Prokofiev Piano Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, Op. 83, "Stalingrad" (Pollini)

[@nannalaz]

Rest in peace maestro Pollini 🕊️

[@SSS-gg3rz]

😢

[@wkdwnsdyd]

😢

[@aakarshitsingh1535]

😢

[@JonLeungpiano]

😢

[@Eeturautio]

I love how Pollini makes the 3rd movement sound so industrial

[@ThePainist]

Love the industrial description!

[@maxolydiann]

this iconic recording is a perfect legacy to leave behind, among his other discography. rest in peace maestro.

[@Telephon-b8k]

Shut up

[@Telephon-b8k]

Shut up!

[@ShutUpZewenThisIsNotBased]

​@@Telephon-b8kwhat

[@SassyCobra119]

0:00 1st movement 7:32 2nd movement 13:45 3rd movement

[@TenorCantusFirmus]

Pollini's very analytical style actually suits this Sonata very well, he doesn't overindulge in spectacularizing its technical difficulty, neither he overemphasizes the emotional content, but the structure of the Piece is always clear and this make for a very revealing listening experience.

[@bjornviir3333]

Pollini is always perfect...great tempo, well thought out.

[@BeattapeFactory]

Pollini's early work was a little too new wave for my taste, but when he performed Mozarts Piano Concerto No. 12, K.414 in '88, I think he really came into his own, commercially and artistically. The whole performance has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the piece a big boost. He's been compared to Arthur Rubinstein, but I think Pollini has a far more bitter, cynical sense of humor

[@김진우-i2e]

​@@BeattapeFactory!!!

[@paradise3124]

Поллини не человек!!! Он монстр!!! Это одна из лучших исполнений этой сонаты! Всем привет из Узбекистана!

[@falkeprophet]

The precision of this performer is almost electronic, and fits this sonata so perfectly

[@natatpongtouch]

Fun fact: Prokofiev and Stalin died exactly the same day

[@TheNotSid]

funny how history has never shown Prokofiev and Stalin being in the same room either...

[@aicrim]

So nearly no one attend at Prokofiev's funeral because all people go to Stalin's.

[@danielayalamusic]

Yes, I read somewhere that there were only around 30 people at Prokofiev’s funeral, Shostakovich and a few other musicians… so unfair

[@karrotkake]

@@danielayalamusicmost likely because shostakovich and all those other russian composers were some of the only russians who knew how bad stalin was

[@marcossidoruk8033]

​@@karrotkake Such a stupid comment. As if they were the only ones being opressed 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@nathanstang7657]

Incredibly exciting performance of the last movement! Thanks for posting this!

[@faktablad]

That third movement is everything

[@yuk_notkim7658]

I myself mainly listen to Baroque and Classical, but this slaps.

[@freddiehand6551]

My favourite performance of the 3rd movement by a long way!

[@christianvennemann9008]

"B-flat major."

[@ericforsyth]

Huh?

[@christianvennemann9008]

@@ericforsyth Because, at least, in the first movement, even though it's titled as being in B-flat major, except for a few prominent B-flat notes, it's very tonally unstable (there's a distinct lack of a key signature in this movement). Even in the _precipitato_ finale, where it's far more tonally stable, it's a very "sarcastic" B-flat major. Even the triumphant ending sounds like a Pyrric victory, due to the final blaze of octaves being somewhat tonally unstable at certain points. Those are the reasons for my sarcastic comment.

[@samerabijumaa7989]

I enjoyed your sarcastic comment my friend. However, this is prokofiev's way of making fun of Classical music and (classic) Sonata structures.

[@christianvennemann9008]

@@samerabijumaa7989 Thanks, and I know. That's what I love about this composition, other than its harsh, acerbic depictions of life during the Battle of Stalingrad.

[@segmentsAndCurves]

@@samerabijumaa7989 He was fond of classical idiom, after all, though I prefer the "sarcastic" description by Christian.

[@ShadowAura-gi2qz]

I‘ve just heard the interpretation of several most known pianists, from Horowitz (so great!) through Argerich and Sokolov to Pollini, and others (Gould for instance). But frankly, there is no other interpretation than that of Pollini which reflects the horrific context of Stalingrad better than his. Steadiness of rhythm, enormous dynamic range, keeping the melodic lead through all bewilderments from secondary themes (imagine the battle field, the movements of the enemy!), the punctuation of a hard rhythm (bass line) - Pollini’s interpretation reflects it at best. Excellent, as his play if Stravinsky’s Petrouchka.

[@stueystuey1962]

The dg cd that also includes webern and boulez is one for the record books.

[@baoluan1288]

Quelle maitrise! Et le 3ème Mouvement... c'est une explosion. Wow Wow!

[@carsonbrace4489]

The third movement sounds like being late for a very important thing and no matter how fast you get there, you'll still be late.

[@박상현-u3d]

3rd movement is pure genius. He's brilliant idea flows all over!

[@misterchrissy]

he really keeps the 3rd movement together from boiling over into incoherent chaos. i feel like in so many other performances of the precipitato that i hear, the tempo gets pushed and pushed, it gets drowned out in pedal, and musical gestures and thoughts just get lost in the commotion. great job by pollini is harnessing that industrial, machine riveting power to good musical use!

[@Populous3Tutorials]

16:17 how can he plays from here to end at such speed... its unreal difficulty with this speed, all those crazy jumps...

[@tiosav6251]

i guess he practice a lot

[@randomcubing7106]

this is an FRSM piece for a reason

[@Populous3Tutorials]

@@randomcubing7106 a what

[@ilikeplayingffftonecluster851]

Listen to Raekallio’s 3rd movement, even more absurd tempo while still being precise and clear.

[@BruceXuHasADream]

Thank you for your program notes in addition to the quality upload and music score follow along! Wonderful work!!!

[@stefansavic3459]

Part from 1:40 is amazing. Jazzy, dark, mysterious... Genious sonata

[@misterchrissy]

yeah agreed. it really evokes a kind of dark, paranoid, uneasy soviet atmosphere. i love it.

[@ペンギン-n5l]

この曲をプロコフィエフが一から作り上げたのが凄い…。

[@JMILESN1]

Dayyyyyyuuuummmm fire thanks Pollini!!!!❤

[@Bampaloudu64]

Je ne saurais expliquer pourquoi cette musique me fait autant de frissons. Le troisième mouvement me donne l'impression de me faire tabasser, j'en ai toujours le souffle coupé à la fin. Le deuxième mouvement, tellement mystérieux. Le premier, plein d'angoisse et de rage... Bref, j'l'ai faite à l'envers hein ? Si certains ont du mal avec Prokofiev, démarrez avec la première sonate. C'est la plus rattachée au romantisme, un lien assez agréable entre la clarté de Chopin et la future révolution musicale post-romantique, remplie de nouvelles sonorités - sans pour autant manquer d'émotions. L'approche change juste un peu.

[@deodatdechampignac]

Si tu veux te faire tabasser et avoir le souffle coupé, j 'ai bien mieux que Prokofiev : va te promener dans le 92 ou le 93

[@carloseliasmondinibelletti1798]

Excelente interpretação do compositor russo, execução primordial que nos satisfaz plenamente.

[@JamesSmith-mw7ps]

This third movement from Pollini is perfection

[@mami8167]

今こそ聞くべき一曲🐶

[@calebhu6383]

16:17

[@punkpoetry]

Excellent performance

[@dontnesswithme9]

The story of Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov is the story of a man so unremarkable that I'm only just now mentioning him 8 minutes into this video about him. Out of the estimated 4,000,000 active Soviet military personnel in 1983, Stan Petrov was certainly one of them. Just as he remained a near total stranger to the rest of the world throughout his life, this video will barely mention him. The story of Stan Petrov is more of a story about the world surrounding Stan Petrov. The story of forces far bigger than him, far bigger than all of us. So you'll have to forgive me that this video doesn't feature much of him. But when it does, you're going to be glad he's there. Because Stan’s whole existence boiled down to resolving a generation's worth of mistakes before him. How did he get here? How did we get here?

[@henrydenner5448]

Ah mon Dieu, that 3rd movement was something else. 😍

[@ariannelakra6108]

thanks for the good description!

[@calebhu6383]

3:38, 15:26, 15:58

[@chungyuetien2461]

Try listening to the last movement at 2x speed. :D

[@andreysamsonov2252]

I hear firing gun lol 😂

[@bjornviir3333]

the 3rd movement.....at that tempo...insane...cant play it at 60percent of that....

[@hassansoliman970]

please listen to katsaris :) you wont regret it. Katsaris' interpretation of this movement was insane!!!

[@Bampaloudu64]

60 percent are already a lot !

[@christianvennemann9008]

I can't play it at any percentage of that.

[@bjornviir3333]

@@christianvennemann9008 keep practising and be patient, its totally playable, i m learning and making some progress at it.

[@hassansoliman970]

@Normal Human Just listened to him, really amazing, thanks for introducing him to me :)

[@Kwoog]

For whoever needs it: 13:45 is the bit from the start of the Gran Turismo 5 opening

[@bigmanjorge]

today I will become Nissan Skyline

[@RetroRonin-nf1qg]

It's so nostalgic lmao- I remember always skipping the openings but I will never forget these iconic sounds... now I started playing a lot of piano, and started looking into Prokofiev's works, to discover this 3rd movement is the one used in the game I played as a kid 😂 It makes me so happy to see this used considering that he's one of my favourite composers!

[@maulcs]

3rd movement is truly next level

[@arnekorpen3143]

10:34 a reference to the 6th Sonata, mov.1 (dev. section)?

[@Ravi_34]

10:52 is the ultimate escalation of intimate doom I've ever heard

[@iXNomad]

it's the war aftermath all devastations that nazis made

[@petrouchka8774]

台風の中、傘もささずにずんずん歩いていくようなイメージ。

[@projectdalekmark]

Found it in Layers of fear!

[@ЕленаКиршанская-г3в]

Очень хорошо! Послушала с удовольствием. Для военной сонаты звучание достойное. Мало кто играет это с пониманием заиысла. А здесь получилось. С Султановым сравниваьь и не надо, Султанов это эталон для 7й, но музыка должна звучать, лишь бы замысел не пропадал. Здесь Прокофьнв настоящий.

[@kieraasahi8240]

such a headbanging opening

[@nichelodeonband]

My personal obsession

[@Dichweed]

Nicely performed.

[@kevingao1693]

Patently a better recording than the one Ashish Xiangyi posted

[@SpaghettiToaster]

Kevin Gao I don't know,I was quite shocked at the speed of the first movement. I think I prefer a slower tempo, but with very marked staccato rhythms for that really punchy sound, in the precipitato too.. but maybe it's just what I'm used to. This recording certainly has a special drive.

[@calebhu6383]

He posted 3 recordings of 3 different pianists. Which one are you talking about?

[@hurri.]

Damn, Emplemon has some good music taste.

[@AhmetSezgin-yz9zq]

16.18 best drop i've ever seen

[@bobjazz2000]

Third movement is full of blue chords and hammering rhythm reminiscent of jerry Lee Lewis.

[@malcolmnicoll1165]

Beautiful music rudely interrupted by obnoxious commercials in the middle of the piece. Really?

[@josephbarbarie692]

Third movement rhythm is that of those old machine pistols, the Sturmgewehr MP 43 or 44.

[@paradise3124]

Это танки ))!!

[@josephbarbarie692]

@@paradise3124 Tanks . . . You're probably right -- but something about the chattering rhythm sounds like the chop-chop-chop of machine guns.

[@olgadmitrieva6864]

7:32 - II часть 13:42 - III часть

[@JonLeungpiano]

Does the first movement consider as B flat major as well? Cuz there's no key signature written

[@KR-mm4el]

it isn't b flat major

[@2015071]

For Gran Turismo fans: 13:43

[@burrenmagic]

i'm in ecstasy. Pollini my favourite interpreter of Mozart 23 doing Prok. I'm just beside myself here.

[@wisdom9246]

와 인생곡이당

[@ilovemycatrussell9298]

What doesn’t the key signature even have two flats in some parts lol?

[@quenotelasabes]

Because it's so chromatic in those sections or it goes so far from Bb major that it's easier to both write and read the piece like that, overall in this piece the key signature doesn't help much anyways

[@andreassorg7294]

OMG go to school

[@seanmchugh840]

His attack and dispassion are suited here although the element of self-regard and effect for effect’s sake defines the playing- Prokofiev and what the music is actually doing is off in the distance.

[@digitalpatrick]

No pedal markings in Precipitato?

[@andreassorg7294]

Pedal markings are nowhere. The composers leaves the decision to the pianist in spite of special whishes. It's standard

[@kurtbrendel6610]

Was Prokofiev in Stalingrad?

[@garrysmodsketches]

no

[@jbw53191]

I love the last movement but it sure sounds like something Ginastera would have written!

[@colompiano4531]

I dont think the Sonata as a whole speaks of war. The closing movement, in my opinion, shows a joy of living that defeats all of the sorrow and anguish!

[@garrysmodsketches]

You're an idiot

[@jeanlucchapelon]

Superbe morceau ! Il faut être un peu fou pour composer ça !! Avoir une bonne dose de violence en soi aussi !!

[@leomoore3597]

Could you please put your ads at the end of a movement, not in the middle ,while the piece is.being performed !

[@김깡총-j3r]

3:44 4:40

[@SassyCobra119]

11:47 best moment

[@JoaoSilva-dj6jy]

🥰🎶

[@vladtepes3123]

"Stalingrad"? why not "Return of the Jedi"?

[@Nethseaar]

Because Prokofiev wrote Sonata No. 7 during World War II, and it was first played shortly before the end of the battle of Stalingrad, which was a major Soviet victory. A biographer of Prokofiev also speculates that it was a safe way for Prokofiev to express his true feelings about Stalin and the Communist regime -- a friend of Prokofiev's had been arrested and shot, and his friend's wife was murdered by NKVD agents, and then Stalin "asked" him to compose celebratory music for Stalin's birthday. When he had finished writing Stalin's music, be began writing Sonatas 6-8, the "War Sonatas." But I would not be opposed to a Star Wars-Prokofiev match-up!

[@Someonece]

I don’t understand your comment

[@fila3000]

@@Nethseaar so then his pre october revolution pieces expressed his "true feelings" about the tsarist Russia? Where do people get all this crap, like the fact that he wrote the 2nd concerto after his friend killed himself when in fact the concerto was already mostly finished before it happened.

[@dallinfullmer3073]

Fi La the score for the second concerto was lost in a fire and when he re composed it it had taken such a new form that he said “it might as well be considered a piano concerto no 4” the original composition coinciding so closely with his friends suicide must have played a very central role in the re-composition

[@orochimaruhatake4045]

Why

[@MorbidMayem]

Good interpretation, but Sultanov is much better in the finale.

[@ТанжихоловМуродулло]

Sounds like he was trying to set piano on fire. I hope he didn't damage it much

[@nennen_]

13:43

[@michaelsalmon9832]

"stalingrad"? is this a genuine name for this? i've never seen that before

[@flyingsoul3]

most likely stalingrad is pollini

[@christophedevos3760]

With all due respect to the incredible pianistic abilities of Pollini, but I think the first and last movement are played too fast. It is so fast it is swallowing up its notes, that can't have been the intention of Prokofiev.

[@paradise3124]

Даа, особенно первая часть.

[@Jack-l5f6e]

The third movement’s tempo is fine to me. But that’s just my opinion

[@НастяБледная-с8щ]

Начало 3 части звучит как "неправильное", "аморальное" веселье немцев

[@륜우김-o1z]

🇰🇷🇰🇷👍👍😇😇🙏🙏🙏

[@tellmesomethingamisayingto3957]

Emp lemon Brought me here This comment mite be cancer but, AnYoNe eLsE?!

[@sean..L]

I brought myself here but I am a fan of Emperor lemon.

[@jarofdelisauce2266]

12:50 This was probably the most haunting moment during the video.

[@SleepyPopups]

I came here from the nascar video, that quote was epic tho.

[@primalequinox8527]

tng pizda ve chi muu ulugchin min tng pizda yvj boovoo huh

[@primalequinox8527]

shaasiima anda sori

[@절소해]

조직적이고 체계적이며 집중적인 광기

[@albertborghese]

5:44

[@benharmonics]

15:58