Eugene Ysaye Plays Mendelssohn Concerto (mov. 3)

[@badejushi]

My dad just introduced me Ysaye this afternoon, I used to think Heifetz is the best violinist before that but now I am speechless about all the skills Ysaye have, he can do all the things other violinists can or can't do. He is simply one of the gods of violinist.

[@palpalonpalpalon]

now its time to listen to vengerov playing ysayes sonata no.3 you will die of a heart attack. also listen to midori gotos last rose of summer ..

[@vvmaster2010]

​@palpalonpalpalon Heifetz was superior than both of them

[@MrJusmobile]

@@vvmaster2010 Absolutely correct

[@aimson]

You're welcome! I was also surprised when I heard this recording. Since it was recorded in 1912, I highly expected it to sound very romantic with tons of rubato (think maybe Mischa Elman's style). Instead, it is a very firey rendition of a piece that not many people play with fire.

[@pviola314]

milstein and primrose both had the highest respect for ysaye... he did use vibrato but he also used ton blanc for effect. His bowing control was revolutionary, and I believe he was recorded way after his prime as well. Nobody who knows can question the authenticity of such genius!

[@aimson]

He grew up in the romantic era, which didn't actually place as much emphasis on concertos as we do now. A modern violinist that doesn't record the Tchaikovsky today is considered an amatuer. Heifetz' true artistry actually shows up on the short encore and romantic pieces that were mastered by Elman and Milstein as well. I have about 98% of Heifetz' recordings and most are these short pieces. I posted a few of them on my channel to give people a better perspective of his work.

[@陳威呈-o1z]

The best performance I have ever heard

[@MXDelfos]

We are very fortunate for having such recordings. Ysaye was one of the great violinists of a long-gone era. He was the greatest performer in the Belgian-French school, along with Sarasate. Thank you for posting this!!

[@opera144]

One of the greatest violinist I ever heard in my life

[@HeifetzRanew]

Man is this great!He plays quite Heifetz-like,or I should say Heifetz plays this concerto quite Ysaye-like!Astonishing similarities between the two recordings!Both astonishing!Love Ysaye's artistry!

[@fuyu856]

To think i’d find this after 15 years. Im glad i found this, it was very interesting.

[@DualThunder]

Its amazing how through such a poor recording you can still here the stirring sound of the violin. It just shows that Ysaye was such a great player. The piano is very much distorted and there is a lot of noise, however still coming through is the violin, its colours and its tone.

[@spdt3519]

Omg I have never heard anyone plays with such a perfection interpretation and understanding of the piece... everything is as it should be..

[@Menophanes]

Some earlier posters have noted that this recording seems to play a semitone sharp. I wonder if it is being played back too fast? There is no reason why Ysaye should have played at anything higher than our concert pitch; there had indeed been a higher pitch (A455) in use in Britain & the USA in the previous century, but it seems to have died out rapidly after the 1890s. Many early recordings deviate from the nominal 78rpm standard. Thanks to Aimson for this valuable material.

[@eugenvonbismarck5029]

It is due to technological immaturity at that time. The Apple Music version is around 440. The lower the pitch, the more difficult to produce. Plus, not sure if this is a correct explanation, but people at that era still tend to enjoy music of higher pitch. A 12 years reply lol

[@GKJusticar55]

This recording is historic in it's importance whether you like it or not. It is an important testimony of the past stage of taste evolution.

[@chilefritomr7989]

Gosh. This is fabulous. A piece of violin history. Thank you for posting this!

[@cattleman6420012000]

This is wonderful to hear. Thank you very much for letting us hear Ysaye.

[@gnatural]

dont be fooled by the speed, the recording is high pitched meaning the actually playing was much slower than this.

[@herwigcoryn6197]

I dont believe this. The pitch is D. Maybe a bit on the high side the d, but the playing is divine

[@tianshugu9283]

The recording omitted repetition whenever possible, and I don't think the speed is focused of attention here

[@chienwen81]

great playing... very little vibrato and still so beautiful&elegant. Totally different kind of interpretation from today's. Speed is not a problem mehhh, as long as it's beautiful. Today's violinists should learn to play elegantly as this!

[@bountyhanz]

That was reali very a breathtaking and it'was my first time hearing such a fast, playing song, reali incridible, undescrible, and excellent is all i could say. thx~

[@DualThunder]

this recording is amazing. It's great to hear such a recording from such a player/composer. thanks XD this guy plays it pretty well.

[@MrGer2295]

Beautiful! Thank you for posting!

[@aimson]

Also, to clarify, Gould certainly was not a "normal person" in the least bit. He was eccentric, obsessively focused, and lacked strong social connections in some ways. His mental composure likely deteriorated over the years. Some offer evidence he had "Aspergers" or a milder related form of Autism. However, to characterize his beautiful music as insane or schizophrenic is more a reflection of your own bias. Perhaps in his "madness," he was a brilliant savant. His playing of Bach reflects this.

[@fryfry377]

damn right this is rushed. He makes a point of it! just check out 1:06-1:09- he breaks the meter... Ysaye had a view on tempo which generally placed emphasis on 'give and take'. He'll go ahead, then pull back to compensate, and ends the piece as if he's been playing with a 'mean' tempo that's he's just been fooling around with. :)

[@jacobshank7336]

This violin playing is fantastic!

[@massyviolino4070]

digan lo que digan, este el zar del violín, maestro que dejó como legado hermosas sonatas de gran complejidad técnica y exquisita musicalidad dificil de entender para muchos. Ysaye, maestro de maestros

[@gilbertpangyarihan8014]

Certifié intergalactique !🌹

[@ksviewerx]

Ysaye could well aim for breaking the speed record. The crystal clear articulation even at the insane which he sometimes reaches has to be heard to be believed. But even after hearing it I can't believe every note is so clear. And back in 1912 recording was nowhere as advanced as today.

[@nidurnevets]

It sounds as if the recording is about a half step sharp.

[@nicholasc6686]

LP's distort pitch uniformly

[@jwhill7]

Early commercial recordings often were deliberately revved up to make the fast passage come across even faster. But this produced a telltale rise in pitch, as here.

[@christiansieglin731]

it is

[@aimson]

Hehe, glad you enjoy them - a lot of people here do I think. I have always looked to the older violinists for inspiration and I think they were generally better musicians than more modern violinists. Worse technique maybe but more unique musically. Like I always say, great music can only be built on great foundation. The more we learn about the past, the better we can shape the future.

[@pviola314]

you listen to enough of these and soon you'll tune away the static. the quality more than makes up in the playing

[@aimson]

Heifetz never rushed. He only played as fast he though he should to get his point across. Glenn Gould was also notorious for being a speed demon, yet he is one of the greatest musicians in the 20th century. Listen to Primrose playing Caprice #24... It only seems rushed from your perspective - take another perspective and it is surely not rushed.

[@tianshugu9283]

Honestly it's as good as Hefeitz's recordings.Glad to hear it.

[@aksuli1]

Spot on.

[@orangebetsy]

Ahead warp 8 Mr Sulu! Captures the shapes and gestures and spirit so uniquely. Master. (too bad about the C natural in the last chord....or was it a Bb? hahahahaha)

[@sharlesin]

I take your point, but if the you compare 1920 with 44 and 54,he slowed the tempo,but IMO was more effective musically.The fact that the 1920 recording was with piano might have encouraged super speed.

[@debwagner7505]

sharlesin Getting it to fit on one side of a 78 rpm record likely dictated the tempo adopted.

[@jasonbroander]

What a beast.

[@Icreachusalad]

It's playing in F+ (half a tone sharp) ... it would be a little slower at the right pitch.

[@kafenwar]

+Icreachusalad Actually this is in F natural.

[@Icreachusalad]

+kafenwar Yes, "F+" stands for "F Major", which of course is the same as F (natural) Major. Thanks for corroborating!

[@망히-z9z]

What a treasure.

[@davidelamora79]

In love.

[@aimson]

Well, there is a certain plasticity that gets lost through the years and it can sometimes be difficult to overcome early biases. I have the same problem in some ways, since I am highly influenced by the old generation of violinists and can often not bear listening to the current crop of mostly banal technicians. However, there are several exceptions (I enjoyed a young violinist named Erno Kallai) and to overgeneralize about a belief is foolish. Your comment stands and so does my disagreement :)

[@malcolmwhitehead7225]

After one concert, an excited friend arrived , and said "olb chap, I must talk to you about this fabulous youngster Cascals. The maestro waved an imperious arm , Cascals! he scoffed., A talent to be sure but ... he can wait ... hei is a mere Cellist! ". The fiddle was everything. Mw

[@gerardbedecarter]

A fascinating historic recording! The tempo is up a bit !!!!!!

[@ksviewerx]

@Elainelps0421 Yes those are his recordings.

[@kharkorry]

awesome

[@Waeweas]

Very good!

[@Dogaradodia]

Certifié intergalactique!

[@rogerknox9147]

Definitely above pitch -- sounds almost if not exactly in F Major rather than E Major. Is there someone reading this who is proficient enough in mathematics to calculate how much faster this is than the actual played speed would have been at say, A440.

[@SuchirAgarwalepicface]

This is about 1.06 times faster if he recorded at A=440 (although there is a high probability that he tuned flatter, so the speed of this recording might be slightly more than 1.06 times faster).

[@linosclassics]

Definitely around 6% faster. Which might not sound as much but actually makes a huge difference in how the interpretation and playing are perceived. This of course is based on the assumption that this was recorded with A=440Hz. It could be, taking the year and the era Ysaye belongs to in account, that his A was rather at 435Hz. Or something else entirely, depending on the piano which happened to be there. Things were very fluid regarding pitch before WWI.

[@OzzyKingofKings]

Proof that there were people who could play the violin quite well before Heifetz raised the technical bar, eh? Shame these old violinists weren't captured in better sound; I find them fascinating... Personally, I love Ysaye's playing. I realize it's probably sped up a bit, but the tempo is still rather brisk...and even at such speeds he never loses control of the piece. Also, I think he kind of looks like Anton Rubinstein here! From what I understand they were both rather large people...

[@aimson]

Heifetz was only a speed demon for exciting peices (duh, to make more exciting and virtuosic). Listen to the second movements of most concertos and you will not hear a speed demon. Interestingly, Glenn Gould was also a speed demon, even more so than Heifetz. And if you've seen Primrose playing the 24th caprice, you will notice he plays at a much higher tempo than Heifetz. No Heifetz, was not only about speed...

[@konstantinSE]

БРАВИССИМО!!!

[@euca9569]

Insane.

[@italoolivatamburello3149]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@zekemorgancomposer]

Wow. He plays a piece that usually takes 6-7 minutes to play in less 5 minutes.

[@zekemorgancomposer]

@@henrykszeryng5900 Yeah that makes sense. Playing it that fast is unreal.

[@camaysar222]

Ysaye (the engineers) deletes 4 measures in this performance, at 3:14. Whatever the reason, it certainly was not to improve the music, as the cut is clumsy. This cut is present on all other releases of this performance I have heard. There is no musical reason for the cut. It seems like a cut that was made to limit the duration.

[@vvmaster2010]

Ysaye made a mistake, and the queen Elizabeth ordered to cut off that from the recording.

[@prodmarcogoat]

Marco estuvo aquí

[@aimson]

Yes, you have the right to listen which ever way you want, as Gould was free to play the way he heard. That is the great aspect of art. In my opinion, Bach was meant to be sung, not rattled off mechanically. There is simply too much complexity and beauty in Bach to waste time with soulless automatons. Perhaps you would prefer to hear Hillary Hahn or Henryk Szeryng or any other violinists I believe fit into this category. To each his own.

[@pachmann]

question: is he actually playing at this speed, or is the recording being played at a faster speed? because the recording pitches are way off.

[@maurizioc1964]

fantastic performance, but is not possible hear other tone

[@Elainelps0421]

@ksviewerx Wow...all of the tracks are played by Ysaye? Or by other great violinists, too?

[@diwiri]

Geschwindigkeitswettbewerb?😀

[@aimson]

didn't know they were racing :)

[@werukamauOfficial]

In the key of F major

[@antoniobarilla6175]

PECCATO PER LA REGISTRAZIONE SCADENTE..MA L'INTEPRETAZIONE E' VERAMENTE BUONA.

[@Bobeeha]

that is FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAST

[@Scrufftar]

Interesting. A lot more intonation mistakes than I expected and Ysaye seemed like he paid no mind to his pianist (though, in Ysaye's defense, the pianist didn't do very well to begin with). Heifetz does it much better of course, but the only reasons his recordings were so fast sometimes was because there was a limit to what one could put on those old recordings. He was just trying to fit the entire movement on one side before it ran out.

[@sharlesin]

In 1920 Heifetz recorded this movement in 4:06!It sounds rushed to me. His live recordings of 1944 and 1954 showed speed without sacrificing musicality.

[@HeadCatMomCat]

They had limited time on the cylinders

[@stringph]

@RaRaLandEQ why do you think calling your fellow listeners 'snot-nosed children' improves this website? do you really think it's a worthy accompaniment to this recording?

[@Jaesango]

The intonations here are probably partly from the tape aging as it creates "warp" sounds but i won't use that as an excuse for some of the intonation problems

[@mlawrobertson]

tape?

[@aimson]

I considered deleting a comment as offensive as that but I want a lingering example of idiocy for my records. It is not that you don't like Gould, but you insult his personality, style, and mental capacity. He was not "schizophrenic" at all and you should be ashamed of yourself for incorrectly using a term reserved for people with a serious mental illness. Give me any recording by Gould and I will show that no pianist played more beautifully. For starters, try this one: /watch?v=8-Of_6GtDSs

[@aoiwdh]

but why is this ridiculously sharp like a half step sharp than the written music

[@joshuaC.]

cuz its sped up

[@nicholasc6686]

@@joshuaC. noo lol it's the recording

[@2584-i9w]

@@nicholasc6686 sped up means sharper music, recordings back then (also movies) always seem speed up for some reason, so it wasn't intentionally sped up by the uploader but the original recording was already too fast

[@aimson]

Keep in mind that Heifetz was 19 years old in 1920. Of course he wasn't as fully developed musically as later on. But still, I am sure there wasn't a professional violinist in the world who's mouth didn't drop open at hearing a 19-year-old Heifetz. Also, I'm not trying to criticize your opinion, by the way.

[@jeffreypelberg3079]

amazed by the technical wizzardry, but just because you can play it that fast, doesn't mean you need to......................

[@jonathanm6486]

As good as this is, it's an old recording and not as enjoyable to listen to as modern ones.

[@SkyCloudSilence]

well, poo poo..