Seeing this lovely little lady play Chopin brings tears to my eyes... she is probably one of a few artists who I would have given anything to have met. Her command of the keyboard, her complete grasp of the technical and artistic demands of the music, her humanity and beauty are absolute. Beneath her soft, delicate, gentle voice and mannerisms resided a titanic genius and depth of feeling and musical understanding that few artists since have been able to summon. Thank you for this wonderful footage.
I completely agree and could not have stated my appreciation for her artistry any better. The two performances of hers I experienced have never been surpassed.
Dear David - You speak with a "depth of feeling and musical understanding". Thank you for expressing so eloquently what I've not been able to describe.
Even though the video is old and the sound quality is not too good, once she puts her hands on the piano and starts to play you get hipnotized right away. She was a wizardess of the keyboard and such a lovely human being. I'll never get tired of listening to her recordings, mostly her interpretations of Spanish composers. God bless her. She will always be in our hearts ... Bravo Maestra Alicia!!!
What a treat! Gorgeous Barcarolle - exquisite sound, wonderful phrasing and rubato - and what an elegant Third Ballade, with a gripping buildup to the coda! I heard Mme. de Larrocha play in person the Andante spianato and Grande Polonaise a few months prior to this video, in December 1969, in Carnegie Hall, an unforgettable experience. I wish Mme. de Larrocha had played a lot more Chopin - would have loved to hear her Fourth Ballade or Third Scherzo. She made a fine recording of the F Minor Concerto. But what didn't she play well? She was a treasure. Long may she continue to live in all her many fabulous recordings.
I could tell from the first note of the Barcarolle that this was something different, something special. What a gorgeous pianist that I feel lucky to have discovered tonight.
In case you want to know more about Alicia de Larrocha (1923-2009), you can find a lot of information in this website: www.aliciadelarrocha.com and also in facebook: facebook.com/AliciadeLarrochaOficial/
Qué ilusión me hace encontrar a alguien de los que estaba sentado en los incómodos cubos! ¿Estuviste en todos los programas que se grabaron de Alicia de Larrocha? Fueron unos 4... Yo estuve en 2 de ellos pero no en este. Soy hija de AdL. En aquel entonces yo era una niña de unos 10 años... También estaba mi hermano (12 años). Qué recuerdos!! Saludos cordiales
@@lisilisin que honor, que privilegio haber tenido una madre tan grande como pianista, que calidad de artista, que con sólo verla, da la sensación de ser un alma cálida. Siempre escuché que tenía una mano muy pequeña, pero no parece por las imágenes, al menos sus dedos no parecen tan cortos.Que nos queda para los que no tenemos ni por cerca un talento semejante, incluso siendo hombres.Un gran saludo desde Argentina y el recuerdo por siempre a esta gigante de la música.
Absolutely sublime, without the present day theatrics (Wang, Buniatishvili). Such finesse and musicality, no arrogance, no showing off, pure joy! Thank you, Ms de Larrocha!
My God nobody comes close to the interpretive powers of De Larrocha. All pianists living should listen and learn. No teachers are needed. It's all here.
And you, dear Mr. Volodos, ought to know!!! Bless both of you intensely great musical artists. She indeed had a supreme musical understanding...and you sure ain't far from her, sir.
I can't believe she played op.22 on camera for all eternity ! Horowitz and Bolet were still living . Nothing daunted this woman - not Rach 3 or Brahms 2. The Barcarolle is full of so many voicing and texture riddles . Such a musician always first but pianists know she had all the command .I'd love to see her with Novaes . She and Madame Gina Bachauer were filmed for television !
Who can deny that Alicia de Larrocha was a work of art in her spirit and devotion to the piano and to music itself. There is so much to learn from this performance. Thank you so much for these important moments in musical history.
For me, she was the female counterpart of Claudio Arrau. Intensely musical and musicianly, scrupulous in her faithfilness to the wishes of the composers, never any false virtuosity. Above all an intense humility stamped everything she did.
I mostly agree with you. I think there are better recordings for Chopin than Arrau (like Moravec for example) but his etudes were pretty good. He is the one who really got me into Debussy and Liszt btw. I probably listen to his Debussy and Liszt at least once a week. Who else do you like for Debussy and Liszt?@@dorfmanjones
Hace 20 años un amigo me habló de Alicia Larrocha. Hoy 20 años después me acordé de aquella conversación y gracias a la magia de Internet me puedo deleitar
Ayer, escuchando un pequeño homenaje de Radio 3 a Alicia de la Rocha, mi viaje de vuelta a casa fue delicioso. Hoy, tarde de trabajo igualmente agradable gracias a su piano.
Wonderful video - thank you for uploading. I think Alicia was the greatest female pianist ever, and one of the greatest pianists of all time. RIP Alicia - you are remembered and loved!
The Barcarolle is absolutely sublime! From the first note to the last, it GLOWS from within -- it never overpowers. How could she POSSIBLY make that first low octave glow and persist for so LONG without banging on it, like William Kapell and many others? I guess partly just the piano she chose, and maybe she used the middle pedal. Hard to be sure. Middle pedal PLUS the sustaining pedal? I have to see if I can duplicate that! ;-)
Entirely deliberate. No superfluousness. Appropriate speeding without disrespecting tue music. 27:40 as a rough time to go to and listen for a few minutes to get a sense of what i mean
When I saw her in recital or concerto I always had the picture of an little lady driving a mack trunk like it was nothing.... she was wonderful.......... I sat close to her on stage at Carnegie and heard her play the 3 ballade..... wonder why she never attacked the 4th but maybe she did....
Thanks a lot Rodney Mobley for your most valuable comments! I've always admired de Larrocha greatly. I supposed that hard work was the answer to her accomplishments, but you enlight us a little more about how: every note, frase, geography and choreography, those can be both heard and seen in her videos.
Les mots me manquent pour parler de cette artiste qui a toujours fait de la musique comme si la vie, et pas seulement la sienne pouvaient en dépendre, pourvu qu'on fasse l'effort au moins de prêter l'oreille. Une artiste qui trouvait toujours l'équilibre entre ce qu'il fallait dire et ce qu'il fallait laisser l'auditeur comprendre.
Wonderful! Beautiful tone and poetry throughout. The Bacarolle is on the same level as any other rendition one could care to name. I heard her in 1980, Gaspard was on the program and also Schumann's seldom-played Allegro in B Minor, Op.8.
Vaya repertorio tan brutal que escogió para esta transmisión, todas estas obras son dificilísimas y ella las toca como si fuesen lo más sencillo. Yo compararía su sonido característico tan apasionado y musical con Maria Callas en ópera, nunca te deja indiferente.
YOU CAN do it, sir. I've heard you. You are as humble as her. Continue giving a great deal of pleasure to your devoted listeners and cease being tortured. God has given you your own gift, and gave her her own. Love❤️
Te amamos, Arcady Volodos, desde Argentina te envío un gran abrazo, te conocí por medio de un gran pianista que vive en Italia y que es fanático admirador de vuestra exelencia.
Hola, tengo una grabación de ella en pizarra 78 rpm, la primera y única que hizo en ese formato. Tenia 8 años. Imposible de encontrar, tiene el disco 91 años.
Tienes gusto por la musica es lo mejor de Chopan la balada y las rapsodias ,las oi cada año en las audiciones las alumnas mayores ,siempre las ttocaban..Nadie sabia que audicionabamos de verdad ,para el Concervatorio y me eligio a mi desde el pricipiio (no me lo diijo) hasta que toqjue La Campanela (sueños robados ,por ser mujer )creian que careciamos de cerebro ) en mi epoca asi generabilizaban a la mujer ,menos mi esposo
