This is the best interpretation of the piece. Alicia de Larrocha is WITHOUT a peer when it comes to spanish music. Her Iberia and Goyescas suites and Falla pieces are the best in the world, in all respects !!! No one can come close to her intperpretations and renditions of these pieces, both technically speaking (virtuosity and clarity) and musically (spanish rhythms and feelings). VIVA ALICIA !!!
I had the great privilege of hearing both Alicia de Larrocha and Arthur Rubinstein perform this magnificent composition live in concert. I would say that Arthur Rubinstein is playing with fire but Alicia de Larrocha is the fire ...
I just listened to the Rubenstein performance for the first time in years. I didn't like it at all--too fast, too show-offy. Dynamics were all wrong. It was all about Rubenstein and not a bit about fire-dances or magicians or DeFalla. I like Alicia de Larrocha's interpretation WAAAAYYY better.
I heard this when I was 7 years old and never forgot it. It took me many years to find out who the pianist was. I’ve heard many versions but none come close to this. It is beyond words. I cannot understand anyone giving a thumbs down to this.
the greatness of de Larrocha is in the way she creates such RICH texture and tone without EVER making "brilliance" a mere shallow "performance" . her pianism is ORCHESTRAL in its coloration. so beautiful to experience her playing. the tiny lady was a giant in piano playing.
She's the master of Spanish Piano Music. Still the champion until now. However, her Mozart also very crystal-like. In short, every notes she touched was GOLD. BRAVISSIMO MAESTRA!
El ritmo de esta excelsa pianista brotaba siempre directamente de su alma. Las piernas y el corazón me bailan al escucharla. Dios la bendiga donde quiere que este ahora ... Bravo!!!
No one has commented on all of her additions to the piece. I'd say it verges on constituting her own transcription. She adds a few counter-lines and bass embellishments, but the most impressive part is that she found a way to sustain the trill in the beginning past the entrance of the first melody, while still playing the plucked bass notes (and in some other places)! And unlike, for example, Cziffra's version, these additions aren't particularly noticeable if you're not listening for them - they totally fit with the style of the piece.
Ik did notice a long time ago about her changes in this piece; it is impressive how she managed to sustain the trills while still playing the bass notes. In fact she is playing the orchestral score in which these sustaining trills can be heard. I listened this video over and over again, but i cannot see what she is exactly doing. I know Dutch pianist Thomas Beijer, who is playing a lot of Spanish pieces has found out what Alicia is exactly doing. In one of his concerts i noticed that he was doing exactly the same as AdL did. When i asked him he admited that i found out what AdL. did. AdL and mr. Beijer also don't play a "glissando" at the end of this piece. They play the exact notes like written in the score.
Yes, like those octaves at the beginning of the secondary theme, both times. Or the little trill accents in the retransition (where she crosses her left hand over to do it). But of course this is originally an orchestral piece, so anything reasonable is probably fair game.
@Stephan Williams What you like better is your cup of tea. You won't convince me. I like Rubinstein's performance better! :P By the way Artur Rubinstein and Manuel de Falla were friends and Rubinstein usually played this Ritual Fire Dance as an encore with great success! :D
@Stephan Williams No, there isn't any objectivity in music! For you Beethoven is superior to Metallica. A Metallica fan might not even care for Beethoven (nor any "classical" music - as I have often heard by many people). And in this case you rate the clarity and smoothness of Larocha higher than the rhythm and the musicality of Rubinstein (what I like even more). That's highly subjective and there is no objective truth an interpretation (hence the word)!
@@MusikPiratCHRubinstein cannot keep the thrills strong while the melody starts, has the thrill momentarily stopped when he switches hands and does not come close to the dinamyc and rhythmic range of Larrocha when the music slows down, and that's only the first two minutes of the piece. She is far more musical than Rubinstein in this one.
RU-vid nos permite ver y escuchar cosas que, de otra manera, no tendríamos oportunidad de disfrutar. Creo que será difícil ver y escuchar a alguien que mejore esta interpretación. Un honor haberte visto y escuchado, Alicia.
de Larrocha's and Rubinstein's performance couldn't be more different, and I love both of them. Alicia's performance of this piece, however, is a revelation. She brings it such clarity and fire.
I attended her recital here in Sydney many years ago - one of the most memorable experiences of my musical life. The lady and the legend - a combination of elegance and artistry hard to match. I love her!
Absolutely the best performance of this piece because Alicia has this music in her bones and it shows itself in each individual phrase as she plays it. She also has the technique to not slow down when the music becomes difficult which is what most pianists do. Love the complete trill control and the Latin-esque sense of rhythm she brings to this performance. It is danceable!
The droning trills, the ostinato bass, the ornate melody in the right hand, and the huge dynamic waves of sound that break over our heads all work wonderfully well in this tempo. The effect is more hypnotic and less orgiastic than when the piece is played faster.
Je crois que c'est la meilleure version jouée au piano par la meilleure interprète. Les "trucs" d'Alicia y sont pour beaucoup. Extraordinaire artiste !!!!!!!!!!!!! Ibérique de l'âme jusqu'au bout des doigts.
Just listening to the trills at the beginning, its clear that larrocha´s version is much more better. The spanish soul isn´t at Rubinstein version in my opinion.
This amazing performance is very close to de Falla's orchestration. De Larrocha's piano rendition puts every other to shame---even watching her, it's nearly unbelievable! RIP dear one!
this is,in my opinion the best interpretation on youtube...i think she captured the exact feeling that the composer wanted to express...and as far as i 've seen,she is the only one who plays trills during the main theme.....
This performance was on a Tape/DVD called "the glory of spain". It was such a good video. I bought it originally for the footage of Andres Segovia, but this performance ended up being the highlight of the video for me
La mejor con diferencia, solo la hace sombra y a distancia Martha Argerich. Solo escuchar la limpieza y pureza de sus notas es asombroso. RIP. DONDE QUIERA QUE ESTÉS.
and i really recommend listening to her Gaspar de la Nuit of ravel...so magical and hypnotic and a true essay in psychological tension in using the piano with such attention to how detail builds up towards the larger picture of every piece in the trilogy.
i couldn't agree more,friend... furthermore,she is the only one who keeps playing the fire dance trill along with the left hand accompaniment at the same time which is quite an achievement regarding the size of her hands....moreover she avoids the meaningless rubatos and glissandos that we hear from other respectable pianists(most notably Ciccolini)
this is the first time I read the comments and didnt found a discussion about the interpretation... GREAT. And I agree, Alicia de Larrocha is a fine pianist and a great spanish piano music performer. Incredible performance!!!
sounds much better to me than Artur Rubinstein's version. It has so much more feeling and rhythm. the tempo and and loudness of quietness of the notes she chooses. so good. the very subtle delays between sections or whatever. perfect. And at the end she doesnt just swipe the keys. sounds so much better to me. not to mention how she plays those little "trills" or what have you during the main/amazing part! switching hands and whatnot! just wow. artur's is .. enjoyable as well but is robotic compared to this.
Sorry Meastro Rubenstein. This has got to be the finest rendition of the piece I've ever heard and indeed these things have to be conceeded no matter how your general genius is. Alas my hero Julian Bream cannot give the finest renditions of every thing either. Alicia I love it! C'etais vraiment fantastique! Olez!
alicia is wonderfull: she managed to capture the spirit one whole orchstra can capture having the smallest hands and just one piano bravo bravo y bravo!!
that is just fucking unreal... I have no other way to describe this!!!! It even sounds much better than many duos!!!! What this woman does with her left hand just blows me away!!!!
@raulpjc Indeed, it is unbelievable what she does here. I noticed before that she does something different than what was written down in the score by De Falla. She indeed keeps the remolo's in the left hand when the melody start, but later in the 2nd half of the piece she also plays the tremolo one octave higher, and changes left and right hand very quickly. What a technician she was! Rubinstein: It's fun to see him lifting his arms up very high, but it has a sloppy end using glissandi..
No harm no foul. Your response prompted me to listen to this piece again. And really, it's your language. And if I don't fault my bros in India for "intimating me" I won't take umbrage over "whilst".
