VEGANGELICA

I remember being confused by Liberace when I was growing up, because I didn't know if he was a serious musician or a showperson. I couldn't quite wrap my head around the fact that he was both! He managed to turn his love of music into a prosperous career and stardom, which isn't easy to do.

I like this quote about Liberace from Wikipedia:

Here is a video of Liberace with Muhammad Ali reciting a poem about himself , followed by a short documentary I felt was interesting about Liberace's origins as a TV entertainer:

Liberace and Cassius Clay
From the Jack Paar television show



How Liberace became a star - BBC

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skaltezon

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Debussy's Clair de Lune

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emma84

This music is so romantic.

skaltezon

Chopin's 'Marche Funebre' -- Arturo Michelangeli

Ska Lagos Jew Sun Ra

A genius playing the work of another genius:

skaltezon

18th Variation
Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini
Abbey Simon, pianist

skaltezon

Chopin's Etude in Cm, Op. 10 no. 12 (The Revolutionary Etude)



One of Chopin's more dramatic etudes.

skaltezon

Chopin's Etude No.11 Op. 25 'Winter Wind' (Sviatoslav Richter)



This one hard to play on piano.

VEGANGELICA

Very impressive!

My favorite Chopin Etude is still "Waterfall," which I love because of its powerful lower hand contrasting with the delicate, wild rush of higher notes. The combination of solid strength and tender delicacy makes the song beautiful to me, as the piece draws upon the capacity of a human to feel both.

Chopin - "Waterfall" Etude Op. 10, No. 1
Ashkenazy (observed by proud wife, according to one of the comments about the video)
I especially like the way he makes the higher notes more staccato at 0:42, 1:09, and 1:52 to increase their lightness and water-drop feel. You can also see his intensity while playing the left hand, so I feel his emotion behind the playing (as well as see it in his body motions, such as at 1:26 when the power behind the lower hand climaxes).




And if one can't get enough (as I can't), here is another performance of the "Waterfall" Etude, by Richter. I give the prize to Ashkenazy on this one, for reasons described below:

Chopin - "Waterfall" Etude Op. 10, No. 1
Richter, piano
Although Richter played it very well, I felt more hesitancy and less determination in his performance compared to Ashkenazy's version. I also felt Richter introduced some tempo reductions that may not be part of the score. Overall, his tempo didn't feel as solid to me as when Ashkenazy played. This must be an incredibly difficult piece to perform flawlessly!

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skaltezon

Yes, Ashkenazy wins the youtube comparison.