Great to see and hear this wonderful performance. I had the privilege to attend many of Shura Cherkassky's concerts and heard him play this piece several times. He had quite an extraordinary stage presence and had the rare talent to keep his audiences completely spell bound. I can still vividly recall the incredible sounds he conjured from his piano. I still find him very inspiring. Thank you!
Шура Черкасский гениален.Стоит в одном ряду с Горовицем,Карто,Софроницким.Сравните насколько он играет интереснее Гилельса или Рихтера теже ,,Симфонические Этюды"!BRAVO!!!
This is priceless! Twilight of his life, maybe. But... what an inexhaustible imagination Cherkassky had EVEN with these ulra-performed works. It is easy enough to bring new light to a forgotten Sonata by Scarlatti (which, tragically, he never did!), but to the Etudes Symphoniques de Schuman... You ought to be a genius. And he was...
Fantastically full sound and courageously spontaneous agogics. His rhythm and rhetoric are enthralling. For me personally the most inspiring Schumann player of all times.
I forgot to thank the uploader for sharing this marvellous performance full of youthful passion and fantasy. He was still in great shape -- In fact it's quite incredible considering his age!
Cherkassky's art was the art of the unpredictable: unlike other great pianists he didn't have a "fixed" interpretation but he would always vary, playing a passage the way he felt it at that moment... that is what makes his interpretations so unique and spontaneous, especially in live performances. However, I don't agree with Hyramess that he didn't have any weaknesses. I've heard him several times live, and his playing could be messy and rhythmically unstable. But still, I'm also a big fan!
I have learned in the past week that of all the pianists I could think of from the twentieth century Shura Cherkassky is the only one that seems almost miraculously free of weaknesses of ANY kind. As a virtuoso, he was an inexhaustible powerhouse. As an interpretative artist, his playing showed more imagination, more spontaneity, more sense of play, and a greater range of color than any save Cortot, Novaes and Horowitz -- when they were at their best. Shura was more consistent and more DURABLE.
Playing for his life,summoning all the power and energy of a long before, another cast as dangerously engaged with fidelity and breaking free as any, again a victory.
Oftentimes, when someone unexpectedly holds a mirror to our face, we are shocked, dismayed, disenchanted, disappointed, even dejected and disgusted at what we see. It is a rare person, indeed, who enjoys being confronted with the flaws and limitations of his understanding. However, smart people not burdened with nagging feelings of inferiority that get the better of them, meet such challenges with CURIOSITY -- eagerness to learn and know more -- instead of judgment and dismissal.
His repeat of no.3 at p is great judgementesp. the leaps in 2nd part is particularly a telling detail. Cherkassky whimsicalness, weaving of spell as a story-teller makes himan ideal Schumann interpreter. Richter does him better by doing all of no.3 quietly much moredifficult playing the fast right hand more quietly than the melody in left hand .
The Russians LOVE playing slow tempi slower, and fast ones faster. Richter is famous for this, of course. However, it is nice that these pianists let the music breathe. The tempi, the flow, is plastic, something that Koussevitsky always insisted. Cherkassy's reading of the B-flat minor Tchaikowsky Concerto, the first movement cadenza, is like no other.
I deleted not because I think your comments are correct (everyone is entitled to their own opinion) but because replies are better in English so that the majority of readers can understand what's being said.
We will have to agree to disagree on this one. To play repeated passages the same way every time is boring and monochrome. 'Taste' is very subjective and that's what makes interpretation of a score by different artists so fascinating.
I totally agree. I was lucky enough to know Shura well and often went to his recitals, and accompanied him to others. He was one of the last great romantic pianists who could find hidden lines and different nuances in music better than anyone (it stopped him getting bored, and stopped us getting bored listening to a simple repeat - he would always play them slightly differently. If a pianist feels they have nothing to say about a repeat, they will ignore it, but not Shura). The score is there to make you work out how to interpret it, as it is a guide. As Sondheim (going slightly off-track) said: The sheet music of my songs are the blueprint of what I think they should be - the performer needs to interpret them and bring them to life. And there are thousands of different ways of doing it. That was so true of Shura
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
The only interpretation I can identify with. He really gets the essence of this piece.
No weaknesses but variety and imagination. Not a museum piece set in stone but a beautiful work offering a myriad of possibilities.
Great to see and hear this wonderful performance. I had the privilege to attend many of Shura Cherkassky's concerts and heard him play this piece several times. He had quite an extraordinary stage presence and had the rare talent to keep his audiences completely spell bound. I can still vividly recall the incredible sounds he conjured from his piano. I still find him very inspiring. Thank you!
Шура Черкасский гениален.Стоит в одном ряду с Горовицем,Карто,Софроницким.Сравните насколько он играет интереснее Гилельса или Рихтера теже ,,Симфонические Этюды"!BRAVO!!!
This is priceless! Twilight of his life, maybe. But... what an inexhaustible imagination Cherkassky had EVEN with these ulra-performed works. It is easy enough to bring new light to a forgotten Sonata by Scarlatti (which, tragically, he never did!), but to the Etudes Symphoniques de Schuman... You ought to be a genius. And he was...
Thank you piano345!
100% music,no ego show!superb!
Fantastically full sound and courageously spontaneous agogics. His rhythm and rhetoric are enthralling. For me personally the most inspiring Schumann player of all times.
unbelievable piano playing!!!
I forgot to thank the uploader for sharing this marvellous performance full of youthful passion and fantasy. He was still in great shape -- In fact it's quite incredible considering his age!
Cherkassky's art was the art of the unpredictable: unlike other great pianists he didn't have a "fixed" interpretation but he would always vary, playing a passage the way he felt it at that moment... that is what makes his interpretations so unique and spontaneous, especially in live performances.
However, I don't agree with Hyramess that he didn't have any weaknesses. I've heard him several times live, and his playing could be messy and rhythmically unstable. But still, I'm also a big fan!
I have learned in the past week that of all the pianists I could think of from the twentieth century Shura Cherkassky is the only one that seems almost miraculously free of weaknesses of ANY kind. As a virtuoso, he was an inexhaustible powerhouse. As an interpretative artist, his playing showed more imagination, more spontaneity, more sense of play, and a greater range of color than any save Cortot, Novaes and Horowitz -- when they were at their best.
Shura was more consistent and more DURABLE.
I heard this live. How great to be able to relive the experience!
Top notch
Playing for his life,summoning all the power and energy of a long before, another cast as dangerously engaged with fidelity and breaking free as any, again a victory.
This is some amazing pianism. Thanks for the upload!
Oftentimes, when someone unexpectedly holds a mirror to our face, we are shocked, dismayed, disenchanted, disappointed, even dejected and disgusted at what we see.
It is a rare person, indeed, who enjoys being confronted with the flaws and limitations of his understanding. However, smart people not burdened with nagging feelings of inferiority that get the better of them, meet such challenges with CURIOSITY -- eagerness to learn and know more -- instead of judgment and dismissal.
His repeat of no.3 at p is great judgementesp. the leaps in 2nd part is particularly a telling detail. Cherkassky whimsicalness, weaving of spell as a story-teller makes himan ideal Schumann interpreter. Richter does him better by doing all of no.3 quietly much moredifficult playing the fast right hand more quietly than the melody in left hand .
Bravo!!
Thankyou - enjoy the uploads!
The Russians LOVE playing slow tempi slower, and fast ones faster. Richter is famous for this, of course. However, it is nice that these pianists let the music breathe. The tempi, the flow, is plastic, something that Koussevitsky always insisted. Cherkassy's reading of the B-flat minor Tchaikowsky Concerto, the first movement cadenza, is like no other.
❤
I always thought Rubinstein was the best for Schumann. But Cherkassky gets the atmosphere.
I deleted not because I think your comments are correct (everyone is entitled to their own opinion) but because replies are better in English so that the majority of readers can understand what's being said.
S/R.....its from the "Saarländischer Rundfunk Germany, not Carnegie Hall. Look again.
I do not say that it is Carnegie Hall but that he played the work at his recital there in 1991.
The recorded sound isn't so good. Maybe that's why you didn't like the later variations.
We will have to agree to disagree on this one. To play repeated passages the same way every time is boring and monochrome. 'Taste' is very subjective and that's what makes interpretation of a score by different artists so fascinating.
I totally agree. I was lucky enough to know Shura well and often went to his recitals, and accompanied him to others. He was one of the last great romantic pianists who could find hidden lines and different nuances in music better than anyone (it stopped him getting bored, and stopped us getting bored listening to a simple repeat - he would always play them slightly differently. If a pianist feels they have nothing to say about a repeat, they will ignore it, but not Shura). The score is there to make you work out how to interpret it, as it is a guide. As Sondheim (going slightly off-track) said: The sheet music of my songs are the blueprint of what I think they should be - the performer needs to interpret them and bring them to life. And there are thousands of different ways of doing it. That was so true of Shura