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Even though this was in her later days, it's still a special performance. I've heard recordings of her playing it, but never actually seen a video. So happy to see this, and I hope you all enjoy, too! Happy Saturday
Although not primarily known for her virtuoso playing(except in Iberia and other Spanish works), she could certainly play with incredible virtuosity as in this performance of La Campanella: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0wmi0y1Geg
Many thanks, OSK, for posting this! I had not heard or seen it before (did she record it commercially?), and it was the perfect accompaniment to watering my plants, which takes about 35 minutes.
Still not sure what to make about the piece itself. It is associated in my life with insanity and unrequited love as a teen, and Stravinsky's 'Rachmaninov crying his Russian tears' still rings through my psyche.
But perhaps others will hear more in Rachmaninov's earnest efforts at profundity than I.
Interesting post since there is a thread about rolling chords for small handed pianists. She was truly great. I saw her twice, once was a solo recital and the other was playing Beethoven piano concerto 4. Her Mozart was unsurpassed even by comparison to today's great Mozart players. Actually, truth be told, I prefer her's. Now we see her playing a truly virtuosic piece and did you noticed the rolled chords in the beginning? Does it bother anyone? Not me. Sounds ok either way.
She had extremely small hands. I remember listening to the radio and another famous concert pianist commenting on how amazed they were at her performance of the Rachmaninoff #3 considering her limitations. Even Josef Hofmann never played the work even though it was dedicated to him.
I think the jury is out about this. There have been many PW threads where some posters have said this was not the case.
My strong suspicion is that she could at least stretch an octave comfortably and this would mean her hands were not so small. If one can handle an octave comfortably, I think one is not particularly restricted in terms of repertoire one can deal with.
I met the lady, albeit briefly. Her hands were proportional to her size. They were small, but she did whatever she had to in order to play the piece she wanted to. Now she did this for public performances. What difference does it really matter if one is playing a piece for their own pleasure in the privacy of their own home? If you need to roll, then roll baby roll.
