In case anyone is curious, this was recorded just prior to his stroke on June 17th of 1930, during a recording session of Chopin (one source indicated it was the Scherzi, another, the Nocturnes). He did play afterward, but never in public. He would go on to live another eight years. A great loss to the world of music....
"When I was playing my ‘Sonata in B Flat Minor’ amidst a circle of English friends, an unusual experience befell me. I executed the allegro and scherzo more or less correctly and was just about to start the [funeral] march, when suddenly I saw emerging from the half-opened case of the piano the cursed apparitions that had appeared to me one evening in the Chartreuse [in Mallorca]. I had to go out for a moment to collect myself, after which, without a word, I played on." Frederic Chopin
@@UEDSC Godowsky plays the last two movements better than the first two imho. His rendition of the last movement is very musical with every note being heard whereas Rachmaninoff plays it so fast that the effect is a blur like a tornado over graves in cemetery instead of cold winds. He must of channeled Simone Barere at the recording studio (Lol).
@@nickboldewskul2136 "every note being heard" - that is perfect description of why I prefer this version to other (I schould say that I am not a big Chopin fan), that was first time when I didn't get confused during listening ot this piece and streams of notes seemed to me to be combined with clear purpose, so I am thankful to RUclips for giving me chance to listen to Godovsky version. One my friend (who has professional degree, for instance I have not), when we discussed this record, admitted 'some points in style of performing that made the composiiton to sound more constructive' but was not satisfied with some other aspects of this performance.
Wonderful Playing From The Golden Age Of Pianists....Fantastic Technique Coupled with Musicality and Heart .....Also....Tremendous Passion Here ......A Real Tiger !!!!
…interesting sound world of outstanding Artist from a by-gone Era…..lucky for us that he has left recordings to appreciate and Respect and learn from….even more so, his compositions…since he was a Composer…..🙂
two (2) little known factoids: 1) Godowsky's third hand was his "Johnson". 2) His No.1 Sonata killed Chuck Norris who then subsequently resurrected when his corpse heard Godowsky's transcription of the Star Spangled Banner.
As expected with Godowsky, he makes the left hand sing, which marks these voices that we had never perceived as strongly. After all, he designed 53 studies around the left hand. This performance proves a concept, I guess :p
That is amazing, how performer's approach to a piece is important! I remember the period of time, when I had been misunderstanding Beethoven's most most passionate works until I had got acquainted with Richter's versions of 8th and 23 sonatas (rare thing, when Beethoven's music are shown as a way to inspire and give giant energy to create, live and overcome any obstacle, not just as a emotional agitation in endless restlessness). Here is something similar, this performance makes clear true content of music, at least for me of course. Beautiful music!
First time in my life this music has occupied my heart and mind, this performance made me follow this passionate music - such tension and emotions! Godowsky seems to be the best performer of this sonata to my ear. Finally, this music turned in something captivating for me! Thank you for the upload!
Wow! Really great playing, especially the first movement. He handles the exposition repeat (and then the second time, the transition to the development section) as well as any version I've heard. I've tended to overlook or neglect Godowsky's recordings, based on his reputation for having not been effective in the recording studio, but this recording very much puts lie to that idea!
après que nous soyons tous partis Quand mon âme passe à côté de toi Secouer les branches du printemps Ne pensez pas que c'est le vent. Je t'ai connu aujourd'hui au coin de l'ombre de la terre Je veux planter un arbre en fleurs Quand l'arbre grandit et fleurit Toutes les souffrances que nous connaissons Il deviendra des pétales et s'envolera. Deviens une fleur et envole-toi C'est insupportablement tiré par les cheveux et futile peut-être tout dans le monde Allez-vous acheter des actions uniquement avec une règle ? Parfois si tu écoutes le vent Bon, n'oublie pas même si tu es fatigué Parler du vent venant de loin. ,
We have been told ad nauseam by colleagues and critics alike that Popsy played at his incomparable best only in his own living room. Godowsky himself later underscored the written plea, "Do not judge me by my recordings," and he described - along with Busoni, Schnabel and so many others - the torture it was in those early days to document his art on discs. But consider: While friends like Josef Hofmann and Abram Chasins said Godowsky dried up, not just in the studio but also on stage, Godowsky insisted that he played his best at concerts and recitals, though few people understood his approach. Chasins in his book Speaking of Pianists relates how Godowsky once criticized Hofmann for underlining portions of a score, and that Hofmann in turn accused Godowsky of undue reticence. Both Chasins and Hofmann then "caught" Godowsky italicizing part of a piece for them - and they praised him for it - but Godowsky explained that he was merely pointing out something novel in one of his own, newly written works, and that such an approach was not appropriate for the classics. As for Godowsky's assessment of his records, that notorious statement was made after the great pianist suffered a debilitating stroke, which he blamed on the arduous process of recording. He had also recently lost his wife and son. Godowsky at the end of his life was a bitter man. But would a musician who disdained recordings have made as many takes of individual 78 sides - as many as Rachmaninoff did, which is to say sometimes dozens! - if he was not more or less content at the time with the ultimate results? And what are those results? I don't know how Popsy played at home for everyone from his postman to Albert Einstein. But the records, including this Chopin sonata, are mostly magnificent. Different to be sure from those of even the "transitional" figures of his time, like (each in his own way) Rachmaninoff, Hofmann and early Horowitz - not to mention arch-romantics such as de Pachmann or Rosenthal. Godowsky's art is of course sovereign in technique for all the occasional smudges but more important, patrician as regards tempo, touch and especially the refined taste of a natural aristocrat. Like Chopin, Godowsky never insists. He never pounds. Just as his studies on Chopin's etudes eschew all obvious flamboyance, Godowsky conveys the essence of nearly every piece simply yet with infinite subtlety. And I'm not just talking about the records that everyone lauds: the Grieg Ballade, the Schubert-Godowsky transcriptions and the Chopin Fourth Scherzo. These may be supreme. But listen also to this Funeral March sonata, Les Adieux and even such hackneyed pieces as the third Liebestraum and then tell me who's played them with more elegance and nobility now or during the Golden Age. Forget what you've read and just listen. Thanks for sharing, Margot.
I do not really share your very interesting comment. Ok with the luxurious nobility of the man, with his ultra- wonderful sentiment, his ability to be intelligent at the piano. But yes, ever if it is "ad nauseam" for you, I can hear something here like a kind of a paralysis. The inner emotion do not go to the keyboard, the arms and the fingers are quite automatic, or lightly frozen. The mental of the pianist is not spontaneous, his sensitivity censored by an invisible severe ghost. And the worse part of it : the listeners FEEL that a treasure stays behind the whole thing. That the pianist has much, much, much more to say and to give, instead of this painful torture, making the recording boring when it could be absolutely glorious. It's a real frustration. For the pianist and the listeners. Only antidote : his recording of the fourth Scherzo of Chopin, when Godowsky didn't know that he was recorded. This is somethig upon all others ............... (excuse my poor english, not my native language)
U can clearly hear in this recording and other Godowsky recordings that Horowitz's comment is not true. . . What's astounding about his recorded output is, it was all done live in one take without editing, under far less than ideal conditions. You will never hear a harsh tone in Godowsky's playing. Listen to the very last triple fff forte chord of this recording. He wasn't a banger, that's for sure. This is an extraordinary document...
@@dsmythe5329 Nope. Godowsky had stage fright. So he actually played mezzo-forte in live performances. Maybe in studio he raised the volume of his playing.
@@klop4228 they shouldn't - you don't live your life at exactly the same tempo , so why should it be in music ? This is what makes it lifeless and insanely predictable
In case anyone is curious, this was recorded just prior to his stroke on June 17th of 1930, during a recording session of Chopin (one source indicated it was the Scherzi, another, the Nocturnes).
He did play afterward, but never in public. He would go on to live another eight years. A great loss to the world of music....
The presto finale is the best ever. And most original.
ruclips.net/video/dUW30vvk6Io/видео.html
"When I was playing my ‘Sonata in B Flat Minor’ amidst a circle of English friends, an unusual experience befell me. I executed the allegro and scherzo more or less correctly and was just about to start the [funeral] march, when suddenly I saw emerging from the half-opened case of the piano the cursed apparitions that had appeared to me one evening in the Chartreuse [in Mallorca]. I had to go out for a moment to collect myself, after which, without a word, I played on."
Frederic Chopin
Probably the best version I've ever heard, and one of the very few in which even the finale sings.
Listen to Rachmaninov.
Absolutely agree with you!
Even Rachmaninov's performance doesn't seem to be so convincing, in my opinion.
@@UEDSC Godowsky plays the last two movements better than the first two imho. His rendition of the last movement is very musical with every note being heard whereas Rachmaninoff plays it so fast that the effect is a blur like a tornado over graves in cemetery instead of cold winds. He must of channeled Simone Barere at the recording studio (Lol).
@@nickboldewskul2136 "every note being heard" - that is perfect description of why I prefer this version to other (I schould say that I am not a big Chopin fan), that was first time when I didn't get confused during listening ot this piece and streams of notes seemed to me to be combined with clear purpose, so I am thankful to RUclips for giving me chance to listen to Godovsky version.
One my friend (who has professional degree, for instance I have not), when we discussed this record, admitted 'some points in style of performing that made the composiiton to sound more constructive' but was not satisfied with some other aspects of this performance.
Absolutely; Godowski made SENSE out of the final movement in a way not even Rachmaninov could
Wonderful Playing From The Golden Age Of Pianists....Fantastic Technique Coupled with Musicality and Heart .....Also....Tremendous Passion Here ......A Real Tiger !!!!
Note that no less an icon of music, Rachmaninoff, thought Godowsky's playing was almost God like. High praise indeed.
Never have I heard such voicing as Godowsky brings to the finale of this sonata.
Just divine........! No other words can properly describe this divine
interpretation.
…interesting sound world of outstanding Artist from a by-gone Era…..lucky for us that he has left recordings to appreciate and Respect and learn from….even more so, his compositions…since he was a Composer…..🙂
My theory is that Godowsky had three hands. One right and two left.
two (2) little known factoids: 1) Godowsky's third hand was his "Johnson". 2) His No.1 Sonata killed Chuck Norris who then subsequently resurrected when his corpse heard Godowsky's transcription of the Star Spangled Banner.
He probably played with his B*NER
As expected with Godowsky, he makes the left hand sing, which marks these voices that we had never perceived as strongly. After all, he designed 53 studies around the left hand. This performance proves a concept, I guess :p
Memorabile:ogni pianista di "oggi" dovrebbe conoscere i grandi pianisti del passato:essi sono insuperabili nell'interpretazione...
That is amazing, how performer's approach to a piece is important! I remember the period of time, when I had been misunderstanding Beethoven's most most passionate works until I had got acquainted with Richter's versions of 8th and 23 sonatas (rare thing, when Beethoven's music are shown as a way to inspire and give giant energy to create, live and overcome any obstacle, not just as a emotional agitation in endless restlessness). Here is something similar, this performance makes clear true content of music, at least for me of course. Beautiful music!
First time in my life this music has occupied my heart and mind, this performance made me follow this passionate music - such tension and emotions! Godowsky seems to be the best performer of this sonata to my ear. Finally, this music turned in something captivating for me! Thank you for the upload!
Wow! Really great playing, especially the first movement. He handles the exposition repeat (and then the second time, the transition to the development section) as well as any version I've heard.
I've tended to overlook or neglect Godowsky's recordings, based on his reputation for having not been effective in the recording studio, but this recording very much puts lie to that idea!
après que nous soyons tous partis
Quand mon âme passe à côté de toi
Secouer les branches du printemps
Ne pensez pas que c'est le vent.
Je t'ai connu aujourd'hui
au coin de l'ombre de la terre
Je veux planter un arbre en fleurs
Quand l'arbre grandit et fleurit
Toutes les souffrances que nous connaissons
Il deviendra des pétales et s'envolera.
Deviens une fleur et envole-toi
C'est insupportablement tiré par les cheveux et futile
peut-être tout dans le monde
Allez-vous acheter des actions uniquement avec une règle ?
Parfois si tu écoutes le vent
Bon, n'oublie pas même si tu es fatigué
Parler du vent venant de loin.
,
We have been told ad nauseam by colleagues and critics alike that Popsy played at his incomparable best only in his own living room. Godowsky himself later underscored the written plea, "Do not judge me by my recordings," and he described - along with Busoni, Schnabel and so many others - the torture it was in those early days to document his art on discs.
But consider: While friends like Josef Hofmann and Abram Chasins said Godowsky dried up, not just in the studio but also on stage, Godowsky insisted that he played his best at concerts and recitals, though few people understood his approach. Chasins in his book Speaking of Pianists relates how Godowsky once criticized Hofmann for underlining portions of a score, and that Hofmann in turn accused Godowsky of undue reticence. Both Chasins and Hofmann then "caught" Godowsky italicizing part of a piece for them - and they praised him for it - but Godowsky explained that he was merely pointing out something novel in one of his own, newly written works, and that such an approach was not appropriate for the classics.
As for Godowsky's assessment of his records, that notorious statement was made after the great pianist suffered a debilitating stroke, which he blamed on the arduous process of recording. He had also recently lost his wife and son. Godowsky at the end of his life was a bitter man. But would a musician who disdained recordings have made as many takes of individual 78 sides - as many as Rachmaninoff did, which is to say sometimes dozens! - if he was not more or less content at the time with the ultimate results?
And what are those results? I don't know how Popsy played at home for everyone from his postman to Albert Einstein. But the records, including this Chopin sonata, are mostly magnificent. Different to be sure from those of even the "transitional" figures of his time, like (each in his own way) Rachmaninoff, Hofmann and early Horowitz - not to mention arch-romantics such as de Pachmann or Rosenthal. Godowsky's art is of course sovereign in technique for all the occasional smudges but more important, patrician as regards tempo, touch and especially the refined taste of a natural aristocrat. Like Chopin, Godowsky never insists. He never pounds. Just as his studies on Chopin's etudes eschew all obvious flamboyance, Godowsky conveys the essence of nearly every piece simply yet with infinite subtlety. And I'm not just talking about the records that everyone lauds: the Grieg Ballade, the Schubert-Godowsky transcriptions and the Chopin Fourth Scherzo. These may be supreme. But listen also to this Funeral March sonata, Les Adieux and even such hackneyed pieces as the third Liebestraum and then tell me who's played them with more elegance and nobility now or during the Golden Age. Forget what you've read and just listen. Thanks for sharing, Margot.
I do not really share your very interesting comment.
Ok with the luxurious nobility of the man, with his ultra- wonderful sentiment, his ability to be intelligent at the piano.
But yes, ever if it is "ad nauseam" for you, I can hear something here like a kind of a paralysis.
The inner emotion do not go to the keyboard, the arms and the fingers are quite automatic, or lightly frozen.
The mental of the pianist is not spontaneous, his sensitivity censored by an invisible severe ghost.
And the worse part of it : the listeners FEEL that a treasure stays behind the whole thing.
That the pianist has much, much, much more to say and to give, instead of this painful torture, making the recording boring when it could be absolutely glorious.
It's a real frustration.
For the pianist and the listeners.
Only antidote : his recording of the fourth Scherzo of Chopin, when Godowsky didn't know that he was recorded.
This is somethig upon all others ...............
(excuse my poor english, not my native language)
So beautiful! Thank you for posting!
Il a été le meilleur pianiste pour interpréter cette Sonate au siècle dernier
Merci Noshirm
Merci Margo Beloved
MAESTRO. 👏🏻
Very good digital remix. You don’t ever hear a century old recording with all sorts of transient noise from the recording.
MEINE LEHRERIN HAT DIESE SONATE AUCH GESPIELT ,SIE HAT DAS STÜCK NOCH ALS SCHÜLERIN FON GODO GODOWSKY.!!!!!
1930 is this a piano roll. Or how was this recorded..just curious in the recording techniques of the time
It's a 78 - electric, of course, given the date.
IIRC, Horowitz stated that Godowsky played everything "mezzo-forte".
U can clearly hear in this recording and other Godowsky recordings that Horowitz's comment is not true. . . What's astounding about his recorded output is, it was all done live in one take without editing, under far less than ideal conditions. You will never hear a harsh tone in Godowsky's playing. Listen to the very last triple fff forte chord of this recording. He wasn't a banger, that's for sure. This is an extraordinary document...
It was Arrau, who said that Godowsky never played above mezzo-forte
@@itchymeow9151 array with is harsh tone cousin of Horowitz
@@dsmythe5329 Nope. Godowsky had stage fright. So he actually played mezzo-forte in live performances. Maybe in studio he raised the volume of his playing.
Godowsky have pretty bad stage fright so maybe he played everything mezzoforte on live performance because of that
Finale.
his hands sound fucking huge because his legato is insane or maybe that’s just the recording
OMGodow!
I would say he never practiced with a metronome.
And that’s one of the things that give life to this performance.
This is not a piece for practicing with metronome.
Couldn't listen past 4:10 - erratic tempo swings, sloppy and un-Chopin like dynamics.
It was the style of the time, I suppose. It's a relatively modern thing to say that tempi should be consistent throughout.
@@klop4228 they shouldn't - you don't live your life at exactly the same tempo , so why should it be in music ? This is what makes it lifeless and insanely predictable
@@klop4228 and the rubato...
Rachmaninov is THE BEST.
one of the best...
It's only your opinion.
@@remomazzetti8757 I believe, not only mine.
not according to him... he says he stopped performing this piece in public after he heard Josef Hofmann performing it... 🤷🏿♂️
There is no "best".
Meglio Rachmaninov