This prelude was finished in 1901 by Sergei Rachmaninov. Rachmaninoff was about 27/28 when he decided to say it was complete. Evgeny Kissin is 28/29 in this performance. Rachmaninoff recorded himself playing this at the age of 46/47. around in his 50's Rachmaninoff lost his estate and moved to America with his family and grew tired of his 2 famous preludes so you can't go on his recording of that piece the record company and popularity of people forced him to record it. You people keep crying "Gilels..." but Gilel plays it this fast around in his 20's in front of the Russian Soldiers. I think you people fail to realize this piece is young spirited written with adventurous virtuoso passages. Saying he should play it slow based on who you first heard isn't how music should be understood. Don't just look at the recordings. You must study it's origin the spirit of its nature and its ties as well. It's good that you like the way it sounds but keep in mind Rachmaninoff said about Vladimir Horowitz concert in the late 1920's of the Tchaikovsky Concerto as too fast--"especially the cadenza". It's amazing that Tchaikovsky's Concerto sounds like something Rachmaninoff would have wrote. But, Vladimir played Rachmaninoff's 3rd Concerto and described to Abram Chasins that Horowitz "swallowed it whole ... he had the courage, the intensity, the daring." Mind you Horowitz played it fairly fast, especially the Cadenza. It goes to show your opinion isn't the Composers opinion. I believe Rachmaninoff wouldn't have heard Evgeny Kissin playing this prelude too Fast or Too slow. He would have heard a young spirit adventurously galloping virtuously through the Russian fields in the dreams of his youth.
OwlyEagles well said. But even when Rachmaninov recorded it, it wasn't slow anyway :) personally I like it SLIGHTLY slower, but the amount of energy and passion Kissin put into that performance is amazing and if it was any slower it wouldn't have had this effect:).
i think this tempo is brilliant. it changes something very fundamental about the feeling piece. i think its a good example of kissin's brilliance, his ability to utterly transform a piece of music into something completely his own. this becomes particularly apparent when he gets to the slower parts--just how measured and unrushed he is and then returning with such fury and boldness to the opening tempo.
he plays it so quickly, but it still feels like a march. sounds about as fast as it could humanly be played without losing any of the feeling. what a great performance.
Kissin is the best pianist. He can play slower if he likes. He was in a faster mood :) he is the pianist from God... when I first heard him I couldn't listen to anyone else after him... he is just the best. That's all :)
This is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen anyone do on the piano. I used to play this piece so I know how hard it is to play it that fast. Awesome :)
Alla Axelrod Liar, Rachmaninoff played this piece much differently than most piano players today. He played it slower and made each note more sharp and succinct.
This tempo is fine. To those who say that he plays this piece too fast, have you ever listened to Rachmaninov himself playing it? Let's do and come later again if you have something new to say.
a lot of people think its too fast.perhaps it is,but he really can play this tempo flawless and everything is well played.nothing sloppy or stressed,everything is under total control.its an encore after 2 hours of playing live.thats very impressive.
This is one of the most fantastic renditions I've ever heard. I used to play this piece and he plays it SOO much better than me :) Amazing stuff, very difficult!
@flibbertergibbet This is classical music- emphasis on "classical," a famous and renowned piece can never be over played. And all of those performers that you have listed is beyond the far outbinds of amazingly good! Their performance of this piece are all unique and each time one listens to this piece by each of those performers, a new angle of the piece is introduced to him/her. Evengy Kissin played phenomenanly in this piece- and this piece can never be overplayed!
@littlerainworm550 lol good analogy, conversely have you listened to Jorge Bolet version ? It really is the speed intended as it is the same as Rachmaninoff when he plays it. I think Bolet is the greatest interpretation of Liszt and is just an amazing pianist but it takes a little to get used to it so slow when everyone goes ballistic to finish it fast. Personally I love Lugansky, it is a good speed, crystal clear with every note and HUGE dynamics, just perfect. Gilels sustain pedal is stuck
wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!the best and fastest interpretation I´ve ever heard(for me of course).especially technically best.I don´t understand how can normal human play this mega hard composition sooo fast without pounding on the wrong keys like some other really good interprets do.
This piece brings a new respect for Evgeny from me. I heard a performance of polonaise no6 op. 53 by him and didn't like it much, but this performance of his does sound fantastic. He is very good.
After a little more research, I found out it was not digitally remastered, rather Rachmaninoff was recorded on a piano roll which was hooked up to a Bosendorfer concert grand, like a player piano. It's a great recording.
The tempo is "Alla marcia" which means march- like...I can't imagine a march this fast. A slower tempo will allow you to appreciate the beauty of the accents in the piece
Rachmaninov's compositions are straight from the heart and soul, so for anyone to mimic his compositions, they must mimic his heart and soul as well. But that isn't possible for any pianist to do no matter how great they are in the eyes of the masses.Thats why we have variations, not exacts.
While the written tempo of "Alla marcia" in this interpretation seems fast, if you listen to Rachmaninoff's original recording, you'll see that Kissin plays this at about the same tempo as the composer himself.
WISDOMnow1978...:-) You are very WISE ,saying this..:-) Indeed..WHY to EXCEED?..You are not running to come first,but PLAYING an extraordinary Rahmaninoff's piece..full of emotions.. So ..give the audience to absorb it.. You've just got a THUMB UP from me !
yes, i agree, a little bit fast, maybe we should comprnhend that this is an ecore after playing the concerto 2 of the same rachmaninoff.... any one finishes it a little bit accelerated himself, dont you think?
@246trinitrotoluene pausing is not something you have to do. like breathing: someone has big lungs and someone dont) so the first takes one breath and the other four, because he has to. the same thing here, if you have a very developed musical phrasing you dont have to separate the thought by pauses. Plus his technique lets him use that musical thought to the max.
wow i used to think lisitsa's is already too fast. anyone know's where to get a syncronized version of gilels'? its irritating when the audio comes a whole second before he plays the note.
Theres one thing I love on Kissins playing. He does never slow down in hard parts. Other pianists use to slow down in the hard parts and it seems really stupid. They just cant choose right tempo that they could hold in the whole song. But his technique is so awesome that he just doesnt need to do that and thats great because the allways changing tempo is one of the mos annoying things a pianist can do.
@busylifemeto wow you were right.lugansky´s interpretation is so soft decent and well balanced. just beautiful.I am not so involved into intreprets of classical music so I have lot to learn... : -P
Okay, so I feel foolish after reviewing others' comments -like I said, I am no expert and am humbled by his expertise-I will listen to more of his music-this was 2nd or 3rd time and this is like my #2 favorite classical piece. I'll be quiet now-and enjoy the music
@ThaiMike2010 Somewhere there's a recording of rachmaninov himself playing the piece, worth a listen!! He was particularly good at highlighting the countermelody in the legato section. And he used very little pedal
@wendellvasquez1988 that was a run on sentence. thatsnot the reason i messaged you. i think its just for show. I mean, he can actually DO it, so why not? (other than it doesnt sounds as clear)
I have to take exception to your thoughts on the speed.. If you hear Rachmoninoff classical recording be sure to have the music. They both play it in 3:32.. hard to say Kissen is too fast as both use the same dynamics of speed in the whole Prelude.. To me the Prelude just flows this way and I will post my version that is about 3:41 with the long delays Gilels uses.. ok it is on a Baby Grand but the Sauter sings like an angel in the upper range, Just a thought, BiMetalAuPt
To all the folks who say he's playing too fast: well you're kind of right, BUT...the thing is many pianists play too fast in their younger years. In their older years their renditions are often so incredibly better, in my humble opinion (including being slower). Glenn Gould is an excellent example: I have a recording of him playing the Goldberg variations, once when he was young and another when he was old. I find the younger recording absolutely terrible compared to his older recording [1 of 3]
Played at the perfect tempo to me. Just so good. Amazing.
This prelude was finished in 1901 by Sergei Rachmaninov. Rachmaninoff was about 27/28 when he decided to say it was complete. Evgeny Kissin is 28/29 in this performance. Rachmaninoff recorded himself playing this at the age of 46/47. around in his 50's Rachmaninoff lost his estate and moved to America with his family and grew tired of his 2 famous preludes so you can't go on his recording of that piece the record company and popularity of people forced him to record it.
You people keep crying "Gilels..." but Gilel plays it this fast around in his 20's in front of the Russian Soldiers. I think you people fail to realize this piece is young spirited written with adventurous virtuoso passages.
Saying he should play it slow based on who you first heard isn't how music should be understood. Don't just look at the recordings. You must study it's origin the spirit of its nature and its ties as well. It's good that you like the way it sounds but keep in mind Rachmaninoff said about Vladimir Horowitz concert in the late 1920's of the Tchaikovsky Concerto as too fast--"especially the cadenza". It's amazing that Tchaikovsky's Concerto sounds like something Rachmaninoff would have wrote.
But, Vladimir played Rachmaninoff's 3rd Concerto and described to Abram Chasins that Horowitz "swallowed it whole ... he had the courage, the intensity, the daring."
Mind you Horowitz played it fairly fast, especially the Cadenza. It goes to show your opinion isn't the Composers opinion. I believe Rachmaninoff wouldn't have heard Evgeny Kissin playing this prelude too Fast or Too slow. He would have heard a young spirit adventurously galloping virtuously through the Russian fields in the dreams of his youth.
OwlyEagles well said. But even when Rachmaninov recorded it, it wasn't slow anyway :) personally I like it SLIGHTLY slower, but the amount of energy and passion Kissin put into that performance is amazing and if it was any slower it wouldn't have had this effect:).
OwlyEagles well said
Love this speed...my favourite
Kissin is a Boss.
absolutely amazing, the best version of Rachmaninov I've found on youtube, want to see him live.
PERFECT!!! So Inspiring!!
i think this tempo is brilliant. it changes something very fundamental about the feeling piece. i think its a good example of kissin's brilliance, his ability to utterly transform a piece of music into something completely his own. this becomes particularly apparent when he gets to the slower parts--just how measured and unrushed he is and then returning with such fury and boldness to the opening tempo.
he plays it so quickly, but it still feels like a march. sounds about as fast as it could humanly be played without losing any of the feeling. what a great performance.
Kissin is the best pianist. He can play slower if he likes. He was in a faster mood :) he is the pianist from God... when I first heard him I couldn't listen to anyone else after him... he is just the best. That's all :)
I agree
Солидарна. После него-остальные-пресные.
extremely good
I absolutely love Kissin's style. He makes this masterpiece so beautifully dynamic.
Woooow! Amazing!
this just overwhelms
No word to say.just love.
A miracle. There is god.
PERFECT PERFORMANCE!
This is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen anyone do on the piano. I used to play this piece so I know how hard it is to play it that fast. Awesome :)
Just, perfect.
Kissin's performances of Rachmaninoff are divine. Every note is perfect.
so faster than anyone else I have ever heard! besides, the sound is clear!
Rachmaninoff himself is faster.
Alla Axelrod Liar, Rachmaninoff played this piece much differently than most piano players today. He played it slower and made each note more sharp and succinct.
who does not like this interpretation can not recognize the genious behind it.
best of the bests
That has to be one of my favorite CDs of all time. Great collection of pieces played by the Master himself.
Kissin's preformances is Amazing. He keeps a good and steady tempo and brings out the melody!
THE RACHMANINOFF PRELUDE!! GREAT!!!
This tempo is fine. To those who say that he plays this piece too fast, have you ever listened to Rachmaninov himself playing it? Let's do and come later again if you have something new to say.
i don't know if he plays too fast but i like his performance
뽕짝 그 자체인 라흐 선생님..
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㅋㅋㅋㅋ큐ㅠㅠㅋㅋㅋㅋ
a lot of people think its too fast.perhaps it is,but he really can play this tempo flawless and everything is well played.nothing sloppy or stressed,everything is under total control.its an encore after 2 hours of playing live.thats very impressive.
i love his speed on the end, very fast and very good
FABULOUS as usual!!!
I am listening to it, and all Rachmaninoff's ideas come clear. Kissin has a talent that is amazing.
This is perfection!
This is one of the most fantastic renditions I've ever heard. I used to play this piece and he plays it SOO much better than me :) Amazing stuff, very difficult!
i am always impressed by kissins power at the piano. this is great.
I attended this concert. Electrifying evening!
So fast
but good. BEST PIANIST KISSIN
@flibbertergibbet This is classical music- emphasis on "classical," a famous and renowned piece can never be over played. And all of those performers that you have listed is beyond the far outbinds of amazingly good! Their performance of this piece are all unique and each time one listens to this piece by each of those performers, a new angle of the piece is introduced to him/her. Evengy Kissin played phenomenanly in this piece- and this piece can never be overplayed!
GRANDIOSE
I heard Kissin some years ago in Dublin. His playing was magnificent.. He played an amazing number of encores.
I can't stress enough that Kissin's version of this piece is the BEST of the BEST OF THE BESSSTTTTTT!!!!!!!!
I wish the sound matched up with the video better. What a performance! He is such a beast!
This guy can't be real! Fucking awesome!
@littlerainworm550 lol good analogy, conversely have you listened to Jorge Bolet version ? It really is the speed intended as it is the same as Rachmaninoff when he plays it. I think Bolet is the greatest interpretation of Liszt and is just an amazing pianist but it takes a little to get used to it so slow when everyone goes ballistic to finish it fast. Personally I love Lugansky, it is a good speed, crystal clear with every note and HUGE dynamics, just perfect. Gilels sustain pedal is stuck
I do looove this speed. Sometimes I feel like listening to Gilels but most of the time this version fulfills my desire to listen to this prelude.
i wish i was this brilliant and devoted to music...
O-O
I don't know HOW people can play like this. It just baffles me. Kissin is simply amazing!
Tempo all over the place crazy
this is so ADDICTIVE
wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!the best and fastest interpretation I´ve ever heard(for me of course).especially technically best.I don´t understand how can normal human play this mega hard composition sooo fast without pounding on the wrong keys like some other really good interprets do.
This piece brings a new respect for Evgeny from me. I heard a performance of polonaise no6 op. 53 by him and didn't like it much, but this performance of his does sound fantastic. He is very good.
ah tears in my eyes
Evgeny Kissin is on of the best present pianists. And when he plays like this, it´s therefore he feel the piece this way. And I like it.
After a little more research, I found out it was not digitally remastered, rather Rachmaninoff was recorded on a piano roll which was hooked up to a Bosendorfer concert grand, like a player piano. It's a great recording.
The tempo is "Alla marcia" which means march- like...I can't imagine a march this fast. A slower tempo will allow you to appreciate the beauty of the accents in the piece
Oh my god, I love Rachmaninoff and this is my favourite Prelude
this piece reminds me of a grumpy pirate. flawless technique from kissin as always :D
He is everything a pianist should be. Crazy looking and techincally brilliant
Rachmaninov's compositions are straight from the heart and soul, so for anyone to mimic his compositions, they must mimic his heart and soul as well. But that isn't possible for any pianist to do no matter how great they are in the eyes of the masses.Thats why we have variations, not exacts.
While the written tempo of "Alla marcia" in this interpretation seems fast, if you listen to Rachmaninoff's original recording, you'll see that Kissin plays this at about the same tempo as the composer himself.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Evgeny Kissin since he first started playing piano.
Bobbie
He can do that to his own way, because he's good. It's beautiful
This is my favourite...above Gilels...Iove that speed for this piece...chilling chords.
WISDOMnow1978...:-)
You are very WISE ,saying this..:-)
Indeed..WHY to EXCEED?..You are not running to come first,but PLAYING an extraordinary Rahmaninoff's piece..full of emotions..
So ..give the audience to absorb it..
You've just got a THUMB UP from me !
@acorntechnique Yeah, I totally agree to you. In fact this is the best version on youtube!
yes, i agree, a little bit fast, maybe we should comprnhend that this is an ecore after playing the concerto 2 of the same rachmaninoff.... any one finishes it a little bit accelerated himself, dont you think?
Yeah i think so too, i like listening to Gilel's version
what a fast performance!
Great perfect performance!
@246trinitrotoluene pausing is not something you have to do. like breathing: someone has big lungs and someone dont) so the first takes one breath and the other four, because he has to. the same thing here, if you have a very developed musical phrasing you dont have to separate the thought by pauses. Plus his technique lets him use that musical thought to the max.
he is a huge artist ! congrats
wow i used to think lisitsa's is already too fast. anyone know's where to get a syncronized version of gilels'? its irritating when the audio comes a whole second before he plays the note.
Perfect speed, lots of momentum.
Theres one thing I love on Kissins playing. He does never slow down in hard parts. Other pianists use to slow down in the hard parts and it seems really stupid. They just cant choose right tempo that they could hold in the whole song. But his technique is so awesome that he just doesnt need to do that and thats great because the allways changing tempo is one of the mos annoying things a pianist can do.
Rachmaninov's music is man's music.
unico !!!!!!!!!!!!! god!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I personally like evgeny kissin's interpretations over gilel's for rachmaninoff... gilel's interpretation's a bit too random sometimes...
@busylifemeto
wow you were right.lugansky´s interpretation is so soft decent and well balanced. just beautiful.I am not so involved into intreprets of classical music so I have lot to learn... : -P
and a manly tear was shed that day.....
this peace sounds amazing that fast i never thougth hear it that way, so fast just as the same rachmaninov
amazing version! he's like possessed :D
@chobeethaninov what's russian pathos?
Okay, so I feel foolish after reviewing others' comments -like I said, I am no expert and am humbled by his expertise-I will listen to more of his music-this was 2nd or 3rd time and this is like my #2 favorite classical piece. I'll be quiet now-and enjoy the music
@ThaiMike2010 Somewhere there's a recording of rachmaninov himself playing the piece, worth a listen!! He was particularly good at highlighting the countermelody in the legato section. And he used very little pedal
@piano345 nope, kissin is doing this piece so perfectly.
is there a higher quality video of this ?
早いのに良く弾けるなあ...すごい
本当にキーシンは凄すぎます😢✌️✌️💐🎶
Incredible! so much music, full of russian soul!
that's a MUST LIKE :D
This tempo is almost perfect, and it could be even faster. So many people play this piece too slow, like they were playing a depressing funeral march.
@wendellvasquez1988
ya i was just kidding around with the grammar.
anyways, no, i dont. you're right
@wendellvasquez1988
that was a run on sentence.
thatsnot the reason i messaged you. i think its just for show. I mean, he can actually DO it, so why not? (other than it doesnt sounds as clear)
This is my favorite, this version of this piece :) thank you for sharing, do you have any idea of this video on dvd?
I love his jumping "afro" :D
nice....very fantastick
I have to take exception to your thoughts on the speed.. If you hear Rachmoninoff classical recording be sure to have the music. They both play it in 3:32.. hard to say Kissen is too fast as both use the same dynamics of speed in the whole Prelude.. To me the Prelude just flows this way and I will post my version that is about 3:41 with the long delays Gilels uses.. ok it is on a Baby Grand but the Sauter sings like an angel in the upper range,
Just a thought, BiMetalAuPt
To all the folks who say he's playing too fast: well you're kind of right, BUT...the thing is many pianists play too fast in their younger years. In their older years their renditions are often so incredibly better, in my humble opinion (including being slower). Glenn Gould is an excellent example: I have a recording of him playing the Goldberg variations, once when he was young and another when he was old. I find the younger recording absolutely terrible compared to his older recording
[1 of 3]
walk in the park for him
i'm exhausted after performing this piece
SPEECHLESS!!!!
0:53 -- BEST PART EVER.
@seanmcnally ......what about the legend himself...Horowitz??