Emil Gilels | Prokofiev: Toccata in D minor, Op. 11

The outstanding soviet pianist Emil Gilels performs the famous Prokofiev Toccata in D minor. Notice how his choice of tempo allows him to bring out so many shades of colors.

[@andreykrone]

Yes Sir! One of best interpretations, we can hear the harmonies and the music!

[@lionelvigneresse4563]

La meilleure interprétation , la plus vivante , la mieux comprise de la très belle Toccata de PROKOFIEFF par l'un des plus grands et admirables pianistes du XXe siècle. Lionel VIGNERESSE.

[@melitongue]

That's the art of stoking the fire, with stealth and tenacity, until the thing burns! Gilels is a supreme poet of the piano.

[@da__lang]

What a superb rendition. Why would we expect anything less from Gilels. I'm tired of hearing so many pianists play this piece like it's a circus act. Just because it's virtuosic doesn't mean its artistic value should be ignored. Gilels gets it just right.

[@EmdrGreg]

Superb choice of tempo. Modern pianists forget that this is MUSIC and just try to show off with it. This is brilliant.

[@joaomonteiro9619]

Well, the tempo of the piece is "Allegro Marcato". Definetly not like this, so it makes sense most of the perfomances you listened to dont sound anything close to this. But I agree with you, I guess nowadays you don't see pianists performing their own exact idea of classical pieces and try to be as close as possible as to what the actual composition demands them...

[@alanpotter8680]

@@joaomonteiro9619 There are ways to make the piece your own. Changing the tempo and/or other markings on the sheetmusic *just because*, isn't one of them. I agree that this is NOT how it's supposed to sound.

[@dabrowski7555]

@@alanpotter8680 Isn't it a rigid way of thinking(classical elitism)? I think that in this world one must be an accepting and understanding man.. to accept something even if not as close to your tastes.

[@alanpotter8680]

@@dabrowski7555 No. Elitism? Are you serious? Composers put markings for a reason. Otherwise there will be one giant ad. Lib. at the beginning of each piece. As I said, there are ways to make a piece your own. Covers aren't one of them.

[@Hervinbalfour]

I wouldn't say this is a "superb" tempo at all. This is how I practiced it with my metronome before upping the tempo gradually. I love Emil Gilel's but this wasn't it...

[@therainforest4314]

I absolutely love this performance and the delivery, being more about deliberation, shading, and colouration in the dynamics than blistering speed. Brilliant! :)

[@Nodalema]

Incredible. No young pianist today would play it like this. Reminds me of Sokolov.

[@MaxLima1]

Isn’t it incredible? The amount of colors that this tempo allows him to bring out is unbelievable

[@Nodalema]

@@MaxLima1 Absolutely. The comparison I had in mind was with Sokolov's Prok 8. Slower than usual, which ends up giving it greater power and effect than most others. That said, I do like Martha's fast approach too 😉.

[@MaxLima1]

@@Nodalema Maybe someday the video of Martha playing Prokofiev's toccata will pop up on my channel.... hahahaha

[@diegoschusterpaes6040]

I know the audio of Martha playing, but IS THERE A VIDEO??? 😍 If I see it, than I can die in peace! 😂❤️

[@samt0080]

@@diegoschusterpaes6040 kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKmtnKKFeLd7q8U

[@fatcontroller12]

This is very controlled, and I love this for that reason.

[@mariosvourliotakis]

This performance gives me hope. Every other pianist playing this is going lightning fast, to the point where I dont think I could ever reach them. Gilels knows what hes doing though, so I thank him for broadening my horizons on how to play this monstrosity of a piece.

[@Hervinbalfour]

I guess. This is not what Prokofiev wrote as his tempo. The composer didn't even play it this slow on his recording. This isn't Allegro Marcato. If you don't think you can "reach them" you've already closed your mind off. I learned both Rachmaninoff's piano sonata's at 16 and 17 when I was in prep department at SFCM. Id argue they are both harder than this. If you want to get this piece up to top speed practice tiny sections of measures. For ex: three-four notes at maximum speed gradually adding a note or two until you get the whole passage. Getting it at Argerich/Yuja/Horowitz speed is not out of reach.

[@nicolaselsishans5665]

Perfect tempo! Stunning control!

[@Hervinbalfour]

"Perfect"? No not at all Definitely NOT allegro marcato as written.

[@z.a.4801]

I really liked this, having this sound so well at that tempo makes you think you might actually go learn it and be able to play this decently one day.

[@User.preference]

What a piece - !!!... Emil Gilels - Live Concert - 1960's... Both ''Machines" ... - ... 📣 Reminding me: " The Man with a Movie Camera - 1929"... ( Experimental Film - Dziga Vertov - Duration: 68 minutes ) 🪔🪔🪔🪔🪔

[@DrahomiraBiligova]

Gilels genius

[@MaxLima1]

One of my favorites!

[@jackiepike1466]

@@MaxLima1 mine too 🧡

[@ferube4171]

como se puede criticar negativamente algo asi que va a quedar por la eternidad gracias a youtbe??? solo un soberbio o energumeno no aprecia la belleza de esta joya de belleza eterna

[@diegoschusterpaes6040]

It reminds me the interpretation of Olga Kiun, a russian pianist who lives in Curitiba, Brazil. Same length, wich allows lots of colours. For me, the most beautiful recording, even with bad audio quality.

[@raymondtakacs1325]

Very beautiful rendition

[@MichaelKaykov]

Wonderful recording

[@diegoschusterpaes6040]

Obrigado, Max. Essa é, para mim, a obra prima da literatura pianística. Não consigo enxergar nada tão complexo e simultaneamente bonito e intrigante quanto a Toccata do Prokofiev. Lamento que ele só tenha escrito essa... mas realmente, nada supera isso pra mim. Obrigado por postar essa linda interpretação! ❤️

[@stephendavenport2325]

It's all very amazing and watchable to me

[@mariolongo7369]

Fantastico!

[@luisdearquer]

Finally music!!! :-) I'm tired of listening to Chinese athletes playing notes at the speed of light and the tremendous current ignorance about what it really means to listen to music "even if it's a Toccata" by Prokofief. The fact that everyone is nervous because of the pace of life we lead and the speed of the trains is worth it does not mean that we should forget that these works were created in "another" time. If an interpreter wants to play faster things, let him compose them first and play them however he wants... Guilels became one of Sergei Prokofiev's best friends, in 1944 he premiered his piano sonata no. 8... He also knew Prokofief's taste better in terms of the tempo of his Toccata than all those camikaces on the piano and many of those who seek a circus show through artistic creation. Emil Guilels was a performer of enormous level, sober, who really made the piano "sing" through a deep emotional content.

[@francodegrandis7531]

Giustissimo!!! Aggiungo solo che gilels con il doppio del suono di come suonano gli altri nemmeno volendo avrebbe potuto andare piu' veloce!!! Naturalmente nelle registrazioni anche live questa differenza di suono viene appiattita dai microfoni! Percui quando suona o gilels o Rubinstein si sentono solo tempi un po' meno mossi e soprattutto qualche imperfezione di notte non capendo la cosa più importante: che avevano il doppio del suono rispetto a quasi tutti gli altri!

[@therainforest4314]

I couldn't agree more. Beautifully and concisely put. There's so much great music out there that may require high speed and agility, but that doesn't say it's all about high speed. :)

[@martinuhlenbrock2968]

Wonderful, thanks. Some of our best young pianists display a certain ease and playfulness with this piece that doesn't do it any good. It's no "flight of the bumble bee". It's horrid. Terminator music.

[@русланязов]

Bravo!!!

[@vboev]

Great! It starts slowly. It even seems too slow! And completely imperceptibly gets to the prohibitive tempo at the end of the play! It turns out the illusion of a certain machine, ruthless and cruel, grinding time, space and the imagination of listeners! Very close in spirit to the time in which the genius master happened to live !!

[@elenajohansson7882]

Прекрасная запись!

[@LimitPotential]

I don't want to wade into adjudicating the various recordings of this piece... But I will say I appreciate this one because it's the first time I'm really hearing the variation at 2:00 (and again at 3:59) in which the melody notes are repeated 16ths instead of held 8ths. It's quite an interesting, if slight, interjection of a color change! (Actually I hear it also in Yuja Wang's rendition, but it's of course more noticeable at this tempo.)

[@hazelnutcase357]

An enjoyable listening tempo where the listener (me) can enjoy each note and visualise the music in front of me. How many pianists play fast fast fast always trying to reach peak by speed? Playing slower is hard when your fingers just want to go go go. More speed less time to develop concentration lapses. Music is not a sport where the fastest wins. Nothing beats listening to music where the touch quality of the tone is exquisite. A keyboard instrument by nature has limitations, such as you are not directly touching the string and the hammer contact is short - how can there ever be any other sound that a hammerstroke? - when you hear it you know it. (Irrelevant of tempo but many would play better if they played slower [Rachmaninov forced the pianist to play slow single line melodies in concertos in between lightning speed showy flits of splendiferousness]) This was a pleasure to listen to.

[@mcig98]

ah yes. classic gilels

[@gryffynda1]

Yay - finally a tempo I can achieve, lol.

[@idesof]

This is infinitely better than Argerich's grossly overrated account.

[@macdondb]

Well if anyone would know how to play this, it would be Gilels , wouldn't it?

[@АллаТушева-ю7й]

Супер

[@jguinancio1]

Gilels e HOROWITZ.

[@MrCinemuso]

Nice upload of Emil practising at 2/3 tempo.

[@MaxLima1]

Unfortunately, Gilels didn't live long enough to learn about the appropriate tempo for this piece with MrCinemuso.

[@MrCinemuso]

@@MaxLima1 True. Perhaps he should have consulted Mr Horowitz.

[@francodegrandis7531]

@@MrCinemuso forse anche prokofiev doveva consultare horowitz perche' lo suona al tempo di gilels!!!

[@NeilCoventry]

such an ill informed comment. Go play some sonatinas.

[@НикНик-я5о]

Силён.

[@tsullivan111]

typical gilels - every note has meaning

[@maykisantiagopiano]

de que ano a gravação max? sabe me dizerr

[@ficolossale]

At 1.25x speed sounds great

[@NeilCoventry]

So many unmusical pianists round.

[@charlottewhyte9804]

nice sloer speed

[@vanjavanja3905]

gilels play always everything slowly why ???

[@MyPianoArchives]

He brings out the true musicality of pieces, which many other pianists lack in their own playing (in my opinion.)

[@vanjavanja3905]

@@MyPianoArchives YES MAYBE OTHER PRESPECTIVE !!! THIS MUSIC IS PERFET FOR OUR TIME 2022 RUSSIA - UCRANIA CONFLICT !!!

[@makaan699]

If you want to hear Gilels play faster than usual tempos, check out his Brahms PC2 recording with Fritz Reiner from 1958, Mozart PC 21, Chopin Ballade 1, Schumann Toccata, Liszt Spanish Rhapsody is also kinda fast-ish.

[@francodegrandis7531]

Ascolti il tempo suonato da prokofiev!

[@josephhapp9]

Finally we hear the music instead of REV HEADS on CROTCH ROCKETS.

[@anfauglir6834]

Is all this praise genuine? Not ONLY is it too slow, he cannot seem to keep time at all. With this kind of music you have to be a machine. You need to be a robotic MACHINE, there is no latitude allowed, “interpretation” be damned !

[@francodegrandis870]

Ma come fate a dire che il tempo e' lento quando il suono e doppio di volume rispetto agli altri pianisti?

[@GordonLF]

Why is this video playing at 0.75 speed instead of normal speed? I like it anyway.

[@MaxLima1]

Because you didn't set it to normal speed.

[@matushlavac5054]

Gilels ks inimitable, His performance ist always close to autorship....Yuja Wang...I'm sorry, he often make a circus without unterstanding Prokofiev

[@jobstludwig6197]

Viel zu langsam 😢

[@antoniocarlosmartins3009]

Prefiro com nossa amada Martha Argerich ou com Yuja Wang

[@MaxLima1]

Essa gravação do Gilels é tão diferente da Martha em termos de cores, tempo e efeito que eu nem consigo comparar. Dito isso, gosto muito da gravação da Martha.

[@antoniocarlosmartins3009]

@@MaxLima1 Sr Max Lima. Vindo do sr toda informação e observação musical é rica e valiosa. Vou escutar outras vezes o sr Gilels. Mais uma vez muito obrigado.

[@MaxLima1]

@@antoniocarlosmartins3009 Fico feliz, espero que goste!

[@pye007]

only yuja wang comes close

[@florincoter1988]

Close to what?

[@isaacblackburn2906]

No, not even Horowitz comes close!