ManticTac - thanks for pointing that cough out, I first thought this was a studio recording! But if he plays like this with an audience (which yes coughs after no.12 has ended) then Blechacz is simply so overwhelmingly good at rendering these beautiful gems. No. 24 is so stunningly strong felt - Never heard such a performer. Until now I adored the old recording by Benno Moisewitch, yes, he was also good, but not like this.
If you're wondering, here are the names of the preludes. (src: Hans von Bülow; Wikipedia) [00:00] 1. Reunion (C Major) [00:37] 2. Presentiment Of Death (A Minor) [02:42] 3. Thou Art So Like A Flower (G Major) [03:37] 4. Suffocation (E Minor) [05:32] 5. Uncertainty (D Major) [06:06] 6. Tolling Bells (B Minor) [08:08] 7. The Polish Dancer (A Major) [09:01] 8. Desperation (F♯ Minor) [10:54] 9. Vision (E Major) [12:24] 10. The Night Moth (C♯ Minor) [12:58] 11. The Dragonfly (B Major) [13:37] 12. The Duel (G♯ Minor) [14:59] 13. Loss (F♯ Major) [18:06] 14. Stormy Sea (E♭ Minor) [18:42] 15. Raindrop (D♭ Major) [23:23] 16. Hades (B♭ Minor) [24:30] 17. Scene on the Place de Notre Dame de Paris (A♭ Major) [27:29] 18. Suicide (F Minor) [28:21] 19. Heartfelt Happiness (E♭ Major) [29:40] 20. Funeral March (C Minor) [31:26] 21. Sunday (B♭ Major) [33:08] 22. Impatience (G Minor) [33:46] 23. A Pleasure Boat (F Major) [34:42] 24. The Storm (D Minor) Edit (3rd): Disclaimer: I personally don't use them. I just shared these for anyone interested.
just so you know: Chopin (and probably most other composers) hated it with absolute passion when anyone (editors, publishers, whoever) named his pieces. If a piece isn't named by the composer, it should not be named at all. It's presumptous and plain wrong.
@@Amphitera They are actually epithets, not (really) names. So the titles for each prelude was just descriptions as for Bülow, a devotee of Chopin's music. However, these were fallen to disuse, so you don't have to worry about everyone calling the twentieth prelude the new Chopin's Funeral March. Except for the fifteenth prelude, of course.
I think the Preludes are one of mankind's greatest musical achievements. Virtually every human emotion is represented and the way each one flows into the next is pure genius.
I've just heard the second prelude, and I have got to say; it is staggering. How unorthodox for Chopin to go outside of his charming lyrical style, and go for a more macabre nature almost akin to that of Liszt's.
I've forgotten that Chopin's prelude were awesome. I was listening Rachmaninov's, thinking it's the best, it still for me the best, but Chopin's are finally magnificient.
Edgy. I respect Chopin for being the musician I can never be. He was the master of arranging complex melodies and moments of extraordinary human feeling. I can’t capture those moments. He could. And then he built upon them . Until the 24 preludes came to be. So we thank him for these. And I thank the great creator for making him, as opposed as he was to Beethoven’s work, I thank him for respecting it. He was just a man. A great man the likes are rarely seen in this day and age .
It takes a great pianist to bring out all the subtlety and breathtaking beauty of these Preludes. Thank you, Mr Blechacz. Thanks for posting and for the insightful comments, too.
NO OFFENSE, BUT: I find his his instincts bizarre and almost unmusical. His tempo is beyond rubato and well into insane. His dynamics and voicing obscure. He frequently dampens the melodic line to emphasize harmony to the extent that phrasing becomes colorless. The volume drops too abruptly, and seems to have no logic to its patterns or structure. I love Chopin's music, but this man plays music like he is an alien from another planet, and has no cultural understanding of European music and it's playing tradition. His playing instincts remind me of Martha Argerich's style of "The School of Bizarre is Best" playing. It's too cerebral and intellectual. It's like they are high on mushrooms and have been drinking shots of tequila, and randomly demanding that Chopin meant that fortissimo means quiet, piano means break the strings, and tempo is for losers. No. It's great pianists play great composers, not great pianists play with reality and music. I get sea sick when I hear jokers like these fuck with the music I love. Keep him. He's just trying to be different. Different doesn't mean great. It just means different. PS. Don't reply with any of the following (I have heard them before and they are all lazy arguments): 1. He won a competition (Don't care. All I care about is how be plays the music). 2. He has recorded all of Chopin (So? Did he listen to what he recorded?). 3. He is popular, and lots of people think he is saving Chopin from obscurity (Lot's of things are popular, and popular is temporary.). 4. Asking if I am a pianist. I'm not. I play guitar and am a poet. I love classical music and have an opinion. Remember it is all opinion (Everyone is entitled to an opinion. I frequently hear musicians mock people who don't play. It's standard arrogance. Music belongs to everyone.). Please feel free to reply. I love a great debate. I am sure you can make as good an opposing argument. Truth is, most people don't bother, and say something nice so people will give them a thumbs up. I have no idea why. If I get trolled for this then I can have a laugh. If you think I am an asshole, fine. I defend your right to dislike me. Have a lovely day. I am sure you are a lovely person, and I hope your feelings are not hurt by this. Cheers.
@@chopin65 Do I answer you. music should be played with certain measures when the same author encourages it to be played more freely? No, we are not listening to a midi version. The fact that he has won a contest does not give him more weight, the weight is provided by him when he interprets the preludes well. It is romanticism, not baroque. But in the end, it's all personal taste.
The genius of Prelude No. 2 never ceases to amaze. Notice the dissonance of the left hand: on a keyboard, the notes ring a slowly beating perfect fifth juxtaposed with a quickly beating, restless diminished seventh. And then later, even more jarring diminished octave and minor sevenths. This must be the rocking beat of the funeral dirge. This sound world was so ahead of its time, it confounded contemporary critics. Chopin understood the mantra of "less is more," for the dissonance would be mitigated by placing thirds in between these wide intervals. Finally, it stands as one of the earliest examples of progressive tonality in the late Romantic sense, beginning in E minor and ending in A minor. Even the harmonic intricacies of Beethoven's Grosse Fuge in B-flat was ultimately earth-bounded by the return to B-flat major in the end. Here, in this quiet piece, tonality has begun to set free in a new sense.
Chopin's Prelude No. 2 is one of his most cryptic works. Scriabin would write a similar dark ostinato in his Op. 74 No. 2, one of his last compositions, perhaps to look back on one of his great role models.
I feel as if it represents someone like Quasimodo trying to dance and socialise with people at an upper class party/gathering. I imagine him in the centre of the room, shuffling around by himself, while all the aristocrats watch him from the side.
@@10mimu My story is of sadly wandering, and coming home--to an equally sad home. It begins in e minor(!) and wanders through very strange and approximate tonalities to a minor. For me, this is a case where the technical description matches closely the emotional.
Listening to #11 seems to define amateur and professional pianists. It is such a simple piece yet listening to all the subtle yet prominent details he includes leaves me in awe because while I am learning this, I did not even think to include those.
I just love how they're all different lengths and the feelings between them all are so varied. When a short one like no. 3 or 16 suddenly comes to an end, it's kind of a shock! I love that about this set.
There's just something about the 9th prelude that gives me chills. All of the powerful cadences and unexpected harmony changes but the same constant rhythmic motive just make it one of the most unique ones of the set in my opinion
I remember I once played the preludes no. 4 and 15. on a masterclass . There were close to no people in the hall. Since it was a private lesson, there was the professor, and one of his fellow friends (professional pianist). I remember me sitting there and playing these pieces, with a crying soul, but not showing it in real life, just enjoying the flow. When I finished I turned around, and both of them (Prof and Pro) were crying, having tears flowing down their faces. I was so touched by the fact that I managed to bring up tears on other people's Eyes. If these pieces are played musically, they can commit wonders...
I love how going through the whole set, you can find resemblances between some of the preludes and Chopin's larger, better known works, for example, #7 is written in mazurka rhythm, #13 has a very nocturne-like form (as does #15), #17 in A-flat is very similar to the post-octave middle section of the Op. 53 polonaise (also in A-flat major), #20 is similar to the funeral march from his sonata, and #24 is similar to his D-flat nocturne in the main theme, the wide-ranging bass line, and use of parallel thirds (the theme even returns in its final statement in D-flat major)...
What fascinates me about the Chopin Preludes is how they are so cohesive as a set of music, and you can clearly tell they are to be played as a set, and not individually. Here are some examples of what I mean: Prelude 3 ends on a B, Prelude 4 starts on a B....Prelude 6's melody of D, C#, D, B....is the same melody used in Prelude 7....C#, D, B.....Prelude 11 ends on a D#, Prelude 12 begins on a D#...and so on.
Scriabin was very heavily influenced by Chopin, his set of preludes was directly inspired by Chopin's set. They even follow the same key sequence. If you listen carefully to both Chopin and early Scriabin you will hear a lot of similar harmony and cadences.
In Schumann's other writings about Chopin that exist from 1836 through 1842, there is a good deal of positive feedback, although one will likely glean that Schumann was disappointed that there was not more significant development or innovation. In fact, he said more than once that Chopin's work was instantly recognizable because it was all so similar. He acknowledged Chopin's original showing as fabulous, and worried that it was too much for him to be more than that. "When he has given you a whole succession of the rarest creations, and you understand him more easily, do you suddenly demand something different? This is like chopping down your pomegranate tree because it produces, year after year, nothing but pomegranates." And furthermore: "We fear he will never achieve a level higher than that he has already reached. . . . With his abilities he could have achieved far more, influencing the progress of our art as a whole."In his 1841 review of Chopin's Sonata in B-flat minor in particular, Schumann did not seem to be happy with his fellow composer's progress. Although he talks about the abundance of beauty in the work, he also says that the "sonata" as a title must be in jest: "[Chopin] seems to have taken four of his most unruly children and put them together, possibly thinking to smuggle them, as a sonata, into company where they might not be considered individually presentable." To Schumann it seemed that Chopin had lost his way, and gotten too wrapped up in virtuosity for its own sake. He decries "obstacles on almost every page" with indecipherable progressions. The second movement - again claiming the marking "Scherzo" was in name alone - he describes as a "funeral march with something even repulsive about it." "A book of Mazurkas by Chopin and a few new pieces of his are so mannered they are hard to stand"-Felix Mendelssohn, 1835 "A composer for one right hand" -Richard Wagner
An odyssey of emotions in here. Oh, yeah, and a masterpiece of virtuosity. Nobody plays these the same way. Stunning every time. So much modern piano comes from this.
Ashish Xiangyi Kumar, your comments are extraordinary. And your selections and presenting works show us light. Thankyou. I am your follower. I believe music, the genuine and authentic music, has an origin beyond sensible understanding. Obviusly, great compositions are constructions, they are themes chained wiht some of order, but, above all, that has a soul insufflated like the metaphysical greek concept about divine breath, resulting "flow"!.... So, other kind of man reappears on that wheel of "eternal return"
I was told to listen to these preludes for my composition studies, and they're fantastic! Thanks for uploading this with score, and thanks to all the commenters for pointing out interesting parts of the pieces
Playing through the preludes in my Chopin book, these recordings are great to know what it's supposed to sound like and give me something to aspire to. Thanks!
for no 7 i picture 2 strangers walking past each other and the moment seems so tranquil, them thiningk of how it would be like to reach out to the other, but in the end they walk further and further and they will soon forget each other and move on, i think i'm overthinking
In Andantino #7, very famous work, if you should strictly observe the pedaling, Chopin produces a smearing of the chromaticism - each appoggiatura (each downbeat - if you will,) is sustained into their resolutions - they ring together - consistently throughout. It's such a stunning effect to allow the sounds to overlap - not so conventional - if fact, most pianists might pedal the dissonance right out - as we hear here. But, It's how the tones continue to reverberate from a distance, say, from listening in another room or a larger hall - when you'd hear the reverb (by the acoustics of the room.) He composes reverb into the piece - 'dolce et simplice'. ..then beautifully continues the effect throughout with a cool handling of the end of measures 11 and 13, slightly differently, but, still, he lets each down beat smear/continue. That is if the pedaling is observed and it seems it should be since it is consistent - and becomes more detailed as the consequent phrases become most dramatic near the end - finally resolving. "Sweet and simple!' Does anyone observe the pedaling on this one? We'd need close micing to hear the effect (from the piano and not the room,) so it might be tough to discern on recordings. It's so cool - if it is truly intentional (and why wouldn't it be?,) then it was for the enjoyment of the performer first. Chopin preferred performing in small gatherings and was noted for his subtleties and this may very well be one of them. What's say? Have at me... XD
i love the way you described Blechacz's playing, it is very accurate and i must admit I never hard such an introspective rendition of the preludes. such a delight, and thank you!
I see what you did there, because “The Storm” is played in the opening credits of the Oscar-winning _Tom and Jerry_ episode “The Cat Concerto.” “Hungarian Rhapsody #2,” which is one of my favorite pieces of classical music from the Romantic Period, would never be the same after that episode.
Exquisite playing! Bravo! These miniature masterworks stand proud full of Polish heritage! Chopin is smiling from above listening to fellow countryman and virtuoso Blechacz!!!
Prelude 4 is a played at to fast a tempo. Largo is slow, and the piece lends itself to being meditative which makes the big dramatic climax at 4:40 so much more powerful.
It's a tricky one - Chopin clearly wrote it to have only 2 beats per bar (cut time or alla breve - see the vertical line through the C time signature at the start? - which means 4 chords per count not 2 - if you try counting like this you'll realise that this performance is plenty Largo) and his pianos would not have been able to sustain the melody notes for as long as our modern pianos so his famous insistence on legato would be destroyed at the tempo we have been trained (through 20th century fetishization of piano sound over harmonic movement) to believe is desirable. Having said this I don't really like this performance - bit too fussy and bangy.
Thank you so much for the upload especially with the sheetmusic. Rafal's exquisite reditions are just awesome! :) Your comments obviously helps me understand his interpretations better.
Blechacz will be another Horowitz 💗💗💗💗 if I were him I'd get up and leave the hall when those disrespectful folks started coughing and sneezing. Concert halls must have this huge warning : 'Coughers and the like are not allowed, if you cough or sneeze you'll be invited to get out and pay a fine'. RAFAL... you are GRAND 💗
I got an ad for an online casino before this excellent music. Wonder, if it's a good marketing strategy, are Chopin lovers somehow more prone to online gambling? :) Ashish Xiangyi Kumar, thank you, I was truly amazed many times during this performance and got a "Woah, wait a minute -- what was *that*?"
The fourth and sixth Preludes seem to be mirrors of each other in almost every way, like Yin and Yang. Both revolve around a repeating bass but in different ways.
I'm a 64 year old Trained Classical Concert Pianist and Composer.. I contracted TB , like Chopin did...in 2021... Chopin didn't have the 12 week Antibiotic regime that I had...to cure Tuberculosis...He died and suffered a horrible 5 years of ...while Liszt lived along healthy life....Put yourself in his place! ...how would you feel...????
I had a pretty bad cough when I went to a performance of Rachmaninoff's 2nd Concerto in my town and I was worried I was going to be that one asshole. I was nearly dying by the end of the third movement, but I held it for the whole concerto. Then soon after, coughed up half of my lungs.
Piękne , Blechacz jest moim zdaniem najlepszym wykonawcą Chopin , technicznie doskonały , ale nie robotyczny , z wyważoną dawką emocji i zmienności tempa
If I could time travel I would go and meet Chopin, Beethoven, Bach, Liszt, Mozart, Brahms, Handel... oh god all of them... every one. I hope there is a heaven. And I suppose as we have the 'multiverse' somewhere I am playing this. Or, in fact, somewhere I have composed this..... now, that's a thought.
This music is like a hug if you're feeling sad.
to make you even more sad you mean ? :D
That's so true.
I'm literally just using it for that same reason.
Now you got 66 likes like fantasie impromptu
The coughs at the end of No. 12 are so well defined, they may as well be a part of the bloody piece.
"cough" and "bloody" don't go well together under a chopin video. oooops
@@erikbreathes I was gonna make that joke hahaha
@@willytnairn3342 it's not even funny...he was so miserable
No.6 as well
ManticTac - thanks for pointing that cough out, I first thought this was a studio recording! But if he plays like this with an audience (which yes coughs after no.12 has ended) then Blechacz is simply so overwhelmingly good at rendering these beautiful gems.
No. 24 is so stunningly strong felt - Never heard such a performer. Until now I adored the old recording by Benno Moisewitch, yes, he was also good, but not like this.
If you're wondering, here are the names of the preludes.
(src: Hans von Bülow; Wikipedia)
[00:00] 1. Reunion (C Major)
[00:37] 2. Presentiment Of Death (A Minor)
[02:42] 3. Thou Art So Like A Flower (G Major)
[03:37] 4. Suffocation (E Minor)
[05:32] 5. Uncertainty (D Major)
[06:06] 6. Tolling Bells (B Minor)
[08:08] 7. The Polish Dancer (A Major)
[09:01] 8. Desperation (F♯ Minor)
[10:54] 9. Vision (E Major)
[12:24] 10. The Night Moth (C♯ Minor)
[12:58] 11. The Dragonfly (B Major)
[13:37] 12. The Duel (G♯ Minor)
[14:59] 13. Loss (F♯ Major)
[18:06] 14. Stormy Sea (E♭ Minor)
[18:42] 15. Raindrop (D♭ Major)
[23:23] 16. Hades (B♭ Minor)
[24:30] 17. Scene on the Place de Notre Dame de Paris (A♭ Major)
[27:29] 18. Suicide (F Minor)
[28:21] 19. Heartfelt Happiness (E♭ Major)
[29:40] 20. Funeral March (C Minor)
[31:26] 21. Sunday (B♭ Major)
[33:08] 22. Impatience (G Minor)
[33:46] 23. A Pleasure Boat (F Major)
[34:42] 24. The Storm (D Minor)
Edit (3rd): Disclaimer: I personally don't use them. I just shared these for anyone interested.
Thank you so so so so much!!!!
just so you know: Chopin (and probably most other composers) hated it with absolute passion when anyone (editors, publishers, whoever) named his pieces.
If a piece isn't named by the composer, it should not be named at all. It's presumptous and plain wrong.
@@Amphitera They are actually epithets, not (really) names. So the titles for each prelude was just descriptions as for Bülow, a devotee of Chopin's music. However, these were fallen to disuse, so you don't have to worry about everyone calling the twentieth prelude the new Chopin's Funeral March. Except for the fifteenth prelude, of course.
You are my hero
18 19 20 are interesting consecutive epithets.
Chopin was a gift of god... His works are pure gold
No. He was a gift of Chopin.
I think the Preludes are one of mankind's greatest musical achievements. Virtually every human emotion is represented and the way each one flows into the next is pure genius.
+Mark Swanson I feel exactly the same.
Right :)
Hi noah johnson i love your piano vids!
wow so edgy
question, why is there some asshole tuberculosis peep in the background just couphing blood into a rag?
10:07 On this high point, anybody else loves how he suddenly emphasizes the fast notes for expression?
I've just heard the second prelude, and I have got to say; it is staggering. How unorthodox for Chopin to go outside of his charming lyrical style, and go for a more macabre nature almost akin to that of Liszt's.
Autumn Sonata
How unorthodox?
see sonata n2 movement 3
@@delko000 Elaborate on how do you compare the bleak dissonance of the prelude to the funeral march
@@jerry_moo You were not talking about dissonance in your initial post, but about the more macabre nature vs usual charming lyrical style.
Note the subtle inclusion of the "Dies Irae" in the bass.
I've forgotten that Chopin's prelude were awesome. I was listening Rachmaninov's, thinking it's the best, it still for me the best, but Chopin's are finally magnificient.
Edgy. I respect Chopin for being the musician I can never be. He was the master of arranging complex melodies and moments of extraordinary human feeling. I can’t capture those moments. He could. And then he built upon them . Until the 24 preludes came to be. So we thank him for these. And I thank the great creator for making him, as opposed as he was to Beethoven’s work, I thank him for respecting it. He was just a man. A great man the likes are rarely seen in this day and age .
of course you cant haha what did you think lol
@@l.1244 ok
30:28 Dude bites into an apple
hahaha, they are eating a whole buffet over there
@@knightofrhythm1 They were eating the place... That sounds wrong...
Lol probably just papers crackling though 😄
LOL
It takes a great pianist to bring out all the subtlety and breathtaking beauty of these Preludes. Thank you, Mr Blechacz. Thanks for posting and for the insightful comments, too.
Marlena Ryl-Zaleska and the
NO OFFENSE, BUT:
I find his his instincts bizarre and almost unmusical. His tempo is beyond rubato and well into insane. His dynamics and voicing obscure. He frequently dampens the melodic line to emphasize harmony to the extent that phrasing becomes colorless. The volume drops too abruptly, and seems to have no logic to its patterns or structure.
I love Chopin's music, but this man plays music like he is an alien from another planet, and has no cultural understanding of European music and it's playing tradition.
His playing instincts remind me of Martha Argerich's style of "The School of Bizarre is Best" playing. It's too cerebral and intellectual. It's like they are high on mushrooms and have been drinking shots of tequila, and randomly demanding that Chopin meant that fortissimo means quiet, piano means break the strings, and tempo is for losers.
No. It's great pianists play great composers, not great pianists play with reality and music. I get sea sick when I hear jokers like these fuck with the music I love.
Keep him. He's just trying to be different. Different doesn't mean great. It just means different.
PS. Don't reply with any of the following (I have heard them before and they are all lazy arguments):
1. He won a competition (Don't care. All I care about is how be plays the music).
2. He has recorded all of Chopin (So? Did he listen to what he recorded?).
3. He is popular, and lots of people think he is saving Chopin from obscurity (Lot's of things are popular, and popular is temporary.).
4. Asking if I am a pianist. I'm not. I play guitar and am a poet. I love classical music and have an opinion. Remember it is all opinion (Everyone is entitled to an opinion. I frequently hear musicians mock people who don't play. It's standard arrogance. Music belongs to everyone.).
Please feel free to reply. I love a great debate. I am sure you can make as good an opposing argument. Truth is, most people don't bother, and say something nice so people will give them a thumbs up. I have no idea why. If I get trolled for this then I can have a laugh. If you think I am an asshole, fine. I defend your right to dislike me.
Have a lovely day. I am sure you are a lovely person, and I hope your feelings are not hurt by this.
Cheers.
@@chopin65 HE WON A CAMPITISHUN
@@chopin65 Do I answer you. music should be played with certain measures when the same author encourages it to be played more freely? No, we are not listening to a midi version. The fact that he has won a contest does not give him more weight, the weight is provided by him when he interprets the preludes well. It is romanticism, not baroque. But in the end, it's all personal taste.
@@eliasmazhukin2009 lol it's competition
The genius of Prelude No. 2 never ceases to amaze. Notice the dissonance of the left hand: on a keyboard, the notes ring a slowly beating perfect fifth juxtaposed with a quickly beating, restless diminished seventh. And then later, even more jarring diminished octave and minor sevenths. This must be the rocking beat of the funeral dirge. This sound world was so ahead of its time, it confounded contemporary critics. Chopin understood the mantra of "less is more," for the dissonance would be mitigated by placing thirds in between these wide intervals.
Finally, it stands as one of the earliest examples of progressive tonality in the late Romantic sense, beginning in E minor and ending in A minor. Even the harmonic intricacies of Beethoven's Grosse Fuge in B-flat was ultimately earth-bounded by the return to B-flat major in the end. Here, in this quiet piece, tonality has begun to set free in a new sense.
This is magnificent. Please treat urself to a listen: th-cam.com/video/N8jyMlf7PLw/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for explaining. A lot of people hate that one and it is often overlooked.
@@TomCatFromMA are you the person of the scores in net?
I could only ever *dream* of being able to play no. 3 at that speed in such a clean manner
Thank me later
Thanks daddy
I know Frédéric Chopin, never heard of Frèdèric Chopin though.
That can’t be you. How old are you mr. Chopin? Nice music by the way.
O
I'm the only real one
I adore Chopin’s preludes.
I wish I could play all of them in the future.🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱
i can play no11 and 12 only
12 is very difficult😂
@@smichelin19how well can you play them?
@@dobbydoughnuts9941 umm somewhat okay
Chopin's Prelude No. 2 is one of his most cryptic works. Scriabin would write a similar dark ostinato in his Op. 74 No. 2, one of his last compositions, perhaps to look back on one of his great role models.
It’s a strange, unsettling and hermetic work
Like a lonely beach, in a dark day
I feel as if it represents someone like Quasimodo trying to dance and socialise with people at an upper class party/gathering. I imagine him in the centre of the room, shuffling around by himself, while all the aristocrats watch him from the side.
@@10mimu My story is of sadly wandering, and coming home--to an equally sad home. It begins in e minor(!) and wanders through very strange and approximate tonalities to a minor.
For me, this is a case where the technical description matches closely the emotional.
It reminds me off some of the Rachmaninov etudes tableaux
Listening to #11 seems to define amateur and professional pianists. It is such a simple piece yet listening to all the subtle yet prominent details he includes leaves me in awe because while I am learning this, I did not even think to include those.
I just love how they're all different lengths and the feelings between them all are so varied. When a short one like no. 3 or 16 suddenly comes to an end, it's kind of a shock! I love that about this set.
Your analyses in the descriptions are fantastic. They make the music all the more enjoyable.
Blechacz' rendition of number 13 legitimately made me tear up it was so beautiful
Wow, I'm just blown away at the brilliance of no. 16 - both the composition itself and the performance.
Chopin died of TB. Seems the audience is dying of it too.
I'm laughing hard at this.
Jakub Goclon I laughed wayyy too hard at this...
Finally, someone said it...
I read this and wondered what the joke was... and then...
LOL
00:01 №1 C-dur
00:37 №2 a-moll
02:42 №3 G-dur
03:37 №4 e-moll
05:32 №5 D-dur
06:06 №6 h-moll
08:07 №7 A-dur
10:54 №9 E-dur
18:41 №15 Des-dur
29:40 №20 c-moll
34:42 №24 d-moll
No.16 is fantastic, and the contrast of its ferocity with the previous gentle prelude tickled me
Of all the composers who wrote sets of 24 preludes, no one wrote a better 24th Prelude than Chopin. It’s such a fiery piece to conclude the set.
Rachmaninoff...
Rachmaninoff...
Scriabin's is good too
@@オリバーオリバー-e4d Call me vanilla, but Bach did it twice.
There's just something about the 9th prelude that gives me chills. All of the powerful cadences and unexpected harmony changes but the same constant rhythmic motive just make it one of the most unique ones of the set in my opinion
Yes! I love this one.
@@Griwhoolda Huh iih
@@Griwhoolda in hi how ihhhhhi in upoohhph in pohhop the Hu h I hi hi hih
Ipooi hi i hi Pippa BBBpihiiiohhoiihhph hi hih hi ooppppihihpohp hi ppphuiiih hhpii hi Paul hi opponents the hioh hi hi h hope update your uhhiip
The Ab is, for me, one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard. Love Pollini's recording of it for its gorgeous tone.
G# minor one for me( No12)
Agree w you as well
i think Ab is my favorite. it's so damn charming.
Pięknie wykonanie Preludiów Chopina przez Blechacza- eleganckie i subtelne dziękuję
Wandahelenagorecka. Si è così. Cara Wanda, si ricorda l'interpretazione del giovane POLLINI? Un miracolo. Un caro saluto
The first prelude is the one I fell in love with instantly ❤️😍
SO beautiful. He's my favourite composer. Whenever I hear a new piece by Chopin, I want to learn it! XD
I wish the first one was longer
CARROTMOLD just repeat it
The first one is my absolute favorite piece of chopin. But I don't know how to explain why.
@@xinjinguo2455 i think is the rising pattern makes your brain like it. It is also my favorite.
It also somehow makes me want to cry.
It's very emotional. It sounds to be written very sincerely.
I remember I once played the preludes no. 4 and 15. on a masterclass . There were close to no people in the hall.
Since it was a private lesson, there was the professor, and one of his fellow friends (professional pianist). I remember me sitting there and playing these pieces, with a crying soul, but not showing it in real life, just enjoying the flow. When I finished I turned around, and both of them (Prof and Pro) were crying, having tears flowing down their faces. I was so touched by the fact that I managed to bring up tears on other people's Eyes. If these pieces are played musically, they can commit wonders...
Wonderful story❤️
Thank you for sharing!
I love how going through the whole set, you can find resemblances between some of the preludes and Chopin's larger, better known works, for example, #7 is written in mazurka rhythm, #13 has a very nocturne-like form (as does #15), #17 in A-flat is very similar to the post-octave middle section of the Op. 53 polonaise (also in A-flat major), #20 is similar to the funeral march from his sonata, and #24 is similar to his D-flat nocturne in the main theme, the wide-ranging bass line, and use of parallel thirds (the theme even returns in its final statement in D-flat major)...
Also 14 th similar with finale of 2nd sonata
What fascinates me about the Chopin Preludes is how they are so cohesive as a set of music, and you can clearly tell they are to be played as a set, and not individually. Here are some examples of what I mean: Prelude 3 ends on a B, Prelude 4 starts on a B....Prelude 6's melody of D, C#, D, B....is the same melody used in Prelude 7....C#, D, B.....Prelude 11 ends on a D#, Prelude 12 begins on a D#...and so on.
I think you can already tell right away when you notice the first prelude is 30 seconds long lol
+piano1500: Interesting. The same can be said of Scriabin's preludes.
Scriabin was very heavily influenced by Chopin, his set of preludes was directly inspired by Chopin's set. They even follow the same key sequence. If you listen carefully to both Chopin and early Scriabin you will hear a lot of similar harmony and cadences.
Prelude 8 also starts with C# D, following the line of prelude 6 and 7, and prelude 9 then start with B and C#
And prelude 4 and 5 both start on B. You really started me on a path of discovery
I love the dissonance of number 2
Liugio h listen to his sonAta in b flat. The final movement and the first movement you might really like
Chopin is the predecessor of Arnold Schoenberg imagine if Chopin wrote a 12 tone piece
In Schumann's other writings about Chopin that exist from 1836 through 1842, there is a good deal of positive feedback, although one will likely glean that Schumann was disappointed that there was not more significant development or innovation. In fact, he said more than once that Chopin's work was instantly recognizable because it was all so similar. He acknowledged Chopin's original showing as fabulous, and worried that it was too much for him to be more than that. "When he has given you a whole succession of the rarest creations, and you understand him more easily, do you suddenly demand something different? This is like chopping down your pomegranate tree because it produces, year after year, nothing but pomegranates." And furthermore: "We fear he will never achieve a level higher than that he has already reached. . . . With his abilities he could have achieved far more, influencing the progress of our art as a whole."In his 1841 review of Chopin's Sonata in B-flat minor in particular, Schumann did not seem to be happy with his fellow composer's progress. Although he talks about the abundance of beauty in the work, he also says that the "sonata" as a title must be in jest: "[Chopin] seems to have taken four of his most unruly children and put them together, possibly thinking to smuggle them, as a sonata, into company where they might not be considered individually presentable." To Schumann it seemed that Chopin had lost his way, and gotten too wrapped up in virtuosity for its own sake. He decries "obstacles on almost every page" with indecipherable progressions. The second movement - again claiming the marking "Scherzo" was in name alone - he describes as a "funeral march with something even repulsive about it."
"A book of Mazurkas by Chopin and a few new pieces of his are so mannered they are hard to stand"-Felix Mendelssohn, 1835
"A composer for one right hand" -Richard Wagner
" What's that beautiful music you're listening to?"
"Chopin"
"Oh, you listen to Chopin?'
"No. I feel Chopin'
An odyssey of emotions in here. Oh, yeah, and a masterpiece of virtuosity. Nobody plays these the same way. Stunning every time. So much modern piano comes from this.
Ashish Xiangyi Kumar, your comments are extraordinary. And your selections and presenting works show us light. Thankyou. I am your follower. I believe music, the genuine and authentic music, has an origin beyond sensible understanding. Obviusly, great compositions are constructions, they are themes chained wiht some of order, but, above all, that has a soul insufflated like the metaphysical greek concept about divine breath, resulting "flow"!.... So, other kind of man reappears on that wheel of "eternal return"
Just wanted to say I appreciate your thoughtful comments in the description. Nice to see someone building on content.
The true spirit of Chopin is in these works, magnificent interpretation. Thanks
Never heard anyone play #4 like this. Amazing, especially the rubato and dynamics in the first section, before the buildup.
The best composer and the best pianist of all time!!! I love it! Fryderyk Chopin and Rafał Blechacz are my perfect, dreaming combination!
What have I just listened to? Surely one of the great Chopin interpreters of the present day? This is so beautiful that I can hadly believe it's live.
Lovely miniatures. The F# major is my favorite. The cadences are so deceptive and coy, refractory.
Ken Nickels
I was told to listen to these preludes for my composition studies, and they're fantastic! Thanks for uploading this with score, and thanks to all the commenters for pointing out interesting parts of the pieces
I didn't know Blechacz won in the Chopin Institute competition, until I saw the E MINOR CONCERTO video! He is now a star!!! Bravo, Rafal!
Playing through the preludes in my Chopin book, these recordings are great to know what it's supposed to sound like and give me something to aspire to. Thanks!
for no 7 i picture 2 strangers walking past each other and the moment seems so tranquil, them thiningk of how it would be like to reach out to the other, but in the end they walk further and further and they will soon forget each other and move on, i think i'm overthinking
In Andantino #7, very famous work, if you should strictly observe the pedaling, Chopin produces a smearing of the chromaticism - each appoggiatura (each downbeat - if you will,) is sustained into their resolutions - they ring together - consistently throughout. It's such a stunning effect to allow the sounds to overlap - not so conventional - if fact, most pianists might pedal the dissonance right out - as we hear here. But, It's how the tones continue to reverberate from a distance, say, from listening in another room or a larger hall - when you'd hear the reverb (by the acoustics of the room.) He composes reverb into the piece - 'dolce et simplice'. ..then beautifully continues the effect throughout with a cool handling of the end of measures 11 and 13, slightly differently, but, still, he lets each down beat smear/continue. That is if the pedaling is observed and it seems it should be since it is consistent - and becomes more detailed as the consequent phrases become most dramatic near the end - finally resolving. "Sweet and simple!' Does anyone observe the pedaling on this one? We'd need close micing to hear the effect (from the piano and not the room,) so it might be tough to discern on recordings. It's so cool - if it is truly intentional (and why wouldn't it be?,) then it was for the enjoyment of the performer first. Chopin preferred performing in small gatherings and was noted for his subtleties and this may very well be one of them. What's say? Have at me... XD
My favourite performance of Chopin's preludes, so impressed I bought the studio version of Blechacz on CD
Sir Fryderyk Chopin and Sir Rafał Blechacz are prides of Poland! The whole country is very proud of them! 🇵🇱
the audience needs some coughdrop
Thanks for this priceless upload and the very interesting comments on every single prelude ! You have done a great job !!
I love Prelude no 5. It is so melodic and short.
Prelude No12 is my absolute favv😊
six stars - fantastic quality - He can get the soul of each piece
i love the way you described Blechacz's playing, it is very accurate and i must admit I never hard such an introspective rendition of the preludes. such a delight, and thank you!
The comments in the description make this video better than it already is.
Pianista straordinario!
È la migliore interpretazione dei preludi che abbia mai sentito,un balsamo!
In my opinion rafal has the single best interpretation of no.12 , it's so beyond beautiful words can't even describe
Playing these pieces has been added to my Liszt.
yayo bro the Joke is playliszt
@@jankruithof507 No in this context, because he wants to play them, not hear them.
rober Acevedo sorry ur right
I see what you did there, because “The Storm” is played in the opening credits of the Oscar-winning _Tom and Jerry_ episode “The Cat Concerto.” “Hungarian Rhapsody #2,” which is one of my favorite pieces of classical music from the Romantic Period, would never be the same after that episode.
Omg! people are dying in the background !
Lol yea
Exquisite playing! Bravo! These miniature masterworks stand proud full of Polish heritage! Chopin is smiling from above listening to fellow countryman and virtuoso Blechacz!!!
Cudowna muzyka genialnego Chopina, boskie wykonanie.
Chopin's Op. 28 is probably my favorite. This recording is absolutely marvellous... the best I've heard; so emotional
The 12th prelude is my favourite out of the whole set( i learnt it up to tempo in 5 weeks )
13:37
I don't think Chopin was human. I believe that he was some mystical being of higher intelligence made of pure light that took on human form.
Of course
bro stop smoking it's just piano music lmao
the girl i fell in love with played raindrop. listening to it hurts my heart
similar situation here :(
secondintelligentWorld try to win her back!
Gandalf Mclovin that‘s a shitty advice🤔 you should fight for what you want!
@@TheLifeisgood72 big oof
@@TheLifeisgood72 a modern tragedy
So, he played all that in a single performance? Won't his hands hurt? It's amazing! I wish to play piano like that someday.
Very interesting voice leading and textures.
In some of them I did miss Pogorelich, but in general this is a valuable recording.
Thank you
Prelude 4 is a played at to fast a tempo. Largo is slow, and the piece lends itself to being meditative which makes the big dramatic climax at 4:40 so much more powerful.
It's a tricky one - Chopin clearly wrote it to have only 2 beats per bar (cut time or alla breve - see the vertical line through the C time signature at the start? - which means 4 chords per count not 2 - if you try counting like this you'll realise that this performance is plenty Largo) and his pianos would not have been able to sustain the melody notes for as long as our modern pianos so his famous insistence on legato would be destroyed at the tempo we have been trained (through 20th century fetishization of piano sound over harmonic movement) to believe is desirable. Having said this I don't really like this performance - bit too fussy and bangy.
Prelude no 10 is so beautiful.... it reminds me of Saint-Saens's Aquarium from his Le Carnaval des animaux.
Thank you so much for the upload especially with the sheetmusic. Rafal's exquisite reditions are just awesome! :) Your comments obviously helps me understand his interpretations better.
This is magnificent. Please treat urself to a listen: th-cam.com/video/N8jyMlf7PLw/w-d-xo.html
Beautiful performance ! In the spirit of Chopin.
What is the spirit of Chopin???
That shift in first prelude was like a breath of a fresh air, works for me!
I used to play a lot No7 on guitar as a Tárrega Excercise my teacher gave me, but never looked up for it. To find it here felt amazing ❤❤
The transitions between the pieces are really smooth.
number three gets me. Shoots away so spectacularly in the end.
This no. 22 is extraordinary !
Listening to number 3 just makes me feel.. so happy
Blechacz will be another Horowitz 💗💗💗💗 if I were him I'd get up and leave the hall when those disrespectful folks started coughing and sneezing. Concert halls must have this huge warning : 'Coughers and the like are not allowed, if you cough or sneeze you'll be invited to get out and pay a fine'. RAFAL... you are GRAND 💗
I got an ad for an online casino before this excellent music. Wonder, if it's a good marketing strategy, are Chopin lovers somehow more prone to online gambling? :)
Ashish Xiangyi Kumar, thank you, I was truly amazed many times during this performance and got a "Woah, wait a minute -- what was *that*?"
Probably best recording of #12 I've heard
I AGREE
I learnt it up to tempo in 5 weeks
@@smichelin19 yeah, the tempo in this version is perfect IMO. I've heard Kissin's version and he plays it too fast for my liking
The audio buzz at the beginning is pure perfection.
The fourth and sixth Preludes seem to be mirrors of each other in almost every way, like Yin and Yang. Both revolve around a repeating bass but in different ways.
Wow, thanks for posting, these are wonderful interpretations.
Thanks for the comments and analysis of each!!
I really wonder why Schumann the critic couldn't appreciate the 10th. It's so beautiful. "Eagle's feathers" he called it
I'm a 64 year old Trained Classical Concert Pianist and Composer.. I contracted TB , like Chopin did...in 2021... Chopin didn't have the 12 week Antibiotic regime that I had...to cure Tuberculosis...He died and suffered a horrible 5 years of ...while Liszt lived along healthy life....Put yourself in his place! ...how would you feel...????
In my humble opinion, the single most interesting set of pieces in the piano repertoire. This completely beats debussy’s preludes into the ground.
I love the first prelude. ❤️
13:37 hands down my favourite prelude out of the set💯💯💯
I was Lucky enough to be there ^^
Il Preludio n 1 è per me una meraviglia !
I would rather people suffocated than cough during a performance
Lellistair Bugs Bunny’s got you beat. He shot people who coughed.
don't kill them if you can't handle the coffin
and people say i have a bad attitude
Lellistair that’s a bit much
I had a pretty bad cough when I went to a performance of Rachmaninoff's 2nd Concerto in my town and I was worried I was going to be that one asshole. I was nearly dying by the end of the third movement, but I held it for the whole concerto. Then soon after, coughed up half of my lungs.
Coughing in the background is the real struggle lmao
Piękne , Blechacz jest moim zdaniem najlepszym wykonawcą Chopin , technicznie doskonały , ale nie robotyczny , z wyważoną dawką emocji i zmienności tempa
Prometeusz agree. And i Remember you the interpretation of a young POLLINI. A miracle.
@@EttorealbertoGelli-vr6sz Thank you , I am happy that someone has same view on Rafał Blechacz beatyfull performance...
If I could time travel I would go and meet Chopin, Beethoven, Bach, Liszt, Mozart, Brahms, Handel... oh god all of them... every one. I hope there is a heaven. And I suppose as we have the 'multiverse' somewhere I am playing this. Or, in fact, somewhere I have composed this..... now, that's a thought.
No. 23 is so underrated imo
I'm particularly fond of the Ab Major prelude
Some of the most interesting preludes I’ve ever heard, even more interesting and evocative than Debussys