Felix Blumenfeld - study for the left hand

Blumenfeld's etude for the left hand alone - the playing starts at 1'30 if you get bored senseless by my voice.
Always fun to practice because you can do all sorts of nice things with the right hand while you're working... :)
Performed by James Rhodes - there is another version of this played be me on YT, but I kind of prefer the keyboard camera angles on this one...

[@albagamo]

thank you for the intro, it makes the piece more meaningful

[@JessR21x]

There's something so lovely about the humanness of these videos. I love the way you talk about the pieces before as though you are talking to a friend; there is no stereotypical pianist ego at all, just a real desire to spread the beauty of this music. It's inspiring and beautiful, thanks!

[@paulcolesound]

Words are inadequate to describe this piece. The melody transcends words and takes you into a blissful, magical world of song. Beautiful work, bravo.

[@MusicMonsterW]

Beautiful work. I've been teaching piano for 20 years and sometimes things get a little stale. Pieces and performances like this makes the piano freshly appealing again.

[@vikitube0]

I've not heard of one hand only pieces before and this just blew me away. There is something unnerving about how quickly his hands move (quite like a typist). Beautiful!

[@BalletBabyBoy]

Blumenfeld's Etudes are fabulous, very difficult and an example of the glory of romantic piano music.

[@uranrising]

James, your pianism and your spoken intros make a lot of people like me happy and contribute so much to continuing this musical tradition. Saw your inspiring programme about a little therapy for individuals through finding the right work for each of them to hear. Wonderful. Greetings from East Anglia in England.

[@hedgerwoman]

*starts a slow clap* Absolutely beautiful. Well done!

[@VTownGregory]

I'm so glad I ran into your beautiful performance. I just discovered Felix Blumenfeld a few hours ago by exploring IMSLP. What a wonderful composer for the piano! Two rich discoveries in one day--not bad!

[@sciencechicky]

I closed my eyes while listening to this and if I hadn't known, I never would have guessed such a beautiful piece was played with just one hand. I also must say that you have a beautiful smile. :)

[@radiokid2]

Your playing, your choice of pianos and the way they are recorded are all world class. Love the droll wit and commentary too. Thanks!

[@ambra29]

things I find beautiful about this video: the music the pianist's hands the pianist's voice the pianist the music (again) :)

[@LuminousMusicStudios-Glasgow]

Beautiful music, amazing gift. Hello 2013. Thank you James Rhodes. Your Rachmanivov Prelude in C shows such stunning introspection, immersion.

[@gematorres4309]

Brilliant, just Brilliant! I love how passionate you are about your music. What a great musician you are!

[@nuyd]

This is curing the severe migraine I've been having all day. You are one crazy man James! Well, crazy in a good sense ;)

[@burmesecolourneedles4680]

Absolutely incredible performance, many thanks for sharing it! I just found an old 78rpm disc of Simon Barer's recording of this (uploaded on my YT channel this morning) and like the blind pianist you mention, couldn't begin to comprehend how it was possible for it to be played one-handed - you've opened my eyes - very wide indeed!!! Also I find it astonishing how a "Study" with such extreme technical demands can be so achingly beautiful and lyrical. Again, sincere respect and thanks!

[@zoetr0pe_]

Wow! Brilliant. Found from Tom Hiddleston RTing James' Guardian article, which was also lovely. There is something very special about Mr. Rhodes.

[@leesafar]

Beautiful James! Really Beautiful....

[@Enolu]

Thank you for posting and for your practice, it's beautiful!

[@makanivalur]

I had tears running down my face from the beauty of this piece. Moving and simply wonderful. And what do you mean pianists were popular THEN? I'm pretty sure that you are rather popular now, and rightly so ;)

[@bethanyfeldman8430]

That was absolutely beautiful. Thank you.

[@hannrkelley]

Insane. Beautiful playing, filming,... (man). Everything. God I love this series!

[@santiagoaguirreperez190]

+Hannrkelley K For insane you should try and listen to Simon Barrere's interpretation, that guy had issues. This is simply gorgeous, the filming too.

[@hannrkelley]

+Santiago Aguirre Pérez Will do, it's horrible that issues can make you brilliant but damn it works.

[@AndySmithy]

A marvelous rendition.

[@sjladuke75]

Just glorious listening! Passion for music at it's best.

[@YouThinkYouKnowBest]

That's stunning.

[@whitzhazel]

Your hand is(!) amazingly beautiful in this piece.....like I saw some very poetic magic. I just fall into the music after the first note...I have heard this piece in your album, but this one try is better I think. Thank you always! and I hope my bad english skill don't make upset you.

[@scs0019]

A scintillating performance. Kudos!

[@TriclopsRobotboy]

Incredible! Was most impressed with you and your playing when we saw you talk with Stephen Fry at the Barbican about the future of Classical Music. Plus you'll still have a career even if an industrial accident severs your right arm.

[@Cesariono]

Well, considering the composer himself wrote it with the phrase "for Left Hand" in the title, I'd imagine so, yes.

[@urbanfoxmusicwctv8146]

Skills right there! It's a gift to the world when a person has talent like this and they immediately make the world a more beautiful place! Play on in beauty forever! :0) Subbed, faved and liked! ;0)

[@whitzhazel]

Playing this again and again... Also love your explanations before playing. (If you have some time, please do it next time too!) And I have to study more english expressions.. I can't write this beauty... properly. Sorry for my fool words, again! x

[@andrewc9643]

I love all your work. I hope to see you in concert one day.

[@aishwaryak1434]

Man this is brilliant! Keep up the good work! :)

[@jaytsecan]

Bravo! Amazing. I wish I could play this someday.

[@conradopaulinoguitar]

absolutely beautiful, great and awesome

[@BalletBabyBoy]

That was wonderful!

[@ashley45235]

omg!!!!!!!!!!! amazing! so so so beautiful!your playing this so good! good job! C:

[@nataliyaihnatovich1726]

Stunningly. You're very nice.

[@coffeejabberwocky]

A fickle distraction from this beauty. But has to be said that the view to like ratio is literally about one percent.. what is humanity?

[@GretaZewe]

this performance of this song calms me down every single time I listen to it. one of my favorites ever, up there with Clair de Lune and Gymnopedie no 1

[@TheWizardArtist]

Extraordinario!

[@c0rnf1ake]

gave me shivers :)

[@irmocoolio]

thats was inspirational brother

[@SnowlineProductionsLtd]

Fabulous.

[@Franz_Liszt_Korean]

I wanna play this

[@francoislefebvre9583]

Bravo! Bravissimo!

[@VocalEdgeTV]

The three who disliked this: please show yourselves so that the rest of humanity can avoid you at all costs.

[@dldl43b]

wow! very nice

[@philipgoeth3663]

respect.

[@Ferg353]

Wow!

[@Cherylyuennable]

Great !!

[@micheldvorsky]

Nice performance - congrats.

[@SilvertortoisePiano]

Totally magical thank you. Who was the pianist you mentioned at the very beginning? Simon Barere?

[@adriandurand4531]

Exactly, Simon Barere. By the way, Barere used to play this piece much faster than this young man. See for yourself on KZbin.

[@RafaelBeniPerez]

traducción al castellano!: Félix blumenfeld fue otro de los grandes profesores de piano Dio clases a Horowitz, dio clases a Simón Barere, uno de los grandes pianistas de los últimos 100 años... Él mismo era un pianista muy dotado y muy guapo además, lo que le convirtió en un mujeriego impenitente. Como yo seré, espero. Antes los pianistas eran muy populares y podían acostarse con quien quisieran... Desgraciadamente, como muchos otros, contrajo la sífilis y tuvo que dejar de tocar en público por los efectos secundarios de esa enfermedad. Y así surge esa historia maravillosa de Barere en ese pequeño salón de Nueva York, tocando esa pieza para mano izquierda, donde también estaba uno de los pianistas ciegos más famosos de la historia: Cuando Simón Barere terminó de tocar y todo el mundo estaba diciendo -Increíble! -Cómo has podido hacer eso? -y solo con una mano... El pianista ciego que tenían de control decía -Vamos tíos, ya lo sé, no puedo ver pero no debéis burlaros de mí: nadie puede tocar eso con una mano. Así que Simón le dice: -Ven conmigo, siéntate a mi lado sujetando mi mano derecha y lo tocaré otra vez. Y eso hizo. Y el tipo simplemente lloraba sorprendido mas que cualquier otra cosa. Sé que esto está bien tocado cuando alguien se acerca después del concierto y me dice: -Cerré los ojos durante el concierto y no lo puedo creer sonaba como si hubiera dos manos! Entonces sé que he hecho mi trabajo, que he hecho a esta música algún tipo de justicia.

[@greenbean793]

Thanks! You are inspiring!

[@CruisingWithChooChoo]

Magnificent performance and I enjoyed the story of Blumenfeld. I'm starting to learn this piece. Can you please tell me what fingering you use for the descending cadenza on page one? Thanks so much!!

[@fairanserta]

me encantó

[@jordysworld2799]

Damn!!' Good!!!

[@justim0518]

Ethereal!

[@catherinemoo5414]

♥♥♥♥♥!!

[@davidfilmer1]

It's an amazing performance, but I'm unclear if this guy (or the guy he was first talking about) is/are naturally left-handed. If they are naturally right-handed then it's REALLY amazing. But, if a right-handed guy played this with his right hand, we would be impressed but not blown away. Does anyone know?

[@JohnEBPiano]

When you practice piano for 3-4 hours a day for 20 years or so your hands become pretty much equal in dexterity in terms of piano playing. Most one handed pieces are written for the left hand because it's more convenient to be nearer the bass notes and be able to flourish upwards than the opposite. The other reason is that most piano injuries are to the right hand. Whether the performer/composer is left or right handed shouldn't affect how impressive the performance or composition are, but I would be willing to bet that both are right handed.

[@MiliMesiMusic]

...and without having sheet music for reference. daaaaaaayum.

[@theemptygraves]

*clap clap clap clap clap*

[@mimimi230]

is it normal that this piece should be played with one hand?

[@cyndalee]

Transcendent...

[@TheWizardArtist]

with your right hand you can drink a daikiri

[@ajlangarica]

Do you even lift?

[@Joe90spink]

this is how you have to play dota2

[@lucero100CE]

well now he wont have a right hand bigger than the left. ;) ehh ehh?

[@aahanks97]

17 year old body with a 40 year old head.

[@jonasvm]

*facepalm*

[@squarefish7]

I really wish he has shorter hair.

[@vascomariaalmeida5220]

His hand is stiff af!! You can notice that he started late or just didn't have the proper teaching. Almost a very dedicated amateur. But as normal the most comercial have the most views

[@dsmythe5329]

Vasco Maria Almeida ur joking right ? That's about as pro as it gets... Rendered beautifully ! Ameteur, really ? Read all the moving comments below. Your opinion is a one off. . .

[@vascomariaalmeida5220]

"thats about as pro as it gets" hahahahah. There's a reason why he doesn't get in the concertize circuit where all the real pros are. He's just a mediatic comercial pseudo-artist that fools the misinformed. Like I said, his hands are quite stiff. You can see that he practices a lot but he started late for sure or didn't get the proper teaching.

[@dsmythe5329]

Vasco Maria Almeida "mediatic comercial pseudo artist that fools the misinformed" hahahahaha. Sounds like your the one who's stiff !

[@vascomariaalmeida5220]

@@dsmythe5329 Let me put it this way? what's his label? Decca? Deutsche Grammophon? Nop! They must be deaf for sure. His label is Warner Bros. Can you show him playing the great piano concertos with great orchestras and great maestros? Nop. But why? He's as pro as it gets! ..you like him that's fair enough, but you can't understand what's the difference between an world class pianist and a comercial product that only fool the ignorants.

[@dsmythe5329]

Vasco Maria Almeida .

[@MiliMesiMusic]

...and without having sheet music for reference. daaaaaaayum.