So clear and clean and uncluttered. You hear every note rather than a wall of sound. Love how he never overuses the pedal and never gets carried away or over-romanticizes his own compositions. There's a stoic restraint and nobility in his playing to go along with the exquisite harmonies and the result is inimitably awesome.
@@hugod327 Erf... I don't remember very well. I've heard an audio recording, where you can hear Tchaikovsky's voice, and playing piano. It was in an article of Classic FM, it seems to me.
Vegetables and Depression I have no idea if your comment is adressed to me, but anyway I did not get anything out of it. English is not my first language, maybe thats the problem
It's hard to believe that this is played by rachmaninoff himself. Specially because of the high quality, people say it's a piano roll. However I think this is the best interpretation I've ever heard of this piece. It sounds really like rachmaninoff.
Danijel Nikolai This is not the Rachmaninoff piano roll. I have posted that on RUclips. Though I agree it sounds like a layer recording but someone else.
@@DianAmini It depends on the piece. Rachmaninoff wrote a lot of very hard music, including the infamous 3rd concerto. But the hardest Liszt pieces (mostly his lesser-played transcriptions) seem harder than anything Rachmaninoff wrote, even though they are rarely heard.
Listen to as many other interpretations of this piece as you can find. The very last chord (3:30) of this one is unique. He ends with a bang, not a whimper.
It’s a short edition to the ending, Rachmaninoff always liked to include candenza’s in his works, as well as the composition of other composers, with him setting the trend of candanzas in Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, with his famous candanza in between the intense octave ending and the calming dimuendo before it.
In addition to crazy talent, the old masters had access to pianos with varied keyboard sizes. This made a lot of the "impossible" passages actually playable as intended without huge mutant palms.
Listz died right before such recording technology was available. Even so, a recording by Liszt would have to be digitally enhanced as was done by Brahms.
The middle section he rolls the chords! ~ 1:49 and after. I have done that while practicing and now I don’t feel sacrilegious doing so! Plus that oomph at the final chord. So awesome to hear the composer play his own piece. Thanks for sharing! ⭐️
this can't be a recording of rachmaninoff. the quality is way to high. it's still quiet sacrilegious. actually i read that this piece is not well documented at all. rachmaninoff barely played it and we don't even know when exactly he composed it.
@@epiclauren4757 It's a studio recording of a Bösendorfer 290SE that was outfitted with electromechanical player mechanisms by Stahnke Engineering to play back Ampico roll recordings. Rachmaninoff made a bunch of these piano rolls. There are two such recordings out there: "Rachmaninov Plays Rachmaninov--Ampico Recordings (1919-29)" [DECCA, 1990, on an Estonia player grand] and "A Window in Time: Rachmaninoff Performs His Solo Piano Works" [TELARC, 1998, on the 290SE]. These recordings serve to document the composer's intentions.
@@epiclauren4757 i suggest you to investigate more on how Rachmaninov wanted pianists play his music. In fact, he made at least two piano rolls on this piece and played it differently. Spoiler alert: Rachmaninov thought that music could be played in different ways correctly
He does NOT roll the chords,he puts the melody note in front of the supporting chord. Nice that the increase of passion is expressed, And what a build up! I am trying to tighten as he has presented it, but some days I might relax a bit. John B UK.
I have a CD titled Rachmaninoff plays Rachmaninoff. This is Rachmaninoff playing his own music in stereo. Actually, old technology was combined with modern technology to pull this off. Someone had gathered a sizable collection of Rachmaninoff's piano rolls that he had made. They rigged a piano roll player onto a concert grand and recorded a good number of them. Included, of course, was this prelude, and the prelude in c-sharp minor. Rachmaninoff would have been very pleased; I know I am. I highly recommend this for anyone who is a Rachmaninoff fan and to all classical music afficionados.
@@Flies_the_limit no one said that it was a performance, do you read? It was just placed in concert grand piano, that doesn't necessarily mean that it was a performance, it just sounds better.
It is a recording, although made on punched paper, of Rachmaninov playing this piece. The recording was also able to capture the nuances of Rachmaninov’s playing, how hard/softly he hit the keys etc. A properly configured pianola system (hits the piano keys on the basis of the information read from the punch tape) was hooked up to a modern grand piano and a digital stereo recording made of that. Despite the indirect method, it is nonetheless a faithful, high quality reproduction of what it sounded like when he played it on that day, allowing for differences between the modern and original pianos.
Since Rachmaninoff was known as a very moody man, we should wonder about his mental state on this one. He is considered the greatest classical pianist of the 20th century. He probably got tired playing and recording his popular works of that age. Thus, the composer can play them the way it suits him. Sounds great to me. I think Rachmaninoff could please me playing anything.
Rachmaninoff was a border line failed composer. It's sad that a genius like this was actual subject to profit. He had many producers shun him. Edit: prelude in g was one of his few "hits" I dnt think the production world heard his polish heroism
I wouldn't doubt Rachmaninoff's "Mental State", ever! There are times for joy and frivolity and times for deep concentration and seriousness, and anything between. Rachmaninoff put himself in therapy because, after his initial symphony, he doubted himself. After coming out of that, WOW!!!
That first picture of him looks like it belongs on currency. Also, I played this piece before and it may be hard, but its FUN, the enormous dynamic variation, the ever-changing mood makes this piece a "living" piece. It will always be living. Folks, make no mistake, welcome to the world of rachmaninoff. A world in which you won't want to leave. Unlike most music, which is either designed for the masses or to distract us from the grander nature of reality, rachmaninoff brings it home yet brings the "out there," "in here." Agreed?
Such stylistic and rhythmic clarity, incredible technical prowess and beautiful singing musicality is truly remarkable. Nothing else compares. What a joy to hear this great artist.
This is Track 13 from Telarc CD-80489 "A Window in Time Vol. 1". It's based on Ampico piano roll 57525, recorded on July 3, 1919. A sophisticated process developed by engineer Wayne Stahnke and involving a mathematical model of the Ampico playing apparatus was used to reconstruct Rachmaninoff's key and pedal movements. The resulting data were then fed to a computer-controlled Bösendorfer 290SE grand piano.
@@joecualquiera I am the wrong person to ask, but I strongly suppose it is copyrighted. Classical Masterpieces doesn't provide the source of the recording, probably to not wake sleeping hounds. The Telarc label belongs to Concord records, you could ask them. If you sell it to them as a form of advertising, that might work.
@@joecualquiera PS: The CD says "(P) (C) 1999 'TELARC'" and further: "Unauthorized reproduction by any means is forbidden without prior written permission from Telarc Iternational Corporation." I think that's pretty clear.
I like the fact that the ending (I intend from 3:03) is played in such a way which is kinda resolutive (?) And very different from all the other performances I've listened to, which is quite comprehensible for the fact that it's Rachmaninoff in person who's playing it.
I love the many different interpretations of this piece by many gifted pianists. Nothing like the way the composer plays it. Like his way or not, one can say it is "authoritative', embued throughout.
This is undoubtedly my favourite piece of all time. Hearing the actual composer himself play his own composition doesn't compare to other Pianists who also play/interpret this piece. Absolutely wonderful!!
I started learning to play this piece in high school. It is really difficult, mostly because Rachmaninov had some monster hands, and the chord spreads are crazy!
Honestly this piece does not require enormous hands. Being able to reach a 9th is enough and there aren't any chords larger than an 8th. (But still your hands should be bigger than an 8th to be able to play an '8th full chord'.) Just take a look at Piano Concertos 2, 3, Piano Sonata 2, Etudes-Tableaux Op. 33 and Op. 39.. 10th Chords everywhere. Some that are impossible to even roll. Rach 2 begins with 10th chords on both hands..
I learned this in high school and played it in a recital. My teacher was a concert pianist so she pushed me to my limit. Well, worth it. I can only reach a 9th comfortably and did fine. And by the way, I can still play this 43 years later. Etched in my brain!
What is amazing when you listen closely, is the expression in EVERY note. A mastery of touch to every note. Unsurpassed. They don't make em like this anymore.
Guys..... Pls don't judge the interpretation.. It's literally his own piece he sure knows how it's supposed to be played. But that's the magic about music. You can do WHATEVER you want, take it slowly or quickly play it softly or aggressively, it's your choice and makes you unique. ;)
Какой глубочайший характер оказывается в этом исполнении автора ! Никто и никогда не сможет так передать смысл этого произведения, как это передал сам гений !!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is from the Ampico (American Piano Company) piano roll, one of nine works he recorded on March 17th, 1919. Rachmaninoff recorded about 35 works for Ampico from 1919 to 1929.
This really is superb and an amazingly crisp clean recording no less. Is this really the Master playing? The subtleties of this performance are mesmerizing.
Now that's rachmaninoff! Literally. The intensive and yet elegant. Also bit romantic to shine. Creating this terrifying vibe to never let you get board. Splendidly played, rach my friend!
This is the best ever performance of the prelude. No pianist comes even closer. There're so many new details and accents never discovered by any other pianist. Not speaking about real emotional force, all the colours of it. This is incomparable to any other interpretation. This is an unreachable level of mastery.
Это самое лучшее исполнение данного произведения, которое я слышал. Удивительно, как смогли так хорошо восстановить запись примерно 100 летней давности
это необычная запись, а так называемый piano roll - нечто вроде перфоленты с записью не столько звуков, сколько команд для специального фортепиано-проигрывателя этих. Интересно, что на записи рядом с исполнителем сидел техник, который, глядя на руки музыканта, делал пометки относительно нюансов, которые не улавливались записывающим устройством, и уже после они в запись вносились эти дополнения. Пишут, что Рахманинов, когда услышал запись, то сказал, что услышал самого себя (мол, так хорошо получилось). Музыка записанная на эти ленты воспроизводилась с помощью другого фортепиано с "модулем" для чтения этих лент. В данной записи (на видео) использовался концертный рояль "Эстония". Запись была сделана в 1970-х годах. Это запись из сборника Rachmaninov Plays Rachmaninov--Ampico Recordings 1919-29 (searchworks.stanford.edu/view/11946439). Производитель роялей American Piano Company (Ampico) и занимались этими записями и распространением этих лент.
Flat out amazing. Thanks for sharing this. Clearly he was one of the very best pianists that ever lived. Such grace, such precision. And a fabulous composer as well.
Marvelous. Papa had mentioned hearing him play this at my aunt Florence Steinway's house in Tuxedo Park, NY. To think of what an experience that must have been....
It is just like math. Every note at this masterpiece seem like mathematically be there for the purpose of the composer to express something he feels or something that comes from his soul. At this point of view it is just like math
Maths are for everyone include musicians too. Music is more than math I agree but when a composer express his feelings his soul and the result is in balance with mathematic logic then it is brilliant.
Many excellent contemporary pianists are fine interpreters of Rachmaninoff, but of course hearing Rachmaninoff is one joy we have because he was around to be recorded.
i was born too late :( this is the best ultimate version just imagine what it would have been like to hear how bach, mozart, and beethoven actually sounded :)
@@idontcare7197 I'm not. I think the piano concerto repertoire has countless masterpieces. The violin concerto repertoire has like 5-6 great pieces and the rest just doesn't hit the same (and I'm not even a fan of Mendel 2 and Beeth that I count in these 5-6). I'm familiar with "only" 15 of them so I'm not claiming to be an expert but I'm beginning to have an idea. It's not that VC repertoire is small, it's just in comparison of PC.
I just listened to a video of five famous concert pianists playing this Prelude in turn, including Horowitz (not his best available performance of the piece), Richter, and Emil Gilels. The Richter interpretation is gorgeous. God, Rachmaninoff’s octaves are crisp.
His lightness and precision of touch, and his complete mastery of tempo, his incredible technique, dwarfs most modern pianists with the exception of Hamelin who is possibly the greatest living technician alive today. Only Godowsky was better than him in his day. His mastery of the use of the pedal is staggeringly jaw-dropping. I feel moved and privileged to have listened to this recording.
It was nice to hear a different perspective on the piece With rachmaninoff, you cant beat the way he allows himself to denounce his own score and express what paper never could; he did what felt right in the moment, his giant hands fitting for such octaves to interpret in a comfortable manner. Horowitz, his bass was chilling, and my personal favorite interpretation that could never be mimicked as his own unique style of a full developing crescendo and deep dramatic accents were top notch. At his old age many people express that he played several notes incorrectly but his interpretations overrule that. It's no wonder rachmaninoff and pianists like martha agrerich love Horowitz. Kissin played with a high speed, which many people didn't seem to enjoy as much-but I think it further exemplifies his talent as a pianist to shockingly even reach such a pace with immaculate accuracy and technique-and still sound amazing with development in the piece. Prokofiev and Yuja spark similar feelings in the approach of the piece with the full body idea of a march and making the 3 notes have a clear full sound with the slower tempo but equal/heavier velocity. I can see how people have a preference towards this version with that type of march style slower pace, however I can not express their versions as my favorite since I grew up listening to rachmaninoff's version at that moderate pace that stays true to me by holding the tension in my stomach, and finds this version a bit slow for me to comfortably enjoy, but appreciate and respect yuja as a pianist. But diversity is important in piano interpretations, and it would be a boring world to live in if everyone played the same wa, and the same pace. With that said...lang lang... he has such a nice clarity when he plays, however I dont think I can ever appreciate his romantic interpretations. Hes more of a showman-playing with the dynamic of soft and quiet sounds to booming accents which at many times don't feel appropriate in my personal opinion. How he blends in the damper pedal in an manner that doesnt feel seamless, compromising crescendo by starting loud, decelerating very quickly to forte again shocking the audience doesnt feel comforting. I think he may be interesting to watch in a performance and am sure some people enjoy him, with this performance being one of his more tolerable ones but not for me...
I totally agree he is amazing but it's much different than how I would play it. There are some he does differently than what's published in my Rachmaninoff music book. I actually enjoy the end note he puts in there. I wonder what people would think if I played it with those few variations he uses!
Rachmaninoff was amazing. It is nice listening to him play it although I find it strange he does things in it differently then what various publishers have published. Including the rolling of chords during the middle part, and the very very last note of the piece has not been published with that note.
Stephen Raatz You bring up a great point!!! What's so interesting is that people are so intent on playing exactly as scores say, yet many of the great composers were improvisers!!!
Jeffrey Collazo In the baroque period the music notation was centered around the very idea of being improvised around in various ways, and that tradition continued even into the classical period Nowadays we’ve gone full swing the opposite direction. The music notation is treated as the end-all be-all of the music, often without any thought to the historical and cultural context of the composition Isn’t it ironic that so many people play exactly as the score says in the name of composer intent and yet many times that’s exactly the opposite of what the composer intended? (Depending on the period, country, composer, and piece)
Real composers and musical geniuses like Sergei never passed up on the chance to make there own variation to any piece that’s why these geniuses make modern day robots like Lang Lang look like kids
If you’re going to listen to a modern player take this on, Lang Lang’s is not the version you want to hear, Yuja Wang’s is. I tried listening to Lang Lang’s and ditched it after a minute because I was getting too annoyed.
I'm studying this, been posting my progression on instagram. Quite a journey I must say! To be able to know what it's "suppose to sound like exactly" a very rare treat!
Thank you for putting this fascinating item on RUclips. The artist can do whatever he likes with his own piece. No pianist now would take the risks and originality that Rachmaninov himself takes. His central section is pure and true. The wit at end is nothing but delightful. Thank you.
О Рахманинове можно сказать, что его Бог целовал в лоб дважды: в результате и отличный композитор и исполнитель-пианист высочайших уровней-рейтингов. Виктор СПб.
This is so much better than the other versions out there! I thought it was odd that the quality was so good, but this is so distinctive that it’s hard to believe ira not Rachmaninoff!
There are people who wish to hear Liszt playing Liszt. Obviously, there are no such recordings , but you can here Arthur Friedheim, who was a pupil of Liszt, and , yes, Rachmaninov himself, who was a student of Alexander Siloti (Siloti), who was Liszt's favourite pupil !!!! Apple never falls far from the tree...
this is how it should be played ..other pianist just destroy this masterpiece ..even the great horowitz i didn't liked it's version of this beautiful prelude..it should be played in the start in a "military"way with no air..after that in the middle "like someone "dancing"with a rose ..this version is the best ..bravo!
So clear and clean and uncluttered. You hear every note rather than a wall of sound. Love how he never overuses the pedal and never gets carried away or over-romanticizes his own compositions. There's a stoic restraint and nobility in his playing to go along with the exquisite harmonies and the result is inimitably awesome.
I agree completely. You expressed it beautifully. The clarity and the modest use of the pedal are what makes this so great a performance.
Tomasso, could not be said any better. Actually Rachmaninoff kind of had noble roots.
Excellent description, I especially liked your point about the restrained use of the pedal. Too many modern pianists abuse the pedal.
Абсолютно согласна! Ничего не смазано, все доли проиграны чётко и слышен каждый звук. Это гениально!
perfectly said bro
Those octaves are so damned crisp.
In the March section they are so clear and staccato and fast. Hardest part for me still
@@sethjeppson5680the subtle syncopation also.
This is wonderful, I wish I could hear Chopin play Chopin :(
Me too. But you can find Tchaïkovsky playing piano pieces, it seems to me. And you can also find videos of Saint-Saëns ! Wonderful internet.
@@Bampaloudu64 I can not find Tchaikovsky playing piano
@@hugod327 Erf... I don't remember very well. I've heard an audio recording, where you can hear Tchaikovsky's voice, and playing piano. It was in an article of Classic FM, it seems to me.
that was brahms
DITTO DITTO DITTO
My father was an avid fan of Rachmaninoff.Now,many years later, I understand why, unparalleled talent.
@Aeox it's not just a computer, it's a precise reproduction of his real performance. You can find it and compare.
Vegetables and Depression I have no idea if your comment is adressed to me, but anyway I did not get anything out of it. English is not my first language, maybe thats the problem
Vegetables and Depression ok, got it. The reason I thought it is sent to me is because I ve got a notification
@@onetwo6281 not a precise comparison, piano rolls tend to be very inaccurate in reproducing the sound which was actually made.
It's hard to believe that this is played by rachmaninoff himself. Specially because of the high quality, people say it's a piano roll. However I think this is the best interpretation I've ever heard of this piece. It sounds really like rachmaninoff.
You are amazing Chopin, as well!
Frédéric Chopin this is true is so powerful performance not stupidly fast
Frédéric Chopin Hi Fred, nice to see you here!
Frédéric Chopin arent u sopose to be in yore grawe
Danijel Nikolai This is not the Rachmaninoff piano roll. I have posted that on RUclips. Though I agree it sounds like a layer recording but someone else.
He’s playing it wrong! It’s supposed-
Oh wait
Vadim Golovetskiy it’s a joke
Vadim Golovetskiy notice the “oh wait”
Vadim Golovetskiy r/woosh
Yunah Kwon wait this isn’t reddit
@@VadimGolovetskiy Well said, Sir!
I wish I could hear Liszt play Liszt
Bet you he wouldn’t stand a chance against Rachmaninov
@@DianAmini saying that you clearly don't know who Liszt really is.
Eljo Doma clearly I do. I’ve played his pieces before and they do not amount to Rachmaninov’s in any way possible
@@DianAmini what have you played by him?
@@DianAmini It depends on the piece. Rachmaninoff wrote a lot of very hard music, including the infamous 3rd concerto. But the hardest Liszt pieces (mostly his lesser-played transcriptions) seem harder than anything Rachmaninoff wrote, even though they are rarely heard.
Listen to as many other interpretations of this piece as you can find. The very last chord (3:30) of this one is unique. He ends with a bang, not a whimper.
I've found one case where you're wrong - listen to Josef Lhevinne's version. It's bad quality, but he completely nails it.
It’s a short edition to the ending, Rachmaninoff always liked to include candenza’s in his works, as well as the composition of other composers, with him setting the trend of candanzas in Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, with his famous candanza in between the intense octave ending and the calming dimuendo before it.
To be honest noone can play it 100% correct and most famous pianists fail it even from the start
that's because that chord doesnn't exist in the sheet music lol
Adding that last note was a wonderful surprise.
The way he is able to play those chords in such a fast staccato is unbelievable. Sad that there are no recordings of Liszt or Chopin..
Probably because either their recordings weren’t published or recorded or technology did not go that far in the 1800s
In addition to crazy talent, the old masters had access to pianos with varied keyboard sizes. This made a lot of the "impossible" passages actually playable as intended without huge mutant palms.
@@kitten-inside Rachmaninoff did have huge mutant palms though
He played what he wrote. Other great pianists seem to have a problem with adherence to written dynamics..
Listz died right before such recording technology was available. Even so, a recording by Liszt would have to be digitally enhanced as was done by Brahms.
Priceless..poetic... breathless....I love it!!
That ending was legendary
Its a joking?
Oh my gosh he’s amazing, you can tell how big his hands are just by the audio!
Say wut
That doesn’t make any sense.
The middle section he rolls the chords! ~ 1:49 and after. I have done that while practicing and now I don’t feel sacrilegious doing so! Plus that oomph at the final chord. So awesome to hear the composer play his own piece. Thanks for sharing! ⭐️
I love rolling stuff but it's not always marked. Like Clair de Lune and La Campanella I have a lot of rolling that I add in. Idk if it's bad tho.
this can't be a recording of rachmaninoff. the quality is way to high. it's still quiet sacrilegious. actually i read that this piece is not well documented at all. rachmaninoff barely played it and we don't even know when exactly he composed it.
@@epiclauren4757 It's a studio recording of a Bösendorfer 290SE that was outfitted with electromechanical player mechanisms by Stahnke Engineering to play back Ampico roll recordings. Rachmaninoff made a bunch of these piano rolls. There are two such recordings out there: "Rachmaninov Plays Rachmaninov--Ampico Recordings (1919-29)" [DECCA, 1990, on an Estonia player grand] and "A Window in Time: Rachmaninoff Performs His Solo Piano Works" [TELARC, 1998, on the 290SE]. These recordings serve to document the composer's intentions.
@@epiclauren4757 i suggest you to investigate more on how Rachmaninov wanted pianists play his music. In fact, he made at least two piano rolls on this piece and played it differently. Spoiler alert: Rachmaninov thought that music could be played in different ways correctly
He does NOT roll the chords,he puts the melody note in front of the supporting chord. Nice that the increase of passion is expressed, And what a build up! I am trying to tighten as he has presented it, but some days I might relax a bit. John B UK.
1:30 Sergei sure knew how to dress. What a beautiful coat.
Sure
Yeah, and other people are Photoshop experts.
Different from you he also knew something about haircuts...
Well, he appears to be on deck on his way to America, mayhaps?
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli you are hilarious
I have a CD titled Rachmaninoff plays Rachmaninoff. This is Rachmaninoff playing his own music in stereo. Actually, old technology was combined with modern technology to pull this off. Someone had gathered a sizable collection of Rachmaninoff's piano rolls that he had made. They rigged a piano roll player onto a concert grand and recorded a good number of them. Included, of course, was this prelude, and the prelude in c-sharp minor. Rachmaninoff would have been very pleased; I know I am. I highly recommend this for anyone who is a Rachmaninoff fan and to all classical music afficionados.
It's actually a studio production. Not a performance at all.
@@Flies_the_limit no one said that it was a performance, do you read? It was just placed in concert grand piano, that doesn't necessarily mean that it was a performance, it just sounds better.
Me: with my phone recording
It is a recording, although made on punched paper, of Rachmaninov playing this piece. The recording was also able to capture the nuances of Rachmaninov’s playing, how hard/softly he hit the keys etc. A properly configured pianola system (hits the piano keys on the basis of the information read from the punch tape) was hooked up to a modern grand piano and a digital stereo recording made of that. Despite the indirect method, it is nonetheless a faithful, high quality reproduction of what it sounded like when he played it on that day, allowing for differences between the modern and original pianos.
Since Rachmaninoff was known as a very moody man, we should wonder about his mental state on this one. He is considered the greatest classical pianist of the 20th century. He probably got tired playing and recording his popular works of that age. Thus, the composer can play them the way it suits him. Sounds great to me. I think Rachmaninoff could please me playing anything.
Yes, Bill. Me too...
Middle section was off; but he IS the master so.......
Rachmaninoff was a border line failed composer. It's sad that a genius like this was actual subject to profit. He had many producers shun him.
Edit: prelude in g was one of his few "hits"
I dnt think the production world heard his polish heroism
Polish?
I wouldn't doubt Rachmaninoff's "Mental State", ever! There are times for joy and frivolity and times for deep concentration and seriousness, and anything between. Rachmaninoff put himself in therapy because, after his initial symphony, he doubted himself. After coming out of that, WOW!!!
I will play this now with the ending he uses without feeling disrespectful. Always felt it needed a little bigger finish.
Garret M thank God I'm not the only one. there's something comical about the written ending but it's only good for home playing.
This is my favourite version
Same bro same 😂
i quite like the original ending
Man it’s a prelude, not a concert
That first picture of him looks like it belongs on currency. Also, I played this piece before and it may be hard, but its FUN, the enormous dynamic variation, the ever-changing mood makes this piece a "living" piece. It will always be living. Folks, make no mistake, welcome to the world of rachmaninoff. A world in which you won't want to leave. Unlike most music, which is either designed for the masses or to distract us from the grander nature of reality, rachmaninoff brings it home yet brings the "out there," "in here." Agreed?
Such stylistic and rhythmic clarity, incredible technical prowess and beautiful singing musicality is truly remarkable. Nothing else compares. What a joy to hear this great artist.
This is Track 13 from Telarc CD-80489 "A Window in Time Vol. 1". It's based on Ampico piano roll 57525, recorded on July 3, 1919.
A sophisticated process developed by engineer Wayne Stahnke and involving a mathematical model of the Ampico playing apparatus was used to reconstruct Rachmaninoff's key and pedal movements. The resulting data were then fed to a computer-controlled Bösendorfer 290SE grand piano.
Sorry, the date was March 17, 1919.
By any chance do you know if it's copyrighted? Can I freely use it for my RUclips channel?
@@joecualquiera I am the wrong person to ask, but I strongly suppose it is copyrighted. Classical Masterpieces doesn't provide the source of the recording, probably to not wake sleeping hounds.
The Telarc label belongs to Concord records, you could ask them. If you sell it to them as a form of advertising, that might work.
@@joecualquiera PS: The CD says "(P) (C) 1999 'TELARC'" and further: "Unauthorized reproduction by any means is forbidden without prior written permission from Telarc Iternational Corporation." I think that's pretty clear.
@@robertrossmair3626 thank you very much. I appreciate your help.🙂👍🏻
I like the fact that the ending (I intend from 3:03) is played in such a way which is kinda resolutive (?) And very different from all the other performances I've listened to, which is quite comprehensible for the fact that it's Rachmaninoff in person who's playing it.
Keep in mind that Rachmaninoff is a crazy man like all composers are
I love the many different interpretations of this piece by many gifted pianists. Nothing like the way the composer plays it. Like his way or not, one can say it is "authoritative', embued throughout.
This is undoubtedly my favourite piece of all time. Hearing the actual composer himself play his own composition doesn't compare to other Pianists who also play/interpret this piece. Absolutely wonderful!!
This is a miracle after a whole life of hearing others play Rachmaninov, I hear him now!
I’m so pleased to realize his intention to compose this music. Thank you for uploading it.
Rachmaninoff was not only a genial composer but also an excellent pianist.
Excellent is an understatement
He's a genius.
Best pianist of his time
And conductor. All three in one and all at top level.
I actually like the way he plays it, he obviously knows how it goes he wrote it.
You don't say!
You're very perceptive
I have listened to this piece hundreds of times, totally obsessed.
My favourite, absolutely fantastic. A genius as composer as well as pianist.
So crisp an clear...both the sound and the performance...simply amazing.
I started learning to play this piece in high school. It is really difficult, mostly because Rachmaninov had some monster hands, and the chord spreads are crazy!
Honestly this piece does not require enormous hands. Being able to reach a 9th is enough and there aren't any chords larger than an 8th. (But still your hands should be bigger than an 8th to be able to play an '8th full chord'.)
Just take a look at Piano Concertos 2, 3, Piano Sonata 2, Etudes-Tableaux Op. 33 and Op. 39.. 10th Chords everywhere. Some that are impossible to even roll.
Rach 2 begins with 10th chords on both hands..
I learned this in high school and played it in a recital. My teacher was a concert pianist so she pushed me to my limit. Well, worth it. I can only reach a 9th comfortably and did fine. And by the way, I can still play this 43 years later. Etched in my brain!
What is amazing when you listen closely, is the expression in EVERY note. A mastery of touch to every note. Unsurpassed. They don't make em like this anymore.
Guys.....
Pls don't judge the interpretation..
It's literally his own piece he sure knows how it's supposed to be played.
But that's the magic about music.
You can do WHATEVER you want, take it slowly or quickly play it softly or aggressively, it's your choice and makes you unique.
;)
I'm actually really surprised by how light he is on the pedal. A lot of modern pianists go HARD on the pedal
Какой глубочайший характер оказывается в этом исполнении автора ! Никто и никогда не сможет так передать смысл этого произведения, как это передал сам гений !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Божественно!! Какая лёгкость в исполнении и в тоже время масштабность звучания!! Для меня самое лучшее исполнение💕
Ну так Рахманинов же!
@@innas.771, да, конечно 👍
Мало комментариев на русском языке. Рахманинов не только выдающийся композитор и пианист, но и автор данного шедевра!
@@ЮрийФилиппов-ь6ь советская росия его отвергла в свое время
La Sua Arte, da Lui stesso interpretata, ti trasporta in un altra dimensione! S. R. è un vero e proprio esploratore della Mente!
This is from the Ampico (American Piano Company) piano roll, one of nine works he recorded on March 17th, 1919. Rachmaninoff recorded about 35 works for Ampico from 1919 to 1929.
This really is superb and an amazingly crisp clean recording no less. Is this really the Master playing? The subtleties of this performance are mesmerizing.
So that's how the last section is supposed to sound! Marvellous, so much more fluid than any rendition I've heard to date.
This piece makes much more sense when I hear Rachmaninov play it.
Nice to hear lines I've never heard others play! He also played it with such bounce. Refreshing original interpretation of his own composition!
Очень тонкое, сложное произведение!
Потрясающая игра, игра чувств, энергий! Столько ЭМОЦИЙ В ОДНОМ ПРОИЗВЕДЕНИИ! ИМЕННО ОРИГИНАЛ СОВЕРШЕНЕН!
Now that's rachmaninoff! Literally.
The intensive and yet elegant. Also bit romantic to shine. Creating this terrifying vibe to never let you get board. Splendidly played, rach my friend!
This is the best ever performance of the prelude. No pianist comes even closer. There're so many new details and accents never discovered by any other pianist. Not speaking about real emotional force, all the colours of it. This is incomparable to any other interpretation. This is an unreachable level of mastery.
Absolutely! ❤
Это самое лучшее исполнение данного произведения, которое я слышал. Удивительно, как смогли так хорошо восстановить запись примерно 100 летней давности
это необычная запись, а так называемый piano roll - нечто вроде перфоленты с записью не столько звуков, сколько команд для специального фортепиано-проигрывателя этих. Интересно, что на записи рядом с исполнителем сидел техник, который, глядя на руки музыканта, делал пометки относительно нюансов, которые не улавливались записывающим устройством, и уже после они в запись вносились эти дополнения. Пишут, что Рахманинов, когда услышал запись, то сказал, что услышал самого себя (мол, так хорошо получилось). Музыка записанная на эти ленты воспроизводилась с помощью другого фортепиано с "модулем" для чтения этих лент. В данной записи (на видео) использовался концертный рояль "Эстония". Запись была сделана в 1970-х годах. Это запись из сборника Rachmaninov Plays Rachmaninov--Ampico Recordings 1919-29 (searchworks.stanford.edu/view/11946439). Производитель роялей American Piano Company (Ampico) и занимались этими записями и распространением этих лент.
hE's pLayInG iT wRonG.
But tbh it's so clear and cutting. I like it very much. Very interesting how that is how he played it.
Flat out amazing. Thanks for sharing this. Clearly he was one of the very best pianists that ever lived. Such grace, such precision. And a fabulous composer as well.
Marvelous. Papa had mentioned hearing him play this at my aunt Florence Steinway's house in Tuxedo Park, NY. To think of what an experience that must have been....
Sadly I'm not quite old enough for the pleasure of that experience
.I haven't heard anyone else play this piece with such terrific energy and speed in those RH repeated chords ,leaps and octaves
A glorious composer, every note is like a member of a mathematic equalization. Simply masterpiece
Best music performances are really not like math which is exact and precise without interpretation and soul.
It is just like math. Every note at this masterpiece seem like mathematically be there for the purpose of the composer to express something he feels or something that comes from his soul. At this point of view it is just like math
@@dirmusloner7963 Music requires higher and deeper intelligence than math. Math is for engineers of different kinds not for musicians.
Maths are for everyone include musicians too. Music is more than math I agree but when a composer express his feelings his soul and the result is in balance with mathematic logic then it is brilliant.
@@juusohamalainen7507 What an asinine opinion. You should be ashamed of yourself.
My piano teacher taught me this piece, she played this to me and I loved how Rachmaninoff played it then she said:
do not play like that...
There’s something so beautiful and stern in his countenance.
Only Rachmaninov can play Rachmaninov..nobody else.. I wish be there listening his prelude.😞
I think, that it isn't Rahmaninov playd
Many excellent contemporary pianists are fine interpreters of Rachmaninoff, but of course hearing Rachmaninoff is one joy we have because he was around to be recorded.
Prokofiev interpreted this amazingly well as well.
@@tedruncie Very good interpretation of prokofiev but rachmaninoff's is better..
i was born too late :(
this is the best ultimate version
just imagine what it would have been like to hear how bach, mozart, and beethoven actually sounded :)
The best recording of this piece i've heard to date.
He should have written a violin concerto. It would have been absolutely beautiful.
It's a shame that the violin concerto repertoire isn't that big...
@@TheAskald yeah... Idk if you're being sarcastic or not
@@idontcare7197 I'm not. I think the piano concerto repertoire has countless masterpieces. The violin concerto repertoire has like 5-6 great pieces and the rest just doesn't hit the same (and I'm not even a fan of Mendel 2 and Beeth that I count in these 5-6). I'm familiar with "only" 15 of them so I'm not claiming to be an expert but I'm beginning to have an idea. It's not that VC repertoire is small, it's just in comparison of PC.
@@TheAskald Just listen to Barber's violin concerto and Prokofiev's violin concertos
Vivaldi wrote more than 200 concertos for the violin…
I just listened to a video of five famous concert pianists playing this Prelude in turn, including Horowitz (not his best available performance of the piece), Richter, and Emil Gilels. The Richter interpretation is gorgeous. God, Rachmaninoff’s octaves are crisp.
This is how Rachmaninoff sounds on a piano roll. Imagine how it must have been to hear him play "live."
Лучшая интерпретация лучшей прелюдии из когда-либо написанных. Слава Рахманинову!
Да
The best version ever, Amazing
Nobody else can play Rachmaninov like Rachmaninov..you can rEally hear the difference to this vs every other version of preluding g m...incredible
No one can play anything like anyone else really. So...
His lightness and precision of touch, and his complete mastery of tempo, his incredible technique, dwarfs most modern pianists with the exception of Hamelin who is possibly the greatest living technician alive today. Only Godowsky was better than him in his day. His mastery of the use of the pedal is staggeringly jaw-dropping. I feel moved and privileged to have listened to this recording.
This is a real continuous staccato if ever I heard .... Love it !!!😍
Always love to listen to his own performances. He plays it however he wants to, and plays his pieces like none other.
This isn't a perfomance, it's a piano roll.
@@serkratos1216 But a hand played roll, no?
It was nice to hear a different perspective on the piece
With rachmaninoff, you cant beat the way he allows himself to denounce his own score and express what paper never could; he did what felt right in the moment, his giant hands fitting for such octaves to interpret in a comfortable manner.
Horowitz, his bass was chilling, and my personal favorite interpretation that could never be mimicked as his own unique style of a full developing crescendo and deep dramatic accents were top notch. At his old age many people express that he played several notes incorrectly but his interpretations overrule that. It's no wonder rachmaninoff and pianists like martha agrerich love Horowitz.
Kissin played with a high speed, which many people didn't seem to enjoy as much-but I think it further exemplifies his talent as a pianist to shockingly even reach such a pace with immaculate accuracy and technique-and still sound amazing with development in the piece.
Prokofiev and Yuja spark similar feelings in the approach of the piece with the full body idea of a march and making the 3 notes have a clear full sound with the slower tempo but equal/heavier velocity. I can see how people have a preference towards this version with that type of march style slower pace, however I can not express their versions as my favorite since I grew up listening to rachmaninoff's version at that moderate pace that stays true to me by holding the tension in my stomach, and finds this version a bit slow for me to comfortably enjoy, but appreciate and respect yuja as a pianist. But diversity is important in piano interpretations, and it would be a boring world to live in if everyone played the same wa, and the same pace.
With that said...lang lang... he has such a nice clarity when he plays, however I dont think I can ever appreciate his romantic interpretations. Hes more of a showman-playing with the dynamic of soft and quiet sounds to booming accents which at many times don't feel appropriate in my personal opinion. How he blends in the damper pedal in an manner that doesnt feel seamless, compromising crescendo by starting loud, decelerating very quickly to forte again shocking the audience doesnt feel comforting. I think he may be interesting to watch in a performance and am sure some people enjoy him, with this performance being one of his more tolerable ones but not for me...
I totally agree he is amazing but it's much different than how I would play it. There are some he does differently than what's published in my Rachmaninoff music book. I actually enjoy the end note he puts in there. I wonder what people would think if I played it with those few variations he uses!
You would be castigated.
who cares what anyone thinks. a musician plays for himself first and foremost....
Amazing. I can't say anything else. Well done bro, thanks for this beautiful moment.
Rachmaninoff was amazing. It is nice listening to him play it although I find it strange he does things in it differently then what various publishers have published. Including the rolling of chords during the middle part, and the very very last note of the piece has not been published with that note.
Stephen Raatz You bring up a great point!!! What's so interesting is that people are so intent on playing exactly as scores say, yet many of the great composers were improvisers!!!
Jeffrey Collazo
In the baroque period the music notation was centered around the very idea of being improvised around in various ways, and that tradition continued even into the classical period
Nowadays we’ve gone full swing the opposite direction. The music notation is treated as the end-all be-all of the music, often without any thought to the historical and cultural context of the composition
Isn’t it ironic that so many people play exactly as the score says in the name of composer intent and yet many times that’s exactly the opposite of what the composer intended? (Depending on the period, country, composer, and piece)
I'm working on this piece right now, and its nice to be able to listen to this recording to see how a certain section should be played.
Real composers and musical geniuses like Sergei never passed up on the chance to make there own variation to any piece that’s why these geniuses make modern day robots like Lang Lang look like kids
Don't convince yourself lang lang is anything short of a prodigy. I personally don't care for his interpretations but the man is a legend.
If you’re going to listen to a modern player take this on, Lang Lang’s is not the version you want to hear, Yuja Wang’s is. I tried listening to Lang Lang’s and ditched it after a minute because I was getting too annoyed.
This is astounding! It's like I'm hearing it for the first time
Bruh, I love that ending G! Rachmaninoff is a virtuoso, he is the man, the myth, the legend.
hi
unknowncoconutleaf hi
I'm studying this, been posting my progression on instagram. Quite a journey I must say! To be able to know what it's "suppose to sound like exactly" a very rare treat!
Music can be reproduced on a piano roll. But my parents reproduced me on a piano roll.
horatiodreamt immature
horatiodreamt I cannot get your point..
It's a pun.
horatiodreamt you really made my day. 😅
that mustve been loud... i mean the piano
woah the dynamics and rubatos
Ahhhhhh! I can't belive I'm listening to Rachmaninoff 😍😍😍😍😍
Thank you for putting this fascinating item on RUclips. The artist can do whatever he likes with his own piece. No pianist now would take the risks and originality that Rachmaninov himself takes. His central section is pure and true. The wit at end is nothing but delightful. Thank you.
Obviously, this has to be my favourite interpretation. 😂 It's incomparable! ❤️
Oooo those last bars…this is my absolute favorite climax of a romantic classical piece.
О Рахманинове можно сказать, что его Бог целовал в лоб дважды: в результате и отличный композитор и исполнитель-пианист высочайших уровней-рейтингов. Виктор СПб.
swetoct
С.Рахманинов ещё гениальный дирежёр. О нём сказал один из критиков :"Рахманинов жжёт свою свечу с трёх концов".
He plays it so fast... i hope to one day get to that level with of clarity with that speed on this piece
Semplicemente superbo,ineffabile forza e bellezza,grande!!!
This is so much better than the other versions out there! I thought it was odd that the quality was so good, but this is so distinctive that it’s hard to believe ira not Rachmaninoff!
Это ОГОНЬ ! ТВорение Вселенной !
Thank you so much for sharing. I really loved this video with Rachmaninoff playing his own music. He truly was an amazing artist.
Whether this is a real Rachmaninoff record or not, This is the best play that I ever heard.
Very clear, very monumental and VERY CONFIDINCE!!!!
Usually the performers make this piece sound like a king and a romance, but Rachmaninoff makes it sound like someone's preaching a gospel.
Immaculate performance, kudos to the composer of the piece too
The dynamic of the last note is quite interesting.
Micah yeah, I agree
The best of these prelude because with so much passion. BRAVO Rachmaninov.
I want to like this video million times.
There are people who wish to hear Liszt playing Liszt. Obviously, there are no such recordings , but you can here Arthur Friedheim, who was a pupil of Liszt, and , yes, Rachmaninov himself, who was a student of Alexander Siloti (Siloti), who was Liszt's favourite pupil !!!! Apple never falls far from the tree...
What an amazing performance! I'm sure rachmaninoff would be very proud
?? This is Rachmaninoff playing his own piece.
Nice
@@ykf1136 Welcome to the Joke.
this is how it should be played ..other pianist just destroy this masterpiece ..even the great horowitz i didn't liked it's version of this beautiful prelude..it should be played in the start in a "military"way with no air..after that in the middle "like someone "dancing"with a rose ..this version is the best ..bravo!
Nikolai Lugansky version is good, tooooooo
Sidki - I like your idea of "someone "dancing"with a rose"!!
Cziffra.
@@thomgandet8369 this is priceless
Luganskys version is really better in my opinion
We finally hear how a genius plays the piano... great!!
However he feels!
he will shine on the top of the world,s music infinitely.
Considering that time, how can the recording be that good?
Probably, cause this is not by him.
Felix it’s been through restoration
Felix the correct answer is that it is a piano roll that rach made that, during modern times, was inserted in a piano player and recorded.
i love how much slower he takes it around :50 - 1:03