Garrick Ohlsson Breaks Down Chopin Preludes | Ep. 1 The Chopin Podcast

[@benlawdy]

The Chopin Podcast is finally here! Full 75-90 minute episodes will be released every Wednesday between now and the end of the year, covering all of Chopin's major compositional genres: Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-chopin-podcast/id1765998900 Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/2hNW9BuUCK0z2adPHhqArh Audible: www.audible.com/podcast/The-Chopin-Podcast/B0DFVRVCX4 In the days that follow each episode drop, I'll divide it into 3-4 video versions and post here (starting with this one!). Garrick Ohlsson - just announced as the chair of the Chopin Competition jury in Warsaw in 2025 - will star in every single episode, followed by special guests offering insights into different aspects of Chopin's legacy. This all started when the executive director of the Chopin Foundation of the United States, Barbara Muze, invited me to host the livestreams for the National Chopin Competition in January. I said yes, on one condition: that we partner to create a series all about Chopin in the months leading up to the competition. I'm lucky to have found an organization whose mission resonates so much with my own - to spread the joys of Chopin and classical piano more generally to ordinary people everywhere, and not just insiders (although, this content is meant for both!). Learn more about the Chopin Foundation at chopin.org Thanks for watching and stay tuned. Much, much more to come.

[@Chopin-Etudes-Cosplay]

Those 4 bars of the B major prelude are also what made me fall in love with the Chopin preludes! I still remember I was listening to Seong-jin Cho's complete preludes on background while I was working, and those 4 bars made me stop what I was doing and replay that section. It's a total gem buried in a relatively unknown prelude. Glad to know it wasn't just me!

[@benlawdy]

It sounds like pop music for a moment haha. So heart warming. It’s funny how a fleeting moment like that can capture our ears and have such an impact on us.

[@moondoggyJ55]

One of my favorite progressions

[@audreyabela5329]

Also my absolute favorite moment in all the preludes ❤ Fell in love with it at 14, with Argerich’s recording!

[@lloydbotway5930]

I wish I could tell Mr. Ohlsson personally how much his insight into Chopin has helped me as a pianist and as a piano teacher. There are many great pianists, but few with the understanding and conceptualization of Mr. O.

[@jngl-jim]

Garrick, the man... the legend

[@jackcurley1591]

Absolutely fantastic stuff! Thank you so much, Ben, for your dedication in sharing your love of Chopin and music with us

[@gregoberski5897]

Amazing podcast! Loved the humor!! The double-note scale of the last etude, "It is a terrible moment in life." LOL Can't wait for more

[@thegreenpianist7683]

The genius of the D flat for me is that, at first, that pedal point seems nice and innocent in the context of the first theme. But then once that dark middle section comes and goes and then it reverts back to the main theme again, the A flat pedal point (for me at least) still carries with it that dark undertone all the way through the end. It's one of the greatest examples of musical "trauma" I've ever seen.

[@tns-rox]

Garrick's recordings of the Preludes are exquisite. Thank you, Ben, for this very informative and very entertaining video. Looking forward to the series. 👍

[@_melzargard]

This is such great stuff Ben. Thank you so much for the substantial, informative piano "content" you're putting out - this is catnip for classical music nerds like me!

[@kristinjensen8355]

I love it too!

[@Daniel_Zalman]

Ben, can I just say, that as a lover of classical music, and especially the piano repertoire, this is such a treat! I hope your podcast grows and grows. Garrick Ohlsson once gave the most memorable recital I'd ever heard. He was, actually, subbing for Pollini. This was around 2010ish when he released his two Liszt albums for Bridge records. He played a lot of the repertoire from those recordings, including the Fantasie & Fugue on the Choral "Ad nos, ad salutarem undam", for organ, S. 259..which I think is a Busoni transcription for the piano. I have never heard such orchestral playing in my life. The sound literally filled the entire hall. His fortissimos are loud but never harsh. Everything was played with such artistry. It's been 14 years and I still can't forget the experience.

[@maultooga]

Its amazing to me how certain pieces so consistently capture our hearts. The B major prelude had me as well. First prelude I heard for some reason. Also watched the pianist, and watching him play the 1st ballade, near the end of the movie. It was so amazing how they set up the scene. Chopin changes us. He's a hit of music meth.

[@bartremmelzwaal5775]

I think Pogorelich is still the GOAT in terms of artistry in his preludes album. Great vid, looking forward to the next

[@jmft]

43:22 I'm telling you right now: That's GENIUS! In my case, I play those notes like a karate hit just for the drama, with the 5th finger, but I'll start now to do like Mr. Ohlsson :D

[@theoryjoe1451]

Great video! I'm looking forward to the Etudes.

[@levimatheri7682]

So excited for this podcast!

[@thegreenpianist7683]

I share the shame feeling as Mendelssohn about the A flat major one. I can't put my finger exactly on why is so beautiful, it just gives such a warm and sincere vibe. It's utterly magical.

[@Populous3Tutorials]

yes

[@deborahspiano]

I'm absolutely obsessed w/ Chopin's preludes, want to play the whole set, working on that❤

[@yoonchun6945]

Ben , love your Chopin podcast!, great project ! Thanks 🙏 ❤

[@jakubolesinski7325]

This is what we all needed! The next chairman of jury of the Chopin's Piano Competition talking about the most extraordinary pieces of Chopin's work. Preludes by Chopin are like the universe, you can find every emotion there! When I discovered recordings of Preludes by G.Ohlsson for Hyperion, I was so amazed by his artistry of playing and genius way of using pedal to create extra dimension for some pieces. Thank you very much for this video, it makes me really happy!

[@kopperbunny]

This is so wonderful!! So many great insights. Love seeing how you guys fell in love with Chopin. For me it was his first waltz in Eb major. I had a Chopin CD as a kid and was obsessed with it. And all the other pieces on it, too. So hlad that you're doing this podcast now, I can never get enough Chopin!

[@freeelectron52]

Thank you Sir. I share your love for Chopin’s music.

[@hurricane_hazel]

What amazing content this is! Garrick Ohlsson has become my favorite for Chopin, and I am currently listening to his complete Chopin, so perfect timing. Thank you both!

[@praaht18]

Fabulous, A million thanks.

[@Hjominbonrun]

Ohlsson's preludes are great man.

[@margarethansen7480]

Thanks, it’s so detailled and very well explaned, what a nice dueto you and Garrick created. Excellent vídeo ❤❤❤

[@jgl1919]

Absolutely loving this series!!!!!!!

[@jamessullivan1830]

On the topic of extemporaneous improvisation, I highly recommend checking out pianist Edoardo Brotto-his mastery of romantic improvisational grammar is truly remarkable. This video with Mr. Ohlsson is fantastic, as always, providing deep insights into the historical context and sentiments of Chopin’s works. Thank you, Professor Laude, for consistently delivering such enriching content!

[@1389Chopin]

Raindrop for me - as a child waking up during the middle section, was the most haunting thing id ever heard. Scared me...ashkenazy the performer.

[@serwoolsley]

HERE IT IS!!!!!!!!!!!

[@shubus]

I can't tell you how much I'm loving this series and am very excited to hear upcoming episodes with Garrick's insights. Alan Walker completely mesmerized me with his episode.on the Preludes.

[@browe]

"We're not quite in, y'know, Vienna or Paris... anymore." Priceless.

[@raymondlindsay823]

It is a fantastic podcast! Thank you so much for this endeavour

[@JudyBryson-y4b]

I love the comment you quote from Schumann that the preludes are sketches. They always leave me wanting more, more development. Most fly by a little too fast for me. Beautiful themes, he could take awesome places

[@nicoleaube4729]

Yes I agree!

[@martinfitzsimons9539]

I want to pay you and the channel a compliment! First of all....Greetings from the Republic of Ireland. I was drinking Jameson Whiskey and Ginger Ale and somehow came across your channel. Very informative and interesting. Keep doin' what you're doin'!!

[@philth123]

Really enjoyed this - thank you so much for sharing!

[@b_tang]

Blows my mind every time

[@shooshieroberts3913]

Gabriela Montero. Improvisor par excellence. Just responding to your bit about improvisation and improvisers. I improvise between pieces, to get me to the new key. I just make it up. Over time, certain passage work that just comes out of my fingers becomes established, and I use it a lot. I don’t care if it’s jazz or not. I’m a classical player. What I improvise is my business, not anyone else’s. But I consider it essential to keeping my mind open for expressive ideas in each piece I play. That’s all.

[@DansChessLounge]

Just found this channel and love it! While watching this video I fell in love with Prelude #7. Now I must go and find the sheet music so I can play it. Thank you ❤

[@dad-to-be5321]

Ben, nice to meet you and figure out you are 13+25=38 years old. That was a fantastic intro story on how you started your Chopin journey and your piano career. You should be proud of yourself for everything you have done to educate and inspire people around the world who loves classical music. Please keep up the good work!!

[@potatohunter3763]

This was really fun and informative,excited for other episodes!

[@juangiulianipiano]

This is crazy Ben, thanks 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿. So, revealing. And funny 😂. GREAT content

[@fredericlemaitre9444]

Finally there it is ! Great work, need that T'shirt

[@theMicrologus]

Awesome video. Great questions and fascinating perspectives from someone who has thought very deeply about this music!

[@C720L]

What a treat, thank you :-)

[@Daniel_Zalman]

For me, Garrick's Showpan mazurkas are the absolute best. Frankly, his complete Chopin is uniformly special.

[@nono495]

That technique for the end of the D Minor prelude is absolutely genius. I always feel like that would be one of the most embarrassing wrong notes possible in all of classical piano. (Maybe along with the high G octave in the 3rd movement of Rach 2 before the climax.)

[@clamberry]

What a fantastic idea. I will absolutely be along for the ride!

[@svrfan]

amazing insights, thanks so much!

[@bobstrain8832]

Would love to hear your and Mr. Ohlsson's thoughts on the orphan prelude in Op. 45, a marvelous piece that never seems to be noticed when the preludes are discussed.

[@benlawdy]

@@bobstrain8832 Ohlsson discusses and demonstrates from op45 in this interview I did with him way back when kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYDWoWefnLRshLM

[@szn3629]

The end of that Pachabel progression always reminds me of the second movement of Mozart PC 20. Always loved Sokolov’s slow take of prelude 11

[@nickk8416]

This was really good! Thanks. You gave me some new things to think about. The c major 1st prelude is the one that slays me. I don't want it to end. I want like 5 repeats. It's usually played too fast for me. Pletnev in a 2004? or so, youtube video, plays it sublimely. The whole set he plays are fabulous.

[@tom6693]

Totally see why those first 4 bars would stop you in your tracks. Those delicious & subtle ritards towards the end--so perfectly judged yet sounding so natural--would be enough to make me gasp, stop, and go back to hear it again. That kind of elegant, unobtrusive but affecting way of playing with time is (for me) what great Chopin pianists demonstrate. As Barenboim once said in speaking of Rubinstein and some of his contemporaries, it's how they judge the time between notes, the unmarked time, that often distinguishes their interpretations of this music.

[@nickk8416]

Isn't that wonderful when that happens?! To fall in love immediately. For me it was Beethoven 27 #2 Presto agitato. That was it! i had to play it. I was obsessed. It changed my life for the love of classical piano. I was 14.

[@frédéricchopinFan.9479]

Wow I didn’t know that technique in the 24th prelude! I will use that technique. I don’t know if I can use my 1,2,3 fingers on the D because my hand is too big. 😅 Thank you Ben and Garrick! Can’t wait for the more!

[@mduftube]

Wow, when he played the end of the f-sharp minor I felt a major pang, that was heartbreaking

[@davidwhite2949]

Talk about separation of the hands!

[@colincomposer]

The inner part of LH of No.2 contains the first 4 notes of the Dies Irae.

[@benlawdy]

@@colincomposer that’s right! I wish I had brought that up to Garrick

[@drzlecuti]

I remember thinking of that late Eb in the F major prelude as Chopin kind of winking at us. It doesn't particularly set up d minor, though it does create some harmonic tension as GO notes.

[@theUltimateLord]

This was great

[@constancecooper8301]

The unremitting b's from the 6th prelude -- don't they turn up immediately again in what at first seems to be a totally contrasting slow dance in quite distant-sounding A major? -- Thank you, thank you for the delights of Garrick Ohlsson speaking and playing.

[@benlawdy]

This occurred to me while editing. It’s true, the B’s continue…

[@Music_A89]

24:45 you mean that Rachmaninnoff was listening to Chopin right?

[@barberchopin96]

I have that same pink record! I bought it when I was a kid at a thrift store 😊 That was in the early 2000s though 😆

[@robertwalker2052]

Chopin's admiration of Bach is well known. He said though that to follow each Prelude with a fugue would be "too much for my Polish patience ".

[@jeffreyjeziorski1480]

That is what polish doctors say...too much for my patients.

[@paulmeisel339]

Mr. Ohlson played the climax of the C - major prelude - the natural and right way, I think - emphasizing the bottom notes of the right hand ( with the thumb ) on ONE , but in the beginning marking the upper notes ( with the right pinkie). So you shouldn't play the whole piece and especially the end like even. I always asked myself, how Chopin would have played this. Great series btw , many thanks for that! I love those lessons of Seymour Bernstein very much too.

[@da__lang]

Of all of Chopin's compositions, the preludes may best embody his reverence for simplicity: “Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.”

[@moondoggyJ55]

This is great

[@farazhaiderpiano]

Chopin's preludes are monumental works-in my humble opinion, they are much more expansive than the Hummel preludes that inspired and preceded its structure-I look forward to hearing this episode of the podcast. On a side note, Cortot and Bülow both gave nicknames to all of the 24 Chopin preludes, but it seems to be Bülow's nicknames that ironically stick better than Cortot's. Using the 15th Prelude, the D-flat major Prelude as an example, "Raindrop" (which was Bülow's nickname) is more "catchy" than Cortot's nickname-"But death is here, in the shadows".

[@benlawdy]

George Sand actually first dubbed it the “Raindrop”, which Chopin objected to by the way. I think Bulow just went with it since it was already named. Alan Walker discusses it in his segment on this same episode (check it out on Apple/spotify, or wait a couple days for the video version). I actually think Cortot’s is more accurate! For me the prelude has always been about death lurking underneath our conscious experience. I hear the repeated notes as heart beats, each one being one more closer to the last…

[@nicolasrubio6428]

43:18 That trick is pretty amazing

[@benlawdy]

Watch Dang Thai Son play it from the 1980 competition. He does what Garrick does, but with hands reversed. Garrick didn’t know Dang did it too, they both seemed to have come up with it independently. Maybe Dang got it from someone, but also he must have taught Eric Lu the trick (check out Eric’s from 2015 Warsaw).

[@peterchan6082]

​@benlawdy Exactly. Dang actually pounded those Ds with his fist!

[@benlawdy]

@@peterchan6082 yes it’s amazing. Sent that performance to Garrick and he was blown away too. Garrick’s fist might actually be too large for it haha. When he squeezes three fingers together, it’s basically a long fist.

[@kristjanlaats3342]

@@benlawdy After that part, I had to immediately pause the video to get behind the piano, learn the notes and try it out. This is one of those tips/tricks from great pianists that you'd never figure out unless really paying attention with eyes. Doing god's work, Ben! P.S. This could be dangerous information you're spreading. Twice in my life have I already broken piano bass strings (though higher and skinnier ones). You and Garrick have taught us how to split the atom and it's not looking good for the pianos out there...

[@ruscaryt4480]

Hey Ben, I don't know if you know this, but hearing prelude no. 15 in the Halo 3: Believe trailer has shed different light on the middle, supposedly "dark" and "awful" section for me, as described by Garrick. In that trailer, it is quite heroic and inspirational. Watch it if you haven't!.

[@benlawdy]

@@ruscaryt4480 that’s very interesting. I’m collecting examples of Chopin in pop culture (mostly film/tv), so I will add it to the list. How fun would it be if I played it for Garrick?

[@ruscaryt4480]

@@benlawdy Great! It’s still very dark, of course, but with an underlying element of hope.

[@qazsedcft2162]

"Good pianists will play it better than that" 🤣

[@bw2082]

Your content is so much better than Tonebase which hasn’t been the same since you left.

[@TomTom53421]

The one thing I would have loved to have been touched on especially with the A minor prelude is how the dies irae chant appears throughout among all that dissonance

[@benlawdy]

@@TomTom53421 yes I’m kicking myself for not having brought that up to Garrick

[@Daniel_Zalman]

With Showpan, you say? Pogorelich is my favorite modern-ish recording. Cortot 1933 is my favorite classic recording.

[@benlawdy]

I love Andrew Tyson’s preludes, but I’m biased because he’s my friend. Check them out. He’s a Cortot fanatic by the way.

[@Daniel_Zalman]

@@benlawdy Yes. I think I've sampled some of Tyson's recordings. Methinks his interpretations are a bit of a mashup of other interps, but that could just be my personal bias. Also, I haven't listened to them, in a while.

[@Daniel_Zalman]

@@benlawdy Check out Gilels interpretation from 1953. On streaming platforms it's disc 30 of 50 from the Melodiya 100th Anniversary collection. He played with a completely much more fiery temperament in his younger days.

[@benlawdy]

@@Daniel_Zalman there’s some mashup for sure, but also settling originality. Plus that recorded sound is phenomenal. Definitely worth revisiting. You won’t like everything he does, but then you’ll stumble on one (or several) that is the best you’ve ever heard.

[@Daniel_Zalman]

@@benlawdy well, that’s a lot to live up to. Will listen and report back.

[@IzvorMusic]

Subscriber to the podcast as well as your channel. Terrific start to a series I’m very much looking forward to, having played many of the simpler preludes as a young boy and developed a love of Chopin. Question: can you give Garrick a lav in addition to his main mic or find some other way to balance the vocal output when he gives piano examples? It is so distracting to have him drop off in volume and the room sound take over. Your voice also is often louder than others, e.g,, in your interview with the biographer. Small details, and I don’t mean this to take away from the overall excellence of your work. Thank you for all your efforts.

[@jimk9290]

Ben. Good.

[@jeffreyjeziorski1480]

I like the idea of mozart running out of bed to resolve the final notes. Who among you can resist the final 2 notes of Shave and a Haircut.....X......X. .

[@bartoszmaniecki1806]

Super❤

[@JohannnesBrahms]

Oh my! Which voice should I bring out in the C major Prelude of Chopin? Should it be the thumb or the little finger? Did Chopin tell us which he wanted to sing? NO!! So what then? Well, maybe BOTH. Yes, BOTH!! Like an antiphonal duet. YES!!!! That's it.

[@cadriver2570]

F7 definitely has some gravity resolving to D minor. Maybe not as much at that time, but you can hear it now.

[@Manfred-nj8vz]

42:15: Sixth last bar of the prelude: Why almost every pianist I've heard, Mr. Ohlsson inclusive, doesn't get the two pairs of quintuplets right? Why almost every pianist out there -please double-check-plays first six (!) and then only four (!) chords? You can hear lots of pianists in Chopin Competition who play the bar that way, and of course many 'great' pianists who do also the same. Any explanation please? Two exceptions I have found are András Schiff and Mikhail Pletnev. That means there's no textual problem whatsoever. Chopin's manuscript is clear as well as the editions of the score we have. So? I am asking again: What's the matter with all other famous and less famous pianists?

[@bifeldman]

I think it may have been Andre Gide who called those three Ds the “Floor of Hell.”

[@benlawdy]

Just discovered the Gide book. It’s great

[@rionsanura]

i always felt like Chopin was for Real Pianists and my shallow amateur ass couldn't comprehend his subtleties but maybe i'll do a mainline on Garrick's recordings and see if I can stir some neurons around

[@cmathews2112]

Everybody loves the Taco Bell Canon

[@ericwarncke]

I have that same book. It's not quite as worn as yours. 😊

[@Timothy-c4p]

This may be off the rails. But with last prelude in D min, do you think Chopin’s opening right-hand-downward arpeggio was perhaps influenced by Beethoven’s opening to the Appassionata sonata? And also, in the previous prelude in F maj, do you think the idiosyncratic F7 arppegio at the end is reminiscent of Beethoven’s early F maj sonata in the first movement, where there’s a cadential chord progression of F, F7, and E maj? Going directly to the key of Cmaj? And I say all of this knowing Chopin was not found of Beethoven’s music. But before Chopin, what other major composers could have influenced him other than Beethoven and Schubert?

[@Daniel_Zalman]

What about Prelude No. 13? That's another favorite. It has such a sense of despondency. A sense of loss.

[@benlawdy]

It might be my favorite actually. I was sad Garrick and I didn't get to it, so I was pleased when Jed mentioned it in his segment at the end of the episode - and I played Moiseiwitsch's full recording of the Prelude.

[@Daniel_Zalman]

@@benlawdy Great. It's such an emotionally nuanced piece. I actually won't say it's about despondency (maybe the very beginning). It feels more nostalgic, actually, like a remembrance of things past. There are brief moments when the sun rises, that I very touching. A world is contained in that little gem of a prelude. Either way, Garrick is such an eloquent speaker on music. He has so much knowledge to impart. I could imagine that a seasoned pianist or very advanced student would benefit tremendously from having some lessons with him.

[@Sitbon08]

Where did you buy that black T-Shirt Ben?

[@benlawdy]

@@Sitbon08 archivalapparel.co/ But they only do limited-time apparel. I literally think I got the last one. You could email and beg, maybe send them this link haha. Pretty sure that’s how my wife was able to order it. But they have lots of cool composer designs worth checking out.

[@Daniel_Zalman]

I think with bells sound in the 17th Prelude, one has to take into consideration the piano that Chopin had at his disposal. I don't think the dynamic range was as wide as it is on a modern grand. I could be wrong.

[@napilopez]

The example of the raindrop prelude with a "normal" accompaniment at 28:53 sounds SO wrong lol.

[@benlawdy]

@@napilopez right??

[@walkercatenaccio]

In a jazz context, D minor essentially Is Bb major 7 without the root, and Eb dominant routinely resolves there.

[@benlawdy]

@@walkercatenaccio but does an F7 chord ever go to D minor? What’s odd is that they already shares the F and A, so there’s not much “resolution” to a d minor triad.

[@SebastianChiat-rm9dk]

@@benlawdyidk how often Chopin does this but Rachmaninov often resolved a dominant 7th chord to chord iii as a sort of deceptive cadence. But the prelude isn’t in Bb major so this doesn’t really apply here

[@Manfred-nj8vz]

@@benlawdy We could say that E flat to D has a Neapolitan connection. And Neapolitan harmonic progressions, according to the music theoreticians, express ideas of depression, death and suicide (check out for example the ending of the G minor aria "Ach, ich fühl's" from 'The Magic Flute'). And death, as we all know, is an ongoing and omnipresent theme that dominates the Preludes op. 28. With this in mind, I think, one can much more easily and logically "listen" and understand this truly unique - but also "strange" indeed - harmonic connection between the two last Preludes.

[@audreya4075]

WONK IT

[@mcbuuiop]

Funny how the multiples of 8 preludes are monstrously difficult.

[@WalyB01]

When I heard them I wanted to play the 24th. My skills were not even close. My teacher did not stop me and i did no understand the tremendous difficulty. i just could not figure out why i could play it. My teacher should have stopped me.

[@Michelle6998832]

Oh wow, we're the se age! 1985 🎉

[@peter5.056]

A very young Maurizio Pollini missed that final D in number 24. Video is somewhere on YT.

[@jordidewaard2937]

I dunno, the preludes have never done it for me. They seem too short to be worth learning and for some reason that very much puts me off. I'm currently learning the first ballade but I really feel like I'm missing out by not learning any preludes, perhaps this video will convince me to pick them up

[@nintendianajones64]

"Chopin is the greatest of them all, for with the piano alone he discovered everything." - Claude Debussy

[@charlesjazz3224]

The Podcasts are are different than KZbin versions?

[@benlawdy]

@@charlesjazz3224 podcasts come out on Wednesdays and are complete (75-90 minute segments with all guests ). Video versions cut and released a few days later as 3-4 independent segments, but it adds up to the same episode. Some folks aren’t on KZbin as much as us, so it’s good to have this content on different platforms. But also if you’re eager, it lets you listen to everything before it comes out on KZbin.

[@JLFAN2009]

I don't mean to be pedantic; but Garrick Ohlsson is technically one of THREE Americans to have captured the prestigious first prize at the Chopin international competition. The other two are Martha Argerich (the first American, and to date thus far the only native of South America) and Bruce Liu (the second North American and first Canadian). But Ohlsson certainly enjoys the distinction of becoming the first North American, and to date thus far the only citizen of the United States, to enjoy the honor. Kevin Kenner actually became the second U.S. citizen to *win* the competition, insofar as nobody placed higher than himself: unfortunately for him, the jury in 1990 chose to withhold the first prize. As such, he had to settle for only the second prize ...

[@benlawdy]

@@JLFAN2009 I interviewed Kevin for the upcoming Scherzos episode and we talk about the non-first-prize of 1990. And you’re right about the other North/South Americans, as Garrick himself pointed out in an interview I did with him a few years ago on the tonebase YT channel. Maybe it’s imperialistic, but “American” tends to mean “from the USA” even for folks from Canada or countries in Central and South American, right? Or do they refer to themselves as “Americans” too? Otherwise, what word refers to someone from the USA? I can’t think of a word like “Canadian” or “Argentinian” for people from “the States.” Maybe Garrick can be the first and only “Statesian.” (Or, I kind of like “Fiftian.”) Anyway, we can only really work with the names we have at our disposal in common usage.

[@peterchan6082]

Some pianists literally pound those three final D notes in the 24th Prelude with their fists!

[@chainuser1774]

Eric Lu for instance. I for one think thats the proper way to end the piece but im Chopin didnt do that.