I heard to this on the radio tonight and I was promply in tears, as I always am when listening to this piece. It touches me so deeply. It's just incredibly beautiful. At 3:58 (Argerich)/3:38(Bernstein) when the orchestra comes in and from 5:40 on (both) and at 6:18(A)/ 6:57(B) when that oboe solo starts, I just about die, it's so beautiful that is hurts. I simply can't breathe...
All I know is that I really, really want & need to see this performed live someday in my life.
Of course the audio quality of YouTube videos is very sad and bad, but if you don't own a recording of this, I'd urge you to check it out (well, unless you don't much like classical music). Leonard Bernstein is awesome because he's the soloist and conductor at the same time. Oh, and if you're a true connoisseur (which I unfortunately am not, I'm merely a "dilettante" in music -- my apologies for the French, and the Italian inspired vocabulary, supposedly, I'm a little better in formal writing ;) please let me know who is considered the best interpreter of this piece (or the best ones) and whether there's a recording of it that I really should have because I seriously want to buy it.
Oh, and I second the commenter to the Bernstein video: "how long has it been since a piece like this has been written. seriously." (mixmasterlees) Yes, seriously.
Without further ado the second movement of Ravel's Piano Concerto in G by Martha Argerich and Leonard Bernstein:
Oh, and one more before I go. I like the description they have for the movement: "Intimate dialog between piano, flutes and oboe, with a very sensitive and beautiful pianist:" Helene Grimaud, 2009. K and I think that the sound in this one is better than the other two (oh, and women rule in this one: the pianist and the English horn player are women):
lilian!! that is EASY!....
ReplyDeletea AUTORIDADE nesse concerto é a martha argerich (inclusive, ela é a solista em um dos vídeos que vc postou....) ...
o legal eh pesquisar no youtube ela tocando isso em várias fases diferentes da vida dela....mto interessante de assistir......esse eh um dos concertos que ela toca até hoje (e ela faz 70 anos esse ano)...
tem essa versão aqui ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=penNqSSZTIs ) ...com o michelangeli...mas eu acho inferior a da martha.....
ok??
enjoy!!
bjos!!
Once in a while, I would search online just to see comments about this movement. Its nice to read about how this movement affects people all over the world. I remember seeing one video of Helene with another conductor. Within the opening minutes, the conductor was wiping tears from his eyes. When I first encountered this piece it was with Leonard's performance - since finding Helene & Martha's I couldn't go back to Leonard's version anymore. Hope you are doing well. Have a great life!
ReplyDeleteI came across this post because I too was searching for reactions to this movement especially. If you haven't heard Yuja Wang's playing of this piece, I highly recommend it! I felt like I held my breath throughout.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUnYA0DxRz4