Scott Joplin: Maple Leaf Rag 

Hi everyone, if you liked this video don't miss my latest performance: The Entertainer by Scott Joplin to the following link! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Yz0SVCJT6eg.html&ab_channel=DarioRonchi

I'm a 70-year old fourth year piano student. Last week my piano teacher handed me my lesson book and said she had assigned a new piece to me, but she didn't want me to know what it was until I got home. This was it. I almost fainted when I saw the sheet music. I'm hammering it out (very slowly) and am enjoying the learning process. When I grow up, I want to play Maple Leaf Rag just like you do!

One of the best performances I’ve heard of this piece: no rushing, clean as a whistle, every note and color coming through. Bravo.

Best performed/played version I have heard. It's so rare to find someone who can play it at the correct "marching" speed and not hammer away on a sprint. Your superb tempo ...with the high quality piano ...you can actually hear each note and its intensity and the pedal ..it seems to hang in the air long enough to hear and visualize each one. Bravo!

I swear I heard this song randomly through my childhood. I don’t remember a single time I willingly chose to listen to this, yet I’ve heard it a million times. I didn’t even know the name of the song

One of my all-time favorites. Not rushed as so many players do and the tone of the Steinway is magnificent. Thank you sir for your years of hard work and study as well as the talent to perform for us.

The notes are nice crisp and clear. An excellent performance.

Love Scott Joplin music, always makes me feel like I’m in a old western saloon.

Extraordinary performance. I think you did great honor to Scott Joplin. You should feel proud of carrying this ragtime rhythm in your blood and passing it on to future generations. Congratulations!

I have to agree with the others who have said this is the best rendition of Maple Leaf on RU-vid.

Perfect tempo. Brilliant. We can hear every note and every nuance of the dynamics. And it's a tempo you can march to and dance to, which was the intention of the ragtime. Most people just murder this piece by playing it far too fast. This was a breath of fresh air, so thank you.

I love the way this piece is played, I’m currently trying to learn it and always keep coming back to yours for reference, as it’s the best version on the net... sounds fantastic... thank you.

I've heard several different people play Maple Leaf Rag on RU-vid. So far this the best performance I've heard yet. I also appreciate the Steinway piano and high definition recording equipment you obviously use. Well done, sir.

That big Steinway really delivers those bass notes the way he wants.

I'm a 14-year old fourth year piano student. Today I hat my lesson and my teacher handed me out this peace. Than i heared it here on RU-vid and I was shocked. How shut I play this peace? I didn't expect, that he give me after 4 years something like this. But when my piano teacher thinks i can play it, I can do it for sure.

I have listened to many versions of this on RU-vid and this is by far my favourite. I love the tempo, the precision and the quality of the sound. So many of the others seem rushed.

Listening in May, 2023.. An excellent performance. Perfect. I love Scott Joplin.Great.

This is the way that ragtime should be played. Not too fast with that wonderful base, particularly in the Maple leaf Rag. Thank you once again Dario.

im 15 years old, and ive been learning this piece for about a week and just started the third second, im so excited to finish it and play it

Perfect tempo. Wonderful 👍😀👏👏👏

Love this rendition. It's not too fast and the notes were crisp and the pedal was just enough. I use this video to improve my own playing of this piece.

Wow, I love this performance. The amount of pause/slowing just before the new section at 1:48 is perfect! It really lifts and carries the listener on. Thanks for sharing.

Superb! This is the best I've heard! Most recordings sound like someone banging out notes, adhering to an unnaturally rapid tempo, with no phrasing or idea where the music is headed except to the end! You take your time to enjoy the ride, and I love the humor in your phrasing! To me it almost sounds like old friends reminiscing about their times together - reliving the moments and laughing! I just love this!!

I think this is the best rendition I have heard.

Thank you Dario Ronchi. This is my favorite recording of Maple Leaf Rag.

True original American classical music. I love it!

I truly enjoyed this performance. It is genuinely a celebration of this marvelous piece, not just a chance for the pianist to show off. Thank you, Mr. Ronchi.

Simply fantastic. Definitely the most beautiful rendition I've ever heard of this song as others have commented. I could watch your hands stride those keys for hours, and the Steinway sound is glorious. Scott would be all smiles I'm sure. Do post more Joplin covers. Great job!

It sounds just right to me - each note crisp and separate. I have never heard a better version.

It's so nice to hear someone not only play the song, but feel the song. I could listen to this on repeat for days.

I absolutely love this. I listen to it everyday! It lifts me when I get tired and weary.

This is the only version I've found that plays at the proper original speed in high quality, thanks so much for making this.

Thank you for sharing your wonderful talent. My mother is dead now, but I remember when I was growing up I would hear piano music in the middle of the night. I'd come upstairs to the music room. I'd see mom playing without any lights on in the room. She she was feeling sad or stressed, she'd play from memory songs that she had learned when she was younger. One of those was the Maple Leaf Rag. I close my eyes as I listen to your performance and I can see her--fifty years ago. Memories are incredible things. Thank you for that memory.

"The Maple Leaf will make me the king of ragtime composers" - Scott Joplin Scott, you are the king. You will always be the king. Not even one person in a hundred could name any of the others. I sure can't.

браво ! просто здорово! на мой взгляд самое лучшее исполнение этой композиции многие почему то играют в более высоком темпе - не понимаю зачем? Очень ненавязчиво эмоционально и грамотно исполнено после того как услышал моментально самому захотелось выучить Спасибо

I've listened to other performances of this piece, and I always come back to this one. The lovely tone of the Steinway is another reason. Marvelous, Dario!

Well I’m not exaggerating if I say this is the BEST Maple Leaf Rag interpretation I ever heard. Perfect from every point of view - tempo, precision, dynamics, clearness, recording quality, piano sound (this Steinway is truly appropriate for this piece). Thank you, grazie!

This is the best version on the Internet. Wonderfully played!

It is magically invigorating when a crafted master musician plays on a masterfully crafted instrument.

Especially the 3rd section. This guy makes the piano quite literally sing with passion

I love Ragtime! When I was in Elementary school we went to Carolina Beach, NC to visit some friends of my mother's. They had a player piano. Played the Entertainer and I was hooked. I got them to play it over and over. That was 46 years ago maybe.

So beautifully played with feeling. So many people just to try show off how fast they can get through it. Brilliant and inspiring to this novice pianist.

The sound of that Steinway!

Amazing to think Joplin wrote his rags on a basic upright piano! What would he have thought listening to it played on a grand piano?? It's a shame really but great credit to ronchi and marvin hamlisch for keeping his music alive today!! Most of today's artist's are plonkers who can't even read a note 🎵 of music and use the piano as a prop!! True ragtime will never die because of Scott Joplin, simple.❤❤😊😊!

1:49 It’s just so satisfying and empowering when the piano kicks in with full force. Excellent cover mate.

I have to admit it: This is the best MLR I've ever heard! Not a single embellishment. Not too fast. To prove you're human I caught a single slipped note at 2:57. Absolutely fabulous. Thanks for posting.

Absolute perfection, played to utter perfection! Joplin is outstanding, one of the greatest composers for the pianoforte!!!!👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌

Absolutely beautiful to see a concert pianist playing this. Scott Joplin was truly a genius.

Hello everyone, today I would like to tell you why I played the Maple Leaf Rag at that speed of execution, also in order to clarify many contrasts of opinions I see among you. It is true, Joplin did not indicate, at the beginning of the score, the metronome beats number, but nevertheless we read "Tempo di marcia" (March Time). We understand that most of the marches in binary time (2/4, 4/4 etc) did not reach high execution speeds, but they were not even too slow. The second factor that convinced me not to go too fast were Scott Joplin's words used in his "School of Ragtime" method, that I would like to share with all of you: "We wish to say here, that the" Joplin ragtime " is destroyed by careless or imperfect rendering, and very often good players lose the effect entirely, by playing too fast harmonized with the supposition that each note will be played as it is written, as it takes this and also the proper time divisions to complete the sense intended." Hoping to have been useful I wish you a good listening! Dario

Wow! Well done!

You can really hear the superb articulation at this tempo. Perfect. Stunning performance in every way :-)

My bucket list is to this. Beautifully done Dario, I listen to this over and over

Yeah, best I've ever heard! Wish I could play like that ❤😊😊!! Joplin would have agreed 💯!!

Brilliant articulation, every note spot on, total clarity - he lets the music speak for itself. Terrific performance.

Why all the down-votes?! This is fabulous.

This is beautiful, very crisp and clean, performance of a ragtime classic. A lot of easy to miss notes are very audible, an excellent performance all round.

Absolutely wonderful performance. Bravo 👏🏻

Loved it. My favorite rendition of this tune. Have not heard any other version I like as well as this one. Excellent!

I play this every day for sheer courage and those bass strings!!!Dario, we all love your playing!!!

When I'm almost giving up on this song, I found this video. You inspired me to keep moving on since this is a beautiful song

An excellent version. Cero improvisation. Wow! One of the best I have heard.

This is an A+ performance. The video and audio are top notch. The tempo is perfect. The Steinway is like butter. So smooth.

I learned many instruments as a young person but I could never get the music to come alive as you do in the piano. I love when a performance gives me chills like you gave me here! That is quite a gift/talent!

A truly virtuoso performance! This is by far the best rendition of the Maple Leaf Rag I've ever heard. Congratulations Dario!

I just found this (I'm always late to the party) ASTOUNDING !!! the dynamics and sensitivity combined with graceful interpretation (just amazing) giving new life to this piece Truly Master Work Sir Dario

The most polished rendition of this piece on all of RU-vid!

I like the each single note you play. So clear, no-missed and briliant!

My 13 year old son starting to learn this piece for fun. He has just completed his grade 5 exam on piano and loves playing piano 🎹 . Beautifully played, Dario!!

I wish there were more musical compositions on this channel, I really love your renditions!

The down votes are people who thought they could play this well, and then watched this clip. Brilliant!!

Gut, gut, ich mag dies Lied! Danke, dass du es mit uns verteilt hast!

One of the most respectable musical performances I’ve ever seen. Bravo!

Excellent! This is how ragtime should be played...not too fast, with that great base. Absolutely love this version.

Magnificent piano and perfectly tuned and voiced. Wonderful rendition, excellent performance!

The best rendition this piece I've heard ( I play this piece myself ) , it was played respectfully to the composer's written instructions, not exarated or comically over syncopated but with decorum befitting the respect of a music composer be it , Beethoven, Bach , Tchaikovsky, or SCOTT JOPLIN. Thank You Sir. May God Bless You Sir .

My great-grandmother passed away 10 days ago at the ripe age of 100 years old, and this was always one of her favorites to play whenever I was at her house. Thank you for helping me relive so many of my memories with my Grandma Norma. Very well done Dario.

sounds exactly as it does in my head. Awesome recording.

Clearly, this man is a professional pianist. He must have a degree in music from Juilliard in New York or the Royal Academy in London. Maple Leaf Rag is not a piece that a novice or amateur can simply perform. This performance is concert hall worthy and it sent shivers down my spine.

My father played Joplin and this brings such wonderful memories of him. Thank you, and let's never forget the genius of the composer.

Great performance & pristine sound -- he plays every note without "slurring," yet it still swings. A winner!

Wondefully played and what a melody!!!

The subtleties in timing really make this version special.

I am 16 years old an during quarantine i didn't know what to do so I played the piano for a very long time every day. And now I am finally able to play this beautiful rag time. I listen to this version of it to know how it should sound and I just love it.

Have heard this version approximately 20 times. Dancing to it every time. THE BEST!!!

Amazing! Playing Ragtime for about 16 years myself now. This has to be the best version of the Maple Leaf Rag i have heard so far :) !

Definitely the best performance of Maple Leaf Rag I have ever heard! Please keep uploading! Love it, love it, love it!

Probably the best performance of the Maple Leaf Rag I ever heard. Wonderful, keep it up!

Takes me back to 70's, my parents used to play Scott Joplin Piano Rags played by Joshua Rifkin. Thanks Dario for the trip down memory lane.

"One rag to rule them all, one rag to chime them, one rag to rule them all and in the music bind them."

Most Steinway & Sons concert pianos can play this without the help of a human. Dario, I speak in jest of course, your playing is nothing short of phenomenal. Brilliant tempo, flawless. I love this song and will be looking from you. :)

You just made me want to start back up with piano lessons. I actually teared up watching this it was so good. You made the piano come alive!

What a beautiful performance; and the dynamics amazing

this is the best performance of Maple Leaf Rag I've ever hear. Thank you so much Mr.Dario. From Viet Nam with love

I like the way that he plays one of my favorite Scott Joplin ragtime pieces!

So many awesome things happening here it's hard to articulate them all. Excellent sound, excellent everything! One of my favorite performances of one of my favorite songs. Thanks!

you really made the piano speak, I mean....it's almost as if it's actually talking. The subtle inflections you bring to the performance, bring it to life!

Usually music based videos don't give views despite of hardwork and dedicated towards it. I deeply regret to our modern society. Bro you are doing damn good! Keeping playing bro

Brilliant performance! So well done! Excellent interpretation: Right tempo in my opinion, very clean, excellent utilization of dynamics. Exciting performance, thanks!

Listening to it always gets me chocked up, great piece of music !!

We already know we are going to fucking live here for the rest of our lives.