I’m so impressed with these young, articulate and talented artists talking so eloquently about Chopin’s music. Some of them will have a very successful career in music, but many of them will be doctors, scientists and educators. It’s videos like this that give me hope for our future generation. Good luck to all of the competitors!😊
As someone who chose to continue studying for a more stable and "secure" job instead of playing piano in a competition level, I truly want to give motivation to these young talented people who chose to follow their love for classical music! 😅
For me, it’s the doppio movimento section in his C-minor Nocturne, Op. 48 No. 1. It’s a jaw-dropping return of the theme from the beginning of the piece, but this time laced with dense, agitated harmonies below the singing melody at the top. This section even manages to surprise us with some truly beautiful, yet fleeting moments within what is overall one of Chopin’s most anguished and tragic pieces.
What a great way to meet the contestants Ben. It reminds me a bit of one of my fav videos of yours where you (seem to) crash the practice sessions at Juilliard. Anyone reading, you should go watch it!
really enjoyed hearing from these wonderfully talented young players. makes me want to hop on a plane and get down to miami! thanks for assembling this.
I love to listen to experimented pianists discuss about some pieces. As a Chopin lover, I can't prevent falling jn love with the pieces in these videos propsed by this channel. A true hidden gem on YT for classical listeners!
Ben, thank you so much for compiling and putting out this video. The stories of the interviewees are so beautiful and so touching. I am sure they will be flourishing in their piano and Chopin music pursue. Best wishes for all of them!!
What a fabulous thing, to hear these talented people both play and talk about what they find inspiring. For those of us not able to be present for the competition, it gives us a bigger glimpse into the contestants and their talents and aspirations. Thanks!
Angelina Ma's segment about the use of the trill passage in the Nocturne is really insightful for me, perfectly describing what I have always felt but cannot enunciate about the music
Raul is ingeniously hilarious - while making a completely valid point - in his clip! And you’ve gotta love that. Does Tim Jones remind anyone else of Ben Laude? Just a teensy bit?!
The moment I am most obsessed with currently is the "Rubato" section around 8 minutes into the Fourth Ballade (that's the timing on the Zimerman recording). It's SO gloriously Chopinesque and perfectly defines what makes him so unique. Preceding that moment - we have a contrapuntal variation of the main theme, played in D minor - it's almost like a little mini tribute to Bach - Chopin was indeed a VERY underrated contrapuntist! Immediately following that though - the "Rubato" section takes the main theme of the Ballade and ornaments it in a figuration that perfectly captures the "flowing" ornate lines that only Chopin could conjure - the simple main theme all of a sudden becomes complex, impassioned, desperate - it makes me shudder just to think about it. It's after this that he drops into that famous Db section which leads to the final climaxes. But those moment of the "Rubato" section - they're my favourite, only Chopin could make such despair sound so beautiful.
To my mind, one of the most transcendently beautiful moments in all of music is the last four notes of Chopin's "last" nocturne, the one in E major, Op. 62, no. 2. There simply is no more moving goodbye, and I tear up every time I hear it, no matter who's playing it.
BEN! You interviewed ANTONI KLECZEK during a break in the CHOPIN/MIAMI today talking about a pianist playing the THIRD ETUDE and I could NOT understand the name that Antoni said. It sounded like YUZA FLAVIAN - but I've never heard of this name. Would you be able to share that name with us here? THANK YOU!
@ She’s using a different score actually. She’s using the Ekier edition which aligns the top melody note with the last chord of the triplet. This is more officially considered the correct rhythm actually.
Last bars of Mazurka op 17 no 4 which dissolve in the abyss of the Nothing... My own soul dissolves into the resonance of the last note and the long following silence...
Victoria Wong you played my favorite passage from the amazing Polonaise-Fantasie! It's pure poetry and I think should be really drawn out and the chromaticism allowed to linger . . . kudos
Anthony Ratinov seems to be a strong contender with really precise technique. Or maybe it's just that his piano is in better tune than anyone else's piano. 😄
Yes, the car rides are famouse for introducing Chopin to the new generations. We just conect to the music deeper. I myself heard Chopin for the first time in a car ride. It was Chopin's Waltz op. 18 and all other waltzes in further car rides... I now play them all from memory... It's been a 30 year ride for now...
There's so much Chopin magic - so hard to choose and I love this gallery of sparkles of genius these talented pianists have nominated. A good 3/4 of them would be my pick any day. For decades I obsessed about the 2nd Scherzo - how could such a collection of disparate noise-ideas possibly make sense? But the combination not only made sense, it felt inevitable, like he had punched through chaotic madness and found a pure logic on that other side. Leading up to one of the "great" Chopin melodies, a long one so out of kilter with the rest. But it feels so very right. How could one conceive such a thrilling and gorgeous cavalcade of sounds in a world where one did not already exist? (Same goes for Scherzo 4.)
Difficult to highlight one moment which defines Chopin's genius as every single piece by him is filled with a profound sense of pianism and an individual sense of musicality!
Hi Ben. I met Nathaniel Zhang and his dad when I was working at the Steinway Gallery in Walnut Creek several years ago. They were in town for a competition- which he won. He was about 8. Is he at Curtis now? Tom
Absolutely. Love the preludes, symphonic poems, symphonies, concerti, the rhapsody, the etudes tableaux, and more.. even his early morceaux and moments musicaux
The secret is out: many pianists who have to practice a lot don’t care that much about tuning. We don’t have time to wait for pianos to be kept in tune. Too much work to get done.
It's impossible to note just one. My most recent favorite is in the 3rd movement of the 3rd Sonata Op 58. The last minute or so, where there is a slow left hand and some left over melody, but within that melody is a small flourish that I think is just so short and absolutely heart breaking. 8:13 Mark of this link ruclips.net/video/MwQyU3S5kt0/видео.html
Some reactions. Don’t be offended, I’m just having fun. Emily flexing on the cadenza of the third ballad. megumi too on the fourth, but missing the wild finale You know you’re ancient when you hear Edison and Aleks say they grew up listening to Chopin on YT and you grew up listening to him on LPs. Angie’s father is a comedian in a way only a Chinese dad could, claiming he composed Chopin piece. Victoria, could you BE any younger? Madison, I wish your piano was in tune. Your playing is very warm, but doesn’t need to be THAT bright. There’s a famous ballet set to William’s A-flat nocturne. Beautiful playing all of you. I have to practice.
I'm a bit disappointed with this video. Talking about Chopin and not mentioning Ballade No. 1 in G minor should be a crime. Presto con fuoco coda and the climax in the middle are just unmatched. Also Nocturne Op. 48 No.1 is the greatest nocturne ever with its absolutely beautiful and smooth transition from dark to bright and upbeat.
So many Chinese pianists, or at least of chinese heritage. Do you think there's anything culturally that particularly appeals to them about Chopin? Or is it just another competition to enhance any pianists career?
@bw2082 And is there anything about Chopin that particularly resonates with being from a Chinese background? For example is there a national tendency for melancholy? There seems to be for Polish people, and also in the Fado of Portugal. The alternative is just a weight of numbers argument - lots of Chinese learning piano leads to lots of aspiring concert pianists entering any and all competitions.
@@Higgon I dom’t think there is anything culturally that draws asians towards Chopin in particular. He is the most important composer for the piano and the International Chopin competition is the biggest and most important piano competition out there.
William Ge, Angeline Ma, Antoni Kleczek, Emily Wu, Raul Canosa, Eddison Chen, and Aleks Shameti, have the potential to win the Miami competition. Not related to these seven, but it's unfortunate to hear these people practicing on pianos with overly hard hammers. Maybe it's just the poor quality of the recordings, I don't know. The most genius piece of Chopin's that I'm familiar with is the Nocturne Op. 48, No 1. The reason is that the opening section is contained almost verbatim within the fireworks of the 3rd and final section. It's absolutely brilliant from both an emotional and compositional point of view. It's one of the most well crafted musical compositions ever written.
Estos pianistas de origen oriental son de tecnica muy depurada, como Lang Lang, pero de interpretaciones algo duras, frias, poco emotivas. No tienen el alma chopiniana.
My favorite piano channel on RUclips now.
Yep same here
What about Ashish Xiangyi Kumar?
so awesome that we get to hear from the competitors before they play!! excited for the competition livestreams 🤘
I’m so impressed with these young, articulate and talented artists talking so eloquently about Chopin’s music. Some of them will have a very successful career in music, but many of them will be doctors, scientists and educators. It’s videos like this that give me hope for our future generation. Good luck to all of the competitors!😊
As someone who chose to continue studying for a more stable and "secure" job instead of playing piano in a competition level, I truly want to give motivation to these young talented people who chose to follow their love for classical music! 😅
For me, it’s the doppio movimento section in his C-minor Nocturne, Op. 48 No. 1. It’s a jaw-dropping return of the theme from the beginning of the piece, but this time laced with dense, agitated harmonies below the singing melody at the top. This section even manages to surprise us with some truly beautiful, yet fleeting moments within what is overall one of Chopin’s most anguished and tragic pieces.
What a great way to meet the contestants Ben. It reminds me a bit of one of my fav videos of yours where you (seem to) crash the practice sessions at Juilliard. Anyone reading, you should go watch it!
really enjoyed hearing from these wonderfully talented young players. makes me want to hop on a plane and get down to miami! thanks for assembling this.
Amazing intro to the contestants.
Thanks!
I love to listen to experimented pianists discuss about some pieces. As a Chopin lover, I can't prevent falling jn love with the pieces in these videos propsed by this channel. A true hidden gem on YT for classical listeners!
Raul Canosa definitely got my attention. What an incredible group of talented, well spoken musicians though. I'm looking forward to seeing all of them
Ben, thank you so much for compiling and putting out this video. The stories of the interviewees are so beautiful and so touching. I am sure they will be flourishing in their piano and Chopin music pursue. Best wishes for all of them!!
This was delightful!
Me Laude. Thank you.
Your work is valuable!
What a fabulous thing, to hear these talented people both play and talk about what they find inspiring. For those of us not able to be present for the competition, it gives us a bigger glimpse into the contestants and their talents and aspirations. Thanks!
Phenomenal idea. Assuming they point out the things they are especially proud of finding, we won't miss them now.
31:13 wonderfully passionate playing! Thank you Emily. Every measure in Ballade 3 could work for this video.
Angelina Ma's segment about the use of the trill passage in the Nocturne is really insightful for me, perfectly describing what I have always felt but cannot enunciate about the music
Raul is ingeniously hilarious - while making a completely valid point - in his clip! And you’ve gotta love that.
Does Tim Jones remind anyone else of Ben Laude? Just a teensy bit?!
Best piano channel on RUclips!
Nathaniel✨✨✨
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
The moment I am most obsessed with currently is the "Rubato" section around 8 minutes into the Fourth Ballade (that's the timing on the Zimerman recording).
It's SO gloriously Chopinesque and perfectly defines what makes him so unique.
Preceding that moment - we have a contrapuntal variation of the main theme, played in D minor - it's almost like a little mini tribute to Bach - Chopin was indeed a VERY underrated contrapuntist!
Immediately following that though - the "Rubato" section takes the main theme of the Ballade and ornaments it in a figuration that perfectly captures the "flowing" ornate lines that only Chopin could conjure - the simple main theme all of a sudden becomes complex, impassioned, desperate - it makes me shudder just to think about it.
It's after this that he drops into that famous Db section which leads to the final climaxes.
But those moment of the "Rubato" section - they're my favourite, only Chopin could make such despair sound so beautiful.
Utterly interesting!
Wonderful young pianists who express themselves with words as well as with fingers on their piano: brillant!
To my mind, one of the most transcendently beautiful moments in all of music is the last four notes of Chopin's "last" nocturne, the one in E major, Op. 62, no. 2. There simply is no more moving goodbye, and I tear up every time I hear it, no matter who's playing it.
Great one.
Kind of a me re do.
Agreed. I love how the piece ends in quiet, bare single notes. It's such a simple ending, and yet it sounds so pure and so deeply moving.
BEN! You interviewed ANTONI KLECZEK during a break in the CHOPIN/MIAMI today talking about a pianist playing the THIRD ETUDE and I could NOT understand the name that Antoni said. It sounded like YUZA FLAVIAN - but I've never heard of this name. Would you be able to share that name with us here? THANK YOU!
New years resolution is to watch more Ben, hopefully Garrick too.
46:29 Angie Zhang's 9th prelude was the best I ever heard wowwww... that verbal introduction about "wonder" really helped!
I kept noticing that she was not playing the melody as notated in the score (playing sixteenth notes as eighth notes). I wonder why?
@ She’s using a different score actually. She’s using the Ekier edition which aligns the top melody note with the last chord of the triplet. This is more officially considered the correct rhythm actually.
I did just now stop what I was doing and subscribed to the Chopin Foundation channel.
19:38 love this passage too, it's so magical.
Last bars of Mazurka op 17 no 4 which dissolve in the abyss of the Nothing...
My own soul dissolves into the resonance of the last note and the long following silence...
Victoria Wong you played my favorite passage from the amazing Polonaise-Fantasie! It's pure poetry and I think should be really drawn out and the chromaticism allowed to linger . . . kudos
Who else will attempt to listen to every minute of the competition? 😊 See you in the stream tomorrow, Ben!
Chopin was such a genius that just thinking about this gives me a breakdown.
Anthony Ratinov seems to be a strong contender with really precise technique. Or maybe it's just that his piano is in better tune than anyone else's piano. 😄
Wow, that Fazioli is awesome. If money were no object that would be my dream piano
Yes, the car rides are famouse for introducing Chopin to the new generations. We just conect to the music deeper. I myself heard Chopin for the first time in a car ride. It was Chopin's Waltz op. 18 and all other waltzes in further car rides... I now play them all from memory... It's been a 30 year ride for now...
There's so much Chopin magic - so hard to choose and I love this gallery of sparkles of genius these talented pianists have nominated. A good 3/4 of them would be my pick any day.
For decades I obsessed about the 2nd Scherzo - how could such a collection of disparate noise-ideas possibly make sense? But the combination not only made sense, it felt inevitable, like he had punched through chaotic madness and found a pure logic on that other side. Leading up to one of the "great" Chopin melodies, a long one so out of kilter with the rest. But it feels so very right.
How could one conceive such a thrilling and gorgeous cavalcade of sounds in a world where one did not already exist? (Same goes for Scherzo 4.)
Difficult to highlight one moment which defines Chopin's genius as every single piece by him is filled with a profound sense of pianism and an individual sense of musicality!
Cards on the table. I’m here to see the piano and its environs as much as hear some Chopin. That Fazioli sounds great.
Hi Ben. I met Nathaniel Zhang and his dad when I was working at the Steinway Gallery in Walnut Creek several years ago. They were in town for a competition- which he won. He was about 8. Is he at Curtis now? Tom
Is the Chopin competition in Miami will broadcast in RUclips live?
Yes! On the Chopin Foundation RUclips channel:
ruclips.net/channel/UCGa0HYCrkgr2fzaEZqhRcIQ
I read the title as ‘23 pianists breakdown’ 😂
Why does Angie Zhang's playing not match the notation on the screen? She is often changing sixteenth notes in the melody to eighth notes
How can you be young and articulate in analysing Chopin music? 🎉
Let’s go Angie!!
oooh im early 😼 hi benny boy
Angeline!!
Cool
It would be a dream come true, if you did the same composer analysis for Rachmaninoff!
Absolutely. Love the preludes, symphonic poems, symphonies, concerti, the rhapsody, the etudes tableaux, and more.. even his early morceaux and moments musicaux
Hehe we need a list of pianists needing to have their piano tuned 😊 , that was mean , I know 😅
The secret is out: many pianists who have to practice a lot don’t care that much about tuning. We don’t have time to wait for pianos to be kept in tune. Too much work to get done.
I'll go with the cutest, handsome and hippest one. The one who plays video games. > 21.21 Lucas Sha
It's impossible to note just one. My most recent favorite is in the 3rd movement of the 3rd Sonata Op 58. The last minute or so, where there is a slow left hand and some left over melody, but within that melody is a small flourish that I think is just so short and absolutely heart breaking.
8:13 Mark of this link ruclips.net/video/MwQyU3S5kt0/видео.html
Prediction: Emily Wu will win
the recordings of her I have listened to for last 2 weeks are dope
Some reactions. Don’t be offended, I’m just having fun.
Emily flexing on the cadenza of the third ballad.
megumi too on the fourth, but missing the wild finale
You know you’re ancient when you hear Edison and Aleks say they grew up listening to Chopin on YT and you grew up listening to him on LPs.
Angie’s father is a comedian in a way only a Chinese dad could, claiming he composed Chopin piece.
Victoria, could you BE any younger?
Madison, I wish your piano was in tune. Your playing is very warm, but doesn’t need to be THAT bright.
There’s a famous ballet set to William’s A-flat nocturne.
Beautiful playing all of you. I have to practice.
Victoria is one of the oldest contestants. Edison is the youngest.
I'm a bit disappointed with this video. Talking about Chopin and not mentioning Ballade No. 1 in G minor should be a crime. Presto con fuoco coda and the climax in the middle are just unmatched. Also Nocturne Op. 48 No.1 is the greatest nocturne ever with its absolutely beautiful and smooth transition from dark to bright and upbeat.
Nice shirt Ben, did you just take it out of the package?
Yes
So many Chinese pianists, or at least of chinese heritage. Do you think there's anything culturally that particularly appeals to them about Chopin? Or is it just another competition to enhance any pianists career?
I’m Chinese american. Most of us are given piano or violin lessons when we are little.
@bw2082 And is there anything about Chopin that particularly resonates with being from a Chinese background? For example is there a national tendency for melancholy? There seems to be for Polish people, and also in the Fado of Portugal.
The alternative is just a weight of numbers argument - lots of Chinese learning piano leads to lots of aspiring concert pianists entering any and all competitions.
@@Higgon I dom’t think there is anything culturally that draws asians towards Chopin in particular. He is the most important composer for the piano and the International Chopin competition is the biggest and most important piano competition out there.
William Ge, Angeline Ma, Antoni Kleczek, Emily Wu, Raul Canosa, Eddison Chen, and Aleks Shameti, have the potential to win the Miami competition. Not related to these seven, but it's unfortunate to hear these people practicing on pianos with overly hard hammers. Maybe it's just the poor quality of the recordings, I don't know.
The most genius piece of Chopin's that I'm familiar with is the Nocturne Op. 48, No 1. The reason is that the opening section is contained almost verbatim within the fireworks of the 3rd and final section. It's absolutely brilliant from both an emotional and compositional point of view. It's one of the most well crafted musical compositions ever written.
Estos pianistas de origen oriental son de tecnica muy depurada, como Lang Lang, pero de interpretaciones algo duras, frias, poco emotivas. No tienen el alma chopiniana.
All Chinese Americans! (majority) where are the blue eyed and blond hair people?😊
the aryans?
@@Rickkeys377 yes
They’re busy dancing to Chopin on Tiktök
What are you suggesting exactly ?
Probably too busy believing they are the ubermenchen to put in the effort to get to a world class level at playing Chopin.
Cool