Cyprien Katsaris | Chopin Masterclass Vol.7 | Polonaise Op.26-1

Cyprien Katsaris had this masterclass on Japanese TV in 1993.

[@marshan1226]

[SUBTITLES] Hi, to those who want to listen, here are subs not sure if people are still watching this so let me know if I should continue. 00:00:39 “Thank you Laure, very good. So a few words on this Polonaise... You should take it as an ‘épopée’. Meaning like a long poem with lots of passion, heroism, tenderness; all kinds of feelings should be expressed... As you know surely, the Polonaise was a dance that appeared in the time of King Henry III, just before he was king of Poland.” 00:01:08 “So one thing very important, for the start of this introduction, these 3 hits of drama, no in fact there are 5; what’s very important is the accent on the 2nd note, on the dotted 8th note. Don’t do this” - (Katsaris plays what she did wrong) - “but instead this” - (Katsaris plays how it should be) - “So put the pedal, but accent the dotted note more” - (She plays) - “Very good, and you should always think that the triple 8th note, the 1st note, should be on time” - (She plays it again fixing her mistake) 00:01:53 Ok, that was the introduction, the curtain raiser! Now start the piece. 00:01:59 (She starts the polonaise) - “Thank you. Ok you have 2 possibilities here, seeing that this passage comes back several times , you could do it, maybe at the start, piano, with a little accent on the C sharp at the bottom” - (Katsaris plays) - “And later when it comes back you can do it more strong” - (Plays) - “Try the both” - (She plays). 00:02:28 “Thanks, so watch out for the left hand though, we must hear always, the first note at the bottom” -(He shows her) - “and at the start it’s pathétique, and when you reach here, (He plays), more painful. It’s a phrase that stretches, you know (He shows her). Always think about the locution, the declamation.” (She plays). 00:02:58 Good, ok watch out... Laure watch out, when you reached the top, you did this - (He plays) - you waited a bit, it’s good, but it could be seen sometimes as a little cute, a bit weak. You know, it’s not bad at all, at the end of the phrase, to have a tiny acceleration between the penultimate and the last note, so this means - (He shows her) - it’s more painful, try it (she plays). 00:03:30 “No not like that” - (He plays to show her) - (She plays, still wrong), “We’ll do it separately” (He plays) - (She plays) “That’s it! That’s it, and when it comes back later, you can do it... I’m not going to impose something that goes against your nature but you can vary it, and always think about this painful aspect at the end of the phrase, that could be a crescendo as it could be a diminuendo, depending on the start, if you start piano or if you start forte. 00:04:11 So, never forget that this polonaise has a visionary character and that Chopin, always had in his mind, the legends and stories of his country, he had these hallucinations, he saw war troops, ghosts, all kinds of characters mythical and legendary, so he was always inspired by polish folk imagery, so see this as a vision, a vision; pathétique, painful and dramatic, with a lot of lyricism and thinks little bit about the destiny side, inevitably fatal, of this polonaise, ok. So the start are these stroke of fates and after that you have this phrase, and when you reach here... (Katsaris plays) 00:04:53 Here, we have a ‘portando’, you shouldn’t do this legato - (Katsaris plays briefly) - always think about singing, Chopin always had in his mind the ‘bel canto’ (He sings) like this -(Katsaris plays) - even if you use the pedal, we must hear the separation. - (She plays) - very good, continue. (She plays). 00:05:25 So, this little portando, you have almost perfectly done it, it’s very very good, so the portando, you know what it is, it’s in the bel canto and it’s called the parlando, instrumentally it’s the portando, which shouldn’t be confused with the portamento. 00:05:38 So the portando, so the first notes must be more heavy than the last notes, here we have a portando phrase, so we have repeated notes rather slow - (He plays) - when the singer speaks - (He sings) - you see what I mean... 00:05:51 You shouldn’t do it like this - (He plays) - No but like - (He plays) - think of a caress, you know a caress that gets lighter, at the end of the phrase. (She plays) - but timber! (She plays it and he exhales “Voilà! That was good!”) 00:06:15 Good, watch out, there’s a change of colour when you get to the top -(He plays it, beautifully I might add, wow) - Ok - (She plays) - No, start with more Laure, start louder - (She plays) - No, you shouldn’t stop! Watch out, you shouldn’t slow down - (She plays) - That’s it, that’s almost it, don’t slow down between the a and the b, when you reach the top - (He plays) - You definitely shouldn’t do this - (He plays) - No, so we’ll restart - (He plays) - and when you come down from the top in pianissimo, the left hand! You have this kind of tenor that comes. [the right hand] comes down [and] the left hand comes towards it - (He plays) - they come together to form this kind of diluted atmosphere - (He plays) - Ok do it, I exaggerated a bit on purpose [his playing] - (She plays) - You forgot the little note - (She plays) 00:07:44 Ok watch out haha. Here we have a little musicological problem because this little note, this little barred appoggiatura, it is called a “Cherqa de la nota” in other words, you have an interval between the F sharp and the A, and the first note of this interval, so this F sharp, is repeated; and it’s a practice that was prohibited by the rules of Bel Canto, but was applied by, on a practical level, by the singers. So it should be done in principle; as a general rule, in time (with the right hand and beat) but, when it comes back you could maybe change it later. So do first on time. (He demonstrates then she copies) 00:08:34

[@theo4615]

i’m so sad you didn’t continue this but thank you for translating!!

[@marshan1226]

@@theo4615 I don’t know if ppl still watch this or would want, should I continue?

[@helenzhao7311]

@@marshan1226 Please continue. Thank you so much!

[@diaA1na53]

@@marshan1226 thank you so much for you comment^^! Please continue:)

[@catcadenza2493]

Yes! Please continue!

[@BenSadounJeremie]

C’est fantastique toutes ces Masterclass de vous sur KZbin. Un trésor !

[@stalkerstomper3304]

I understood every word despite not knowing any French, but rather the universal language of music.

[@karlmujic7837]

He's a very good teacher

[@josemanuelarmas9441]

Magnifique!!

[@la_pirata_la_perla_negra]

Great thank you for uploading!!!

[@ST-pm4ze]

こんな先生欲しいなぁ👨‍🏫

[@elias7748]

I have no clue what they’re saying but can still understand somehow

[@jakmere]

This girl is definitely a Martha Argerich fan. I mean, she even tries to mimick Martha's face!

[@FirstGentleman1]

The beginning of this polonaise is really not easy.

[@marshan1226]

Honestly!

[@ckh1011]

Could anyone help to explain his idea from 23:40 to 24:05 in English? About the major third on right hand. Thanks :)

[@ckh1011]

+Chopinouvale Thank you for being so helpful!!!

[@paulwl3159]

who is the talented 'student'?

[@平安喜樂-f2v]

Laure Favre-Kahn

[@paulwl3159]

Thank you

[@tadeusz590]

11:43

[@brandonscherrer]

Wish they had English subs :(

[@edd4339]

Brandon Scherrer wish you didn't waste my time with your useless complaints. Obviously it's not going to translate by magic, so just listen or go someplace else

[@giusepperussococo9794]

+Ed D what's wrong with you.

[@edd4339]

what's wrong with you?

[@edd4339]

mind your business nobody asked you to reply

[@giusepperussococo9794]

+Ed D nobody asked you to born 1 hundred years ago

[@muhammet_ali_b]

anybody knows the name of the woman ?

[@平安喜樂-f2v]

Laure Favre-Kahn

[@muhammet_ali_b]

@@平安喜樂-f2v Thanks !

[@datokacadze5669]

♥

[@ottosei9408]

roses are red violets are blue if the description is in english the video should be too

[@robertc2093]

otto sei, monolingualism is curable!

[@republiccooper]

😂😂

[@DavidAndersen84]

I might forgive you for not speaking French, but I will never forgive you for that poem.

[@marshan1226]

Ok subs there now

[@sauravbose6743]

1. Firstly, I am not an American but an Indian. 2. I hope you remember that English is not the international language of communication for nothing... It is the only common language in which somebody like a Russian or a German can speak to a Japanese or Taiwanese person.... I don't object to Katsaris speaking in French - its his native tongue... It's just that English subtitles would have been a lot more helpful to people WORLDWIDE than the Japanese ones.....

[@marshan1226]

Well said

[@inazuma3gou]

This lesson was recorded back in 1991 for a Japanese audience. It was never intended to be shown Worldwide.

[@magusl9628]

@@inazuma3gou yes, but we're in a new millennium now, watching it in KZbin

[@i.ehrenfest349]

@@magusl9628so? Who owes you subtitles?

[@malamilkshake6524]

11 years old and this stupid comment is still gold! First, who cares who you are? lol Second, the Japanese have no interest in creating this video for the rest of the world to understand. This is how they are. Your comment is naive and arrogant. I hope for your patients you are more open minded and humble.

[@sauravbose6743]

3. And yes, for a foreigner, it takes years of study in French before anybody can understand what he is saying (and at the pace he speaks).... So, please, have some consideration for people who don't know other languages and may not be having the time to go through long study periods to learn them... Today, you say what you are saying just because you can understand the video. Rest assured, if it had been in a language which YOU don't understand, you wouldn't have been so patronizing about it...

[@marshan1226]

Well said

[@kyhykw]

「繰り返しの時はこう弾いてもいいですよ」って、自分だけでやってればいいことを人に指導してやらせるなよ

[@PhotonAvogadro]

指導者が指導して何がおかしいの

[@Kousuke-co6bx]

しかも強制じゃなくて提案してるだけでしょw

[@rationalistx]

master classes get on my nerves. stop the talking - just play the damn thing.....

[@tomgrueman655]

Jangled nerves!

[@kasperlarsen4274]

That is what a masterclass is, smartass.

[@edd4339]

***** you shouldn't argue with a pig. It's a waste of time and it makes the pig angry

[@annacaluma6315]

That is why she goes to master class

[@annacaluma6315]

Master classes are to learn how to play piano

[@tadeusz590]

28:00