I love to read the comments of all the petulant classical music snobs. The interesting thing is that they rarely are musicians. Liberace was an immensely talented pianist with a prodigious feeling and technique. He just wasn't cut for the role of "classical concert pianist". He did what he liked, and good for him!
he was a panderer however I can sympathize with him because he did grow up poor and yes he's a I must admit he's a five-better talent in musician and I ever gave him credit for in my younger years
Liberace no doubt had classical chops. But to me, his biggest and most lasting contribution to popular music is how he somehow juxtaposed ALL forms of music into his playing, from jazz, to popular, to boogie woogie. He was a gift to all musicians and music lovers, everywhere.
Liberace brought wonderful, classical music to an otherwise ignorant populace. He brought many thousands happiness and I, as a classically trained musician, cannot find fault in the man. He may have had his particular way with Chopin, but very few could come close to his popularity. He was for many years the highest paid pianist in the world. So his shows were the height of camp. He was a helluva pianist and a showman beyond compare. Lots of purists don't like him and that is their prerogative. I loved the man for what he did for music.
It's true, his showmanship did come to overshadow his musicianship in later years but he could certainly play. He knew technique. There was an enormously broad and highly cultivated musical mind at work with him. After all my own studies in classical music and composition, the wonder of Liberace still baffles me. There will never - never! - be another like him again. It's not possible! He is the very stuff of LEGEND.
Hey...The people saying herein he never had a good teacher?...R U kidding? When he was a young child, he got a full scholarship at the WI Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee, where he studied for years with a one Florence Kelly. His father saw to it that he had a good musical education- just like his violinist brother and sister. They might have been kind of poor, but the father KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING FOR THEIR MUSICAL STUDIES. Liberace has MARVELLOUS TECHNIQUE- He is not some piano player: He was a virtuoso in every sense of the word. This piece has some very challenging areas - and he rips them off like they were the easiest thing in the world. He was a superb musician, with a fantastic memory and knowledge of analysis. He was a totally literate pianist. He was a prodigy and a genius.
@@johnkusske7535 Why don't you post a recording of yourself playing Bach, so that we can all benefit from your obvious expertise? I can guarantee you daren't. Liberace cried all the way to the bank when musical snobs berated him.
@@johnkusske7535 shut up he did not butcher anything just 8motuve it he is still making.millions ofb6d happy during this pandemic with his lively soothing music if u can t say something nice shuyvyiyr face Moron
Great performance on all Lbs songs, And all the great reviews on all Lbs songs. Hope all folks limitings to Libs songs will enjoy for ever. RIP Liberace U were the best. No body can out play U ever. U were and are the best. Love U Walt.
Don't ever underestimate Liberace's talent. Yes, he was a great showman but he was a genius in his ability to play the most complex of the great master's works.
I have always LOVED Liberace's performances of the classics, and believe our former Masters would greatly approve of his performances of their music. Liberace's dynamics, emotion, pedalling, and use of trills and grace notes is wonderful, and top notch. He could have easily become one of the greatest concert pianists, and yet chose to bring music to the "common" people. RIP Lee....Peace!
When he stands at the end and takes a DEEP breath you can see the relief and exhaustion in his face. He'd just finished 6 minutes perfectly by memory; a hard thing to do!
It is NOT a hard thing to do for any professional pianist, as he was. Six minutes from memory is nothing for a professional pianist. Those who play things like (as Liberace himself did) Beethoven's 5th Concerto or Tchaikowsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 for example. They are much longer than six minutes!
No it's not a hard things to do. Only non-musicians are ever impressed by this. Any good pianist who's practiced a piece so that they can play it confidently (which he obviously did) can play by memory without problem.
It’s because of Liberace that I have great love for the music of Chopin. I remember watching his TV show as a young girl. Then had the privilege of seeing him in concert when I was a teenager. Thank you Liberace for your contribution as a great pianist ❤
Growing-up my parents spent thousands on me for piano lessons. So I do have an appreciation for piano music. Liberace is in a "Class by Himself!" He plays so effortlessly. He is brilliant. He is a genius!
Absolutely true and wonderfully said, Phillip. We will never see the likes of a talent like Liberace again. It was a joy to be able to see many of his 'live' shows over the years and I still miss him every day.
One if the incredible things with this genius was the fact that he never had any musical score in front of him. Thats what made him so incredibly brilliant. Sadly there will never be another Liberace . Died way to young.
@@marilyns8497 "No pianist has a musical score in front of them" .......... try watching some of Richard Claydermans performances then. I think he has the music in front of him most of the time!!!
Not 'incredible' at all. Only non-musicians are ever impressed by this. Any good pianist who's practiced a piece so that they can play it confidently (which he obviously did) can play by memory without problem. No concert pianist since Liszt (in the 1800's, who sight-read some of the most difficult pieces on the spot) has had a piece of music in front of them while playing a concert.
Liberace was my first experience with classical music. I was 5 when I learned to play the piano by myself by putting my nose against the tv screen and watching this great charismatic pianist. Thank you, Lee. You gave me a life of music I might not have had otherwise!
You really have to love this guy. I once visited the Liberace Museum, in Las Vegas. It is long gone. Sad. He popularized classical music, for a wide audience. No small thing.
The Liberace Show on television was the first time I heard classical music. I fell in love. I was 12 and living in a rural setting..he was a genius and a wonderfully sweet man. It's so sad we don't even have his museum anymore.
This was the most difficult piece I ever played. Liberace played it with ease. Even as a teenager, I thought my left hand would fall off at about 3 minutes....I was always so glad that a quieter, less painful portion of the piece was next. The finale of the piece was always one of my favorites to play. Nearly makes you leap off the stool! I may pull the sheet music out today and give it a whirl. My family will not be resting much today.🤓
I love that..."my family will not be resting much today." Years ago, when in my younger days, I loved for my Parents to leave town for a week or two. Songs would come to me as I tried to sleep, and early in the 2, 3 am range I would walk to piano, sit down, and write arrangrments, and play the piano for hours, sometime until daylight.
Liberace himself frequently insisted that he was only a commercial pianist. Quite an understatement in my opinion. He made frequent " trips " into classical repertory and did so quite well. When he was only a small boy his father, who played with the Milwakee Symphony, took him one evening to the concert hall to play for Ignace Paderewski who was visiting in concert. Paderewski was so impressed with his talent that he stressed to the senior Liberace that the young Walter MUST be brought under the instruction of a master teacher. That never happened. Liberace's father walked out a few years later on the family and they all had to go to work, even the children and Liberace at the age of 12 worked at all kinds of hard labor jobs as well as playing the piano for money. He even frequently played in bordelos believe it or not. The opportunity to study with a master never came to him. Pity. I believe he could have been a world class concert pianist. He never complained. He made the absolute best of the training he did have. In fact, he became more famous and wealthy as a commercial pianist than he could ever have dreamed possible. This man was a wonderful talent and a real presence on stage and most of all he was a hell of a survivor. He never quit. He just kept doing his own thing. Right on!!!
Ellison Hamilton The only time I heard Liberace state that he was a commercial Artist Was a joke, because someone had said that he was only a commercial piano player. He was making fun.
He was a Master at the piano, doing everything well. He has been the best in presentation, confidence and personable. A real showman who loved his audiences. There will never be another like him.
He was inspired by Paderewski who became a family friend. He concentrated on his piano playing with the help of a music teacher called Florence Kelly, who for 10 years oversaw his musical development.
One of the few performances of this piece I've heard where the player actually projects the majestic, stately feel rather than just crashing through it going "look how fast I can play this"
+Joseph Fernando Your right Joseph, the tempo marking provided by Chopin is 'Maestoso'....Lee does an excellent interpretation here!Rubinstein is sublime of all his interpretations of FFC as well as George Bolet...his playing of the Ballades and the Barcarolle are incredible!!!
Oh, I like this guy! He's a real pianist! When he's talking, it seems that he had a really good personality. His voice is so calm. And when he's playing the piano, he's so natural.
This is without the furs, rings and glitz. Some very personal twists on this classic--I have to say, I always enjoy hearing this piece and admire and respect that Lee did it his way. He could get around the piano like a real virtuoso in his day.
I had the benefit of listening and watching him on black & white TV when I was a kid.. I think most kids today don't get exposure to classical music. It's a darn shame.
I rememeber watching on Black and white TV as well. We were the last family in the subdivision to get color. And another siily thing. It was a TV that each family that got it, could not pay more than $ 5.00 for it. It was a rule that came with the tv. I don't know how many times it changed hands , but several anyway. The TV repairman made housecalls, or at least ours did. A big suitcase full of vacuum tubes. He charged us the least possible amount, which was probably the cost of the tube. Always had a great picture. Liberace was on , on Sunday afternoons , If I remember correctly.
he was such a beautiful person and tried to share his deep love for the classic composers.i think he had a deep impact on some children who watched TV in the 50's.i don't know how any person could be this perfect in so many facits of his life and then want to share them.classic music is the backbone of rock.listen to the harmonies.
There is often commentary that Liberace wasn't the "best" or "greatest" pianist given his celebrity. One only has to listen to these performances to know that Liberace was a great pianist. Best or greatest are adjuncts most often given to personal preference in place of ultimate judgement of talent.
I fully agree. I think he was very gifted and played beautifully. He was also a showman and entertainer,..and fused all of that together. I also notice that he didn’t use sheet music....he knew his music without it.
WOW!!! That runs shivers thru my body...shivers of excitement! My Mother used to play that one on my request! It brings a tear to my eye, every time I hear it!
Incredible skill combined with a pure love of playing the piano...and making others love music, too! He introduced so many people to classic music....and despite his fabulous costumes, was always a genuinely kind and gentle person. A true Gift from God. I could listen to him endlessly and I have played piano since I was 5 and first saw him perform. He was and is my inspiration. A Gift from God.
I am very fond of this period of LIberace. It is much less affected than later decades, and he is playing super tight. Love the way he will hold the pinky finger on the note and rotate the wrist up occasionally to hold the note.
Listen to the full and brilliant sound he pulls from that Baldwin concert grand, it's incredible!! This is when Baldwin was in very stiff competition with Steinway and it shows, what a fabulous sound!!
Edward Doran, I did get to meet Liberace and dance a waltz with him! I am a pianist & love him. My husband had purchased the package summer deal at the then, Garden State Art Center. He begrudgingly took me to see him every year. One year he said to me, if you don't go down & meet him, I won't take you again. So, realizing that most of the people were my grandmother's age, I scampered down the side aisle & Liberace invited me to dance the Viennese Waltz with him. What a thrill!
Since Liberace's parents were Italian and Polish, he could channel Chopin as a somewhat kindred spirit. Just as Chopin entertained Parisian society by salon, Liberace's milieu was the 'intimacy' of a TV set. It's sad that this type of entertainment has given way to countless, pointless reality TV-based shows.
You will notice no one seems to dislike him or his music No mean feat in that world.. He was a genius with a gift for music and piano.Bravo to this man and his mother sister and brother also gifted nor did he forget any of them once he got famous,.
He was not the best to ever play folks lets get that straight but the man was definitely extremely talented and above that he was a showman with his skills. He brought people that would normally not listen to such beautiful music to the table. He was trained very well and loved what he did which made him that much more exciting to listen to. I give the guy much respect for his great talent, his showmanship, and opening people's eyes to classical music.
@@marilyns8497 think the problem here is you have never seen or heard of other amazing pianists. People that wrote the music that liberace played. Liberace was an amazing pianists but was better then others with his showmanship. Because of him bringing people to classical music they were able to appreciate it and be introduced to even better people.
@@kenw.simpson1007 you Liberace sweet and incincere I hope that was a typing error Liberace was the most sincere star that ever lived he really loved his fans
We have seen Liberace in person many, many times, and his talent was unsurpassed in many ways. He made our jaws drop as he dressed his music with his magic fingers.The shocking bling in the clothes he wore and the back round of his shows only added to his glorious performances!
Liberace, Van Cliburn and Rubinstein...if only I could play like that! If I had my choice of any ability, this would be it. Playing to the mesmerized audiences jumping to their feet in applause. Did you notice in every concert ever shown, Liberace never once used sheet music? Would have loved to know him. I have the feeling he would have been a dear and loyal friend.
+Brita Cashman-Tarrant My wife and I were fortunate enough to see Liberace perform at the concert hall in Melbourne concert hall in 1984. He played this very Polonaise and played for well over two hours. An evening we will never forget. Long live Liberace
what a boss! hands down , this is the greatest performance of this Chopin masterpiece on any youtube video out there, pure genius and beautiful interpretation. thank you Liberace
I was watching his face during the performance .... something different I couldn't identify ... before it clicked: no manic grins, smiles or nods to the camera or the audience. None. It's the only time I've seen him so completely self absorbed in a performance. I think it's because he was deeply in love with this music. However I also think the life of a concert pianist would've driven him mad with frustration and eventually boredom.
After telling one of my musician friends that I had started learning to play piano, he teased me about becoming "Liberace." Of course, anyone my age knows who Liberace is, but I didn't really know much about him. So, I looked him up on Wikipedia. I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised and somewhat amazed as I read his bio and learned how successful he truly was. He was not only a gifted musician, but also an innovator when television was in it's infancy. He performed practically anywhere he could, which certainly was a major factor that helped raise his popularity to the heights he enjoyed, and was known to perform with extra energy for small audiences. Overall, the story of his success as a musician and entertainer is very inspiring. Today, I would tell my friend that I'd be overjoyed to become the next "Liberace"!
Yes, no doubt. He was a genius, and a highly skilled artist. Thank you for allowing us to share some of these beautiful music with the public. God bless. 💫👑💫🌹💫🤝💫
This high level of playing by Liberace is clearly when he would practice for hours on end. In later videos in the late 70s and somewhat into the 80s, his level of playing was never this good. He made a lot of mistakes later on, and his technique suffered from not practicing every day, which is a complete shame because he was so damn good, this video is proof enough of that!
He was a concert pianist who had his debut with the Chicago symphony orchestra in 1940. He quickly realized a concert pianist could not earn much money and became mr showbiz of the piano and made millions adding his personality to his great piano talent.
I always want to applaud his performances. No charts, just a plethora of precise apperception masses acquired over countess hours of repeating the classics resulting in an intimate acquaintance with all 88 keys. Thanks for all the great music Walter.
Thank you for this up here. People do not see his great talent this way. He was heard everywhere but the West did not give enough credit. As a concert pianist - there is no one like him. A super nova - thank you for the videos. I hope you do not mind my sharing them.
This is the 3rd video I'm watching Liberace playing and realized there is NO sheet music in front of him. OMG. He did Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody with NO sheet music. Ellison, thank you for that short bio profile on Liberace. Understandably why he had to do commercial work including working in Bordellos. BTW so did Pres. Truman. when he was a teen.
What is it about people not believing that pianists can play without sheet music?!! Concert pianists NEVER, ever, play with sheet music. Liberace was first and foremost, a classical pianist. They don't use or need sheet music when performing. Ever. I've never seen a professional pianist use sheet music and I've been attending classical concerts for over 40 years.
I loved his TV show as a little kid. There's no doubt he could play. I think he probably decided to try to compete on a Horowitzian or Rubinsteinian level would be iffy. He chose his path, and it worked for him-and how. Like any pianist, he had his weaknesses and strengths technically, and both are evident in this performance. I'm sure the cuts in the manuscript were the time constraints of TV (and perhaps the attention span of the audience). But whatever, I say BRAVO to this performance.
Born Władziu Valentino Liberace, his mother was Frances Zuchowski, was born in Menasha, Wisconsin, of Polish descent. So, I think he had an affinity for Chopin.
There are some people who knock Liberace. However underneath his showmanship and flamboyance he was in no doubt a very talented pianist. Unfortunately due to family circumstances he was unable to continue his studies with noted teachers.If he had,who knows the heights he could of reached within the concert pianist fraternity. In any case he did very nicely and was one of the highest paid entertainers in his lifetime.
Ahem...ahem... My dear Bryn Miller... U r QUITE mistaken! The young Walter Liberace received a FULL SCHOLARSHIP from the WI CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC with the noted Florence Kelly who was a student of Moriz Rosenthal WHO WAS A STUDENT OF FRANZ LISZT. He studied with her for some 10 years and then went off to create his pianist career. There was no lack of formal training, lessons, in the life of young Liberace! YOU do not know your history! He acheieved great success as a virtuoso early on, playing with the Chicago Symphony at the age of 19! Get your facts right!!!!
By the way...This is a very difficult piece and Liberace pulls it off effortlessly! There are many pianists who could never play the middle part with the octaves! This is nothing less than virtuostic piano music!!!
Forget modesty. His debut was 1940 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He was a classical trained. Competent concert pianist. But he quickly learned concert piano players don't make much money. Ego mr showmanship. Watch the concertos with the London symphony orchestra He never uses sheet music. Wonderful performance. His father was French horn Milwaukee symphony orchestra
I just watched this a couple times. Rubato was for more generous in Liberace's time; melodies could be stretched much further and tempo transitions could be very exaggerated by today's standards. Not sure about the pedaling here (especially the octaves) and the camerawork may be a little theatrical. I love Liberace. He was the greatest. Truly a brilliant musician (don't kid yourself. ;-)
This is the first time i've heard a not-yet-glittered Liberace. And his cristalline talent (this is probably on the podium of the best "Heroic" Polonaises i've ever listened) even wonder me more about his following metamorphosis into a garish showmachine! Something commercialization alone couldn't explain if not in minimal part...
