When Rubinstein Overcame a Memory Lapse Mid Performance

Even the greats suffer from memory lapses occasionally. But very few would be able to pull off what Rubinstein does here...
Original video: • Концерт А.Рубинштейна ...
Analysis videos: • Playlist
frederickviner...

[@MrTedflick]

He admitted that as he got older he did not have the same ability. But with age comes wisdom and confidence. He pulled it off!

[@Highinsight7]

even his "improvisation"... was just splendid....

[@danterosenberg7506]

@@Highinsight7 yea

[@uliwidmaier5192]

This had nothing to do with age. The audience clapped after the first movement, which infuriated him and wrecked his concentration. He tried to shush them, without success. That kind of distraction could throw off a 20 year old.

[@uliwidmaier5192]

@Peter R. - Pianist-Composer ♫ OMG! What a crazy story! Thanks for sharing. You had quite the presence of mind, I must say - and great sense of humor! Where was this, if I may ask?

[@uliwidmaier5192]

@Peter R. - Pianist-Composer ♫ That's really cool that you could do that. Do you still perform in public?

[@Grayfox541]

Sometimes people tend to think that they just play what's written and forget that they are musicians who also know theory as much as practice.

[@anonymousperson2948]

Easier said than done🙃

[@wiktoriarynkun3673]

Fun fact: actually in Chopin's time all pianists were expected to be skilled in three ways: composition, performance, and improvisation (nowadays most musicians have only one of those mastered). Piano contests included all three abilities, so I guess a short improvised part like this could even be welcomed!

[@hellodumzo]

@@wiktoriarynkun3673 It is sad that most pianist do only have one of those skills, but considering that there are probably 100 times as many people nowadays for any 1 person back then who can play piano, it’s probably a fair trade off.

[@ivanf.8489]

@@anonymousperson2948 Totally, but as playing what it's written, practice makes the master.

[@cypherusuh]

I mean, he didn't have the sheets anyway

[@ChopinIsMyBestFriend]

that’s why it’s important to understand musically what is happening. not just notes.

[@Tulanir1]

More importantly, you need to actually practice improvisation, which I'm sure Rubinstein did. It's not enough to just know the music theory. (There are plenty of great improvisers who barely know a thing about theory)

[@ChopinIsMyBestFriend]

@@Tulanir1 right. you need to know theory well in order to improvise like that.

[@picanitotherobanso3859]

@@Tulanir1 Surely I don’t need the theory Clueless TeaTime

[@Pablanz]

Well, if you are playing a chopin sonata, believe me you understand what is happening

[@ChopinIsMyBestFriend]

@@Pablanz ya you’d think that but unfortunately many pianists are shallow in their analysis. even if they are playing technically advanced works.

[@davidcavalari226]

IIRC Chopin himself was a big improviser and didn't like writing down definitive versions of his pieces anyway

[@yellowcactustvz4929]

@SuperMagren You can't really do that anymore

[@athelstanrex]

It’s all about virtuosity nowadays

[@anti64]

he would fucking scream seeing every music competitions praising the sheet music like it's sacred books

[@thepianocornertpc]

Can you back up your claim please? Because I can't find on any of his scores the words "ad libitum". Thanks David.

[@nnicollan]

@@thepianocornertpc its not an ad libitum - thing.. like liszt chopin constantly edited his own music.. the editions that went to different countries (france, germany, england) were all different

[@JeremyTaylorPianoProgress]

Truly fascinating. That transition was seamless, and just as interesting musically as the score! Thanks for posting

[@FrederickViner]

You're welcome!

[@michaelreich2306]

Profis können das, kam früher öfters vor, als noch nicht technische Perfektion im Mittelpunkt stand, sondern Musikalität - was viel wichtiger ist.

[@ignacioclerici5341]

@@michaelreich2306 what?

[@Paroles_et_Musique]

Let's not forget that he played this sonata more than thousand times, at that point it becomes organic, I doubt he can do same with a new score.

[@filippocaccin6920]

@@Paroles_et_Musique Oh yes he could. He was a real genius and there are plenty of crazy stories about him, some so absurd that make you doubt they actually happened, like learning a sonata in few days and then improvising most of it on stage; unfortunately when he was young it was not possible to record performances but it would be really interesting to watch them

[@pianoish]

Rubinstein: has a memory slip Me: wonderful bravo! Me: has a memory slip Also me: it’s a crime against humanity

[@lablous]

we're always merciless and relentless with the involuntary failures of others. We need a little more indulgence with our dear artists, even more so with the memory of those who are no longer in this world to have the chance to amend those forgettable difficulties.

[@alihughes3728]

In my grade 8 piano, I was playing movt 1 of Beethoven's G major piano sonata. When I got to the recapitulation, my memory slipped and I accidentally started playing the beginning of the piece...which meant the second subject was in the wrong key. I knew I had to get to the right key to do the ending so I tried to transpose it whilst playing. But I was quite young & not a good pianist so had no idea what I was doing and it WAS CHAOS. Eventually I realised I was probably damaging everyone's eardrums with the atonality, stopped playing, quietly said "sorry", and went back from the recapitulation. It was a disaster. So yeah, covering up one's memory slips is definitely an art in and of itself!

[@alainspiteri502]

@@alihughes3728 it'was very far from to say in 1952 j played first time in front of an Audience with a mistake in midlle of Hayfn sonata 35 j remember j was six old y , good memory

[@maryvallettakeith6146]

@@lablous I think that's the opposite of what the OP was saying.

[@gmonte00]

Well any other person would have just panicked and stopped there

[@punkpoetry]

Emil Gilels once had to repeat the fugato bit in the Liszt sonata three times cause he suddenly forgot what follows next. Lazar Berman, who was in the audience, said that while fellow pianists obviously noticed it, it almost didn’t detract from the performance because of how magnificent it was overall. After the performance, Gilels greeted Berman by saying “how did you like my triple fugue?”

[@ikmarchini]

Audiences don't really know when you screw up. They notice if you stop. Or fall off the stage.

[@billr848]

And Richter played with score.

[@annieoakley3516]

Rubinstein once said that he could build 3 whole recitals out of all the mistakes he'd made during his career! Not only a great musician, but he possessed a fantastic sense of humour.

[@debiethredge3020]

Same here But mine would not be the kinds of recitals people would want to come to

[@kurtkaufman]

I remember seeing Rubenstein in concert towards the very end of his career (I could not have been more than nine or 10 years old myself). I remember a tiny man running out onto the stage, sitting down on the piano bench and immediately commencing to play. I do remember quite a few clunkers in the more virtuosic sections of the pieces he played, but even at that young age I was struck by how he could emphasize a melody in a certain way that made it "speak". I am indebted to my mother, who broke her toe and was unable to attend the concert. I was invited at the last minute instead. 🙂

[@FrederickViner]

I'm so jealous! Do you remember what he played?

[@kurtkaufman]

I believe it was Chopin and Schumann, but I'll see if I can find a reference to the concert somewhere. EDIT: It was at Post University in New York, but I can't find a reference to it anywhere through a general Google search. I'm sure the university must maintain an archive somewhere of visiting artists' performances.

[@penniesfromheaven9724]

I do hope your mom's toe healed properly. Sometimes a broken toe never heals quite right and ends up being a bother the rest of their life. 🤗💕

[@bluelanterns2589]

I'm sorry if I'm being illogical, but you say you remember seeing Rubenstein in concert at the end of his career, yet, I am 100% getting this "Rubenstein" wrong, as I originally thought this was Anton Rubenstein, who died over 120 years ago, since he's the only Rubenstein I knew, but obviously I am wrong. Could you please just tell me who this Rubenstein is? Because I'm dumbfounded, and would appreciate some help. The original video was listed as being made in the late 1960s, so clearly I've got the wrong Rubenstein. no fault to you, just me being a fool.

[@kurtkaufman]

@@bluelanterns2589 Arthur Rubinstein, pianist. 1887-1982

[@dionemayfield9458]

From a jazz musician's point of view it was a "memory lapse" only to a certain extent because he definitely remembers the chord changes. Knowing the harmonic progression of any piece is critical. Nice display of musicianship here! 🙏💯👌

[@jameswang3860]

Don't think he even got the changes right

[@samshaven3573]

But in classical music, each note is vital. It is known for its exactness.

[@dionemayfield9458]

@Sam's Haven, you make a valid point my friend. You seem to have an intellectual approach towards understanding musicianship. May I offer up an idea to consider? Even though I am a jazz pianist I have studied and can play some classical music as well. It is well known that Bach, Mozart, Clara Schumann and Chopin all improvised as part of their performances. Today, classical musicians rarely improvise. However, the pioneers did, hence the many variations on one theme, also the many variations and interpretations of a piece. Mozart, who was renowned for his spontaneity and invention at the keyboard, improvised a thirty minute encore at the premiere of his Prague Symphony in 1787. Mozart evidently had a prodigious ability to "compose on the spot"; that is, to improvise at the keyboard. The ability to do this is in an of itself a rare gift. Clearly it "saved" Rubinstein in this video clip. But I also totally agree with you about the idea of being exact. Do you play?

[@dionemayfield9458]

@@samshaven3573 truly

[@latimil838]

I have to study harmonic progression, any tips?

[@tc1817]

A friend got kicked out of the school of fine arts in mexico city for improvising during a recital. He forgot a few bars and instead of stopping, just made up something that fit. The head of the school told him that "improvisation is for other genres. not classical. The piece was perfect over a century ago and it's the way it is to be played. Always." Maybe the head of the school should see this video.

[@ewallt]

They teach you when you have a memory lapse to always go forward because if you go backwards, you’ll just forget again.

[@pablov1973]

That's why is extremly important not only learn harmony, but also now musical structures, known exactly where you are stand, so if something goes wrong, you can get out of there without much problems and trying that nobody notice.

[@jjmcnamara5236]

This is why it is vital to become familiar with harmony!!!

[@miltonmoore2527]

How could one practice a piece enough to play it from memory and NOT be familiar with the harmony?

[@jjmcnamara5236]

@@miltonmoore2527 because of muscle memory. Pianists are often oblivious to every chordal progression (or atleast most) in their pieces. Which is why I'm saying studying harmony, and playing around with different chord progressions/improvising makes a massive difference in preventing a halt in a performance

[@j.rohmann3199]

This is amazing. And Shows me how bad I actually am as musician. I would panic and wouldnt know what to do. I still have so much to learn

[@FrederickViner]

Don't worry - I think most musicians would have a heart attack in that position (myself included)!

[@jameslorenz3718]

This doesn't show that you are bad, it shows how great Rubinstein is. I am always an advocate of humility, but you are being a little too hard on yourself. In any area of life our value shouldn't be based on the distance between ourselves and the greatest, or we will give up on everything.

[@j.rohmann3199]

@@jameslorenz3718 wise words... I should not compare to someone like Rubinstein. I mean I am still studying music

[@nallsksk5139]

@@j.rohmann3199 for myself the only frame of reference i have is world class musicians. it’s easy to forget how much skill it takes to do what they do

[@DanielSilva-gc4xz]

Learn improvisation, you never know when you need it and improvising fugues on spot is a nice bar trick.

[@roberthoffhines5419]

Way to land on one ski, Artur.

[@karllegrand]

This is a gem. (not suprising from someone named Rubinstein)

[@sylvio1980]

That particular performance ( it’s in Moscow I believe ) is one of the greatest interpretations of this sonata. Even with the memory lapse, it’s a monumental interpretation. Great pianists often times reached new peaks in live performances and this is one of those occasions

[@fullcompositionalcoaching]

When mistakes are better than perfection...

[@percussionboy4357]

I had a college classmate who was a pianist, playing a traditional repertoire of chamber music as his major … and I was fascinated to find out he could improvise when necessary, to get himself out of a mess in a performance-like what Rubinstein did here. As someone who played pop and jazz styles, I had had a stereotype in my mind that a classical pianist wouldn’t be able to improvise-but my friend could. I have seen video of Horowitz briefly improvising as well, in some documentary-just having fun at home, playing around in front of the interviewer-but it was clear he could make music at ease, spontaneously. I’m guessing that if kids learning traditional European chamber music were still shown and encouraged to improvise from the beginning, to literally “play” on the piano sometimes, that they would grow up doing it naturally, rather than too quickly becoming chained to playing exactly what’s written on a page all the time. (Of course in this musical tradition, being able to “stick to what’s written,” to bring a manuscript to life as sound, is also important.)

[@rosiefay7283]

Chamber music, you say? So, playing works involving two or more performers? Then you'd need at least to get the number of bars right, and come back at the right time in the right point in the score.

[@marblemadness8870]

percussion boy - Most of the great composers were great at improvising. Beethoven, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Liszt & Chopin are particularly well known for their ability to improvise. You have no idea what you are talking about, then again, percussion? Pfffft. What a silly goose!

[@MarsLos10]

I'm impressed, this was so intelligent!

[@denisehay8895]

I saw him play live in the Colston Hall Bristol in the sixties when he was in his 70s. I had to queue for hours to get tickets. He came striding out onto the platform like a young man. It was unforgettable to hear him play.

[@benji104]

Richter said once that in his later years he only played with score, because "it is more honest". I always thought that was a joke until now...

[@ransomcoates546]

I’ve always found it puzzling that what seem to be two different skills, pianistic virtuosity and memorization of vast repertoire, come together in famous artists. Are there great technicians who cannot keep the music in their head, and so do not make a career?

[@PianoWorks1]

I think it's just that the famous artists have played so much on their way to virtuosity that memorization is a by product

[@fiandrhi]

I have a friend who is chair of a music department at a prominent university who is an excellent pianist with a technique similar in quality to the best concertizers who nevertheless dreads memorization. That's anecdotal, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are many more examples.

[@ransomcoates546]

@@fiandrhi A related question occurs to me with child prodigies. I can see how a 6 year old would be gifted enough to figure out the intervals on a piano and be able to reproduce whatever he/she heard. What I can’t understand is what I saw recently on KZbin. I think the girl was 11, and she played the Lizst ‘Mazzepa’ Etude. This would demand knowledge of reading that music, which is of such complexity that it requires brain functions that I don’t think are even present at that stage of human development. Could someone 11 learning French suddenly pick up and make perfect sense of Proust?

[@SZ-wb1qb]

@@ransomcoates546 Reading the score is a trivial thing.

[@SZ-wb1qb]

My teacher has always said, you haven't learned a piece until you memorized it. The amount of technical things you can do after you memorize a piece is vastly greater than that of before. So it is not two separate skills, but rather being able to memorize is a prerequisite for pianistic virtuosity. Check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnSQaYNjqMajftk, I think it offers great insight into this subject.

[@michaeltraub3614]

June 1971 Festival Hall. All Chopin programme. He began with the Polonaise Fantasy and messed up those slow runs at the outset. Then his concentration returned and the rest of the concert was a triumph.

[@boriswilsoncreations]

If I heard this without seeing the sheet music, I wouldn't have noticed he made a mistake

[@MarcAmengual]

I knew this, I watched it so many times before, I'm glad someone made a video out of it, very interesting. Rubinstein was a true master. Edit: I must say that in that concert the audience clapped at a time they shouldn't have done, and Rubinstein was distracted because of that. It wasn't just a memory lapse, I mean, the audience contributed to it.

[@rockintetster]

As a pianist I can state that it is easier to improvise your way through than to play the correct notes!

[@Wkkbooks]

lol!

[@irminako5486]

Yes

[@BenCallan]

That's insane. Truly a consummate performer of the highest order.

[@billr848]

I heard and saw him in his last performance in Montreal in the late 70s at a very advanced age. The major work of the recital was the Carnival. He played beautifully, almost like he was singing to me individually.

[@ThatBoomerDude56]

For Rubinstein, "memory lapse" = slight variation and possibly improvement on the original.

[@tarakb7606]

I would hardly call that an improvement.

[@ThatBoomerDude56]

@@tarakb7606 It's art ... so, by definition, it's subjective.

[@douglaskelly1394]

More like "memory lapse" = I can slack off, thus play wrong notes and audiences will still applause. Rubinstein was notorious for selecting where he could play wrong notes and where not to. He knew that if he played one wrong note in Paris, it would be the end of his career. But if he played wrong notes at Carnegie Hall, the audience would still praise him. He knew where the true connoisseurs were.

[@karolakkolo123]

@@ThatBoomerDude56 it's a postmodern lie. There are personal preferences in art, yes, but only true art survives for centuries and fails to lose relevance even after the period which it was born in fades away

[@ThatBoomerDude56]

@@karolakkolo123 So what you are really saying is that long lasting subjectivity is more long lasting than short term subjectivity. I suppose that makes sense.

[@norbertmoonfluff1433]

Had to accompany a singer on piano on a big stage for a big show. She missed the audio cue for her acapella start and I sweated so much trying to transpose it as I went along, I'm surprised no-one called a plumber.

[@carlhopkinson]

Pretty smooth. Smooth Operator.

[@Jonathan-bu7iv]

Rubinstein has a a memory slip: makes art Me having a memory slip: ”Uhh where’s the remote again?”

[@classyclassical7407]

In 1964 Athur Rubenstein was 77 years old, I think he can be forgiven for this memory lapse. He did an excellent job improvising those few bars, he was a genius with a very high IQ !

[@brucejackson4219]

At the end of the day, no harm done: we are all human, and the cosmic stability survived any sleight lapse of formal correctness.

[@g.kech.10]

Breathtaking! I also "caught" him making little improvisations in the last movement of the Apassionata, during his Last Recital For Israel!

[@trustedtarget7534]

Decades of study and discipline came to his aid during this performance. If I were able to make Rubiinstein's mistakes, I would be a legendary pianist.

[@JanetESmith-er8sk]

Every time he took the stage he took a risk! Rachmaninov would be pleased!

[@vincentlenti6558]

It's interesting that the original sound recording of this recital contained a "substitute" performance of the Chopin Sonata where Rubinstein had his colossal memory problem. But it was subsequently released with the real performance. As Rubinstein got older, he had memory issues with increasing frequency, but always managed to recover. I heard him many times, including when he was younger and much a more dependable performer. And he was always terrific. Among the very best. But his later performances in his supposed old age were also memorable. Few if any pianists had such a beautiful sound. I think there was a specific reason for the memory issue in the Chopin Sonata when he played it on his Moscow recital. It was Rubinstein's habit to proceed directly from the end of the first movement into the beginning of the second movement. But the Russian audience interrupted with applause. If you watch the complete video, you can see that he was upset by the interruption, sitting there and shaking his head in disapproval. I think that it was that unexpected lapse in concentration that led to the memory problem. Personally, I will take Rubinstein with any and all of his memory problems over many of today's pianists. Those who didn't hear him in person simply don't know what they missed.

[@dr.guyshkolnik_composer]

Nice Improvisation!! 😉 I'm actually impressed by his musicianship :) Rubinstein said that at the age of 40 finally started checking the left-hand notes of many such pieces. He knew the harmony well, but the notes were often semi improvised.

[@JOSHUA-hs4zt]

That was a great concert he gave. If I recall, the audience applauded at the end of the first movement that disturbed his focus. Perhaps that is what affected him.

[@sifridbassoon]

Memory slips! OMG! OMG! I'm still traumatized by one I had back in college. My (different) teacher the next year made me memorize a piece backwards from the end and memorize the score visually until I could write it out on staff paper.

[@jakobbenedik4411]

This month I was playing the first movement of Beethoven's Sonata Op. 10 No. 3 in D major. I had memory lapse in the exposition, so I started from a random part in recapitulation. My interpretation probably lasted just 2 minutes instead of 5 minutes. I am comforted by the fact that memory lapses can happen to even the greatest pianists... Thank you for this really interesting and instructive video!

[@jackgeary6928]

Important lesson here that even these giants make mistakes. Nice vid.

[@gabri3l875]

I'm so glad you noticed this improvisation by him. Truly a genius! Sadly, the channel i used to watch this video removed the video due to copyright. But thx to you i found the original source (russian channel)! Thanks!

[@dylanmorgan7900]

and that ladies and gentlemen is why we analyse

[@alihughes3728]

Something almost as difficult as figuring out what to do during a memory slip, is trying to continue the rest of the performance without stressing about what happened & letting that moment ruin it.

[@iago7456]

Rubinstein's 1964 Moscow concert has got to be one of the best piano recitals ever recorded. Tremendously exciting playing (even if he does run off the rails in the Scherzo here), along with complete command and utter conviction in the music. It's mind-blowing to see how much virtuosity and confidence the man still had at age 77, along with how he sits straightbacked at the piano, effortlessly tossing off virtuosic works with authority. I can only imagine what it must have been like to hear him in his prime.

[@billr848]

In his autobiography, he states that he was a careless pianist until he reach his mid-40s when he went back to perfecting his technique. He had the most wonderful sense of line and Chopinesque rubato.

[@123-wxyz]

This is a very very tough task on human brain regardless of the age, not to mention that you are in the spotlight at the same time.

[@michelprimeau4531]

You should see me having a memory lapse. Most of the time it sounds like -> a dying cat -> swear -> silence...

[@KaisarAnvar]

We call this “The Rubin-Style” baby 🎶😎

[@crazymathmo8268]

As someone whose only option is to improvise/fake it through difficult bars/sections/entire-pieces this video makes me feel somewhat better!

[@toruiwatake1342]

Wow, this is very interesting and even educational. I remember Alexis Weissenberg missed some notes in the coda of Chopin's 3rd sonata at his recital I attended some 40 years ago in Boston. but he did amazing improvisation and made it even better! He received huge applause of course.

[@yiuqwfj]

I can't even memorize one bar he played! This piece is insane! 🤯

[@marsahere2621]

If I hadn’t seen the score I would’ve never been able to tell…

[@ronrice1931]

Wow. This makes me feel so much better about myself!

[@rcpmac]

Right! I attended that concert and demanded my money back

[@kaleidoscopio5]

Being capable of dealing with memory lapses is as important as playing well.....all great pianists had their memory problems: Horowitz, Schnabel, Cortot, Anton Rubinstein....

[@chopin65]

This is great. It takes a professional to play on!

[@thegreenpianist7683]

Holy crap, just yesterday you had around 900 subs, today you have 1.3k! Very well deserved, you make great videos, congratulations!

[@FrederickViner]

I know!! I have no idea what happened... Thanks so much. Just subbed to your channel and look forward to hearing your interpretations :)

[@thegreenpianist7683]

@@FrederickViner oh wow that's very kind of you! Thanks a lot for the support :)

[@im.claire]

I would have panicked, it takes so much skill to stay calm and improvise

[@cimbalok2972]

Amazing! Love this, a testimony to Rubinstein's genius.

[@lbamusic]

..so he was really a jazz musician at heart....!!

[@voraciousreader3341]

I developed a really bad habit when I began studying organ for fun as a sophomore university student.....in my junior year, when I made a mistake, especially while playing a very loud combination of stops, I would instantly pull my hands away from the keyboard. I had my lessons in a dark recital hall with light only illuminating the organ console, my teacher sat off to the right. After I had done my “pointless behavior” in a few consecutive lessons, my teacher said, “I want you to close your eyes. Now see in your mind the stars in the sky at night, and imagine going beyond them to all of the planets in our galaxy and the galaxies beyond....and then ask yourself: DO YOU THINK ANYBODY REALLY GIVES A FLYING F*CK WHETHER YOU PLAY A G-MAJOR CHORD INSTEAD OF G-MINOR???? GET OVER YOURSELF!!!” We laughed so hard it was scandalous, and I learned not to take my mistakes too seriously! It was a process, but her response kicked my @ss onto the right road!

[@matthewscott7198]

A great reminder for us all that the music is not what is on the page. Sheet music is only shorthand for ideas and sonorities - the LANGUAGE of music. Musicians who only play what is on the page (along with composers who routinely expect robotic duplication of their scores) will be forgotten.

[@jfpary7336]

What a fantastic performer able to re-create the music on the spot and it's coherent with the continuation... Incredible. It supposes a total understanding of this music.

[@tahutoa]

I remember I had to play the video more than once the first time to realize where the improvisation was. Came back to this again after the Gould video; I just realized the fact I couldn't tell before was, in itself, the genius moment that brought this video about. It's become evident just how slick this guy was

[@xinouwei]

he did this as early as when he was child in berlin, says on his book, bless his soul, the musician's musician.

[@aonono7355]

Dude how a channel like yours only has 1.8k subs?? It should have at least 100k

[@FrederickViner]

Last week I only had 600!! Don't know quite what's happened over the last 7 days... But thanks :)

[@anaghshetty]

@@FrederickViner yeah your channel growth is exponential. When i had subscribed, the videos were as good as now, but you had only around 400 subs. Probably cuz the Rubinstein vid was short and many people watched the entire video, yt algorithm worked well. But I'm really happy for you!

[@TimothyJonSarris]

"taking a chance" is what Heifetz also did so well, but mostly his "daring" days were when he was younger as opposed to Rubinstein, who never stopped living dangerously. 🕊️❤️

[@patrickpaganini]

Good point - although even as an old man despite his 'perfectionist' persona, Heifetz didn't appear to practise much and seemed to accept that mistakes happened. And Rubinstein too was more dangerous when young, judging by his early recordings. I'd forgotten how comparatively free Rubinstein was as an old man though, until watching this just now.

[@Toxicflu]

There was an accompanist at my school that everyone wows at his amazing sight reading. One concert I turned his pages, and to my amazement, he actually improvised tons of it. And that's the secret. 99% of the time no one will notice. 100% of the time, it's just important that it makes musical sense.

[@peter5.056]

This is why I practice improvised variations of the pieces I'm learning.

[@gengarisnotfat]

One needs to truly master his craft to be able to not lose the cool in this kind of situation.

[@4musikable]

Now that's the brilliance of a master!

[@Major00Tom]

There's a transition here not only from memory to invention as an act but between two mindsets: from the reading of the musical text to the pure musical intention like a jazz or rock musician. That's neuroplasticity!

[@ricardonascimento6020]

Nada como música nova de qualidade sendo produzida instantaneamente BRAVO!!! 👏👏👏👏👏

[@minsoopianokim7582]

I was so frustrated of memory issues and performance anxiety but now I’m consolidated. It can be for all and it’s part of human being!

[@paulhicks3595]

It’s what Eddy Van Halan did as a child classical piano prodigy while playing in competitions. He faked reading as he was playing from memory but when he momentarily forgot he improvised.

[@Ivan_1791]

Omg, I had no idea of that. That's crazy.

[@kenthefele113]

Now that’s a true musician right there.

[@2760ade]

Bloody Chopin was a musical sadist, not surprised Rubinstein slipped up!! That key signature alone makes my eyes water😮

[@mookyyzed2216]

To an untrained ear, which I admittingly have, sounds beautiful to me. If that was a mistake, I would never have known it if it wasn't pointed out to me.

[@glasshousefuture6836]

And in the audience, none (or, not many) would be the wiser

[@roqsteady5290]

Most people wouldn’t notice, even if quite familiar with the piece, and many would be hearing the piece for the first time.

[@fdarchives_]

bach fugue at a recital got me good. had to loop back twice to a section just to remember what the hell i was playing. nobody knew. :]

[@jcortese3300]

The things we admire in virtuosi of the past are the things that would land them at the bottom of the pile in modern competitions. That tells you more about the competitions than about the virtuosi.

[@nallsksk5139]

reminds me of something i’ve heard from valentina lisitsa. she said her pieces are like marble… perfectly polished and completely dead

[@lefudj4236]

@@nallsksk5139 dang…

[@im_piano]

@@nallsksk5139 did she say it about her own performance?

[@TomasMikaX]

What are those things?

[@lefudj4236]

@@TomasMikaX not my comment but i’d say originality and breaking free from the composer’s exact intentions, without sabotaging the general feeling Imho

[@kristinn79]

He had an incredible memory and his two autobiographies are full of detailed descriptions of dinners he had with so and so in, like 1926 or something, concert programs etc. etc. - down to the smallest detail.

[@obamadoescare9351]

dude had perfect recall though

[@johnkathe2308]

I remember stepping out to play the first piece of my senior recital of college and having a memory lapse… fortunately I could improv back onto the rails while keeping things in character.

[@VladVexler]

Thank you for sharing!

[@guitarplayerfactorychannel]

Just doing what Chopin would have done. That's what variations are about. That's what extemporization is. That is what all the old composers did, play. Play with harmony. They didn't play piano, they played with chord progressions and melodies. That's how they came up with this stuff. Playing. But nowadays most people have forgotten basic harmony cause it's thrown out like it's old school, replaced with atonality, and that leaves nothing else.

[@petergroverd6626]

I have played Ragtime, Stride piano for over 40 years now at home or in public and have on many occasions forgotten where I am. I have then tried to find a way back to the piece I started out with. It causes a lost Heart beat and panic. Just like Rubinstein I have got back on track. He is a Master for that.

[@aichitrading1248]

Amazing!! Please upload more examples

[@violinhunter2]

Ivry Gitlis always said "Don't play carefully, as if afraid to make a mistake."

[@JunkBondTrader]

When I make a mistake on guitar it goes: **BJEEERN** "oh shit, sorry".

[@handsfree1000]

One of the finest pianists especially of Chopin.

[@circycle]

It was smooth. I don’t know this piece but the second error matched the first and the improvised cadence was nice. He recovered well!

[@nandinichaudhuri6722]

Memory lapse... Me: !!?!!?! Rubinstein: Hold my sheet music... Jokes apart, he actually pulled it off so well! 👏👏👏

[@malllllkaii]

I really love your Chopin content, I hope you do more content of Chopin and hopefully of Liszt too

[@FrederickViner]

Thanks, mate! Two Liszt videos coming soon :)