Theme: 0:00 Variation 1: 0:17 Variation 2: 0:34 Variation 3: 0:50 Variation 4: 1:07 Variation 5: 1:23** (The harmonic fogginess here is worth repeated listening.) Variation 6: 1:37 Variation 7: 1:52* Variation 8: 2:06 Variation 9: 2:23 Variation 10: 2:45 Variation 11: 3:11 Variation 12: 3:34 Variation 13: 3:53* (Magisterial, in the sense that one is dominated by it.) Variation 14: 4:19 Variation 15: 4:44 Variation 16: 5:03* Variation 17: 5:15 Variation 18: 5:26 Variation 19: 5:41 Variation 20: 5:53 Variation 21: 6:04 Variation 22: 6:20* (The first variation in a major key; it evokes the first rays of sun following an angry thunderstorm.) Variation 23: 6:44** Variation 24: 7:27 Variation 25: 7:41* Variation 26: 7:54** Variation 27: 8:10** (A volcanic variation whose apparent climax yields to...) Variation 28: 8:29* (A beautiful fughetta, with deliciously ambiguous counterpoint.) Variation 29: 8:52 Variation 30: 9:16 Variation 31: 9:32** (Humorous and delightful.) Variation 32: 9:41** (More chromatic than its predecessor, but equally playful and enjoyable.) Variation 33: 9:50 Variation 34: 10:00 Variation 35: 10:09* Variation 36: 10:33* (Fantastic, contrasting dynamics.) Variation 37: 11:05** Variation 38: 11:27 Variation 39: 11:49** (As Ashish said best: "A vast soundscape of loss and desolation." And, of course, Der Erlkonig.) Variation 40: 12:12 Variation 41: 12:28** (Monstrous technique and monstrous music, evoking some heavenly creature emerging from a fiery pit or from a granite cliff.) Variation 42: 12:52** (The most spiritually tortured trills in all of pianism.) Variation 43: 13:15 Variation 44: 13:21* (An apparently lighthearted variation that quickly erupts into one last burst of fire.) Epilogue: 13:38 Cadenza: 14:30** (Ends with a beautiful unresolved chord which segues perfectly into...) Fugue: 15:21 (tenor 15:21; alto 15:35; soprano 15:50; "bass" 16:09*; perfect fourth of theme in bass 16:23; secondary, major theme (accompanied by chromatic, lilting RH figuration) 16:34**; awesome sound-painting 17:30**; four staffs 17:44; intricately interwoven melodies 18:06*; sheer enormity of music 18:47**) Asterisks denote variations of especial majesty, beauty, or melancholy. (This was a good way to spend an hour.)
If you read Godowsky's prefatory remarks to the piece, you will get a sense of how loving a tribute to Schubert this piece is and the passion that went into composing it. I feel really very sad that Godowsky did not get the recognition he was due in his lifetime, prompting him to write in a letter to his daughter, "I worked honestly with the highest ideals for my chosen art and beloved instrument. I have accomplished in my field more and greater things than all my contemporary colleagues. Yet real recognition and material benefits were not given to me; but crediting me sparingly and grudgingly, my life ebbed, and now I find myself ill and poor. A few know the importance of my having lived. When I am but a memory my works and my influence will begin to live."
That is a very telling quote. Similar in fact, I would imagine, to something Schubert himself might have said as he neared the end of his life. Although I can't help but think he might have phrased his pessimism outside his own vanity. Don't get wrong! I'm not knocking Godowsky. From what it sounds like he was a great guy, and his merits as a musician are bluntly self-evident to anyone who examines his work. Yet for him to say he accomplished "more and greater things than all my contemporary colleagues" to me, speaks of an insecurity which is perhaps the reason his work wasn't, and still isn't more recognized. Certainly I'd say what he achieved throughout his career is extraordinary, however so were the achievements of many of his contemporaries. From a technician's standpoint he may well reign supreme, but as an artist overall? Who among us could say that he was "greater" as a composer than Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Mahler, even (be honest!!) Rachmaninoff? Or a greater pianist than Hoffman, Lehvinne, Horowitz? Certainly as a piano composer, his technical facility is unmatched by perhaps anyone in history except for Liszt himself. But it seems almost impossible that a man who is intelligent enough to write a piece like this would be at all surprised that Joe Public would rather listen to a Rachamninoff prelude, or even a longer piece, over this, which while amazing and brilliant and unique to any pianist or serious musician who is listening to it, is just too damn dense for someone who has untrained ears to appreciate in any real way. In that regard I think Godowsky could be considered something of an ivory tower artist, at least to the music listening public at large. Which is a shame. I take from this quote that he probably had a hunch of this his whole life but with his capabilities how could he not do just as he did? In a perfect world everyone would all be able to appreciate his music as easily as whatever pop chaff comes screaming our way. But alas! I think its never to be. At least not for a very long time anyways. In any case, the fact that this video has 70k views on YT (which of course Godowsky could never have envisioned) is something to consider. And I sort of think he would like the idea that only the people who are really truly invested in his work on personal level will be the ones to listen to it. That's a peculiar luxury that the Rachmaninoffs and Beyonces of this world will never know; for they must know that at their level of fame, a lot of the people listening are just bandwagoneers who don't really care. But if Godowsky were here today he would have pretty damn concrete proof that there are at least 70 thousand people in this world who really do care about this particular work. Crazy ass world we got here!
haha, "Godowsky never said that" - wouldn't that be funny, after the long-winded comment (though interesting). It's true that the quote needs a reference. Perhaps Forgotten Books paraphrased it. I've read elsewhere that Godowsky was a humble man.
@@SpaghettiToaster If you mean to suggest that Godowsky didn't write that sad letter to his daughter, he did write the letter. For proof click on the following link and then scroll down to page 12 and look at the paragraph in the right column that begins "In December 1932." You'll find Forgotten Books' quote from Godowsky's letter to his daughter near the end of that paragraph. stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:pk003vm1843/jan_feb-01.pdf
What is truly amazing is that Godowsky wasn't the product of some famous music school, or the disciple of some great prior musician. Godowsky was almost entirely self taught. Despite this enormous disadvantage, he became, and still is, the creator of some of the most wondrous and technically challenging piano music ever written. Consider his composing range, ranging from the tone poem like Java Suite, to the Chopin studies, to the amazing counterpoint of his Passacaglia + Fugue, and lastly the wonderful and ingenious transcriptions of pieces by composers like Rameau, Brahms, and Saint-Saëns. And yet, for even many classical music fans, Godowsky is almost unknown. Hopefully, great pianists like Hamelin, Siirala, etc. can change this.
This monumental recording shows that if we wish to finally understand and appreciate those underrated composers such as Medtner and Godowsky it is the job of equally stellar pianists to reveal the charm, heart, and brilliance bursting at the seams of their work. I've been listening to some recordings of Godowsky's studies - so much detail left out, so many voicings, contrapuntal episodes, rhythms, thick textures, left unheard or unnoticed due to inadequacy on the part of pianists. It must be the same phenomenon of Bach's time - perhaps no one understood Bach because of the pianist's inability then to play his work adequately!
I'm hoping to conquer this piece sometime in the next few years. Currently finishing Stravinksy's Trois Mouvement de Petroushka, so it might be a while lol
In my opinion, the fact that he was not influenced by academia was what made him develop such artistry and limitless pianism. Not going to a particular school may have been not a disadvantage, but the opposite.
@@zackwyvern2582 In Medtner's case it won't be that simple. His larger compositions often don't make sense on the first hearing, which makes his obscurity self-reinforcing and those compositions problematic to program in live performance.
18:47 I like how Godowsky quotes the violin figurations that comes right after the original theme in Schubert’s 8th. It sort of emphasizes how this whole piece puts a magnifying glass on that single theme, and at the end, in the corner of the glass you get at glimpse of what comes next. As if he’s saying “look at what I have done with these ten notes alone - just imagine what you could do with the entire symphony!” That’s how I hear it, anyway…
I actually missed that reference, thx for noticing! I actually found too bad he hasn't used that theme... Buy hadn't recognized it on these very last chords!
That's insanely eye opening, to think Godowsky was such a genius that he created a 44 variation Passacaglia, epilogue and cadenza and a fugue in 4 staves. It's so mind blowingly creative that you forget that the source material was a simple opening phrase to an unfinished symphony. Titans used to walk the earth back then
As an organist, it's interesting that if I visualize this being played on the organ, one really realizes how perfectly this piece was written for the piano. If anyone could transcribe this over to the organ in any decent form, I would declare that person a genius.
I'm no genius but I'd definitely give it a shot. That being said, four years after your comment, I suspect that some of my younger colleagues have chomped into that task with relish.
Godowsky is fascinating. He brings together cultures and eras into a synthesis that takes us into modern times. And because he’s not one of the big historical names that everyone knows, there is still so much to discover.
A nifty detail I haven't seen mentioned: In the chords ate the very end of the piece (18:47), the right hand actually plays the string ostinato that opens the symphony in the middle voice (the left hand plays the theme plus a bunch of octaves). Pretty clever.
More than any other work on RUclips, I keep returning to this colossal masterpiece. I am stupefied by the scale, the technical difficulties, grandeur and sonic landscapes of this amazing work. It is no wonder that it is not better known- how many pianists have the technical chops and endurance to play this in concert? This is not a work that I can understand and fully appreciate with just one listening- this requires my full attention and multiple deep meditative listening to fully grasp the brilliance of this work. Thanks for uploading this gem
I had never heard this. I've played the piano for the last 70 years and never new anything like this existed. I feel like the hymn, "I was blind but now I see."
7:28 builds up so much tension only in 1 minute, first time I hear this and I'm already in love with it Also 11:50 comes in with such a force, the harmony builds up the micro-climax so well.
I'm incredibly sad Godowsky never recorded himself playing this. According to everyone who heard him play this, it was incredible. I'm so jealous of those people. Nonetheless, this is a monumental performance, and perhaps it's the closest we'll get to hearing Godowsky playing this masterpiece.
On kyllä osaava proffa ja paikkansa ansainnut! He is more than capable for the position and definitely deserves it. Took a masterclass from him once and it was worth the money for sure.
I've been listening to this for years and never picked up the reference to the second movement of Schubert's 4 hand F minor Fantasy at 12:51 . There must be more references in there (aside from the Erlkönig, obviously), but I'm not enough of a Schubert connoisseur to spot any others at the moment.
This is a magnificent work! I had never heard this before and was probably recommended this because I recently listened to the Reger passacaglia (in B Minor; although I love Reger's _Introduction and Passacaglia_ in D for organ - Peter Hurford has a recording I like). Great structure: I was hoping for a fugue at the end; I got to the canonic variation and thought 'okay, I can live with this' not realising that the end had not at all come. Then the modulation to B Major: beautiful but not unexpected. Before the fugue a cadenza emphasising a fragment of the theme and finally the fugue. The fugue's modulation into A Minor brought exquisite tension and then we find ourselves in the brightness of C Major before finally getting back to B Minor which I was more or less hoping for. And that final closing variation provided that intense final climax! NOT FORGETTING that final plagal cadence with both an A-Sharp and a C-Sharp on the penultimate chord - just the perfect extra touch of tension to finish the piece, and no tierce-de-picardy on the final chord. I think I may have to now add this recording to my collection (which I have now done). What a great discovery!!!
You can hear Godowsky's deep emotions in this piece. Tantamount to the Valle du Libermann for Liszt. Antti's performance is the first one I heard that did not treat this piece as an extended Chopin etude transcription. Antti captured what this piece meant for Godowsky.
I love chords like the one at 17:35 (4th bar, 1st chord)- they keep it *just* this side of waywward in harmony- that whole section is to me like a blurry, shaky image gradually coming into focus. Sorabji was also very good at doing that, sometimes over a really long period
11:50 to the end of first movement.... DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE, piano was invented to play music like this. What the actual f*** very few times in my life have I experienced something like this, pure passion and emotion. THANKS TO GODOWSKY, TO SIIRALA AND TO ASHISH.
Amazing, I have been totally unaware of Godowsky all this time. At times I feel like this is a little mathematical, but then there is also incredible beauty, passion and exquisite colours. Now that I have discovered it for myself 'Im fascinated by its richness and cant stop listening to it. Thank you for all the work you put into these.
I got Sirala's cd many years ago but never had the concentration to persevere in the Passacaglia ! Now! I realize that not only was Godowsky amazingly inventive and Hofmann thought the world of his playing - anyway this piece tells me the man had a profound compositional mind ! Its like he has gone out to space with Schubert .If he had only composed this and the Java Suite which many pianists are programming now he would be recognized as a great composer like Busoni. The man had an impressive ability to go deeply into whatever he touched ! Read Abram chasins Speaking of Pianists !
This performance is electrifying! I only recently discovered this colossal masterpiece. I think I'll be be bingeing on Godowsky for the foreseeable future.
What a masterpiece. I love how it works itself towards the serene beauty at 6:45 and then by 8:10 you have such an epic climax. Astonishingly inventive piano work.
When I "listen" to such a magnificent master piece, I can picture myself going through the bitingly cold siberian plain, with snow flakes peircing the distant blue; a scenery of both chill, solemn, and so devoured by the mere beauty.
*FASCINATING* This is the first time I have heard this work. Thank you. And I wonder if anybody has done a one-piano, four hands version for two less nimble, but artistic players?
Masterful, flawless counterpoint... I find myself coming back again and again to it. Godowsky had an extraordinary craft. You can't learn or teach that in this level, i strongly believe. You just have to have it.
Stupendous. Forgive a 100-year-old joke: What's the difference between Godowsky and a player piano? Godowsky can play faster, but the player piano has more expression. I'm convinced that this bit of sour grapes was created and spread by his rivals.
@@mountainmanchuck I think because one of Busoni's greatest contributions to piano was the Chaconne, and this is, without a doubt, a direct competitor to it in terms of absolute quality and expression, without relying on Bach's base
@@paeffill9428 Fantasia Contrappuntistica is Busoni's homage to Bach while the Passacaglia is Godowsky's homage to Schubert. Both great works but FC is harder, longer, and more sophisticated.
Holy shit, that was incredible. Never heard of the piece before! I can't believe it was conceived, let alone played by one person! And unlike Bach's monumental Passacaglia, this can never be arranged for other instruments!
Actually, I did have a go at orchestrating it, but it sure is a challenge and a half. One day I'll finish it and try to persuade an orchestra to play it.
Absolutely not! Godowsky's composition varies massively from Schubert's original. Only the first eight bars are the same (the theme); the 44 variations, cadenza, epilogue, and fugue are all fresh and definitely not a simple pastiche of Schubert.
Matt Green I disagree wholeheartedly. Hamelin’s recording doesn’t hold a candle to this one. The technique here is cleaner, the different voices more clear, greater degrees of expression and dynamics here, I could go on for a while....
Yes, Siirala did an excellent job here. He is pretty underrated. I would really love Daniil oder Yuja would try this piece...Zahnlecker and the young Delucci also did well working out the polyphonic structures, but Siirala is still the gold standard - maybe also because of the excellent piano and the recording technique.
Interesting, those are some of my most favourite pieces, along with the Passacaglia. Another favourite of mine would be Rachmaninoff's Sonata No.2 1913 Version. Perhaps you would like it too. I reccomend Kocsis' interpretation.
I love the Bach Chaconne too, although I prefer the transcription by Alexander Siloti who was Rachmaninov's cousin. Naxos has a decent recording on the album _Bach Transcriptions for Piano._ Also, regarding Rachmaninov and a previous reply, I actually prefer his first piano sonata. It's not as popular and I took a while to get my head around what's happening musically (I recommend following with the score) but I have been drawn back to it over the years - certainly because of its intense and contemplative moments. But maybe I need to revisit his second sonata as I don't think I've listened to it for maybe even a decade.
@@PointyTailofSatan That simply isn´t true. Because of this statement ? Vladimir Horowitz reportedly gave up on the piece, claiming that six hands, not two, were required to play it... Maybe he gave up because he didn´t like it. Who knows... Cziffra didn´t play Rach 3. And it was not too difficult for him (of course).
@@sambafamba I’m pretty sure that when any distinguished pianist says something like that, they do not mean they can’t play the piece-all the right notes-from beginning to end. I believe they mean that they are incapable of playing it to their standard-they aren’t willing to put their name, their brand, on an interpretation that they don’t believe is acceptable.
Ashish Xiangyi Kumar, parabéns pelo seu maravilhoso trabalho. Ele vai além do tradicional, da simples postagem. Temos os comentários técnicos das obras, o que faz justiça à grandeza da obra. Essa leitura enriquece a apreciação das apresentações, temos o alcance artístico do que ela representa. O visual das partituras está magnífico. Fica à altura da alta cultura musical, além de que temos o luxo da sincronização, acompanhar passo a passo a apresentação das obras. Por último, mais importante, temos uma ótima seleção das peças musicais e com os seus virtuosos intérpretes. Estávamos precisando desse trabalho como o seu: beleza, técnica, arte.
My favorite is still Rian de Waal's performance. However he recorded it on Hyperion... so doubtful you'd be able to find it here. However Hamelin's 2 recordings are must haves... and i was also quite impressed with Siirala's recording!
I'm surprised that nobody has yet to remark on Siirala's accentuated left-hand voicing between 14:42-14:44 - which I found to be imitative as a sort of "wailing" sound. It complements the cadenza's "lamenting" atmosphere very well (as a result of its acute chromaticism)...
@@maua2848 Wow that Sorabji example is colossal! (a little too discordant for my tastes I must admit, but intriguing nonetheless) Those massive tied chords and complex polyrhythms look positively terrifying!
There's also Ornstein's fourth sonata with six staves at one point (and five at another, and four at yet another, and quite a lot of three staves). It could easily be reordered to fit into four, but there is definitely an elegance in the separation of long background notes that the six staves allow for. E.g. ruclips.net/video/UefF94ptBIA/видео.html
Curious..... at 9:56 it sounds like he brings out the left hand to quote a fragment from the slow movement of the Franck symphony! I must be seeing something that isn't really there :)
Well it's possible, but I think it would be more obvious in that Godowski would have either continued it or repeated it for emphasis. But I love random connections like that.
+PointyTailofSatan I think the torch would go like this Thomas Tallis-->John Dowland-->Bach-->Beethoven-->Brahms-->Godowsky(or maybe Busoni)-->Prokofiev-->Hindemith-->Krzysztof Penderecky(hard battle between him and Einojuhani Rautavaara)-->??? (Takashi Yoshimatsu uses some interesting counterpoint) Do you agree?
+konosxatz1 The thing is, Godowsky had the technical chops to write quality music that others wouldn't dare approach. Godowsky was considered almost a technical god of the piano in his time. Plus, Godowsky's music, like that of Alkan, has a sense of humor.
PointyTailofSatan I agree.And much like Alkan's,Godowsky's music is rarely performed because of this.Another pianist-composer whose pieces' technical demands and contrapounctal harmonies are at their peaks,is Sorabji.It is a shame that great pianists don't even dare to touch these masterpieces by Godowsky,Alkan and Sorabji.
+Brady Dill To be honest, I find Sorabji rather hard to understand as well. While Alkan and Godowsky wrote very technically complex music, all and all, they tended to stay in the mainstream when it came to polyphony and harmony. A sort of cross between Bach and Liszt. Sorabji on the other hand is more along the lines of Messiaen or older Schoenberg.
I think this piece is the perfect introduction to Godowsky, which even a non-musician would understand upon a first listen. After all, what easier form to understand is there than a theme and variations? Godowsky puts every bit of his compositional mastery in 44 repetitions of the same ten (technically eleven, including the upbeat) notes over and over again. And it’s still interesting!
Absolutely phenomenal piece and performance. I play piano, and can't even imagine how hard this must be to practice and play. It was worth it though- this recording is stunning. By the way, am I the only one hearing Erlkonig in the bass from 11:50 to 12:13? Maybe its just me, but it would make sense considering how this piece is in many ways a huge tribute to Schubert.
The first ped marking has a closing star on a chord where you don’t use the pedal at all. However, for the pedal marks after that, you just quickly reapply the pedal whenever you see a new Ped mark, and hold it until you see the next one.
fabulous, he was an overnatural genious, both as a pianist as a composer. Bach would have had a heart attack seeing, waht one could write in the variation form Passacaglia that he cherished so much (BWV582, Goldberg etc.)
Theme: 0:00
Variation 1: 0:17
Variation 2: 0:34
Variation 3: 0:50
Variation 4: 1:07
Variation 5: 1:23** (The harmonic fogginess here is worth repeated listening.)
Variation 6: 1:37
Variation 7: 1:52*
Variation 8: 2:06
Variation 9: 2:23
Variation 10: 2:45
Variation 11: 3:11
Variation 12: 3:34
Variation 13: 3:53* (Magisterial, in the sense that one is dominated by it.)
Variation 14: 4:19
Variation 15: 4:44
Variation 16: 5:03*
Variation 17: 5:15
Variation 18: 5:26
Variation 19: 5:41
Variation 20: 5:53
Variation 21: 6:04
Variation 22: 6:20* (The first variation in a major key; it evokes the first rays of sun following an angry thunderstorm.)
Variation 23: 6:44**
Variation 24: 7:27
Variation 25: 7:41*
Variation 26: 7:54**
Variation 27: 8:10** (A volcanic variation whose apparent climax yields to...)
Variation 28: 8:29* (A beautiful fughetta, with deliciously ambiguous counterpoint.)
Variation 29: 8:52
Variation 30: 9:16
Variation 31: 9:32** (Humorous and delightful.)
Variation 32: 9:41** (More chromatic than its predecessor, but equally playful and enjoyable.)
Variation 33: 9:50
Variation 34: 10:00
Variation 35: 10:09*
Variation 36: 10:33* (Fantastic, contrasting dynamics.)
Variation 37: 11:05**
Variation 38: 11:27
Variation 39: 11:49** (As Ashish said best: "A vast soundscape of loss and desolation." And, of course, Der Erlkonig.)
Variation 40: 12:12
Variation 41: 12:28** (Monstrous technique and monstrous music, evoking some heavenly creature emerging from a fiery pit or from a granite cliff.)
Variation 42: 12:52** (The most spiritually tortured trills in all of pianism.)
Variation 43: 13:15
Variation 44: 13:21* (An apparently lighthearted variation that quickly erupts into one last burst of fire.)
Epilogue: 13:38
Cadenza: 14:30** (Ends with a beautiful unresolved chord which segues perfectly into...)
Fugue: 15:21 (tenor 15:21; alto 15:35; soprano 15:50; "bass" 16:09*; perfect fourth of theme in bass 16:23; secondary, major theme (accompanied by chromatic, lilting RH figuration) 16:34**; awesome sound-painting 17:30**; four staffs 17:44; intricately interwoven melodies 18:06*; sheer enormity of music 18:47**)
Asterisks denote variations of especial majesty, beauty, or melancholy.
(This was a good way to spend an hour.)
Thanks, dude.
Ashish Xiangyi Kumar, please pin this comment!!!
"sheer enormity of music", there is no better way of putting it !!
I love the * personally one of my favorites is at 3:34
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you read Godowsky's prefatory remarks to the piece, you will get a sense of how loving a tribute to Schubert this piece is and the passion that went into composing it. I feel really very sad that Godowsky did not get the recognition he was due in his lifetime, prompting him to write in a letter to his daughter, "I worked honestly with the highest ideals for my chosen art and beloved instrument. I have accomplished in my field more and greater things than all my contemporary colleagues. Yet real recognition and material benefits were not given to me; but crediting me sparingly and grudgingly, my life ebbed, and now I find myself ill and poor. A few know the importance of my having lived. When I am but a memory my works and my influence will begin to live."
That is a very telling quote. Similar in fact, I would imagine, to something Schubert himself might have said as he neared the end of his life. Although I can't help but think he might have phrased his pessimism outside his own vanity. Don't get wrong! I'm not knocking Godowsky. From what it sounds like he was a great guy, and his merits as a musician are bluntly self-evident to anyone who examines his work. Yet for him to say he accomplished "more and greater things than all my contemporary colleagues" to me, speaks of an insecurity which is perhaps the reason his work wasn't, and still isn't more recognized. Certainly I'd say what he achieved throughout his career is extraordinary, however so were the achievements of many of his contemporaries. From a technician's standpoint he may well reign supreme, but as an artist overall? Who among us could say that he was "greater" as a composer than Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Mahler, even (be honest!!) Rachmaninoff? Or a greater pianist than Hoffman, Lehvinne, Horowitz? Certainly as a piano composer, his technical facility is unmatched by perhaps anyone in history except for Liszt himself. But it seems almost impossible that a man who is intelligent enough to write a piece like this would be at all surprised that Joe Public would rather listen to a Rachamninoff prelude, or even a longer piece, over this, which while amazing and brilliant and unique to any pianist or serious musician who is listening to it, is just too damn dense for someone who has untrained ears to appreciate in any real way. In that regard I think Godowsky could be considered something of an ivory tower artist, at least to the music listening public at large. Which is a shame. I take from this quote that he probably had a hunch of this his whole life but with his capabilities how could he not do just as he did? In a perfect world everyone would all be able to appreciate his music as easily as whatever pop chaff comes screaming our way. But alas! I think its never to be. At least not for a very long time anyways. In any case, the fact that this video has 70k views on YT (which of course Godowsky could never have envisioned) is something to consider. And I sort of think he would like the idea that only the people who are really truly invested in his work on personal level will be the ones to listen to it. That's a peculiar luxury that the Rachmaninoffs and Beyonces of this world will never know; for they must know that at their level of fame, a lot of the people listening are just bandwagoneers who don't really care. But if Godowsky were here today he would have pretty damn concrete proof that there are at least 70 thousand people in this world who really do care about this particular work. Crazy ass world we got here!
Godowsky never said that. That quote is fake news.
haha, "Godowsky never said that" - wouldn't that be funny, after the long-winded comment (though interesting). It's true that the quote needs a reference. Perhaps Forgotten Books paraphrased it. I've read elsewhere that Godowsky was a humble man.
Prove it.
@@SpaghettiToaster If you mean to suggest that Godowsky didn't write that sad letter to his daughter, he did write the letter. For proof click on the following link and then scroll down to page 12 and look at the paragraph in the right column that begins "In December 1932." You'll find Forgotten Books' quote from Godowsky's letter to his daughter near the end of that paragraph. stacks.stanford.edu/file/druid:pk003vm1843/jan_feb-01.pdf
What is truly amazing is that Godowsky wasn't the product of some famous music school, or the disciple of some great prior musician. Godowsky was almost entirely self taught. Despite this enormous disadvantage, he became, and still is, the creator of some of the most wondrous and technically challenging piano music ever written. Consider his composing range, ranging from the tone poem like Java Suite, to the Chopin studies, to the amazing counterpoint of his Passacaglia + Fugue, and lastly the wonderful and ingenious transcriptions of pieces by composers like Rameau, Brahms, and Saint-Saëns. And yet, for even many classical music fans, Godowsky is almost unknown. Hopefully, great pianists like Hamelin, Siirala, etc. can change this.
This monumental recording shows that if we wish to finally understand and appreciate those underrated composers such as Medtner and Godowsky it is the job of equally stellar pianists to reveal the charm, heart, and brilliance bursting at the seams of their work.
I've been listening to some recordings of Godowsky's studies - so much detail left out, so many voicings, contrapuntal episodes, rhythms, thick textures, left unheard or unnoticed due to inadequacy on the part of pianists. It must be the same phenomenon of Bach's time - perhaps no one understood Bach because of the pianist's inability then to play his work adequately!
I'm hoping to conquer this piece sometime in the next few years. Currently finishing Stravinksy's Trois Mouvement de Petroushka, so it might be a while lol
In my opinion, the fact that he was not influenced by academia was what made him develop such artistry and limitless pianism. Not going to a particular school may have been not a disadvantage, but the opposite.
@@zackwyvern2582 In Medtner's case it won't be that simple. His larger compositions often don't make sense on the first hearing, which makes his obscurity self-reinforcing and those compositions problematic to program in live performance.
Sorabji's music is the most challenging of the pianistic, virtuoso type. And he was also self-taught.
18:47
I like how Godowsky quotes the violin figurations that comes right after the original theme in Schubert’s 8th. It sort of emphasizes how this whole piece puts a magnifying glass on that single theme, and at the end, in the corner of the glass you get at glimpse of what comes next. As if he’s saying “look at what I have done with these ten notes alone - just imagine what you could do with the entire symphony!”
That’s how I hear it, anyway…
I actually missed that reference, thx for noticing! I actually found too bad he hasn't used that theme... Buy hadn't recognized it on these very last chords!
That's insanely eye opening, to think Godowsky was such a genius that he created a 44 variation Passacaglia, epilogue and cadenza and a fugue in 4 staves. It's so mind blowingly creative that you forget that the source material was a simple opening phrase to an unfinished symphony. Titans used to walk the earth back then
Wow
I'm playing the first violin part in orchestra. I'm in awe of what's possible to do on a single instrument
he also quotes erlkönig at 11:50
As an organist, it's interesting that if I visualize this being played on the organ, one really realizes how perfectly this piece was written for the piano. If anyone could transcribe this over to the organ in any decent form, I would declare that person a genius.
I'm no genius but I'd definitely give it a shot. That being said, four years after your comment, I suspect that some of my younger colleagues have chomped into that task with relish.
Godowsky is fascinating. He brings together cultures and eras into a synthesis that takes us into modern times. And because he’s not one of the big historical names that everyone knows, there is still so much to discover.
A nifty detail I haven't seen mentioned: In the chords ate the very end of the piece (18:47), the right hand actually plays the string ostinato that opens the symphony in the middle voice (the left hand plays the theme plus a bunch of octaves). Pretty clever.
Oh right!! I was like, why hasn't he leveraged on that second theme from the symphony, I was looking for it everywhere! 😅
I found this a couple weeks ago and can't stop listening to it. Totally hypnotic and over-the-top in all ways!
More than any other work on RUclips, I keep returning to this colossal masterpiece. I am stupefied by the scale, the technical difficulties, grandeur and sonic landscapes of this amazing work. It is no wonder that it is not better known- how many pianists have the technical chops and endurance to play this in concert? This is not a work that I can understand and fully appreciate with just one listening- this requires my full attention and multiple deep meditative listening to fully grasp the brilliance of this work. Thanks for uploading this gem
7 months later, I still love this piece
It's almost like Godowsky's version of the Art of Fugue, all in one fantastic piece. It's like an aural dictionary of how to do variations on a theme.
I think more like Bach's passacaglia in c minor
@@emrekaracanta1332 A hybrid child, perhap?
@@segmentsAndCurves add in chaconne flow of thematic development and boom
@@zerois2801 I had just finished listening to the Bach-Busoni Chaconne and this is remarkably similar.
@@emrekaracanta1332 Indeed, because Bach's Passacaglia also is a set of variations
I had never heard this. I've played the piano for the last 70 years and never new anything like this existed. I feel like the hymn, "I was blind but now I see."
I am humbled that something like this can even be played at all, let alone with such fluid mastery.
7:28 builds up so much tension only in 1 minute, first time I hear this and I'm already in love with it
Also 11:50 comes in with such a force, the harmony builds up the micro-climax so well.
I'm incredibly sad Godowsky never recorded himself playing this. According to everyone who heard him play this, it was incredible. I'm so jealous of those people. Nonetheless, this is a monumental performance, and perhaps it's the closest we'll get to hearing Godowsky playing this masterpiece.
Antti Siirala just got elected as a professor at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki! :)
Eläköön, eläköön, eläköön!
Wow, that's amazing!
On kyllä osaava proffa ja paikkansa ansainnut!
He is more than capable for the position and definitely deserves it. Took a masterclass from him once and it was worth the money for sure.
I've been listening to this for years and never picked up the reference to the second movement of Schubert's 4 hand F minor Fantasy at 12:51 . There must be more references in there (aside from the Erlkönig, obviously), but I'm not enough of a Schubert connoisseur to spot any others at the moment.
Good catch! I don't think anyone else has made that observation that I have seen so far.
I sometimes hear fragments of his d946 in passacaglia. This definitely feels like schubert but very concentrated.
Someone else pointed out the reference at 18:47 in the right hand.
getting addicted to this
I keep listening to this masterpiece for years. There is no chance it will bore me. Never.
This is a magnificent work! I had never heard this before and was probably recommended this because I recently listened to the Reger passacaglia (in B Minor; although I love Reger's _Introduction and Passacaglia_ in D for organ - Peter Hurford has a recording I like).
Great structure: I was hoping for a fugue at the end; I got to the canonic variation and thought 'okay, I can live with this' not realising that the end had not at all come. Then the modulation to B Major: beautiful but not unexpected. Before the fugue a cadenza emphasising a fragment of the theme and finally the fugue. The fugue's modulation into A Minor brought exquisite tension and then we find ourselves in the brightness of C Major before finally getting back to B Minor which I was more or less hoping for. And that final closing variation provided that intense final climax! NOT FORGETTING that final plagal cadence with both an A-Sharp and a C-Sharp on the penultimate chord - just the perfect extra touch of tension to finish the piece, and no tierce-de-picardy on the final chord.
I think I may have to now add this recording to my collection (which I have now done). What a great discovery!!!
You can hear Godowsky's deep emotions in this piece. Tantamount to the Valle du Libermann for Liszt. Antti's performance is the first one I heard that did not treat this piece as an extended Chopin etude transcription. Antti captured what this piece meant for Godowsky.
I love chords like the one at 17:35 (4th bar, 1st chord)- they keep it *just* this side of waywward in harmony- that whole section is to me like a blurry, shaky image gradually coming into focus. Sorabji was also very good at doing that, sometimes over a really long period
I only knew Godowsky as the composer of cursed Chopin etudes... this gives me a whole new perspective on how good of a composer he was himself!
I think this is the late romantic period’s greatest contribution to the piano repertoire
yea i think this piece is kinda gay ngl
@@winstonzhang6352 gay is how i like my music
there needs to be a disc of the original rachmaninoff second sonata, and this... hot stuff...
@@nikitalvov40 I loled.
@@dvdlpznyc the big three
Gaspard de la Nuit, Rachmaninoff Sonata 2 1913 and Godowsky's Passacaglia
11:50 to the end of first movement.... DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE, piano was invented to play music like this. What the actual f*** very few times in my life have I experienced something like this, pure passion and emotion. THANKS TO GODOWSKY, TO SIIRALA AND TO ASHISH.
Incredible pianist. I wish I had more lessons from him.
Я благодарен Богу что он дал людям возможность творить, через такие вещи можно подняться над грешной землею
The firsts notes of Schubert's 8th symphony are the firsts notes of a monumental and huge Passacaglia!!! 🤯 (I always dream it😍😍😍)
Rachmaninoff thought Godowsky was some kind of piano god, and that's really saying something.
litteraly not to mention he has most of the hardest peices yet he doesnt have global attetnion lmao
Rachmaninoff was correct
@@PieInTheSky9 very
@Shostacovid-19 Oh my GODowsky!
Ysaye in Piano
Amazing, I have been totally unaware of Godowsky all this time. At times I feel like this is a little mathematical, but then there is also incredible beauty, passion and exquisite colours. Now that I have discovered it for myself 'Im fascinated by its richness and cant stop listening to it. Thank you for all the work you put into these.
I got Sirala's cd many years ago but never had the concentration to persevere in the Passacaglia ! Now! I realize that not only was Godowsky amazingly inventive and Hofmann thought the world of his playing - anyway this piece tells me the man had a profound compositional mind ! Its like he has gone out to space with Schubert .If he had only composed this and the Java Suite which many pianists are programming now he would be recognized as a great composer like Busoni. The man had an impressive ability to go deeply into whatever he touched ! Read Abram chasins Speaking of Pianists !
Absolutely hauntingly beautiful. The use of accidentals is terrifying, yet wonderful.
This performance is electrifying! I only recently discovered this colossal masterpiece. I think I'll be be bingeing on Godowsky for the foreseeable future.
1:24 is absolutely breathtaking
One of my favorite compositions ever!!! The chromatic harmony is everything.
What a masterpiece. I love how it works itself towards the serene beauty at 6:45 and then by 8:10 you have such an epic climax. Astonishingly inventive piano work.
Love how the score gives the fingering, like thanks but it still doesn't help
When I "listen" to such a magnificent master piece, I can picture myself going through the bitingly cold siberian plain, with snow flakes peircing the distant blue; a scenery of both chill, solemn, and so devoured by the mere beauty.
What a tribute to mankind !! Absolutely amazing and mind boggling
2021 and i still can't believe this is humanly playable 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤕
What a beast, both, the composer and the pianist
The build-up to 1:23 is godly, but 1:23 is just unbelieveable....
*FASCINATING* This is the first time I have heard this work. Thank you.
And I wonder if anybody has done a one-piano, four hands version for two less nimble, but artistic players?
Funny enough, Horowitz famously gave up learning this piece because he said it "needed six hands" to be played... 😂
I’m surprised to see not many people mentioning 8:10, one of my favourite pieces of music ever
I like this Shiirala's performance and come to listen to it regularly. I think there's a nice match between technique and emotion.
Masterful, flawless counterpoint... I find myself coming back again and again to it. Godowsky had an extraordinary craft. You can't learn or teach that in this level, i strongly believe. You just have to have it.
Stupendous. Forgive a 100-year-old joke: What's the difference between Godowsky and a player piano? Godowsky can play faster, but the player piano has more expression. I'm convinced that this bit of sour grapes was created and spread by his rivals.
That was a quip by Busoni actually :D
After he'd be fired from a job and replaced by Godowsky... Can't remember which job exactly...
WJohnM Godowsky is a god!!
@@mountainmanchuck I think because one of Busoni's greatest contributions to piano was the Chaconne, and this is, without a doubt, a direct competitor to it in terms of absolute quality and expression, without relying on Bach's base
@@paeffill9428 Fantasia Contrappuntistica is Busoni's homage to Bach while the Passacaglia is Godowsky's homage to Schubert. Both great works but FC is harder, longer, and more sophisticated.
18:07 Hooooly shit, the voicing in that section
The voicing through the _whole_ performance was excellent!
A masterpiece of piano invention.
Holy shit, that was incredible. Never heard of the piece before! I can't believe it was conceived, let alone played by one person! And unlike Bach's monumental Passacaglia, this can never be arranged for other instruments!
Actually, I did have a go at orchestrating it, but it sure is a challenge and a half. One day I'll finish it and try to persuade an orchestra to play it.
@@georgeowen2553 I guess (re)orchestrating it. Would be an easier task as it was "transcribed" from a symphony.
Absolutely not! Godowsky's composition varies massively from Schubert's original. Only the first eight bars are the same (the theme); the 44 variations, cadenza, epilogue, and fugue are all fresh and definitely not a simple pastiche of Schubert.
Leopold Gosowsky:h-moll Passacaglia
1.Passacaglia 00:00
2.Epilógus és Kadencia 13:38
3.Fúga 15:21
Antti Siirala-zongora
Köszönöm az értékelést
The erlkonig reference, this is an amazing work
Best performance of this piece hands down.
Omg the sudden Erlkonig quote is such beauty!
Couldn't agree more with the description
Just stumbled across this piece and happily surprised i must say. It's witty and deep.
I keep coming back to listen to this, thanks for sharing!
"For what it's worth, this also blows Hamelin clean out of the water...". I can't agree.
What does this expression mean please?
It means that this performance is much better than Hamelin's performance of the same piece.
Matt Green I disagree wholeheartedly. Hamelin’s recording doesn’t hold a candle to this one. The technique here is cleaner, the different voices more clear, greater degrees of expression and dynamics here, I could go on for a while....
Utterly and completely stupendous!
That cadenza ! Is just terrifying!
@Da ZecretPianizt Rezpec
Yes, Siirala did an excellent job here. He is pretty underrated. I would really love Daniil oder Yuja would try this piece...Zahnlecker and the young Delucci also did well working out the polyphonic structures, but Siirala is still the gold standard - maybe also because of the excellent piano and the recording technique.
part 1 : 0:00
part 2 : 10:24 (actually divided by hexameron.)
I discovered this piece only two days ago but it's already a great favourite of mine, like Liszt's Sonata or the Chaconne transcribed by Busoni
Interesting, those are some of my most favourite pieces, along with the Passacaglia. Another favourite of mine would be Rachmaninoff's Sonata No.2 1913 Version. Perhaps you would like it too. I reccomend Kocsis' interpretation.
@@duqueadriano0081 I love that piece! Incredibly chaotic.
I love the Bach Chaconne too, although I prefer the transcription by Alexander Siloti who was Rachmaninov's cousin. Naxos has a decent recording on the album _Bach Transcriptions for Piano._
Also, regarding Rachmaninov and a previous reply, I actually prefer his first piano sonata. It's not as popular and I took a while to get my head around what's happening musically (I recommend following with the score) but I have been drawn back to it over the years - certainly because of its intense and contemplative moments. But maybe I need to revisit his second sonata as I don't think I've listened to it for maybe even a decade.
Thank you; incredible feat of architecture apart from anything else.
I could play this with my eyes shut! I always sleep with my eyes shut!
This is actually sick what
Siirala plays this piece with incredible drama, definitely does justice to it
absolutely divine playing!bravissimo
The opening theme is taken from Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 (the unfinished) D. 759 in first Mvt.
It’s a real beautiful music but at the same time I really don’t want to play it. Haha
It was too hard for Horowitz, so good luck! lol
@@PointyTailofSatan That simply isn´t true. Because of this statement ? Vladimir Horowitz reportedly gave up on the piece, claiming that six hands, not two, were required to play it...
Maybe he gave up because he didn´t like it. Who knows...
Cziffra didn´t play Rach 3. And it was not too difficult for him (of course).
@@sambafamba I’m pretty sure that when any distinguished pianist says something like that, they do not mean they can’t play the piece-all the right notes-from beginning to end. I believe they mean that they are incapable of playing it to their standard-they aren’t willing to put their name, their brand, on an interpretation that they don’t believe is acceptable.
@@sambafamba Horowitz loved to make silly jokes. That was only one of the many
Wow, pleasure seeing you here. I am a huge fan of your interpretation of the titanic piece.
10:32 when you remember all the embarrassing things you did in your life
Nathan it do be like that like you’re thinking silently but then you get the urge to cringe out loud
18:56 he plays g# instead of f# in the left hand and it sounds even more epic.
Ashish Xiangyi Kumar, parabéns pelo seu maravilhoso trabalho. Ele vai além do tradicional, da simples postagem. Temos os comentários técnicos das obras, o que faz justiça à grandeza da obra. Essa leitura enriquece a apreciação das apresentações, temos o alcance artístico do que ela representa. O visual das partituras está magnífico. Fica à altura da alta cultura musical, além de que temos o luxo da sincronização, acompanhar passo a passo a apresentação das obras. Por último, mais importante, temos uma ótima seleção das peças musicais e com os seus virtuosos intérpretes. Estávamos precisando desse trabalho como o seu: beleza, técnica, arte.
roger love this passacaglia
What a beauty!!
Have always aspired to play Godowsky. Alas, not in this lifetime.
Never give up
Incredibly difficult piece! Sirala is great!
Variations 22 & 33 are wonderfully reminiscent of Rachmaninoff. And the cadenza is so extra-terrestrial as to be unbelievable!
Gorgeous!....absolutely stunning!
My favorite is still Rian de Waal's performance. However he recorded it on Hyperion... so doubtful you'd be able to find it here.
However Hamelin's 2 recordings are must haves... and i was also quite impressed with Siirala's recording!
I'm surprised that nobody has yet to remark on Siirala's accentuated left-hand voicing between 14:42-14:44 - which I found to be imitative as a sort of "wailing" sound. It complements the cadenza's "lamenting" atmosphere very well (as a result of its acute chromaticism)...
Good news! This entered public domain in the USA this year!
That is some insane voicing from siirala
17:45, wow, I've seen 3 staffs (staves?) before but never 4. I think 4 was a good choice though; it looks very tidy
user2837 sorabji had 5 (if you’re curious of course)
ruclips.net/video/gSjiAwsoKh4/видео.html (it’s at 14:55 i believe)
it’s just insane-
Rach, prelude in c# minor, ending
You've never heard Rach's prelude in C# minor?
@@maua2848 Wow that Sorabji example is colossal! (a little too discordant for my tastes I must admit, but intriguing nonetheless) Those massive tied chords and complex polyrhythms look positively terrifying!
There's also Ornstein's fourth sonata with six staves at one point (and five at another, and four at yet another, and quite a lot of three staves). It could easily be reordered to fit into four, but there is definitely an elegance in the separation of long background notes that the six staves allow for.
E.g. ruclips.net/video/UefF94ptBIA/видео.html
Curious..... at 9:56 it sounds like he brings out the left hand to quote a fragment from the slow movement of the Franck symphony! I must be seeing something that isn't really there :)
Well it's possible, but I think it would be more obvious in that Godowski would have either continued it or repeated it for emphasis. But I love random connections like that.
The opening really reminded me of Schubert's Unfinished
Yes, Godowsky wrote this on the 100th anniversary of Schubert's death, as an hommage. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passacaglia_(Godowsky)
The main theme is from Schubert - Symphony №8 the theme of the introduction
Of course, we all love the Erlkönig reference.
das ist beautiful like hell
ABSOLUTELY MESMERIZING!!!
One of my favourite pieces!
Breathtaking
Seriously, if anyone could say they were thrown the torch of counterpoint from Bach, it would have to be Godowsky.
+PointyTailofSatan Very true -- but I'd add that Brahms and Rachmaninoff have a good shot at that title too.
+PointyTailofSatan I think the torch would go like this Thomas Tallis-->John Dowland-->Bach-->Beethoven-->Brahms-->Godowsky(or maybe Busoni)-->Prokofiev-->Hindemith-->Krzysztof Penderecky(hard battle between him and Einojuhani Rautavaara)-->??? (Takashi Yoshimatsu uses some interesting counterpoint)
Do you agree?
+konosxatz1 The thing is, Godowsky had the technical chops to write quality music that others wouldn't dare approach. Godowsky was considered almost a technical god of the piano in his time. Plus, Godowsky's music, like that of Alkan, has a sense of humor.
PointyTailofSatan I agree.And much like Alkan's,Godowsky's music is rarely performed because of this.Another pianist-composer whose pieces' technical demands and contrapounctal harmonies are at their peaks,is Sorabji.It is a shame that great pianists don't even dare to touch these masterpieces by Godowsky,Alkan and Sorabji.
+Brady Dill To be honest, I find Sorabji rather hard to understand as well. While Alkan and Godowsky wrote very technically complex music, all and all, they tended to stay in the mainstream when it came to polyphony and harmony. A sort of cross between Bach and Liszt. Sorabji on the other hand is more along the lines of Messiaen or older Schoenberg.
I think this piece is the perfect introduction to Godowsky, which even a non-musician would understand upon a first listen. After all, what easier form to understand is there than a theme and variations? Godowsky puts every bit of his compositional mastery in 44 repetitions of the same ten (technically eleven, including the upbeat) notes over and over again. And it’s still interesting!
Absolutely phenomenal piece and performance. I play piano, and can't even imagine how hard this must be to practice and play. It was worth it though- this recording is stunning. By the way, am I the only one hearing Erlkonig in the bass from 11:50 to 12:13? Maybe its just me, but it would make sense considering how this piece is in many ways a huge tribute to Schubert.
The reference to Erlkonig is written at the bottom of the score.
yup there are a lot of samples from schubert's pieces
I love the quote of the Erlkönig at 11:50 !
Schubert in the treble, Schubert in the bass, Schubert Schubert Schubert all over the place
The hint actually comes from 11:07, which is crazy because the baritone doesn't come forward fully.
Bach+Rachmaninoff... this is amazing. at the end of the fugue; its like bach's cm passacaglia's last variation. (repating melody)
What do the isolated Ped markings mean? For example, at 7:59 the first Ped marking has its associated closing star, but the others don't?
The first ped marking has a closing star on a chord where you don’t use the pedal at all. However, for the pedal marks after that, you just quickly reapply the pedal whenever you see a new Ped mark, and hold it until you see the next one.
It's really outstanding
fabulous, he was an overnatural genious, both as a pianist as a composer. Bach would have had a heart attack seeing, waht one could write in the variation form Passacaglia that he cherished so much (BWV582, Goldberg etc.)
4:44; 8:53; 18:06 love the slow ones