Sonya Kahn - Khachaturian Toccata in E flat minor

Sonya Kahn performing Aram Khachaturian Toccata in E flat minor recorded in Los Angeles 2008
www.sonyakahn.com

[@VinSilvano]

When my best friend passed away in a car wreck (age 15) back in April, at his funeral he was shown playing this piece on the piano. this song makes me so at ease...

[@dawggonecrazee]

Thankyou Sonya so much for not massacaring this great composition,as many have on You Tube ! I loved your interpretation.

[@SpencerMusicSchool]

Brava well executed. I am a concert artist who studied with Adrienne Iagjian a student of Khatchaturian. I have performed the concerto around the world and the toccata. This is truly a an excellent interpretation and dynamic contrast.

[@wakeupfist]

I want her and that piano installed at my place. Seriously, this is a gorgeous composition performed by an even more gorgeous lady.

[@MozartJunior22]

It's amazing how many different interpretations this piece can have...

[@FaulknerRushdie]

This is extremely well-controlled and exciting musicianship. Very nicely done! I wish I could've played it that well.

[@beckymccray4582]

Amazing!! I played this piece my Freshman year recital in the early 80's and have always loved it! After all of the interpretations i've listened to on KZbin, this is the only one that i felt wasn't rushed (our interpretation of dynamics and tempo are almost exactly the same!). I really loved hearing this! Brought back many memories of all the hours and hours i spent in the practice room. hah! Beautifully played. It was lovely to hear no muddiness or too much pedal. Hope you have more for us to view...? I think i need to pull this piece out again and see if i can relearn it. Thanks for the inspiration! :)

[@bachmaninoff2532]

Finally! Someone who does not butcher this beautiful piece! Great job! Wonderful dynamic contrasts! Good phrasing! Excellent clarity! You really understand the piece (unlike everyone else on youtube). Thanks for this. p.s. Please send this video to the Alladin Brothers, I think they need a reality check!

[@iravendarknessi]

Lovely interpretation. Personally, I prefer this tempo to the one I usually hear this piece performed at. Every single note in the piece is heard and none are lost in the mud. Thank you for posting this.

[@armeniangeneve]

wow... that's amazing... simply marvelous...BRAVO Sonya !

[@Chaoddity]

Perfection. Until you scroll down to the comments section...

[@nathanyyyy]

this is the best interpretation of this piece on youtube! unlike others, its got so much clarity, and there isnt huge fluctuations of tempo.

[@catusfly1]

Fantastic song....learned it in 7th grade...took me through college!!!!! You have inspired me to play it again!!!!! Nice work!

[@xxmshxcheesexx]

WONDERFUL! i can hear every note very clearly, and none of the notes blended slurred. beautiful :)

[@sofia0zoe]

I love this piece. Great performance!

[@uberchops]

This is how Khatchaturian is supposed to sound-- hard and agonizingly beautiful.

[@sonicUnison]

what a wonderful and individual intepretation, never heard it played like this. Girl, you are fully rockin hard :)

[@ronb6182]

She plays this piece better than all others I heard on youtube the tempo is perfect and not too rushed. She brings out the pretty parts of the piece and not rushed.

[@Scarbogn]

Beautiful piece and interpretation!, five stars :)

[@andyhenderson3111]

Easily the the best (and best-recorded) of the dozen or so KZbin performances I have seen of this piece (in my opinion blah blah). Some of the others were faster and with as much technical command, but this one has superior dynamics and musicality for my taste- I like her instincts for when to play it rubato and when to be precise and authoritative. Go Sonya!

[@Thikramonem]

Bravo ! Very well and beautifully , performed .. Bless you

[@pfcjev]

This was my piano recital piece over 20 years ago. This performance inspired me to recall and re-learn it but for the life of me cannot replicate how she plays :41 to :47. How does she do that? It's brilliant.

[@ethanl.1699]

3 years late, but it seems that she starts with little pedal in the beginning, and slowly adds more and more pedal as it crescendos into the next phrase.

[@FriendlyHugo]

Plus she seems to be good at percussion! The hand-timing is essentially African drumming, just with the fingers held in the right places for standard (Bösendorfer?) pianos.

[@FriendlyHugo]

Clickable link: 00:41

[@jackdjan8068]

Very good interpretation for a very difficult piece. Bravo

[@MsCrazytoo]

" Wonderful performance - and the most important of all: NO over-speeding" Delicate touch and timing , right pressure on keys.

[@yoladango420]

Without a doubt, this is one of the most fun songs I've ever played! You do a WONDERFUL job!

[@audiomuse]

Very artistic performance. You have given lots of attention to the dynamic markings and also apply your own expressive interpretation. A lot of the performances on youtube are rushed and lack continuity between sections of varying note density, but you keep the tempo changes very convincing. Great job! Keep posting videos. :)

[@hinzerle1981]

it´s my favourite piece !!!! I did it for my exams.. i love it.. You play it really really really good , thxs

[@rcoloma24]

I love the way you play the piece. Similar to the way I play it. Wonderful balance. Direct to the point.

[@JohnHarmer]

Wonderful performance! Gets right to the heart of the music, and very crisp clean finger work where it counts. Also very well recorded piano sound.

[@MrBrianreganrocks]

Very nice performance. I like the clarity and the tempos! Great job

[@CrimsonKnight2010]

Wonderful performance! I'm learning this piece and I've been looking around KZbin to get an idea of what it sounds like. Especially the B section, and I like your interpretation the best.

[@Crazy_Leen]

Oh boy, I´m learning that at the moment

[@LittleMrCornflake]

absolutely love this rendition. her fashion sense is awesome too; not sure who made up the rule that you have to dress like you're attending a funeral while performing anyway... :P

[@tubrubdub]

jewels like this make me love you tube. The piano itself is a star,richer to my ears than the " standardway". Wish I could be under the piano listening; blindfolded of course.

[@matthewcoldicutt5951]

I shall always remember the first time I heard this piece (on vinyl as it happened) years ago, played by Lazar Berman. This pianist was quite the titan and yes, he didn't hold back, a dramatic , swashbuckling interpretation. I loved it. But isn't it one of the beauties of music, to hear a quite different rendering, almost caressed in comparison to Lazar. You have caught and held something very special here, Sonya. Looking forward to hearing more of you.Thank you

[@ygnum55]

this is a very original and intresting interpretation! a breath of fresh air!!! (i have been playing this piece for over a year now, and I strugle with keeping it interesting but i think you have found a new and great way to play it!)

[@soulechene]

Sa tenue vestimentaire n'enlève rien à son immense talent, d'autant plus qu'elle est également très jolie. Bravo Sonia Kahn

[@sebassb.3637]

Best recording of the piece I have ever found. I personally like it faster, and with a bit more pedal, but the dynamics and clarity are superior. Sonya definitely knows what she is doing, and looked confident throughout. Great Job!

[@MsCrazytoo]

Tender, respectful and not overplayed.

[@zainoraken4921]

I love it ! Theres one specific part when the sound must to be very carefull, but you did it perfect

[@AlexBerish]

This is still the best performance of this piece I've ever heard. Just FYI! I was on spotify chasing something that sounded this way but had to come back to KZbin as it seems your performances are not on spotify

[@AlexBerish]

Still is :)

[@averynb1218]

This woman's awesome. What intimate phrasing! And she's got style, too.

[@utoob8414]

wow, i love the way she performed this song, diferent people play it different ways, and she played it right

[@tdk0223]

Hehe thanks, I'm done with the whole song already :DDD. Such a good song to play.

[@sonyakahn]

Thank you Alex :)

[@eurisko618]

If I could play it this well this is pretty much how I would play it. Very nice.

[@ViolaKramer]

Sehr gut gespielt! Bravo!!

[@carlosrodriguezotero9290]

Such a fun piece

[@yourforte]

Nicely played. You didn't drown this in pedal like so many others have here. It had a nice clarity, good dynamic range, and you did some good stuff with the part-writing. The Bösendorfer's lovely too.

[@HelloLynn123]

amazing!

[@mgverdugoc]

BRAVO, felicitaciones, muy limpio, claro, el tempo justo, se escucha cada nota, para qué tocarla rápido como Berezovsky donde se escucha solo un tumulto de sonidos y ninguna intención, muy bien Sonya....... sigue por el camino de la búsqueda de la pureza en los sonidos.

[@shineurluvonme]

i luv it it is so amazin!!!!!!

[@AIKevorkian]

Once again, Aram X (Kh) would be so proud! Shnrorakal utyun!

[@skylar2727]

Amazing! :)

[@episthmh2008]

@FaythInTheMusic Thank you!!

[@topolinik]

Well done! Bravissima!!

[@blackcard1100]

That's so awesome! the only thing I don't get is how there can be 41 dislikes.

[@ripinpepperonies9754]

I have to play it

[@ccccoooooollll]

Rip in pepperonis

[@ccccoooooollll]

Had to play it too and stopped piano cause of shit like this

[@ishba5143]

@@ccccoooooollll really? I mean tbh this is kinda easy lol

[@henrique1944]

I love your playing. The best rendition I ever listened >

[@ThaPianoPlaya]

i wish i could play it this good

[@FriendlyHugo]

From the 5:00 mark: I think this is the most astounding finish for this piece that I've ever heard! I'm now going to have to go back and listen to my piano teacher's rendition of it...

[@FriendlyHugo]

Actually, I'm not sure there isn't a problem with the psychoacoustic model of the audio codec used for encoding this. I'm perceiving more than six chords when playing this back at normal speed. In slow motion it's clear she's just playing the normal six chords. Part of the problem may be constructive and destructive interference - since I wasn't actually there, I can't be sure this isn't what it actually sounded like... we'd need a very high fidelity recording to be sure. I could check with some of my friends whether they think this could be an accurate reproduction of what it sounded like in concert?

[@FriendlyHugo]

My preferred piano hammer action test is at the 1:22 mark. If you're testing a piano's hammer actions, you should probably be testing more than only the one note - however since I kinda trusted Yamaha's quality control to be fairly consistent, I simply stuck to the preferred note for this experiment.

[@granitefury]

That piano is beautiful... wow. A busendorfer grand? holy cow!

[@MN-lm9ie]

Bravo!

[@ShvanKaban]

well done darlin amazing ! u know u gotta be very talented then u can play some '' Aram Khachaturian'' stuff ,, congratulations !!! i wish u all the best ;)

[@AIKevorkian]

Աստված օրհնի Հայաստան.

[@iXNomad]

My teacher asked me to learn this next week, my life is over=((

[@SherlockHolmis]

Very nicely expressed. Wonderful accuracy and sensitivity. The only thing I didn't like was the upper register of the piano - but the performance was spectacular! Well done.

[@SteinwayArtist100]

This was one of the best performances of this piece that I have seen on KZbin! You maintained your posture throughout the whole piece, and it was very musical and consistent. Only one flaw: at 0:50, the rhythm is wrong, unless you were using a different edition... Congratulations on a successful performance!

[@kamuaccount]

I like it how precisely and rapidly can she play but i really miss the feeling. good job anyway, i think i will learn it again, its just fantastic as you feel yourself when you play it..

[@sophelet]

Very well played! I remember how much I loved to play this when I was 15. It is exhilarating. Better at this tempo than much to fast. However, I found some of the rubato a little weird.

[@DavidA-ps1qr]

Isn't she just drop dead gorgeous........ she can also play the piano a bit too. Great piece, great performance.

[@sonyakahn]

Thank you David!

[@damienx0x]

David A Agreed on both counts. I'm going to try to re-learn this now. Haven't played it since I was 18.

[@f.p.2010]

David A "a bit"

[@DavidA-ps1qr]

@@sonyakahn OMG!!! Just revisited this today and had no idea you had replied all that time ago. You've made my day! Bet your still just as beautiful xxxxxxxxxxxx Stay safe and well during this pandemic. I mean that. x

[@PhilippeRR1]

Quite a romantic view... I hear the old IXth Century Churches of ARMENIA ringing their bells in distress. Ms. KAHN is very balanced. The gives greater effect to the piece. She knows when to pound and when not to. Ms. KAHN's dressing code says: "Yeah, I look like a disrespectful rebel, but I don't do drugs, I do TALENT." You go girl. No disrespect or provocation meant on my part.

[@dominiquedescottes8314]

C'est absolument somptueux Cette JEUNE FEMME EST UNE VIRTUOSE TOUTE EN TALENTS,EN MAITRUSE DE SON PIANO AU PASSAGE : L'HABIT NE FAIT PAS LE MOINE ET SBINGGGGG

[@Teffitim]

Wow, thats amazing! i am playing this piece too and it very hard to learn!

[@TV-wf6pf]

와우~~

[@episthmh2008]

Different editions of the same classical piece from time to time have different notes and symbols.

[@bobkmeyer]

👏❤️😇

[@Dachion]

" Did you see the movie where there are tons of pianos playing in one big giant klavier symphony? That's the eternal vision. "

[@TagTeamTrio]

@FaythInTheMusic Her legs are part of the performance, if you look very closely they dance wonderfuly with the music. ;D

[@jermusicays]

Sweet. It's the most musical and precise of all the performances I've heard. I hate it when people sacrifice musicality for speed. Thank you for not doing that! (check the left hand on the repeating D-flat minor chord section. When the F-flat changes to F-natural, the bass note should be an E-FLAT not a D-flat, if I'm not mistaken. ...not to be too picky or anything) :) Awesome job.

[@TheSabre000001]

хорошо

[@LeGrugkbdst]

From the looks of it, it's a private recording session.

[@KarlMorey684]

I remember playing this, though she did a better job than I :) Far more clarity in her performance at 2:08 and 2:47 (and all similar sections), I like. Also, I *wish* I'd had the chance to play it on a Bosendorfer--I LOVE those pianos.

[@brigs9058]

2:57 don’t mind me just putting a reference marker for the beginning of the espressivo section

[@isabelarrizurieta6609]

-How can i -where do I - where do I even start to learn this

[@elmindreda6691]

I really like the speed you play it at. I think it's actually supposed to be played faster, but some of the people who play it that fast make it a little muddy.

[@drmrh01]

Finally, a piano recording done right - without all that artificial reverb that ruins everything. Listen to Horowitz recordings - none of that echo that you ALL over the place these days.

[@folonelcorbin]

hey she wore the outfit (this isn't my account)

[@wiljber]

Yes, they are nice... the arpeggios, that is.

[@sonyakahn]

@soulechene Merci pour votre commentaire...

[@spifflocalypse]

ahhhhhhh i love this piece. and this version of the piece. all the other ones are too fast! also, she plays it with a degree of rhythmic consistency. i mean, of course she has accelerandos and ritardandos, but they're smooth. this piece is all about brilliantly interwoven rhythms, which doesn't work if you're speeding up and slowing down every two seconds! this is my favorite piece i've ever played, and this is totally the best version on youtube

[@Alexd3498]

For that part, you need to remember, usually after the right hand plays, the left plays something. Learn it separately, and it will be a piece of cake. The main thing also is patience, or at least that's how it was when I learned it; it takes a while but you will do fine, don't worry

[@Ashley5ash]

Thanks... I have the music, (I play horribly by ear) and I still haven't learned that part. Sad isn't it? I just find it difficult to play the 10 and the 9 and the 6 in the left hand while the right hand is doing 3 and 4. Also, on the part after the octave scale, I also am having difficulty with that. On a different note (bad pun), I have gotten a little better at the section all together.

[@ACE29q]

Hmmm At 4:14 the right hand is B-G-B Flat and she played B-F-B

[@muffinzilla]

@episthmh2008 Ok your playing is beautiful, yet I just can't help but see that fishnet... lol But this was nontheless just magnificent!!! And I am planning on learning this piece sometime soon. Is it hard to learn or is it that easy-sounds-hard type of piece?

[@Ashley5ash]

Can anyone help me? I am playing this piece and I am stuck. I cant play the section between around 3:00 to around 3:45. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to practice that section? (Please press reply)

[@solosteven37]

I like your approach. Most people play this piece way too fast for me. Where did you record this?

[@tdk0223]

Hey, You played this piece very well. I'm learning it, but I'm still stuck on the part start from @2;55. Can you give me advice to learn that part? Thanks.

[@calebhu6383]

This is a great interpretation... nice dynamics and tempo, but not enough rubato.

[@damienx0x]

Caleb Hu Nonsense. When you can play better you can give her tips.

[@calebhu6383]

Damien Fletcher 1. I don't need to play better to give her criticism. Do movie critics need to make better movies? Do drivers need to be able to design cars to criticize them? Your opinion is logically flawed. 2. I said it's a great interpretation, but in MY opinion there's not enough rubato. She can do whatever she wants with her pieces.

[@AIKevorkian]

My God, you play so good. Aram would be so proud of you. Sonya, you look and sound so awesome. You smell good , too, I just know it. Kisses for Sonya, Oh yeah.