S. Prokofiev: Toccata op. 11 (Rahman el Bacha)

The franco-lebanese pianist Abdel Rahman El Bacha performs Sergueï Prokofiev's Toccata op. 11.
Wikipedia about the toccata:
Prokofiev's Toccata starts off with a persistent repetition of the note D, interchanged between the right hand (which plays the single note) and the left hand (which plays the same note but with the lower octave as well). After a brief development, there are chromatic leaps in the left hand while the right hand plays a repeated figuration. The two hands soon switch positions, although the leaps still continue for a while.
A series of split chromatic thirds leads upwards until a descending melody (in A) with chromatic third accompaniments begins, with the left hand traveling in contrary motion upwards. This leads back to the main repetition 'theme' before a very short pause. Both hands soon play a weaving series of the right hand's repeated figuration from the start, before the split chromatic thirds pattern reappears. This leads more violently to the descending melody pattern, but this time in D, before the D repetition 'theme' reappears, this time in alternating octaves in both hands. The Toccata slows down and halts temporarily before a chromatic rising scale leads to octave exhortations, followed by a glissando sweep up the keyboard to end on the top D.
This particular piece is an extremely difficult showpiece that is very popular with virtuoso pianists and has been recorded by many. According to the biography of the composer by David Gutman, Prokofiev himself had trouble playing it because his technique, while good, was not quite enough to master the piece. However this fact is not universally accepted and his performance as reproduced in 1997 for the Nimbus Records series The Composer Plays is certainly virtuosic. Additionally none of the leading biographies of Prokofiev, those written by Harlow Robinson, Victor Seroff, and even Israel Nestyev, mention any technical problems with the piano past his childhood born poor performance techniques which were later rectified through years of study after his graduation from the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

[@PointyTailofSatan]

Maybe I am crazy, but I always get the feeling that Prokofiev was laughing like a madman when he wrote this.

[@nadaalbaghdadi4891]

PointyTailofSatan oh my god yes

[@oceancheung6139]

I can also imagine that😂

[@rowanenyeart6373]

PointyTailofSatan I can almost hear the evil cackle

[@sawadeekaaelaine]

Definitely

[@nomiumdegma9096]

well you should know his Violin pieces , man hated people with small hands .

[@markfowlermusic]

this is how to play a crescendo - 4:10

[@kylelandry]

Fancy seeing you here!

[@markfowlermusic]

***** we have similar tastes in piano music, as long as its bloody difficult and has lots of notes lol

[@Fanchen]

+Mark Fowler not really...

[@Fanchen]

***** the crescendo? not really. I've witnessed far more wider dynamic range than this.

[@lygazvbx]

Fanchen Piano I agree. There are much more impressive examples. Like pogorelich's scarbo. If you use one volume for the entire piece, you can barely hear the beginning but the climax is so loud it's unbearable.

[@terryp3034]

Every note is so distinct. Incredible.

[@BongboBongbong]

Terry P Truly remarkable, isn't it?

[@terryp3034]

Amazing. My vocabulary fails me.

[@DdavidoffC]

Terry P Right? Potentially the cleanest performance I've ever heard. It's lacking a little of the fire that Argerich/Horowitz bring to it, but man, what an absolutely rock-solid technique.

[@huathebard]

Despite the lack of fire, I think this performance feels more inevitable for its clarity.

[@bachisback71]

Yes! Better than Yuja Wang; her version is more quick but is not so clear musically like this.

[@mistertornado2303]

I'm surprised Prokofiev actually left a key signature for this piece.

[@alainspiteri502]

all Coposers Toccatas j think no only S P

[@TheLifeisgood72]

It’s not atonal

[@solarean]

@@TheLifeisgood72 definitely not, but still VERY chromatic. But hey, it's one flat anyway lol

[@gky7170]

key signature was meant as a "joke"

[@ct4263]

this must be utter hell to practise

[@spfqr4977]

It is.

[@davidmehnert6206]

Actually, it’s a blast to play, and a LOT easier to pull off than the Robert Schumann Toccata, but it will drive other people in the house crazy as you are learning it and committing it to memory, measure by measure. I learned it by playing, and mastering, two measures a day of its chromatic sections. I really had it down for recital in about six weeks or so when I was 16 but in the end never performed it. (Played Prokofieff #3 with an orchestra instead.)

[@DariusMo]

@@davidmehnert6206 prokofiev 3 instead of his d minor toccata? Interesting substitute

[@DariusMo]

@@Noah-wv4td My mistake, still interesting to play a 30 minute piece with orchestra instead of a 6-7 piano solo piece

[@samhinson1805]

There are parts to this piece that are repetitive, which makes it easier to learn and memorize, and it's very fun to play when you get it down!

[@lizs004]

The beginning could be the beginning of a boss battle theme.

[@Tizohip]

'-' Arroz picado? Kkkkkk

[@kyrun6551]

@@Tizohip kk

[@lesleyzore-oldoutdatedchan333]

Should i add it to one of my games as music

[@Pronobozo]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bmO3amiIYrNonpY

[@empireentertainmentevents1353]

Rahman el Bacha played this way better than any Pianist I heard. Even Yuja cant play this as good as him. She and other pianists tend to rush and show off their technique, but Rahman el Bacha paid respect to the piece by showing so much more details that were missing from other pianists. It is not how fast you can play this...but how much you can evoke out of it. Well done Rahman el Bacha !

[@alainspiteri502]

Y Wang lighter , above the key-board no technic exercice but a composition as a masterpiece . To day it's Y Wang in Prokofiev j live vzry well V Aschnenazy in Prokofiev-concertis . Here it's a good exam by a studient of a Conservatoire no more

[@DianAmini]

@@alainspiteri502 yeah right. Try again. This is musicality at its finest.

[@marcvdm1111]

@@alainspiteri502 Could not disagree more. Wang totally misses the swing this piece needs. She is amazing but doesn't know what Prokofiev is all about

[@alainspiteri502]

@@marcvdm1111 j don't understand what you mean when you write " swing " ? except J S Bach all Toccata seems more exercices than pieces of music ; all toccatas are in CNMDP - examens ( j had Czerny op-92 very far from to day ) , so no difference Between hundreds and hundreds recordings Prokofiev Toccata , don't look for a melody when there is none , it's better for you , in first technic only technic with all Toccatas except Bach j repeat .

[@mariosvourliotakis]

Emil Gilels also gets it, doesnt speedrun the piece like Yuja Wang or Martha Argerich. Maybe Im just salty I cant play as fast as them but find Ragman el Bacha's tempo very achievable (Im also learning this Toccata, hellish, but honestly could be worse...)

[@V1DE0DR0ME]

Dentist: Prokofiev, my clients have a problem opening their mouths for 4 mins 30 secs straight. Prokofiev:

[@pianogang2273]

Lol! : )

[@qalaphyll]

@@pianogang2273 hi

[@jamesrobert4106]

😂😂😂

[@marcsmith7789]

Fantastic, clear performance. Not too sped up, either. Relatively restrained and beautifully articulated. Phenomenal.

[@SordidGuy]

I actually performed this piece last night in Berlin. When I woke up, I was on the floor banging my hands against the foot board after falling off the bed......

[@Ivan_1791]

Funny.

[@alexreik424]

belonging i an institution

[@GarySchmidtPianist]

I can't think of a more exciting "toccata" in the piano literature.

[@MichaelXinSun]

Check out Nikolai Kapustin's Piano Concert Etude Op. 40 No. 3. It's also very exciting in a totally other way.

[@MrElicottero]

Or the last movement of Prokofiev's 7th sonata?

[@scottbeckman7620]

Yes, Kapustin's #3 and Ravel's from Le Tombeau de Couperin are the only two I've found that are as exciting, in totally different ways, than this masterpiece.

[@Alex-ri7ue]

Gary Schmidt lagidze's rondo toccata!

[@thomasthompson6378]

The Debussy, perhaps. The Ravel, perhaps. Even -- dare I say it? -- The Khachaturian, perhaps.

[@theunknown617]

It's like "Suggestion diabolique" had a father.

[@jonathanstupidcheesespaghetti]

3:17 sexiness

[@remsan03]

This is as crisp and as clear as the first winter's morning. Even his trills are distinct. This has to be one of the best three. (The others are by Horowitz & Argerich. Each has unique quality that I like. Horowitz for the basses. Argerich for her ferocity)

[@dawggonecrazee]

I agree,I have been listening to this piece for many years now and it was like a new piece when i heard this man play !!

[@LuisKolodin]

Argerich doesn't measure her ferocity. it should be left to the end. she's very intense right from the beginning, but then the end is frustrating because she's already at her limit of tempo, forte and intensity right from the beginning... it sounds as an anti climax.

[@ssbuzeno]

Raekallio's is incredible as well

[@milocavaliere8828]

Yuja Wang is the best one imo

[@adipsous]

Each is their own, for sure. I love the different interpretations. Argerich uses the sustain pedal to dramatic effect. Love it!

[@raphmaninoff]

A kind of duality with John Cage's 4'33''

[@Luca-yg5qx]

Best Toccata ever written.

[@SordidGuy]

Prokofiev: "Hey Liszt, try this one on for size"!!!

[@franzliszt3393]

It fits

[@sneddypie]

Franz Liszt prime response

[@segmentsAndCurves]

@@franzliszt3393 lmao

[@empireentertainmentevents1353]

JOKER was the BATMAN's enemy. If Joker has a composer who can compose music for him, Prokofiev will be the perfect choice.

[@GarySchmidtPianist]

I was at a local piano competition last week and out walks this small frail looking 12 year old Japanese kid. Sits down and knocks the socks off this thing. sigh.....How it didn't break him in half I have no idea. (maybe not quite as good as this interpretation but still very very good).

[@calebhu6383]

The original "Devil's Staircase"

[@AaronPetitPiano]

This is a piece not a song!

[@Bruce88keys]

Precisely, it is quite annoying & reveals the ignorance of dillitantes when they refer to instrumental music as "songs" from the corpus piano literature.

[@tigerdg1]

Bruce Stoller The word is "dilettante." Now who's ignorant?

[@Bruce88keys]

Oh & a spelling certainly weakens and exposes your knuckleheadedness

[@Burntshmallow]

Bruce Stoller I dunno man, I can toss about ten dollar words "Nonchalantly and frivolously, equatable to that of a tutor of the highest apex of scholarly and honeyed phrases" but, I think I'd rather stick to a vocabulary that most people can understand.

[@Bruce88keys]

Burntshmallow The word piece and song are hardly $10 words and you sound silly trying to sound intelligent as most people do understand the differences-asshat

[@chrislimnios9180]

It is clear to me that 99% of the interpretations I have heard thus far are pianists who play this piece much too quickly. In this recording, Abdel brings out many many subtle nuances that are unfortunately just not present in other renderings, which is a real disservice to the composer, and ultimately to the listener. This interpretation is spectacular.

[@excuseyou7198]

I think that this is my favorite interpretation because of how clear and crisp the notes are. A lot of the other interpretations are too fast, and that can make the notes sound a bit muddy

[@marcvdm1111]

other performances (notably Juya Wang which is amazing) miss one thing that this performance has - swing.

[@Bloborus]

The last common ancestor of such distinct lineages as Meshuggah and Phillip Glass, progenitor of my nightmares

[@whk9402]

difficult even to read the chromatic notes. not to mention playing the piece.

[@K.R-t5n]

There's bass, chromatics in both LH and RH and a melody.. Definitely not easy to play them all together

[@bombergal1]

I attempted to play this but it gave me injuries and I couldn't get through the whole thing. I also got my associate diploma and didn't do this for the exam lol...was going to play this for my FIRST undergrad recital too!

[@samerabijumaa7989]

You are very brave! I'm sorry about your injuries :( Did you eventually manage to play it?

[@jackcurley1591]

God I love Prokofiev so much. To me, this toccata sounds like a giant industrial factory with large, whirring gears, flaming coal engines, and steam valves. Also kinda reminds me of a train lol (I sense inklings of resemblance to Alkan’s Le Chemin De Fer, if only in feel/emotion)

[@rowanenyeart6373]

Jack Curley it reminded me of a train too

[@dcerinipianista]

It sounds like my ceiling fan

[@mose918]

Daniel C that's uncannily accurate

[@terifb]

Very clear interpretation, all voices very clear and not even a sound over another. I´ve never heard a pianist touch like this with Prokofiev I still prefer Argerich, she does not have a clear touch like this, but it´s more mad and full of energy, it´s an explosion! I think her way is closer to what Prokofiev was thinking when writing this music

[@andreykrone]

Wrong. That Chinese dude is the best, the one they once pulled off KZbin and then some guy uploaded again. Even though he screwed up the very last goddamn D

[@andreykrone]

This one. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKPFgHyBdq56kKM

[@andreykrone]

Argerich does something else, not what Prokofiev ment. Well, who the hell knows what who ever ment))))

[@신재원-o4b]

Try Horowitz.

[@SordidGuy]

Sorry for my language, but un-fucking-believable!!!

[@ShaunakDesaiPiano]

Took me years (I played this, not too well, at 15) to realise that this is in sonata form wow. Here is my analysis, where M stands for motif: Exposition 0:00 - Title screen 0:07 - Introduction (D minor) (0:07 - M1) 0:34 - Subject 1 (D minor) (0:34 - M2; 0:43 - M3) 1:08 - Transition; (1:08 - M4; 1:19 - M5; 1:25 - M4) 1:33 - Subject 2 (C major) 1:55 - Closing with M1 Development 2:12 - M2 2:27 - M3 2:31 - M2 Recapitulation 2:50 - Transition (yes, no recapitulation of the first subject) (2:50 - M4; 3:09 - M5; 3:13 - M4; 3:17 - short burst of M2) 3:23 - Subject 2 (D major) 3:46 - Closing with M1 Coda 4:10 - M1 4:13 - M3 4:21 - M2 in augmented triads 4:25 - glissando to the end.

[@nannalaz]

Thank you so much for sharing your analysis!

[@fishdinners7760]

im not sure what on Earth Phantom is conjuring up this year but i like it #Dci2016

[@jjmcoupebmw6557]

Hot damn what a performance.. I'm just amazed at the clarity of his playing. A lesser being would turn this into a wall of sound but he maintains his composure throughout.... impressive to say the least!

[@lindenly22]

Classic Prokofiev in this piece. The leading motive seems to be the 8-note sixteenth note pattern, which I coin the "Rubber baby buggy bumpers" theme, because it sounds just like you are singing this famous tongue-twisting phrase. That theme from the "Toccata" is likely the hook of the whole pianistic showpiece.

[@nyctnv]

I'm just here because of Phantom Regiment.

[@OrangeSodaKing]

This is my new favorite recording!!

[@Robert-vj6fg]

I could play that but I don't wanna

[@sneddypie]

doubt

[@Klassenfeind]

Grandfather of speed metal

[@zipozipo3309]

Not a single wrong note!

[@parule]

FINAL BOSS

[@オリバーオリバー-e4d]

333

[@mexicoconmemoria400]

Durante su permanencia en el conservatorio de música, decían que Prokofiev caminaba como un trenecito frenético, moviendo alocadamente su cabeza, esta composición sería un fiel retrato de su andar

[@nadaalbaghdadi4891]

Prokofiev is a genius monster

[@RicAbapo]

Oh my God IT IS SO CLEAR!!!!! O.O

[@Budy69able]

Oh, your god!! ;)

[@quack3891]

when ur vibin but there's so many notes they need both of the treble clef's space and bass clef to fully list all the notes you need to play in one spot

[@xeshing]

2:11 sounds so great! It's like walking in the woods at night!

[@The_Guy_Who_Asked_06]

That's a perfect description

[@richardchiu9832]

Sounds a bit weird, but I love it❤

[@marcvdm1111]

I have heard incredible performances of this piece, but this particular one makes me feel I am hearing as Prokofiev intended it to be

[@camilorojas1744]

I can imagine prokofiev sitting at the piano improvising this and having fun. What I can't even think about is him writing it down for the pianists to come

[@AlekseiGrigorev]

Bravo!!!!!

[@ButteredFlied]

Strangely addictive! Epic ending

[@rubinsteinway]

!

[@freespirit995]

Wonderfully controlled performance. And yes, (in answer to Christine Tan below) it is REALLY hard to play. I've never succeeded...! : )

[@JTSJTS]

Isso é MUITO melhor e mais esteticamente bem organizado do que as algaravias de Schoenberg.

[@aidankoop2110]

I dont think prokoviev was human

[@jeanlucchapelon]

Ça doit être un enfer à jouer... Belle clarté des différents plans sonores! Super!

[@emmanuelbizieau6807]

The original Black Midi.

[@TheAmoebicDysentery]

psychedelic

[@lpamnz]

1:32 so funny how Prokofiev makes a C major scale sound like that with all of the things on top

[@joeyboy676]

When I hear this I think Yuja Wang. She does a great job with this. Well with everything actually.

[@rsulzulfuqarl3581]

Bravo!!!

[@alainspiteri502]

mostly tierces in all Toccatas execept Czeny Toccata op-92 with 100% tierces

[@chimayai]

wow...that was terrifyingly difficult

[@livwilde9870]

this piece is badass

[@pianist-moko]

Amazing ! I love this piece.

[@RaymondRobijns]

Breathless !!

[@Tata-Sibiryatschka]

Крутейше! Темп самый-самый! Конечно, многие пианисты демонстрипуют более высокую скорость. Но когда играют быстрее, то теряются "мелодические слои". А тут - все отточено, слышно каждый голос...Фантастическая музыка и наилучшее, на мой взгляд, исполнение! Слушаю-не наслушаюсь. ❤❤❤

[@emanuelegiuseppemilazzo301]

THE best performance of this song I've ever heard, I think it perfectly reflects the way prokofiew wanted it to be played.Incredible

[@juicedelemon]

yes. it's d minor. you can definitely tell

[@2009grifin1]

I programmed this piece early in my career and trust me... It's a lot of work but it's very much worth it in the end.

[@tvoi_maniac]

Потрясающая и музыка и её исполнение!! Браво!!!

[@LeoMessi069]

Ce morceau est trop difficile. Je en cham

[@cosimodamianodipede1715]

❤

[@The_Guy_Who_Asked_06]

02:35 That bass drop though

[@LuisKolodin]

Amazing performance!

[@DianAmini]

I swear to god I cry 80% of the time I hear this

[@charlesdavis5802]

Couldn't be done better. ! !!!!! What a work! Beautiful….. Will listen again. You know what the hell you're doing.. Thank you. CVD

[@chrismontis]

el Bachan's technique is brilliant without being messy.

[@marinamoskalyova8423]

this sounds like a 20th century anthem with its furious rhythm and domination of technocracy.

[@pianodudeler]

I christen this piece Σίσυφος! Great performance by the way!

[@brantnuttall]

Never even heard of this piece, but that performance was just absolutely brilliant!

[@piomicarelli]

This is the authentic way to play prokofiev

[@alexisdanielvaneskeheian2127]

🎼🎹💐👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@elinah.4126]

Потрясающее исполнение,никакой гонки,респектище за такую выдержку и то,что ниточка не пгтерялась до самого конца.

[@charlesfrederick2]

I am so in awe of pianists who can play this. I have my associate performer's diploma, but I wouldn't even attempt it! Glad I didn't have ambitions to be a concert pianist.

[@russian-canadianfamily6895]

This sitting in the ARCT casually:

[@most_sane_piano_enthusiast]

such a cool piece

[@bennyksmusicalworld]

Isn't this technically D minor?

[@Queeen7q]

Математически точно и логично. Автор отвечает за каждую ноту, как и Моцарт с Бетховеном. Только в 20 в. Нет ни одной ноты, поставленной хрен знает зачем, которую можно было бы заменить на другую. Николай Мясковский, старший друг и соученик Прокофьева, написал о Токкате: «Чертовски остроумно, колко, энергично и характерно».

[@Queeen7q]

2:12 канон 2:35 тема в увеличении

[@aydin84000]

Epoustouflant! Mais Abdel Rahman ne recule pas devant la virtuosité! il semble la rechercher et la faire sienne sans problème!J'adore!

[@alainspiteri502]

La Toccata op92 Czerny est plus courante parmis les pièces ( 5-6 ) au final du CN je pense

[@vanveenbussum6162]

Dude, this is hardstyle....Anyone listening to this in 2020? I am, dammit!

[@gubgubbubbub]

I love the clarity and precision. Often the trills and accuracy are sacrificed in favor of speed, but this piece is so much more effective this way. Will definitely be listening to more el Bacha.

[@mochdrew3364]

When a toccata sounds like an etude, it's gonna be difficult..

[@musicformind1988]

Crazy and genial!

[@Pianolady07]

Геніально 🔥

[@ukdavepianoman]

Wonderful performance, dramatic and very clear. Love it!

[@arurudaisuki]

I like it.

[@TipoQueTocaelPiano]

Most of performers make the mistake of playing all forte and without much contrast. I haven't played this piece, so I assume it's hard to do the PPs.

[@guillaumebourgault5532]

+Citriano Torres It's a very common misconception: people are much impressed by fortissimo. But it's much harder to play fast and soft than to play fast and loud. It's the same for signers: it's harder to access the full richness of the voice while passing less air in the vocal apparatus to sing softer.

[@mistermasterinahat]

+Guillaume Bourgault I'm a singer, and I know that an equal amount of air speed must be passed when you sing softly and loudly. If there is less air passing, that is poor vocal technique.

[@guillaumebourgault5532]

mistermasterinahat So this means that when you sign the same note forte and piano, you can hold it for the same amount of time. Is this the case?

[@mistermasterinahat]

+Guillaume Bourgault Of course. The same amount of air must be passed when singing both piano and forte, so both notes can be held for an equal amount of time depending on proper breath support.

[@guillaumebourgault5532]

A louder sound requires more energy to be produced. Where is this extra energy coming from? The air passes by the vocal cords and transfers part of its kinetic energy to it. What proportion of the energy of the air is transferred from the air to the cords depends on the friction coefficient, which is a constant. The only variable left is how fast the air in contact with the cords is traveling. Air traveling faster = faster consumption of air. But theory aside, this is something that can be tested. There are devices that measure air flow. If you ever stumble some research paper that has measured how much air is required for forte and piano sound and shows that both are equal, please send me a link. Otherwise, you can try to come up with an explanation that is consistent with the basic laws of physics. "Because my teacher says so" is not a convincing argument.

[@3883melange]

So incredible!!

[@snowcarriagechengcheng-hun3454]

Thanks for uploading!

[@Xyriak]

Great performance of a monstrous piece.

[@miguelfontesmeira]

1:20 3:10 I absolutely love how clear these tremolos are. I had never heard it played the way it's actually written.