I can hardly believe my eyes;here i see my all-time favorite again,aged,certainly, but with so many of his qualities -touch,sound,line.. and the gift of theatre& something inexplicably magical -all intact.I heard the Berg at different times&places,the Shockhausen IX just once,in London,remaining one of the most intense experiences of my life,for concentrated wit&daring,treading a fine line between parody&seriousity,pianistically fabulous with voiced chords&delicate filigree.Thank you so much!
Cherkassky always approached pieces in a lyrical manner - a singing tone was essential to his performances. He was an adventurer and enjoyed the challenge of learning modern works.
I agree with you totally. I also heard him play both works wonderfully well. I never thought I could enjoy a work such as the Berg sonata so much. The Stockhausen IX would appeal to Shura's wicked sense of fun. The repetition of its opening chord over a hundred times from ffff to pppp a shock to his audience. The fact he could play complicated modern works from memory even in his eighties is amazing.
the sound itself tells you his imagination is unique but for him to have played these works,for they to have meant something to a pianist of his generation is a miracle.If only i could find him talking about his mission to play these things.Does the berg sound like late scriabin here. it is never percussive or abrasive.Do we have him in prokofiev i wonder.the play of light must have interested him in da berg.BUT STOCKHAUSEN.I hope someone i s bringing out hofmann and s.c. letters.I'd like to kn
As someone else commented, such music is not at all for my ears nor heart...but, to see and hear Shura do this is a lesson in self-exploration. Perhaps it was something similar for him, an opportunity to sit down and do something which he perhaps disliked but wanted the self-satisfaction of being able to do it anyhow. In any event, the result was typical and to be expected-pure pleasure.Great post...thanks.
The Berg sonata in B minor (H in the German notation) is the extreme point to which tonality can be brought. The rendition of the Klavierstuck of Stockhausen is outstanding.
This is just a thought but isn't the opening 142/8 bar a little too slow? Stockhausen requires a strict 160 tempo... He speeds up properly in the 87/8 bar (second bar of the score). Just imho. Otherwise beautiful.
piano345 Fair point, but what a strange thing this application is. With Stockhausen, I assume there is a rythm of tempi resulting in a contrast between structured with the „Stockhausen chord“ C# F F# B under 160 and the amorphous under 60 (except for the 120, but that’s just a proportion of 60 x2). Intentional deviation from this concept on the first, long bar setting the tone for the public didn’t occur to me; especially in a piece such as Klavierstück IX that’s all about proportion.
I can hardly believe my eyes;here i see my all-time favorite again,aged,certainly, but with so many of his qualities -touch,sound,line.. and the gift of theatre& something inexplicably magical -all intact.I heard the Berg at different times&places,the Shockhausen IX just once,in London,remaining one of the most intense experiences of my life,for concentrated wit&daring,treading a fine line between parody&seriousity,pianistically fabulous with voiced chords&delicate filigree.Thank you so much!
Exiting!🤩 Shura Cherkassky could play ANYTHING convincingly! A truly broad-spectered musician! One of the few!
Great Stockhausen Piano Piece No. 9. Not easy to learn by heart. ;-)
Those trills are lovely!
True - Cherkassky had an amazing memory. Not for him excuses about having the score on the music stand so as to respect the composer's wishes.
Cherkassky always approached pieces in a lyrical manner - a singing tone was essential to his performances. He was an adventurer and enjoyed the challenge of learning modern works.
Fantastic! It so important that well known pianists become advocates for this neglected but very important repertoire
I heard him play Messiaen. He played the Copland Fantasy, fantastic work.
I agree with you totally. I also heard him play both works wonderfully well. I never thought I could enjoy a work such as the Berg sonata so much. The Stockhausen IX would appeal to Shura's wicked sense of fun. The repetition of its opening chord over a hundred times from ffff to pppp a shock to his audience. The fact he could play complicated modern works from memory even in his eighties is amazing.
piano345 over 200 times. : o
Stockhausen from memory. Only Cherkassky and Gould could do that.
Pollini also
the sound itself tells you his imagination is unique but for him to have played these works,for they to have meant something to a pianist of his generation is a miracle.If only i could find him talking about his mission to play these things.Does the berg sound like late scriabin here. it is never percussive or abrasive.Do we have him in prokofiev i wonder.the play of light must have interested him in da berg.BUT STOCKHAUSEN.I hope someone i s bringing out hofmann and s.c. letters.I'd like to kn
As someone else commented, such music is not at all for my ears nor heart...but, to see and hear Shura do this is a lesson in self-exploration. Perhaps it was something similar for him, an opportunity to sit down and do something which he perhaps disliked but wanted the self-satisfaction of being able to do it anyhow. In any event, the result was typical and to be expected-pure pleasure.Great post...thanks.
best stockhausen/~
very heartfull.wonderful/~
The Berg sonata in B minor (H in the German notation) is the extreme point to which tonality can be brought.
The rendition of the Klavierstuck of Stockhausen is outstanding.
ブラームスのピアノソナタが、モダンジャズのように編曲されたピアノソナタ
10:27 Stockhausen
Hi, someone can write the programe thourouly please. I don'know very well these composers so,,, Otherwise it sounds greate.
Berg Sonata op.1 . Stockhausen Klavierstück IX
This is just a thought but isn't the opening 142/8 bar a little too slow? Stockhausen requires a strict 160 tempo... He speeds up properly in the 87/8 bar (second bar of the score). Just imho. Otherwise beautiful.
Poetic license perhaps?
piano345
Fair point, but what a strange thing this application is. With Stockhausen, I assume there is a rythm of tempi resulting in a contrast between structured with the „Stockhausen chord“ C# F F# B under 160 and the amorphous under 60 (except for the 120, but that’s just a proportion of 60 x2). Intentional deviation from this concept on the first, long bar setting the tone for the public didn’t occur to me; especially in a piece such as Klavierstück IX that’s all about proportion.