SHURA CHERKASSKY CHOPIN's VARIATIONS ON 'La ci darem la mano' Op.2.

Shura Cherkassky in his 85th year (born 1909 not 1911) showing remarkable agility in this difficult early work of Chopin. Surprisingly, he died just over twelve months later in London 27th December 1995. A greatly missed artist.

[@rattywoof5259]

There's a lovely story that he was rehearsing with Previn and the LSO - the conductor stopped at one point and said "Mr. Cherkassky, why do you play that passage so fast?" With a beatific smile, Cherkassky replied "Because I can!"

[@specialforces101]

Very Shura.

[@hastensavoir7782]

Cocky!

[@goldberg72]

Tutti vestiti di bianco

[@pghagen]

Love the movy on You Tube where he visits his home town Odessa. Such a wonderful documentary. Specially now when Odessa is bombed by the Russian agressor.😨

[@MichaelAlexander1967]

A beautiful piece. I absolutely love the triplets!!! This is my 1st time hearing this piece, and I really like it, thus far - 11 minutes in. I love it! I feel the dexterity of Mozart in the most classically romantic way. Chopin is brilliante!

[@user-alanpicarrot]

❤Lovlely piece, great interpretation.🎉

[@pghagen]

He recorded these variations as well as a solo piece (playing the orchestral part himself) on the Nimbus label. Great performance here in Avery fisher hall too! I still miss this great artist, so thanks for uploading!

[@piano345]

I have the Nimbus box set although I prefer his 'live' BBC recordings that were issued by Decca. I heard him play the solo piano version of La ci darem la mano at a London recital. Yes, I miss his concerts too.

[@douwese]

There's a wonderful piano solo version of this piece on KZbin, played by a Polish pianist: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3Wrg5J5n8yansU

[@pghagen]

@@douwese Yes i just listened to her performance. It was a very good performance as well! I hope she gets the opportunity to play it with orchestra as well as soon as Corona crises is over....

[@steinwaygrande3971]

I will always regret not having been to his concerts during his lifetime. :-(

[@piano345]

I attended many of his London recitals and they were always special events in my life. In my opinion, Cherkassky should be as famous as Horowitz who he greatly admired.

[@pghagen]

I heard the reporter saying Cherkassky was almost 83 years old when he gave this performance of these variations. The men was unique, as he played a lot of works nobody else played such as the Kaleidoscope by Josef Hoffman

[@kaleidoscopio5]

Wow. The first time I listened the Chopin Variations and Shura Cherkassky was this one as a kid. Lovely.

[@alanmezzour9960]

A superb pianist with a good sense of humour, a little bold at times and very amusing company in the right company, as I found over coffee in Soho with Peter Feuchtwanger. Great memories.

[@piano345]

I recall having coffee with him and he was very amusing. He said, 'today I am not dieting' and proceeded to stuff his face with fresh cream cakes!'

[@user-cc1qg7ot6m]

Shura,,everlastingly !!

[@andrewkennaugh1065]

Hugely popular on the London concert stage right up to the end...😊 He lived in the White House Hotel on Great Portland Street,London W1,I think...in a room with just a bed and a grand piano...!😊🎹 Great entertainer as well as a great pianist,particularly in the Romantic repertoire...😊😊

[@Nodalema]

I was at this concert. It was quite remarkable. His Chopin was effortless and natural, with no pretense. I happened to also heart him later that year at Carnegie Hall. He performed the Schumann Fantasie, which unfortunately got the better of him. How could it not at that age!

[@piano345]

I've uploaded performances of Cherkassky playing the Schumann Fantasy in Japan. There are beautiful things in it even if some of the technical hurdles are not negotiated so easily. As you know, Cherkassky regained popularity in the US late in life although he was famous there as a child prodigy in the 1920s. I heard him play the piano solo version of the Chopin La ci darem la mano Variations in London in the 1980s.

[@Nodalema]

That performance you heard must have been wonderful. The performance you uploaded was one of my most memorable. Its simplicity and elegance was breathtaking. As to the Fantasy - there certainly were wonderful moments, if on the whole it lacked 'force'. I'll tell you a wonderful Cherkassky story if you'd like: I was working at Carnegie at the time he gave that recital I mentioned. I was backstage with him as he was about to go out. He noticed at the last moment that he had not put his decorative handkerchief in his front breast pocket. He wanted to run back to the dressing room to get it, but there wasn't time. The fabulous backstage attendant at the time, who knew everyone you could dream of knowing, and who knew exactly how to calm them down, then did this: she grabbed a roll of toilet paper, unraveled a bit, ripped it off and put it into his pocket. In one movement she pulled open the stage door and pushed him out! He played that whole recital (his last at Carnegie) with toilet paper in his pocket! ☺ Thank you by the way for all your wonderful uploads! 

[@piano345]

Robert Goldberg Thanks very much for this story. I know that Cherkassky had a set routine before going on stage. He counted the exact number of steps to the piano, looked at the audience, counted another set of numbers and then began to play. It made him comfortable before an audience and his playing was always very special.

[@JoePatrych]

You must mean Debbie - She LOVED Shura!

[@saltburner2]

I heard him only once in London - when he substituted for Wilhelm Kempff on a Sunday afternoon at the South Bank.

[@piano345]

I remember that but I didn't go to the recital. I think he played Prokofiev's 7th sonata which would have been a shock for Kempff admirers.

[@222mozart]

unfaßbar klasse (auch Dirigent und Orchester)

[@PeterLunowPL]

the coughing is ruining the performance, but what an incredible pianist he was!! Heard him in Amsterdam in the seventies and I was deeply moved. A beauty of sound ,that is very rare nowadays

[@Your_daily_doggo]

Jon and Robi

[@smcmpiano]

He performed with the Indianapolis Symphony not long before this --- just an amazing pianist and musician.

[@ecco47cesare35]

caro amabile nonno!

[@Pianoforjoy]

Chopin's very pinnacle of elegance revealed by the pianist's furry hands can make one almost believe in Darwin's theory of our animal descendance. This comment was not made to belittle Cherkassky's supreme artistry.

[@stalkerstomper3304]

Screw the animal theory. Lol... why not just speak the truth. These gifts are God given and we are created in the image of God. Give praise and glory to God for these gifts. We wouldn't have them or even us without Him.

[@RamirezHD]

wow

[@TomBombadil1991]

Very nice and lovely performance

[@user-br8it3di7n]

Bravo!!!

[@tedmounsteven621]

Gorgeous :D

[@eriklakedoes3339]

I always liked Gerard Schwarz Seattle Symphony/ Mozarteum Orchester beside..Gerard is a nice gentlemen

[@flhrcl4120]

素晴らしい‼️

[@_PROCLUS]

Start 0:35

[@canrobertjules2489]

Un splendide "vieux Prince du piano" loin de ces petits crétins qui sabotent Chopin (entre autres) et qui minaudent en "jouant "'. les inspirés !.!

[@3936warren]

Thank you piano 345.

[@JoePatrych]

Btw, Martin Ormandy (brother of Eugene) is in the orchestra.

[@eriklakedoes3339]

Cherkassky small hands v.s Andre Watts large hands both superb pianists

[@H-sv1nt]

❤

[@ianhall3822]

Cherkassky would be able to play with the hair on the back of his hands.

[@oliwertwardy593]

Own variations on the theme of Chopin's variations. Sorry.

[@metteholm4833]

Chopin was very unorthodox. Mozart would probably have liked this.

[@malayaliobservant8915]

Is there a TB patient in the audience. coughing is spoiling the mood.

[@republiccooper]

His hands are small.

[@christopherczajasager9030]

So what😊?

[@republiccooper]

@@christopherczajasager9030 he manages well.

[@republiccooper]

@@slob1920 😂😂

[@stevenkaplan1427]

I am a pianist and huge fan of Cherkassky. And this performance has some very positive elements that are characteristic of his approach. But with a close listen, one can hear that he is struggling, and along with the stodgy tempi, there is a lot of over-mannered playing. Perhaps he was not having a good evening, and also he was playing the version with orchestra which is not (in my opinion) the better version. For memorable but different live performances of the solo version, listen to Cherkassky (Carnegie Hall) in 1993 and Gilels live in Moscow from 1963, both of which are available on KZbin.

[@James_Bowie]

The mic'ing of this performance is a complete fail.

[@stalkerstomper3304]

Nah broski. I think it's your phone speakers or your ears, or even both. This is true bliss of a sound from the clouds of the atmosphere through waves of the ocean rolling over the beach of the galaxy while doing the robot dance listening to Dave Chappell while eating a triple Whopper from Burger King cooked by Tom Brady and served by the ghost of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart over an ice cold bed of fresh romaine lettuce and with a side of freshly brewed cocoa all rolling down the throat melting a hole trough your neck as it rolls down and water spouts out of your neck like a water sprinkler while bringing life to the flowers around you to repeat the whole cycle to infiniti. Or something like that anyway.

[@jandabrowski2208]

Very Good Pianist - looks like King Kong!

[@marcosviniciosribeirocompo1137]

Horrible !!!!!!

[@jh200176]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@marcosviniciosribeirocompo1137]

Hard !!..Horrible!!

[@ERSCAUS]

You might prefer this performance by Claudio Arrau with Eliahu Inbal at the podium.............soft melted butter dripping over a tender rare piece of fillet. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5_NiZiYnLN6iqs

[@jh200176]

😂😂😂