Typical of the great Hofmann is the almost 'popping' sound of each succeeding melodic tone he recreates, as he contours his way through the music. I've never heard mention, but to me, Hofmann's speaking voice shapes words - rhythmically speaking - similarly. The studio May 2nd, 1935 recording is also scrumptious - my favorite between the two.
Man thats what I like about humanity..about our kind.. you give me words I neeed to think about...but yes the "poppimg" sounds of Hoffmann are really REALLy pleasing here!
I love Hofmann's playing, and I see I'm in good company. A little more pedal in this at times than in some of his other performances. I feel blessed that he and Rachmaninoff were captured for us on recordings. You know, playing does not have to be flawless to be great. I've never heard a Hofmann interpretation without being moved. Same for Rachmaninoff.
No wonder, Rachmaninoff considered him such a great pianist. As Noshirm has pointed out Hoffman, Lhevinne and SR were titans. For me the perfect blend of Romantic sentiment and Classical control. This performance is a jewel. Thank you for posting.
Chopin himself used melody-delaying and melody-anticipation [see Mikuli's preface to his editions] and perhaps also arpeggiata. This is how he expected to hear his pieces played. Actually Hofmann does use some arpeggiata here in the right hand thirds.
Of course not. Though he was born and raised in the 19th Century, and though he studied with a 19th Century Russian master in his youth (Anton Rubinstein) he LIVED in the 20th Century for 57 years of his life. That doesn't make this performance less worthwhile. Hofmann is Hofmann... simply unique.
Very interesting! This is untypical of Hofmann at this late time in his career. His playing at his peak in the 1920s could, at times, sound almost prissy, he always kept a sense of forward motion, and used minimal rubato. Here, still uses sparing rubato, but with greater warmth than in earlier years. Rachmaninoff thought Hofmann the greatest pianist, and Hofmann thought Rachmaninoff the greatest! Hofmann's recording of the first movement of the Chopin B minor sonata (tragically, he didn't record the other movements), is, I am convinced, the finest Chopin performance that I have heard - and I have heard a great deal...
Apparently after hearing Hofmann play the Chopin B minor sonata, Rachmaninoff took it out of his repertoire and said "not since Anton Rubinstein have I heard such titanic playing".
Shiroyasha According to harold Schoenberg, Rachmaninoff said “There goes another piece from my repertoire. It was all the music, and he’s the only one who can do it’.
@@ZiadKreidy I do not know, but almost certainly a Steinway. Hofmann had small hands, and Steinway made pianos with narrower keys for him. He enjoyed asking visiting pianists to try La Campanella on it: they couldn't understand the resulting mess until the master told them the reason!
@@johnschlesinger2009 Thank you very much for this information. I didn't know the history of this smaller keyboard. I can't believe Steinway agreed to do it.
Indeed - and contemporary accounts of Chopin's own playing differ greatly! This is a finely wrought, tonally balanced performance if quite straightforward (and definitely 20th-century!) in its expression. The right-hand filigree work towards the end is exquisitely done.
Hoffmann´s Chopin touches immensely! Well said, Nosh... 'masculine approach' wthout neglecting the 'female' sensual aspects of the soul...yin and yang as a proof of the genuine masculinity. Glorious piano playing!!
I don't necessarily agree that this is not how it would have been played in the 19th century. I don't think there was only one style- and certainly performers took great liberties. It depends at what point in the 19th century we're talking about, for one, and two, there were were many different schools of playing. Hofmann's touch and momentum are, for my ears, a real treat!
0:02 this beginning completey crazy, Hofmann playing forte and rather rapidly .... the result : some non-sensical beautiful music, uncontrolled, as usual by Hofmann, but this spelling .............
To Gerard Carter: Sounds a little too orthodox to me... arpeggiation is just one aspect of Chopin interpretation. Nobody knows exactly how Chopin expected to hear his pieces... there are myriads of ways possible... we shouldn't make the mistake to "copy" 19th century performance practise...though we can learn from historic recordings, this is the 21st century with different musical aesthetics, instruments, concepts, etc. ... the interpretation of timeless masterpieces is always changing in time.
This is my top pick of all performances of this nocturne in my "best of" playlist of the complete Chopin nocturnes ... th-cam.com/play/PL_FxhjClAeZeYhkVsSHouZ5JC9pyp6Z4_.html
There is no more beautiful piano tone on the planet than this.
Pure magic. No pianist today could duplicate it.
No pianist ever could duplicate it! Hofmann like all great pianists was completely inimitable
Typical of the great Hofmann is the almost 'popping' sound of each succeeding melodic tone he recreates, as he contours his way through the music. I've never heard mention, but to me, Hofmann's speaking voice shapes words - rhythmically speaking - similarly. The studio May 2nd, 1935 recording is also scrumptious - my favorite between the two.
Man thats what I like about humanity..about our kind.. you give me words I neeed to think about...but yes the "poppimg" sounds of Hoffmann are really REALLy pleasing here!
Jest to mistrzowskie wykonanie. Wszyscy pianiści, zwłaszcza ci nagradzani, uczcie się od Pana Józefa Hofmanna.
Just incredible! The beauty of it makes me want to cry. 🎼🎵🎶🥲
Come un diamante purissimo...
the polyphony!!!!! At last I can hear the Well-tempered Clavier Chopin obsessed about his whole life
Flawless playing!!! Bravo Maestro Hoffman..
I love Hofmann's playing, and I see I'm in good company. A little more pedal in this at times than in some of his other performances. I feel blessed that he and Rachmaninoff were captured for us on recordings. You know, playing does not have to be flawless to be great. I've never heard a Hofmann interpretation without being moved. Same for Rachmaninoff.
No wonder, Rachmaninoff considered him such a great pianist. As Noshirm has pointed out Hoffman, Lhevinne and SR were titans. For me the perfect blend of Romantic sentiment and Classical control. This performance is a jewel. Thank you for posting.
Chopin himself used melody-delaying and melody-anticipation [see Mikuli's preface to his editions] and perhaps also arpeggiata. This is how he expected to hear his pieces played. Actually Hofmann does use some arpeggiata here in the right hand thirds.
Of course not. Though he was born and raised in the 19th Century, and though he studied with a 19th Century Russian master in his youth (Anton Rubinstein) he LIVED in the 20th Century for 57 years of his life. That doesn't make this performance less worthwhile. Hofmann is Hofmann... simply unique.
Very interesting! This is untypical of Hofmann at this late time in his career. His playing at his peak in the 1920s could, at times, sound almost prissy, he always kept a sense of forward motion, and used minimal rubato. Here, still uses sparing rubato, but with greater warmth than in earlier years. Rachmaninoff thought Hofmann the greatest pianist, and Hofmann thought Rachmaninoff the greatest! Hofmann's recording of the first movement of the Chopin B minor sonata (tragically, he didn't record the other movements), is, I am convinced, the finest Chopin performance that I have heard - and I have heard a great deal...
Apparently after hearing Hofmann play the Chopin B minor sonata, Rachmaninoff took it out of his repertoire and said "not since Anton Rubinstein have I heard such titanic playing".
Shiroyasha According to harold Schoenberg, Rachmaninoff said “There goes another piece from my repertoire. It was all the music, and he’s the only one who can do it’.
@@johnschlesinger2009 Do you know what piano he plays here?
@@ZiadKreidy I do not know, but almost certainly a Steinway. Hofmann had small hands, and Steinway made pianos with narrower keys for him. He enjoyed asking visiting pianists to try La Campanella on it: they couldn't understand the resulting mess until the master told them the reason!
@@johnschlesinger2009 Thank you very much for this information. I didn't know the history of this smaller keyboard. I can't believe Steinway agreed to do it.
Indeed - and contemporary accounts of Chopin's own playing differ greatly! This is a finely wrought, tonally balanced performance if quite straightforward (and definitely 20th-century!) in its expression. The right-hand filigree work towards the end is exquisitely done.
Sublime singing …. Tone
Hoffmann´s Chopin touches immensely!
Well said, Nosh... 'masculine approach' wthout neglecting the 'female' sensual aspects of the soul...yin and yang as a proof of the genuine masculinity.
Glorious piano playing!!
I don't necessarily agree that this is not how it would have been played in the 19th century. I don't think there was only one style- and certainly performers took great liberties. It depends at what point in the 19th century we're talking about, for one, and two, there were were many different schools of playing. Hofmann's touch and momentum are, for my ears, a real treat!
Великий музыкант и пианист!!!
The photograph that starts at 3:20 appears to be that of Walter Damrosch. It certainly isn’t a photograph of Hofmann.
What gave it away? His actual name written on the top left?
@georgesotiriou7051 Good catch. Yes, I missed it. On my phone the print is very small.
0:02 this beginning completey crazy, Hofmann playing forte and rather rapidly .... the result : some non-sensical beautiful music, uncontrolled, as usual by Hofmann, but this spelling .............
It sounds conversational in the most intimate way ...
At last : this is hypnotic.
To Gerard Carter: Sounds a little too orthodox to me... arpeggiation is just one aspect of Chopin interpretation. Nobody knows exactly how Chopin expected to hear his pieces... there are myriads of ways possible... we shouldn't make the mistake to "copy" 19th century performance practise...though we can learn from historic recordings, this is the 21st century with different musical aesthetics, instruments, concepts, etc. ... the interpretation of timeless masterpieces is always changing in time.
can you explain me why this is not the way pianists played in the nineteenth century??
Yes.
"the same?"... yes please :)
Wow..
This is my top pick of all performances of this nocturne in my "best of" playlist of the complete Chopin nocturnes ... th-cam.com/play/PL_FxhjClAeZeYhkVsSHouZ5JC9pyp6Z4_.html
уникальный был пианист Местами он поразительно светло звучи. Но при этом не знаю пианиста достигающего гофансовского трагизма.
Как интересно рояль звучит
Interesting, he brings freedom yet also an uncanny discipline to the decorative melodic line. His interpretation is not dissimilar to Rubinsteins.
Quite free rhythm, notes, embellishments, BUT tasteful and indeed original playing.
Это Гофман! Непревзойденный.
so?
This is nice playing but is definitely not the way pianists played in the nineteenth century !!!!
so you lived in the 19th century? :D
G-C, we do have a few items genuinely from that 19th century in the form of Grunfeld recs. He recorded some Chopin too, if I recall correctly.
. : .