By far the greatest Liszt performer of all time, all his recordings go into this way... In fact, since I discovered him a long time ago, I can't listen to these works by another pianist without being disappointed
This performance is without a doubt tremendous, and Cziffra is maybe one of the greatest liszt interpreters ever. The problem is the music! Liszt is a genius and has written a lot of sublime music. But also some awful music. Tnis is unfortunately one of these. Bombast and hot air. It sounds like stuff thrown together to wake up some VIPs who've had too much dinner. Like the Transcendental Etude 4, this should considered an exercise never to be played in public.
@@jackbaran4bis571 That's your opinion that it seems you're alone to share...In fact I think quite the opposite and love the 2 Liszt's polonaises more than Chopin's one...
The best interpretation I've heard of this piece. Aside from the crazy technical show, Cziffra really put his heart and soul into this performace, as he so often does. A true musical soul!
i actually think this may be my favorite of his interpretations of anything.. this is just amazing.... i love his other liszt of course but this is really something else.
That is terrific. Cziffra is awesome. A bit of a showman but a superb record of how completely someone can master te Piano more than 50yrs ago. No-one can beat his natural talent.
Oh come on children! Look at it objectively! there is much to enjoy here in this masterful performance by undisputably one of the most celebrated Liszt interpreters since Liszt himself! We were always taught in conservatoire that if you can sit through a performance of professional quality and not find a score of good things to comment on then you werent listening hard enough and that you needed to get your own ego dealt with! - if the cap fits wear it!
Utterly mindblowing. His playing covers everything a pianist should - passion, technical accuracy, pitch... its all there and he makes it all his own. Talk about your master craftsmen.
I like Cziffras playing on this song better than Rachmaninoff. No one has came close to his technique yet. Only person i could possibly think of is Liszt himself :D
@@cziffrathegreat666 Wow thank you! I almost forgot I wrote this 13 years ago! 😂 I meant Cziffra added some left hand trills here which Liszt didn't write on the sheet.
JT0420 I absolutely contradict you! Cziffra is a pianist who since childhood has shown a remarkable agility in big jumps as you can see in the video! Cziffra is unique and will be the only one. Is clearly seen in the video that his technique and interpretazine cross the line of normality! I advise you to see more videos about Cziffra, and to change its mind. However I am Italian.
I'm intrigued to hear where he's been simplifiying the text. I used to play this piece and I didn't even consider the possibility he had modified it until you mentioned it. I hear a few additions and minor changes to the score, yes, but the only part which sounds suspicious is the passage from 6.20 to 6.45. I'd be grateful for details; it is a long time since I studied this and my memory could be defective.
@gott1rott Guys like Rubinstein and Richter practised no more than 2-3 hours a day, even in youth. When they got old, they wouldnt play weeks before their recitals
I was intrigued because BrucknerEnthusiast was so adamant about Cziffra cheating technically - and it really wasn't clear to me that he was. I agree, there is much to enjoy in this performance.
Was briefly looking at some of the comments others have made, but there really is no secret to becoming a concert pianist... Talent and hard work are important but those are already a given. There are SO MANY talented and hard working pianists in the world. What separates them from the ones that win competitions, record deals, and recognition? Luck. Plain and simple. For every 1 Cziffra, there are at least 100 equally talented (if not more talented) pianists that never got their big break
It might also perhaps be a genetical defection of some sorts. Sometimes genes can be mutated, of course most of the time it's either harmless or dangerous, but sometimes those rare mutations can have positive aspects.
for those people who happen to be atheists, talent is an individual ability that only some people have. It might scientifically have to do with the wiring of the brain when people are born. And it's definitely not genetic.
Actually, you don't necessarily need to touch a piano since 3rd or 4th time you meet your teacher... You must need time to understand what is music, and how music come from the piano, from your soul then. Music is not just notes, like language is not just words.
Really? How did you find that out? I actually have a Dmitri Feofanov cd (Alkan concerto for piano, rearranged for piano and orchestra). I was under the impression that BrucknerEnthusiast was another pianist - I won't name him here, but he's not particulary famous, though he did record a well-reviewed disc of Szymanowski about a decade ago.
WHY CANT ANYONE EVER PLAY LISZT POLONAISE NO.1 !!!!! its seriously more beautiful than this one. dont get me wrong though i love this song, just ...maan.
It has to do also with the manner of practice. With getting to really understand your body's function, really know music, sing, and be willing to make mistakes.
Lo ascoltata suonata da rachmaninov, la suonavapiù pulita, sono rimasto impressionato con quale facilità la suonava, anche questa una bella esecuzione di zfifra di tanto capello, ma non come quella di rachmaninov
Takes a few talents; perfect pitch helps; photographic memory helps (or perfect auditory sequential long-term memory), good finger flexibility, strength and endurance; (length also helps), an appreciation for the genre and the library, originality, a taste for Bach, and above all the desire to out-Brahms Brahms. If you can do all this you might become a Cziffra. (Who's he?)
jealous pianists with no style or personality accused Cziffra of cheating in the Chopin Etude Op.10/1 in C major. Watch him play it here on TH-cam and make your own mind up. In any case its almost impossible to redistribute the notes between the hands.
I respect your opinion. I never said Cziffra was not unique, though the way I phrased my words may have construed it as such. Additionally, I perhaps should have said "technical skills" rather than "talent." What I meant to say is that there any many pianists in the world with technical skills that are as good as or better than Cziffra. Every pianist who takes the art seriously/has aspirations for a professional career will work hard. So luck is, unfortunately, a important factor in success
Cziffra made some recordings of this piece.Someone has remarked that he used too much pedal.Personally I think the pedal is okay;but Czifrra didn't show off the Polonaise rhythm.The Polonaise should be played with pride and high spirit in a galope-like rythme.Richter has a wonderful performance of this piece on recording.
Out of curiosity, I etxtracted the audio from the video and have been listening to the section from post-cadenza (bar 147) to the return of the main theme (bar 201) at quarter speed, as I think that is the section where it is most likely short cuts would be taken. There are a few oddities - firstly there are a few wrong notes; secondly there are what would probably be considered nowadays to be eccentric performance decisions (eg left before right in 183-193).
wrong. It's a combination of genes, musical intellect and considerable amounts of practice. there's a reason why some reach the top and some don't regardless of practice. None of us will ever beome as good technically as Cziffra for example.
People take personal skill way too seriously. Yes, Cziffra was talented. Given by god? That's taking it way too far... there's nothing mystical or supernatural about piano, or being skilled in any instrument.
technical cheating? as long as he plays all the notes on time i don't understand why he should be criticized for playing the way he's most comfortable with. liszt's hands were bigger than rachmaninov's so sometimes changing his written schedule to fit another pair of hands is definitely justified.
Liszt didn't object to texual variations in his Hungarian Rhapsodies. I'm sure he would have enjoyed Cziffra's additions and cimbalom effects in the cadenzas of this Polonaise. Cziffra abandons himself to the spirit of the music rather than to note perfect accuracy. Rachmaninoff's performance is very fine but lacks Cziffra's joie de vivre.
It is not genetics and it has not been proven. Anyone with a functioning brain and fingers is capable of playing at a high level. It is all about very disciplined consistent practices, hard work, and finding a good teacher. Most of these great were doing this for 6-8 hours a day when they were kids. They make it look effortless because you only see the end result. Its like a most of the time fun full time job.
(cont.) Bar 192, 3rd beat r.h. chord - clearly a memory slip, taking the chord from the next bar. Bars 198 and 199 the r.h. octave is effectively on the wrong inversion of the dominant. I didn't need quarter speed to hear that ;-) But as I can go to the piano and play those bars (as written) without prior practice, I doubt that it is more than a misreading.
(cont.) I don't hear all that much that could be construed as cheating however. Bars 153 and 154 the r.h. is certainly not exactly as written, but I don't hear him taking too many liberties in the other scalic passages. I do strongly suspect that he has slightly simplified bars 163-166, which is tricky.
He was, most transciptions by cziffra were said to be playable and executed well only by him and his son. A lot of fingerings and transcriptions (on sheet music) were made together by father and son. However Cziffra Jr wanted to pursue conducting and there you have it
I cried while listening to this. The sheer power and intensity of Cziffra's playing is absolutely one of a kind.
Listen to Rachmaninoff's recording, will really put in perspective for you what greatness is
By far the greatest Liszt performer of all time, all his recordings go into this way... In fact, since I discovered him a long time ago, I can't listen to these works by another pianist without being disappointed
he captures sooo much truth... like he heard Liszt himself play it...
Heyy I want to play this song
Have you tips?
This performance is without a doubt tremendous, and Cziffra is maybe one of the greatest liszt interpreters ever. The problem is the music! Liszt is a genius and has written a lot of sublime music. But also some awful music. Tnis is unfortunately one of these. Bombast and hot air. It sounds like stuff thrown together to wake up some VIPs who've had too much dinner. Like the Transcendental Etude 4, this should considered an exercise never to be played in public.
@@jackbaran4bis571 That's your opinion that it seems you're alone to share...In fact I think quite the opposite and love the 2 Liszt's polonaises more than Chopin's one...
..disappointed, and offended
cziffra is a genius. keep listening until you understand
arguably the greatest Liszt interpreter of all time
He never ceases to amaze me. Great pianist !
The best interpretation I've heard of this piece. Aside from the crazy technical show, Cziffra really put his heart and soul into this performace, as he so often does. A true musical soul!
Cziffra owned this polonaise. I hope there is a film that he plays Liszt's Polonaise No.1,
that will be very inconceivable.
Cziffra never once disappointed me with his interpretations. Always brilliant.
Yes, like Ferenc Liszt was also....
His playing of the Polonaise 1 is even better.
1:22 One of the most ecstatic displays of bravura in all of Liszt
people this video is not fake , he just so amazing , just awesome , really so good pianist , just enjoy the music
Liszt a certainement saisi l'esprit de Chopin dans cette œuvre et Cziffra a capturé l'esprit de Liszt...
Incredible performance, full of vigor and emotion. Brilliant playing.
Seriously, I think Liszt would envy this interpretation !
The way he plays it makes it sound like a furious charge of knights...!
i actually think this may be my favorite of his interpretations of anything.. this is just amazing.... i love his other liszt of course but this is really something else.
Listining to this gave me the desire to make a revolution full of passion, blood and death
All I can say ,is " good heavens!!!" Wow.....👏🙏👌👍🌹
TY so much! Amazing impressive piece with outstanding technique. Cziffra is one of the best classical pianists ever)
8:10 what a jump !!!
Well you can always practice, but many people already do and there are few really good musicians, in the caliber of Cziffra.
That is terrific. Cziffra is awesome. A bit of a showman but a superb record of how completely someone can master te Piano more than 50yrs ago. No-one can beat his natural talent.
Except for me. Back in my day, (over 200 years ago), I would sightread complex pieces upside down.
quelle maitrise et virilité
maintes et maintes fois démontrées
Oh come on children! Look at it objectively! there is much to enjoy here in this masterful performance by undisputably one of the most celebrated Liszt interpreters since Liszt himself! We were always taught in conservatoire that if you can sit through a performance of professional quality and not find a score of good things to comment on then you werent listening hard enough and that you needed to get your own ego dealt with! - if the cap fits wear it!
Cziffra also play Liszt Polonaise No.1, have you heard that? It's wonderful, too!!
Great performance.
I really love this performance
Utterly mindblowing. His playing covers everything a pianist should - passion, technical accuracy, pitch... its all there and he makes it all his own. Talk about your master craftsmen.
I'm in awe...
interesting to see the formal broadcast from the studio where he did that wild improv-rehearsal, probably a day or a few hours before.
I like Cziffras playing on this song better than Rachmaninoff. No one has came close to his technique yet. Only person i could possibly think of is Liszt himself :D
5:10 ~ 5:27 is a gift that Cziffra gave to British people!
What do you mean?
@@cziffrathegreat666 Wow thank you! I almost forgot I wrote this 13 years ago! 😂 I meant Cziffra added some left hand trills here which Liszt didn't write on the sheet.
JT0420 I absolutely contradict you!
Cziffra is a pianist who since childhood has shown a remarkable agility in big jumps as you can see in the video!
Cziffra is unique and will be the only one.
Is clearly seen in the video that his technique and interpretazine cross the line of normality!
I advise you to see more videos about Cziffra, and to change its mind.
However I am Italian.
Great! Bravo! TY.
i'd give a million to see his octaves.... what a beauty!!!
Hungarian Rhapsody Nr.6
Cziffra is amazing, one of a kind genius among virtuosi - oh and did you know that his name means "ornamented"? :)
@Franz Schubert i was a toddler when this comment was wrote.
@Franz Schubert lol schuvert
Ok
Pure genius is the version by Mark Hambourg, makes the others fade into oblivion...
cziffra one godlike genius dispose that very little man you can say off
...Grande!!!!!
don t miss also the intyerpretation of this piece by Sergei Rachmaninoff; both interpretations are absolutely amazing....
Chaplin Vivian ﾌﾚﾃﾞｨマーキュリー シフラ perfect!
I'm intrigued to hear where he's been simplifiying the text. I used to play this piece and I didn't even consider the possibility he had modified it until you mentioned it. I hear a few additions and minor changes to the score, yes, but the only part which sounds suspicious is the passage from 6.20 to 6.45. I'd be grateful for details; it is a long time since I studied this and my memory could be defective.
@gott1rott Guys like Rubinstein and Richter practised no more than 2-3 hours a day, even in youth. When they got old, they wouldnt play weeks before their recitals
O maior o melhor
is it just me, or does Cziffra have a fucking HUGE piano?
The best. Listen to Hungarian Rhapsody Nr.6!
Cziffra György a király !!!!!!!!!! :-)
I was intrigued because BrucknerEnthusiast was so adamant about Cziffra cheating technically - and it really wasn't clear to me that he was. I agree, there is much to enjoy in this performance.
If this is in the Carnegie Hall, the ending will make people hysteric screaming I guess! (sorry for my English~~)
It isn't always fun.Trust me.There exist some really frustrating pieces to learn which require stubborness.This is one of them.
Was briefly looking at some of the comments others have made, but there really is no secret to becoming a concert pianist... Talent and hard work are important but those are already a given. There are SO MANY talented and hard working pianists in the world. What separates them from the ones that win competitions, record deals, and recognition? Luck. Plain and simple. For every 1 Cziffra, there are at least 100 equally talented (if not more talented) pianists that never got their big break
Cziffra's playing makes me feel like I'm at a circus haha.
The GREATest circus on earth... NO ONE plays like this anymore...
That's quite a size... I can't imagine needing all that though.
It might also perhaps be a genetical defection of some sorts. Sometimes genes can be mutated, of course most of the time it's either harmless or dangerous, but sometimes those rare mutations can have positive aspects.
for those people who happen to be atheists, talent is an individual ability that only some people have. It might scientifically have to do with the wiring of the brain when people are born. And it's definitely not genetic.
i havent seen it on CD i have a recording of him playing polonaise no1 though...
thanks! i used savetube to save this video
LandoKashmir,
Do YOU play the piano????
And if so, HOW do you play, this or any other piece.....
Actually, you don't necessarily need to touch a piano since 3rd or 4th time you meet your teacher... You must need time to understand what is music, and how music come from the piano, from your soul then. Music is not just notes, like language is not just words.
Really? How did you find that out? I actually have a Dmitri Feofanov cd (Alkan concerto for piano, rearranged for piano and orchestra). I was under the impression that BrucknerEnthusiast was another pianist - I won't name him here, but he's not particulary famous, though he did record a well-reviewed disc of Szymanowski about a decade ago.
he playes with pathos....great
Whatever helps you sleep better at night.
I had played too
Can't find the sheet music even though it should be public domain. Although the first polonaise of the collection is available..
This is really late, but there’s some on imslp!
WHY CANT ANYONE EVER PLAY LISZT POLONAISE NO.1
!!!!!
its seriously more beautiful than this one. dont get me wrong though i love this song, just ...maan.
My apologies, I was erroneously thinking of Ballade #1. frankriss
It has to do also with the manner of practice. With getting to really understand your body's function, really know music, sing, and be willing to make mistakes.
Lo ascoltata suonata da rachmaninov, la suonavapiù pulita, sono rimasto impressionato con quale facilità la suonava, anche questa una bella esecuzione di zfifra di tanto capello, ma non come quella di rachmaninov
yeah no doubt no doubt.
but i'll choose beauty or sadness over difficulty anyday.
totally agree
シフラのリスト最高
I think Liszt wrote this in order to honor Chopin.
then what's this recording on the EMI 5 cd Liszt set?
that makes no sense - your planning to have a regret - do something about it - your alive and your fingers apprently function... .
@123mazeppa Its over 9,000
Perhaps it's an interplay between genes and our environment?
Liszt definitely based this off Chopin. Yet, he through in some of his own styles.
Takes a few talents; perfect pitch helps; photographic memory helps (or perfect auditory sequential long-term memory), good finger flexibility, strength and endurance; (length also helps), an appreciation for the genre and the library, originality, a taste for Bach, and above all the desire to out-Brahms Brahms.
If you can do all this you might become a Cziffra. (Who's he?)
@flouz2
lol with your name? its a Hungarian name
jealous pianists with no style or personality accused Cziffra of cheating in the Chopin Etude Op.10/1 in C major. Watch him play it here on TH-cam and make your own mind up. In any case its almost impossible to redistribute the notes between the hands.
I respect your opinion. I never said Cziffra was not unique, though the way I phrased my words may have construed it as such. Additionally, I perhaps should have said "technical skills" rather than "talent." What I meant to say is that there any many pianists in the world with technical skills that are as good as or better than Cziffra. Every pianist who takes the art seriously/has aspirations for a professional career will work hard. So luck is, unfortunately, a important factor in success
what about 4:28 - 4:30?
Cziffra made some recordings of this piece.Someone has remarked that he used too much pedal.Personally I think the pedal is okay;but Czifrra didn't show off the Polonaise rhythm.The Polonaise should be played with pride and high spirit in a galope-like rythme.Richter has a wonderful performance of this piece on recording.
Out of curiosity, I etxtracted the audio from the video and have been listening to the section from post-cadenza (bar 147) to the return of the main theme (bar 201) at quarter speed, as I think that is the section where it is most likely short cuts would be taken. There are a few oddities - firstly there are a few wrong notes; secondly there are what would probably be considered nowadays to be eccentric performance decisions (eg left before right in 183-193).
@StvErick9 lets see you try bro
wrong. It's a combination of genes, musical intellect and considerable amounts of practice. there's a reason why some reach the top and some don't regardless of practice. None of us will ever beome as good technically as Cziffra for example.
People take personal skill way too seriously. Yes, Cziffra was talented. Given by god? That's taking it way too far... there's nothing mystical or supernatural about piano, or being skilled in any instrument.
technical cheating? as long as he plays all the notes on time i don't understand why he should be criticized for playing the way he's most comfortable with. liszt's hands were bigger than rachmaninov's so sometimes changing his written schedule to fit another pair of hands is definitely justified.
Liszt didn't object to texual variations in his Hungarian Rhapsodies. I'm sure he would have enjoyed Cziffra's additions and cimbalom effects in the cadenzas of this Polonaise. Cziffra abandons himself to the spirit of the music rather than to note perfect accuracy. Rachmaninoff's performance is very fine but lacks Cziffra's joie de vivre.
It is not genetics and it has not been proven. Anyone with a functioning brain and fingers is capable of playing at a high level. It is all about very disciplined consistent practices, hard work, and finding a good teacher. Most of these great were doing this for 6-8 hours a day when they were kids. They make it look effortless because you only see the end result. Its like a most of the time fun full time job.
06:16
as we know it, its called genetics =D
(cont.) Bar 192, 3rd beat r.h. chord - clearly a memory slip, taking the chord from the next bar. Bars 198 and 199 the r.h. octave is effectively on the wrong inversion of the dominant. I didn't need quarter speed to hear that ;-) But as I can go to the piano and play those bars (as written) without prior practice, I doubt that it is more than a misreading.
(cont.) I don't hear all that much that could be construed as cheating however. Bars 153 and 154 the r.h. is certainly not exactly as written, but I don't hear him taking too many liberties in the other scalic passages. I do strongly suspect that he has slightly simplified bars 163-166, which is tricky.
if it is genetic... then why Cziffras' son wasn't a virtuoso pianist?
He was, most transciptions by cziffra were said to be playable and executed well only by him and his son. A lot of fingerings and transcriptions (on sheet music) were made together by father and son.
However Cziffra Jr wanted to pursue conducting and there you have it
sure u're crazy....
everyone who thinks this is the pinnacle should listen to Rachmaninoff's recording
haha..
huh?
its genetic bro, srry to burst your bubble, and its proven.