I know, I know: I'm a hypocrite for creating my OWN YouTube thread.

Chopin/Godowsky op. 10, #12

Anyway, I've been doing this piece as an encore lately and thought I'd share it here. It fits surprisingly well in the hand. I might try a few others and perform them as a set.

Nice playing!

The Chopin/Godowsky stuff is fun to listen.

Nice work on the etude--I play it too, and it really is delightful how well it fits the hand. That is, to me, the genius of Godowsky--if it were awkward in any way, I think it wouldn't be worth the effort spent in learning it. However, since all the etudes are so pianistic, though certainly not easy to master, they are wonderful things to study and perform. Why not, I say!

Godowsky said that many of his students who studied his etudes often said they would find interesting, previously unheard or overlooked beauties in the original etudes. Have you found that to be true for yourself? I do from what little experience I have, though to be honest I steer far away from the originals in most cases. I think they're much more difficult, and I would hate to be yet another pianist who tackles them too early and destroys the fine music...

Great!
Thanks for posting that.

Wow, I'm impressed. You seem so relaxed and confident.

Great playing. I would've found the video much more enjoyable if it were a Rick Roll, though. Just saying...

Great playing indeed. Thanks for sharing. Ironically, the original 10/12 is often played as virtually an etude for the left hand because many people are focused on their left hand and bang the RH keys without attention for a beautiful, deep tone. One benefit of this study (in my opinion) is that it is made impossible to bang the melody from a height because the hand is bound close to the keys by the LH accompaniment. And by having the melody in the tenor range, emphasis is placed on its sonority.

Given the great overall playing, it seems to me there are still a few slightly rough spots, e.g. always before the (re-)appearance of the (originally) RH motives. In contrast, the RH motives are shaped beautifully by the LH. In my taste, the interpretation could also benefit from some more revolutionary pathos overall (possibly, but not necessarily, also by a slight increase in speed). But again, these are very minor, and subjective, observations in a great performance.

If you are playing more of the studies, my personal favorite is the Ignis fatuus transcription of 10/2.

When are you going to post the other 52?

I enjoyed your playing quite a bit. I like the tempo you took - I've heard this played considerably faster, but I actually like it better at a modest tempo. It helps bring out the musicality of the piece as opposed to just empty flash and bravura. It was very clean as well. Some of the faster ones I've heard are impressive, but not nearly as clean.

Bravo!!! Wish I had the chops to play that one...

Yeah, Godowsky's tempo is 112-126. I think mine sits at about 120, which I is fast enough.

Given the register it's mostly written in (very bottom of the piano), the sensitivity of the voice leading, and pedaling issues, it risks becomes too muddy after a certain tempo. I could play it closer to 144 and finish it in Berezovsky time, but it doesn't have the clarity I'm looking for at that speed.

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Not any time soon! I'm going to look at the LH versions of 10/1 and 25/12 today.

I like the left hand version of the Op.10 in e flat minor.

I heard Hamelin play the Eb minor in a private recital; it was breath-takingly beautiful and seemed so effortlessly played. His performance prompted me to buy the score, but all I'll ever do is read from them while listening.

Regards,

Why not play the Chopin-Godowsky-Pianoloverus version(same as the Godowsky but played with two hands?

Which leads into the following question. Can anyone think of another composer besides Godowsky who wrote the same piece in a two handed version and LH alone version(Waltz Poems and quite a few other works I can't remember)?