Bella Davidovich plays Chopin Grande valse brillante - video

[@AnonYmous-ry2jn]

In around 1990 I had a ticket for a recital in Chicago, I believe Ivan Moravec, all Chopin; but to my disappointment, the scheduled performer had cancelled and somebody I never heard of was substituting-- Bella Davidovich. "Rip-off!!" I thought to myself as I opened the program, wondering why I shouldn't be entitled to a refund; how dare they substitute some random person. That recital, which culminated with the Chopin F-Minor Fantasy followed by the F-Minor Ballade, became the standard by which I judge all other Chopin performances. Rubinstein is sort of like that, and he is, well, Rubinstein (nobody can top him in the Heroic Polonaise, though; as someone who I never heard say a false comment about music/musicians put it: "Rubinstein owns the A-flat Polonaise"); much as I love Rubinstein, his interpretations are almost "too normal," they seem sanitized of any quirk or hint of madness, tragedy, or the spiritual sublime: they're all beautiful, true to the score, 100% authoritative, easily digestible; perfect to learn from. Davidovich though is in genuine communion with Chopin and plays like she's wrestling with Chopin's own demons. I feel like her soul and Chopin's are on the same page. Rubinstein had the soul of an epicurean, and his playing is epicurean: a refined pleasure. Davidovich's playing is a kind of quest seemingly indifferent to surface; but where beauty comes as a by-product.

[@danielkristianson208]

The performance is full of whimsy and joie de vivre, but with a deep vein of wistfullness as well. Bella Davidovich is a marvellous interpreter of Chopin ...

[@leonardosamu2300]

It isn't a music! It's a poetry! Amazing interpretation! ❤

[@japojo1958]

This is the most pleasing performance of this piece I can find. Outstanding!

[@eleonoravolskaya4522]

Счастье слушать молодую и гениальную Беллу Давидовидович!ОГРОМНАЯ БЛАГОДАРНОСТЬ!

[@estoniapianofactory6709]

Thank you for posting this lovely performance on an Estonia Piano! We are still making beautiful hand crafted pianos in Tallinn, Estonia :)

[@miamargareta9997]

❤️ very beautiful school memory from the high school..the lovely Estonia grand piano in an auditorium,so great you keep tradition alive ,the finnish tradition of making pianos is very much dead.

[@evgeniachernysheva6215]

I did play my recitals on a beautiful Estonia piano during my music school years ❤️

[@evgeniachernysheva6215]

Amazing performance ❤

[@metteholm4833]

Totally FANTASTIC. I´ve nerver heard anything like it. Perfection!

[@aenema22]

The sections where she chooses no pedal are mind blowing!

[@ВасилийАксёнов-п9я]

шарм эпохи Шопена так легко чувствуется в чудесном и гениальном исполнении обожаемого мной мастера фортепианной игры,спасибо Вам

[@AnonYmous-ry2jn]

Incredible performance. Wit and charm, a surface levity pointing to something so much deeper, as Chopin often does in his “lighter” moments. Every waltz of course is a story about love, courtship, grace, and physicality but something deeper in the soul. Ms. Davidovich gets them all here, *incomparably*. The best. We love you Bella! I first saw you substituting for Ivan Moravec in Chicago, and it was probably the most memorable concert I attended. It included Ballade #4 and Fantasie op. 49. I’ll never, EVER, forget it, and those performances will always be my conception of those masterpieces in their ideal form- I’d say the “standard” all others are compared against, but I just don’t compare and rank music that way. Yours are just my concept of how these pieces SHOULD be played, and I’m confident Chopin would concur. I’ve since heard every major classic recording of the Ballade, studied much Chopin, as amateur, myself, and read the extensively, including most of Charles Rosen’s discussions, the Cambridge Companion, and a good assortment of Polish, Russian, and Hungarian (Liszt Academy) academic Chopin discussion in translation. I can appreciate French Chopin, btw, but I think the best understanding of Chopin is in Eastern and Central Europe. (To be honest, I think Richter, however much I admire him, doesn’t really “get” Chopin, nor Argerich, nor most Russians- it’s almost impossible, yet the Polish pianists frequently do so routinely. Because they approach it more as poetry than anything else, and poetry they understand and identify with. Bella Davidovich, from Baku Azerbajan, is in this company.

[@urherman1]

One of the great pianists. I heard her debut in Carnegie Hall --She played the Chopin Preludes Has a perfect technique and is an expressive pianist--vast repertoir

[@alexpate8626]

This is the best Chopin I can remember hearing!

[@pollinifan]

This is so unreal! Amazing!

[@babonicarlos]

Happy Birthday Bella, 94 years.

[@apoorva_i]

This recording of her is even better than the one that you can hear on streaming services

[@hejianzhu5640]

Thanks for posting this. This is the version when I first listened to this work back in my junior high. I did not know who the pianist was. After 15 years I finally find out! Full of great memories~

[@stephenspencer4672]

Happy 🎂 birthday Bella. You are a wonderful musician. ❤️

[@reinhardpan]

Wonderful! A feast for eyes and ears.

[@mariodominguez9155]

Bravo!! I did not know this beautiful interpretation, thank you so much for share this piece of art with us...

[@Arc_Firstlight]

This is really lovely to me. My late father was a classical pianist, and his interpretation is very close to this one. The dynamics and power, while still being fairly whimsical and upbeat, bring back some good memories. Thanks for posting this.

[@AcousticBruce]

This is an absolutely excellent version!!

[@carlpalumbo5811]

Thank you for posting. She is amazing. What a magnificent Chopin interpreter!

[@andymilsten9096]

I LOVE BELLA DAVIDOVICH AND CHOPIN!!!

[@zacharydummpfiff9837]

You're bisexual.

[@lonmayer130]

Lovely from beginning to end.

[@clyneheretic]

This remarkable lady is not operating an instrument, she's using the piano as her voice - the keys are as much part of her as her own vocal cords. Brava!

[@AlfieTheProducer]

Unbelievably elegant

[@chantalely6965]

Superbe! Merci d'ecouter aussi l'immense Magda Tagliaferro et notamment l'hommage du 08/04/14 sur France Musique! Vous aurez le bonheur de l'entendre parler et surtout jouer.Un enchantement! Chantal Ely

[@walterbenjamin1386]

Speechless.

[@tonggong1240]

so beautiful, in black and white.

[@TheKatchour]

BRAVISSIMA❗️💐 СПАСИБО❗️🙏🏻❤️🤗

[@evgenylauck4893]

Абсолютно гениально!❤

[@jurriaanmeiresonne5895]

Thank you for this nice performance. Bella let here the piano sing.

[@bach5861]

+jurriaan meiresonne Russian piano school!

[@elysantos5297]

Maravilhosa! Adorei a interpretação dela

[@luiseduardorios6497]

¡estupendo!🎉 la forma de tocar es muy buena.😉

[@MrGer2295]

Wow! Beautiful! Thank you for posting!

[@trevandrea8909]

So gracefull

[@pianistgetsalife8790]

This brings so much joy to me. Finally feel like I can relate to Chopins waltzes. Before it was like Ballads, nocturnes-yes, waltzes-although genius-no thanks. Still scared of mazurkas though.

[@jonbaum]

Absolutely wonderful. And very interesting to see the old Estonia piano. By far the finest pianos made in the Soviet Union (which maybe isn't much of a compliment because most of the pianos that were made there were total garbage). But Estonia were top notch.

[@NancyPBarry]

I will never forget the time she came to Montclair, and she could not reach the piano keys. They sent the wrong chair. She preferred one with a back to it. So we had to run and find a big phone book for her to sit on. As I ran back into the auditorium, the reviewer leaned over and asked me - was it Essex or Passaic.

[@mariavelazquezdeangulo1640]

Wonderful !!!

[@rofo315]

Bravo

[@FutureFreeman]

Beautiful!

[@sirasy]

wonderful!

[@MrWibette]

gifted. well balanced. no! she is goddess of piano.

[@1212hjb]

I believe that title belongs to Mrs. Argerich! She's more of a piano princess.

[@김경복-b5h]

Very nice

[@tylerbuck9347]

And she did all this playing in a regular ol' chair!

[@vorenado3874]

Holy crap look at that left hand go

[@jiolo3404]

Russians really knew their way around a piano 🎹

[@handsfree1000]

And the Ukraine

[@caitgems1]

Still do.

[@buxtehude123]

Ukrainians got it from Russia.

[@fasolelata]

She's not Russian. Neither Ukrainian. Point.

[@fasolelata]

Read wikipedia.

[@mr.thickey1820]

"Ach du lieber, mein schatz"! Zdravo & Kako si!! I was really hoping you Bella were Croatian! My dad's side of my family were pure Croatian. Love that gnocchi!!! Man who losses key to girl's apartment gets NO "gnocchi"!!!

[@spind]

Mr. Thickey No, Ms. Davidovich is Russian-Jewish

[@josegiraldi]

Great pianist at full power piano. Antologic record !!!

[@miamargareta9997]

Estonia

[@josegiraldi]

@@miamargareta9997 Yes, I know, at ARSIS Studio we have one, 1990, please listem in KZbin russian pianist Olga Kopylova playing C Chaminade.

[@도로시-g5h]

한국인은 아무도 없나요 ㅠㅠ

[@ПашаЗаславский-ж4ъ]

WHAT YEAR WAS IT IN ?

[@buxtehude123]

I saw her live! Amazing. Beautiful tone. Gorgeous interpretation with sensitive rubato. If she had bigger hands she could've been a major star.

[@wallstreetback]

is this a hard piece to play?

[@miamargareta9997]

To play like her,Yes.

[@maggieke2223]

@@miamargareta9997 I agree with you. I’m playing this piece for a competition and wish me good luck

[@maggieke2223]

You can literally see her hands are just flying on the piano

[@ANITA-cv8cq]

Рояль звучит плохо, конечно. Без тембра, плоско, гремит... Но играет хорошо

[@mmbmbmbmb]

huge lack of emotion ... dare I say? virtuosity yes, no doubt ... but ...

[@hansjuergenkohlhaas871]

She let (past tense) the music speak and sing which is full of emotion and fortunately there were no emotional outbursts or showy displays you perhaps expect to watch.

[@mmbmbmbmb]

Listening to it once again, it makes me realize, that I, who am otherwise fond of Frederik Chopin's work , just don't fancy this piece in particular, no matter 'how' it is interpreted. To each his own I suppose. And NO, I am not one to look for showy displays or emotional outbursts ... ;o)

[@mmbmbmbmb]

;o) ... maybe not "huge"