TJFNYC212 and believe me because I’m French, the translation is rather modest, in that it translates in simple words ideas which are certainly so, but expressed with much more poetry in French.
Even in English translation his words are poetic, but it is hard to imagine anyone speaking with such beauty as when Cortot spoke French. Truly humbling.
This is sublime! The man sits to show how it can be beautifully done and what we hear is simply SUBLIME MUSIC! And the sweetness of his voice, the precision of his diction, the choicest words of descriptive poetry coming effortlessly out of his mind tempered by the lighflames burning in his eyes! Thank you so much for sharing this piece of a treasure!
I dont have words to describe how i feel after seeing cortot play this piece . His commentary and understanding of this piece is extraordinarily deep and sensible.
This is beautiful. After listening to all of the other pieces in kinderszenen. The poet speaks is the last piece. that’s the piece that the poet is telling you his final thoughts about his childhood memories that you have just experienced with him. Nostalgic but not completely sad. Bittersweet. “Damn, I remember when everythig was so easy when i was a child. I miss those days” type of vibe. that’s how i take this last piece
Very moving!!!....in our time, when music like very much else is turned very superficial and anonymous....this is a very good reminder of what music really is about....thanks for posting!
I love it how he gives his own twist to it.. I think I haven't heard a better version yet. Even the bad sound quality, along with him explaining (which is also amazing, he talks and plays blindly at the same time), adds to this. I wonder what it had to sound like when you'd be standing in that room.
I love how deep Arthur Cortot goes with this piece of music. It reminds me of what we have lost in music throughout the years. Also is that Theirry de Brunhoff? I remember he was a student of Cortot. It makes since of course because Brunhoff has the most elegant interpretation of Chopins Nocturne that I have ever heard.
Thank you for posting this remarkable video. It combines examples of both effective teaching and inspired (as well as inspiring) musicianship. I have referred readers of my blog to this page as an ideal video to illustrate one of my blog entries. Cortot takes us right into the inner world of a true interpretive musician, if we will just listen to the music, watch his face, and follow his words.
I love Alfred Cortot, he may have some imperfections in his technique in the most challenging works. But who cares, he add the most powerful sense of music I ever heard, his Chopin and Schumann are beyond any comparison. He had to be a great great teacher as well, his pupils all inherited an absolutely magnificent approach of music, where the melodic line and sense of recreating the piece as it's played, was perefectly conveyed. Samson François, Jacqueline Blancard, Éric Heidsieck, Dinu Lipatti and many others... They all received a teaching from Alfred Cortot and it is always incredible
What’s most astonishing is his ability to perform this while turning his head 90 degree.Imagine when he’s playing this in a concert with his eyes looking at the audience.It is as if saying”Look,it’s Schumann.It’s easy”.
This is not a difficult piece, any advanced student can play this without looking:-) But can anyone play Kinderszenen with the intensity of Cortot? Of the performances I have heard, I think only Horowitz comes close?
This video is extraordinary. Thanks for posting it! But... Are there any more Cortot videos like this? I have not been able to find them in my web search but would love to see them, if they exist.
cortot plays: y aqui... no ligar estas dos frases, estos son dos elementos diferentes de la misma condicion musical y aqui como un tipo de interrogacion..... y de nuevo el otro..... afectuosamente.... interroga el avenir.............. y a partir de aqui... todo esto se inscribe tan simplemente no en la musica sino a travez... de la inmortalidad y dejen desvanecerse las sonoridades.. que deben desaparecer se apagan... y ustedes se dejan simplemente en la presencia de un sueño que se posa
me parece... que en el ultimo pedazo(parte) el poeta habla.. segun el titulo que schumann a el mismo a dado a esta pagina inmortal deberia transportarte sobre un plano de ensueño mas intimo..... no es asi? no unicamente la bella sonoridad, la relajacion expresiva de la frase sino un sentimiento mas soñador.... la verdad es que hay qeu soñar este ultimo pedazo(parte) no tocarlo me permite usted tomar su lugar?
Like Duke Ellington said...music should be beyond categories...you need allwaýs to say something...like Cortot here is going through what's going on and in depth ...the art is in the "cooking", what you make out of it. For me pianotangents are buttons and you need to combine them in speaking phrases to make any sense, like I experience Cortot is doing.
Cortot attitudes are a mix of patriotism, antisemitism, the intention of developed pedagogy and some kind of regret.....it is hard to judge him in the commodity of these times.....he did what he thought was the right thing and what he could....
Cortot should let the student play first before giving an example of he would play it. The young lovely student might really be "Der Dichter". But Cortot doesn't let der Dichter spricht.
