language), 2: sing, and 3: dance. These things seem to have not been brought out in any way by the pianists you have presented in this video.
For the Fantasie, I prefer the Martha Goldstein because I could hear the inner melody, the accent more clearly. Especially when the the part that the dynamic was Piano she keeps the accented melody Forte while the accompaniment down to Piano. I would say that Martha Goldstein recording was less rounded or legato compared to Oriano De Almeida. In the Oriano De Almeida recording, I just don’t feel the clearness of it and I also think the rubato was a bit exaggerated like in the part after the Crescendo to Forte I think it just to mannered and exaggerated. But I am sure that some might like to hear the accents in the left hand at the Pianissimo part in the first recording. For me I will go for the second one.👍
Yeah that ritenuto was so clear and let the melody enter so well. Also the accent placement change was so clear and made the piece much easier to understand and enjoy.
Nice video but please do not pronounce Debussy's name like that xD
I'd advocate for the stress on the last syllable.
I’m really tired and fed up with bait & switch on TH-cam but I didn’t expect it in a Classical upload! Shame on you! You prominently feature pics of Yuja Wang & Lang Lang - but there’s nothing in your piece about them! Shame on you!😡😡😡
Take a look at the pinned comment.
why is the first recording by a porn star 💀💀💀
no need to put clickbait and provacative thumbnail or title just for the sake of views.
Take it up with TH-cam
Have you heard of Ervin Nyiregyhazi?
Interesting to listen to for once, but I feel like the story gets repetitive quite quickly. What do you think?