Sergei Bortkiewicz : Piano Sonata no. 2 in C-sharp minor, Op. 60 (performed by Jouni Somero)

[@berthill2305]

We should be indebted to Jouni Somero rather than criticise his playing. He has brought us some relatively unknown gems, and this is one of the best. He points out the composers little tributes to Chopin Scriabin, Rachmaninoff and others in a carefully crafted way. Bortkiewicz is in the shadow of Rachmaninoff Scriabin ands Medtner, but his music is compelling in it's own way. This is a great listen for lovers of late romantic piano music as I am.

[@JouniSomeroMusic]

Thank You!!

[@andreassorg7294]

I'm very sorry, but why waste time with bad playing of bad music... There are many examples of music, which doesn't deserve to stand in the dark, but sometimes the public taste doesn't fail

[@SeigneurReefShark]

@@andreassorg7294 why wasting time commenting ?

[@andreassorg7294]

@@SeigneurReefShark Commenting wastes much less time than badly practising bad music

[@andreassorg7294]

Ok, I can compose two I-VI-V-I cadencas and three I-VI-V-VI-IV-I-V-I cadencas and tell the world that, although I stand in the shadow of Mozart and Beethoven, I'm compelling my on way. And - please - do not offend the shadow of Rachmaninov, Scriabin and Medtner

[@archibotgd9466]

References: 0:13, 0:50 - Bortkiewicz - Etude op.29 No.3 (1st theme) 1:09 - Bortkiewicz - Etude op.29 No.3 (2nd theme) 1:26 - Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No.2, op.18 1:38 - Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No.1, op.23 1:50 - Liszt - Piano Concerto No.2, S.125 (thanks @zartsekel) 1:57 - Taneev - Prelude and fugue, op.29 2:50 - Chopin - Piano Concerto No.2, op.21

[@zartsekel]

1:50 - Liszt. Second concerto

[@archibotgd9466]

@@zartsekelthank you! I have included to the comment)

[@danieltresa2943]

2:08 - Bach - E minor fugue from WTC I.

[@tfpp1]

1:25 - The sequence at measure 30 is lifted straight out of Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto.

[@csdrew22]

I thought i was going crazy! I knew i heard Rachmaninoff there!

[@richardpogoson]

Rach got robbed 😂😂

[@LedoPiano]

2:50 - This part too!

[@churnyeechong2427]

I think Rachmaninoff lifted his idea instead.

[@tfpp1]

@@churnyeechong2427 Highly unlikely since Rachmaninoff wrote his piano concerto some 40 years earlier.

[@yagiz885]

24:14 what a wonderful climax!

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

Indeed

[@occultobscurekhov4908]

Love it! Such a delightful moment in the piece

[@HGraabæk]

That’s what she said!

[@SCRIABINIST]

Honestly Bortkiewicz Sonatas are amazing. Who cares they sound like Chopin or Scriabin in parts? It's amazing anyways.

[@blackrachmaninov]

and Rachmaninov :)) 1:25

[@v_anh_b6474]

​@@blackrachmaninovRachmaninoff is the one sounding like Bortkiewicz, check the dates

[@benlizon]

I think you’re mixed up. This sonata is from 1942, and the reference is from a concerto written 40 years prior.

[@v_anh_b6474]

@@benlizon yeah I was thinking about the birth dates

[@yingcheng1589]

Holy h*ll MTE lolol

[@kohs.3876]

The most underrated sonata ever

[@mikeweaver8790]

Most of Bortkiewicz's music is some of the most underrated music ever for that matter, at least in my opinion.

[@r0mmm]

I agree 100000%

[@robertwalker2052]

But also: Second Sonata for Piano by Fartien Valen.

[@Pogouldangeliwitz]

It's rated just as it deserves.

[@thebatman6991]

@@Pogouldangeliwitz What do you mean precisly?

[@RobertSoppa]

4:13 starts the main theme of Kalinnikovs 1st Symphony.

[@harrylee3898]

He really did love to imitate other composers and add his own style. One piece and I hear Rach 3's 2nd Mov, Grieg's Peer Gynt (Aese's Death), Chopin's Berceuse and other themes I can't remember right now but that I've already definitely heard. Like W.H. Davenport Adams once said, "Great poets imitate and improve, whereas small ones steal and spoil.", same goes for music.

[@fredrickroll]

The main theme of the first movement is partly a quote from the main theme of Tchaikovsky's "Manfred" Symphony.

[@Aaron-hq4bu]

Immature artists imitate. Mature artists steal.-Lionel Trilling

[@icanogar]

This is the late late late Romantic version of the meme-like videos "Happy birthday in the style of 8 classical composers".

[@HGraabæk]

“Good artist take inspiration. Great artist steal” -Stravinsky

[@r0mmm]

This is the best thing I have ever heard in my live

[@andreassorg7294]

So it's the first

[@doritodog6242]

It's been a while since I came across a piece that moved me so much that I had to start learning it straight away. This is an absolutely wonderful piece.

[@alexkoh1673]

Agreed 100%.

[@doritodog6242]

Two months down and I've completed the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th movements! Time to tackle that beast of a 1st movement

[@juliusseizure591]

@@doritodog6242 Nice!

[@HGraabæk]

I would love to play this piece but I don’t think I will be able to learn a full sonata as the longest pice I’ve played yet is only 8 minutes. One day I will play this though

[@benrubin8624]

@@doritodog6242 Did you ever finish it?

[@r0mmm]

I love how he uses the first Motiv in every movement. He's such a genius.

[@jackcurley1591]

It’s also the main motif in his Etude op 29 No 3 :)

[@andreassorg7294]

Listen to Richard Clayderman. You will be killed by such a genius

[@Spark-pv9js]

And c minor concerto for left hand also

[@Obuchnyichelovechek]

@@jackcurley1591 YEEES! I’m played that etude

[@andreassorg7294]

It's the first thing you learn as a composer

[@HGraabæk]

I’m so happy to have stumbled upon this beautiful sonata while I was quite new to classical music. After having listened to much of Bortkiewicz music for solo piano I found his first concerto. Before that I hadn’t listened through a whole concerto because I lacked the concentration, but his op 16 was just so amazing. I usually only listened to single movements of long pieces but after hearing how amazing a longer piece can be when in its complete form I learned to listen to many great concertos, symphonies and sonatas. Bortkiewicz music has changed my abilities to understand musical context and harmony and I will forever be grateful to him.

[@orcunyldran6444]

Şi P

[@MegaCirse]

I've been losing my mind for some time but that darkly sunny music, among many others, helps me to float, to keep my head above water💥

[@knopfir]

The first and second movements are really nice to listen to. The melodies are very fun and I think the performance was done really well

[@hawkbirdtree3660]

It's hard to believe I can still find composers that make me fall in love with older music, all over again. This is up there with my favorite piano sonatas, and concertos. A true master of his craft.

[@kingconcerto5860]

Check out the Stanchinsky Piano Sonata in Eb Minor if you haven't heard it. Recorded by Peter Jablonski on Ondine.

[@williambunter3311]

The Allegretto is so wonderful!

[@azur8439]

I. Allegro ma non troppo - C# minor - 0:12 II. Allegretto - C# minor 8:20 III. Andante misericordioso - C# major 14:02 IV. Agitato - C# minor 22:35

[@alexandersimons9770]

4:13 4:39 note for myself. unforgettable melody

[@firoza8994]

that's lifted from kalinnikov's 1st symphony, which you should check out

[@alexandersimons9770]

yeah I noticed the similarity as well. though I have to admit a slight bias towards the piano

[@zephthezquirrellord]

He COOKED omg! Both the composer and performer did fantastic with this

[@ValseMelancolique]

Measure 30 sounds great👍

[@nintendianajones64]

His 2 Sonatas sound like a mix of Chopin's Ballades, Scherzi and Nocturnes and I love it.

[@FoxyJohn]

I’d agree but it’s almost as though rachmaninoff was the one rearranging the combination of those pieces into this sonata.

[@gardenparty1000]

What a sublime 3rd movement. Otherworldly! Serendipity! Sheer pulchritude! What a melodist! 🎼😇👌

[@kusuyamasosapianoduet]

Thank you for bringing this composition to light. An impressive piece of music. Much appreciated.

[@smb123211]

Glorious Finale, wonderful Sonata and "Boo!" to the naysayers. I cannot recall a single performance by - take your pick - Cliburn, Horowitz, Gould, Wang, etc - that I've not read, "Well, they did miss the d sharp on measure 234" or "The accented notes should have been more pronounced" or even "Uninspired". It just burns me up knowing the effort and time entailed. OK, this is not a Lyaponov transcendental etude but so what? Bravo.

[@Sherlock_Violin]

A fantastic piece of music! It creates some other worldly emotions and is full of these wonderfully contrasting moments of beauty and darkness!!!

[@JouniSomeroMusic]

Thank You!

[@Prometeur]

Incredible playing!!

[@НадеждаРачковская-т6щ]

Чудовий украінський композитор! На жаль, мало відомій украінському суспільству. Тепер повертається на батьківщину. Велика подяка всім виконавцям!

[@hobbit7829]

Чому він український! Що в ньому українського?

[@alanbash2921]

Breathtaking Performance !……… Genius Pianist....A la Horowitz 📣📣📣📣

[@fiandrhi]

Thanks to a pianist on KZbin called Claire Black and her recording of his Eros, I've been introduced to Bortkiewicz. This little gem of a sonata has played on repeat the last few days. I'm finding that it's typical of his quality. He really is an overlooked composer.

[@robertcohn8858]

A fantastic, beautiful and powerful performance by Jouni Somero. Thank you for posting this.

[@JouniSomeroMusic]

Thank You!😊

[@redstonulo]

i think what makes me enjoy it so much are the „unexpected“ chord combinations quite everywhere. like you expect a certain chord but a completely different is played, but it somehow sounds good.

[@marinadela1361]

Makes the music sound interesting and alive

[@fulviopolce9785]

Grande sonata,grande prestazione ! Il finale in tonalità maggiore è semplicemente stupendo ed eroico.Bravo. Ottimo post!

[@laurelin5822]

It is so enjoyable to play, I love this sonata

[@jake_fx]

Just finished learning it last week. Such a beautiful piece, especially the 1st movement. I love it!

[@kliberalsing]

Not going to dislike this great upload, but reading the score makes me realise that the pianist could actually have done an even better job. He probably plays through thousands of pieces every year.

[@anttikujari2297]

Yeah, Somero is productive as hell, he has recorded the complete piano works of many failry unknown composers

[@klop4228]

I suppose he's set himself the task of making lesser-known music available to us in audio format and perhaps compromised perfection slightly in the process. I'd love to hear another pianist take this on and see if they can produce something better - although I can't say I think this performance is bad at all!

[@_x13]

I even think my handling is much better than his…I didn't find something I was willing to learn from in this version.

[@musicjotter]

A little sloppy playing, but I don't mind the imperfections. He gets the point across, and I fully enjoyed it!

[@eliaseiffert2207]

ah... 317 likes and 0 dislikes. fully deserved, this sonata is one of his best achievements

[@SCRIABINIST]

NOW PPL GONNA DISLIKE >:(

[@zvikrol5220]

Absolutely breathtaking bravo ❤❤❤❤❤

[@thebatman6991]

Puissante cette pièce. .

[@MrFartyman44]

Another awesome upload of somebody I would probably never have heard of. I love your channel Azur. You and the others who upload this music for us. Thank you.

[@emilyhutjes]

How wonderfully played this beautiful Sonata no: 2 Jouni. 👍🌷🌷🌷 (Holland)

[@JouniSomeroMusic]

Thank You😊

[@АнтонТарасов-е2л]

Вторая часть божественна!!!

[@laurelin5822]

Bar 60 reminds Chopin piano concerto, this sonata is so beautiful

[@braydonjackson7184]

It’s like a quote from his piano concerto 2. I was thinking the same thing

[@andreassorg7294]

The 4th note of bar 76 reminds the 6th note of bar 165 of Beethoven's Kreutzer sonata

[@laurelin5822]

I love playing it so much

[@Bozzigmupp]

Last movement is reminiscing a lot from variation 18 in Rach's Rhapsody

[@brettowen7174]

Piano has lovely tone.

[@VanVlearMusic]

1:24 sounds like Rach 2 1st mvmt 1st theme!!

[@PianoHsiang]

很好聽阿~~ 很明顯就是借鏡引用許多其他作曲家優美的片段 尤其是最後一個樂章 後面的旋律真的很感人

[@pianist-moko]

Beautiful✨👍💓🎶

[@mrsnegy6001]

Very beautiful I hear Rahmaninov in it. Do you too?

[@polishscores]

Thank you for making a score video for this sonata. I couldn't find any and was hoping I wouldn't have to make one myself!

[@nicolettaguglielmo7186]

Fantastic! 🤩🤩🤩

[@musicjotter]

I've heard some criticisms of this composer. I hear a lot of derivations in his music (Chopin, Rach, Greig, etc), but now I wonder if this was intentional? How could it not be? After listening to the music more carefully, this is very good. It's different enough and the composer clearly has his own voice where the derivations seem like intentional tributes. But I'm not sure, what do you think? Was the composer aware or unaware of utilizing Chopin's motif from his Piano Concerto 2 in F, Rach's theme from his Piano Concerto 2, or Grieg's theme from Peer Gynt Suite?

[@zephthezquirrellord]

All of the quotes in this sonata are so tastefully done and don't feel stolen, I'm sure it's intentional and it's absolutely brilliant

[@archibald6360]

Who else noticed Brahm's Rhapsody no. 2 in the 2nd mvt of this sonata? 👁️

[@rosiefay7283]

Also The Death of Aase from Grieg's Peer Gynt.

[@jackdeago3639]

Thank you so much

[@richg5351]

The 3rd movement has a quote from the fourth movement of Rachmaninoff's Fantaisie-Tableaux (1st Suite for 2 Pianos)

[@richg5351]

Actually, that might just be an Orthodox chant tune that they both used

[@rosiefay7283]

@@richg5351 Indeed. The score in the video acknowledges this. (Russian Easter Hymn.)

[@fadisoueidi4127]

Never heard ov him. This quite good music.

[@occultobscurekhov4908]

13:34 Oh, I like that! Sounds heroic!

[@ПавелЗимодро]

действительно красивая соната, некоторые моменты создают впечатление, что слушаешь Рахманинова. Интересно наблюдать рахманиновские приемы в музыке этого композитора. Главная тема отдаленно напоминает "Манфреда" Чайковского, а именно мотив (фа#-до#-ре-ми-си-до#-ре-си - у Чайковского) соль#-ре#-ми-фа#-до#-ре#-ми Напев "Христос Воскресе" в 3 части поразителен.

[@olexandrselyaninoff8881]

соната винятково українського характеру)

[@SeigneurReefShark]

@@olexandrselyaninoff8881 Actually, Bortkiewicz is known for borrowing some themes made by Rachmaninoff or Medtner. But it is clear that Bortkiewicz is an amazing composer, and while not the most original, one of my favorites for sure.

[@czeynerpianistproducercomp7155]

Thanks! Please Upload Czerny Op.145

[@quesote20]

2:49 theme is so beautiful, that change from Eb to F7 is really beautiful and innovative.

[@paulherve2444]

Although I really like this part, I also heard it in Chopin's seconde piano concerto at around 7 minutes in the first movement ;)

[@pianistasulloceano8753]

Do you like more first or second sonata?

[@tainokreb5200]

very good

[@Spark-pv9js]

4th movement sounds like a mix of scriabin etude op 8 no 3 and 4th movement of his 3rd sonata

[@grammatikerfanatiker]

At around 17-18 minutes the pedal sounds are really loud and distracting.

[@r0mmm]

4:12 😍

[@Peter-tg1kk]

Touches of his own 2nd piano concerto but with different accompaniment

[@urisimhoni4981]

The first motif of this sonata is the same as that of his Prelude in C-sharp minor which was written around 20 years prior: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3LUmoiunbeMadU

[@redstonulo]

what „tutta forza“ means: how much force? ALL THE FORCE!!

[@icanogar]

"Tutta forza" means "with the elbow".

[@kentbrooks3227]

Beautiful. Hints of Rachmaninoff.

[@redstonulo]

Bortkiewicz: I paid for all the keys so I‘m gonna use them all!

[@ghmus7]

Do i hear a direct quote from Rachmaninov?

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

4:13 I thought of un barque Sur l'ocean for a second

[@iliam.chernenko9344]

Sounds as if Rachmaninov bit Tchaikovsky's hand (or something else) and the latter was very inspired by this. This is obviously an epoch-making thing!

[@ТетяЗина-р5н]

Такая потрясающе красивая соната!так "пахнет"Рахманиновым

[@pafnouticlavipiano]

20:10 I have been waiting for that resolution to I M79 (Db major with major seventh and ninth) for the whole 3rd mov and it didn't happen...

[@marcfink5712]

It‘s romantic music, not jazz… the tonic is almost exclusively 1-3-5 chords, sometimes a sixth.

[@RetroRonin-nf1qg]

start sounds a lot like his third etude "the brunette"

[@oceanotter6337]

Some of Chopin, some of Rach and some of Scriabin.

[@sorenkrantz2005]

First theme is right out of Tchaikovsky’s manfred symphony

[@arlettehellemans2117]

The very beginning sounds like of of his Etudes

[@alexanderh9569]

rach 2 1st movement at 1:23

[@Xyriak]

2:49 This reminds me of that one part in the first movement of Chopin's F minor Concerto.

[@randiey95]

1:25 ayy its rach 1:49 i heard liszt 2:49 also chopin 4:39 sheesh even kalinnikov

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

1:49 Liszt piano concerto #2

[@MyPianoArchives]

Hi again

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

@@MyPianoArchives hi

[@carlhopkinson]

Sounds like Cesar Cui.

[@JouniSomeroMusic]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/raa1i6KCi7KosNksi=9StPmqpPA5bn1XSw

[@The_Rach_Man_in_Off]

4:03-4:06 that sounded like part of La la land's main theme LOL

[@Mozart0230]

1:25 2:50 23:40

[@caseym8385]

It's funny how out of place those fully diminished chords at measure 3 sound. Beethoven ruined them for me then silent movies put the nail in the coffin for every using fully diminished chords again (especially arpeggiated). It sounds like Rachmaninoff until those small lapses in judgement remind you it is not. Still, there is something charmingly odd about this piece, like the way it just jumps right in as if in the middle of a piece from the start.

[@ciararespect4296]

Beginning reminds me of medtner sonata tragica? Then the obvious rachmaninoff at 1:25

[@alexustas2203]

Рахманиновым веет от сонаты.

[@PavelAMamoushkin]

Да ну, вполне вторичная музыка

[@da__lang]

It's a bit surprising that he borrowed so liberally from Rachmaninov.

[@ausi5720]

Un the minute 3 uses a similar chords as rachmaninnof

[@ausi5720]

That's wonderfull

[@Prometeur]

Based

[@contan_go]

N. II sounds like Brahms’s rapsody

[@ghaup]

stole straight from Scriabin's 3rd etude Op.8. 23:38

[@川野寛-j5b]

look like Rachmaninoff

[@db7sib7m]

Wonderful sonata! At bar 30 has stolen a bit from Rach :)

[@erikfreitas7093]

Marco Zuccarato yeah I heard that too 😁

[@r0mmm]

@@ChristovanRensburg not stolen. Paraphrased. You cant steal music. It just makes you more a genius, If you take a Part of a melody and put it in your own original piece of music

[@Xyriak]

4:12

[@eels31]

Is it alright? Yeah it's fine. Bortkiewicz definitely can be a very iffy composer. His piano concerti are fine, and some piano pieces are pretty good too. This one? Eh, it's passable. But I feel his first sonata is the same way too, they're both not particularly his best. Also, why is there is one guy (who I won't name here) that repeatedly comments on seemingly EVERY video of anything Bortkiewicz? Christ's sake, dude, go get a life.

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

24:13

[@bobschaaf2549]

Measure 29 et seq. rips off Rachmaninoff so shamelessly, I abandoned this turgid bore and went over to R's second concerto. I came back only to find measure 60 cribs from Chopin. Shlocky hack work.

[@zephthezquirrellord]

I think it's less theft and more quotation. Bort (I hate this abbreviation) uses these quotes within his own style, and each quote actually confirms to his motifs. I think it's perfectly fine, not shameless ripping off