Wilhelm Kempff plays Beethoven: Piano Sonata No.17, Op.31 No.2 "The Tempest" (1968)

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Piano Sonata No.17 in D minor, Op. 31 No. 2 "The Tempest"
00:00 I. Largo - Allegro
05:10 II. Adagio
12:13 III. Allegretto
WILHELM KEMPFF, piano
Filmed at ORTF, Paris, France, 24 October 1968

[@czffg9757]

When he is at his best, he seldom looks at the keyboard as if he is possessed by the spirit of the composer. I listened to 21 recitals he held in Tokyo, Japan, in one of which he was at his best of playing this sonata in 1976. I can never forget that. Thank you for uploading.

[@klausehrhardt4481]

Kempff was not among those proclaimed beauty´s lover. He was beauty´s son. He never allows passion above humility. And there lies his greatness. Sublime!

[@tas5622]

Sehr richtig!

[@tatianachernenok7064]

Я смирения не вижу. Ум, гениальность, с богами разговаривает напрямую. Интересно, о чём? Страсти кипят, но хватает ума и силы и сдержанности.

[@keithhulks7049]

Many years ago I had the privilege of attending a recital by Kempff in London's Royal Festival Hall - probably back in the 1970s. The musoc was Beethoven and I have an indellible memory of Kempff leaning back and gazing into the distance, as though communing with the spirit of Beethoven as he played,

[@czffg9757]

I, too, listened　to　his　playing　Tempest　in　Tokyo　in　1976,　when　he　was　at　his　best. I can never forget his performance then. It was like a revelation of spirit of music itself and also that of Beethoven. He left me an eternal carved seal which has continued to enlighten my life and spirit. He was an artist in a true sense of the word.

[@mikekarren5010]

There was Beethoven, then Czerny, then Listz, then Tausig, then Barth, and then Kempff. What is that? 6th generation Beethoven? If anyone has the call and right to play this music, it is Kempff! Few, if any, have ever done it as well. He set high standards that few if any could follow. Indeed we sit in the presence of greatness, of genius, of unspeakable beauty! Blessed are we that can hear this!

[@eblackbrook]

Claudio Arrau could claim 5th generation! Interestingly Kempff was one of Arrau's favorite pianists.

[@albertomartin4812]

The way he played that second movement. 🙏🏻 One of my favourite Beethoven recordings of all time.

[@nevillehough4191]

Many thanks to KZbin for saving this unique recording.

[@fabiodemarchi570]

Quanta passione e poesia in questa interpretazione. Difficile da trovare tra i pianisti della nostra generazione.

[@mariarosanovello7803]

Che meraviglia...suona senza guardare la tastiera, è tutt'uno con lo strumento...anche l'espressione dei suoi occhi chiari è bellissima...sono stata tanti anni fa ad un suo concerto ma benché fossi in seconda fila lo potevo vedere solo di profilo...Adesso l'ho già guardato quattro o cinque volte...

[@petersang7696]

Each note drop from heaven!!! Especially 2 Movement.

[@Baris-1]

What other joy can beat the experience of closing your eyes and playing the 3rd movement... sublime.

[@qnoquai]

Großartig, einfach großartig, wie Kempff diese Sonate zum klingen bringt... Er spielt das Stück wie ein Gedicht... Für mich die schönste und natürlichste Interpretation des Stückes. Danke für das Hochladen.

[@olgafjodorova3876]

Die beste Interpretation, die ich je gehört habe. Obwohl ich von Kindheit an einen anderen hervorragenden Interpretator von Beethoven kenne -- Emil Gilels. Kempff ist großartig, vielleicht steht er auch zeitlich noch dem Komponisten nah.

[@GeorgReitlinger]

Ich stimme euch völlig zu. Wilhelm Kempff ist der beste Interpret von Beethoven. Sein Spiel ist einerseits beherrscht und anderseits voller Leidenschaft. Ihm gelang es die Laune des größten Komponisten zu finden. Leider werden wir nie genau wissen, was Beethoven mit seinen Meisterwerken sagen wollte, aber was die Aufführungen von W. Kempff anbetrifft sind sie sozusagen die Wörter des Gottes. Danke dem Inhaber für die Möglichkeit dieses schöne Video anzusehen!

[@Selcuk.Aytimur]

He is beyond the world while playing 😍😍😍

[@hardballget]

The greatest pianist ever.

[@RaineriHakkarainen]

Wilhelm Kempff (The most beautiful piano Sound ever!) Emil Gilels(The King Pianist!) Sviatoslav Richter(The Genius no 1) Maurizio Pollini(The Genius no 2) Grigory Sokolov( The Giant of Piano! The Titan of Piano!) Solomon Cutner(Best structure for music!) Mikhail Pletnev (The most powerful! Prokofiev piano concerto no 1 by Pletnev!) Radu Lupu(The most colorful piano sound!) Artur Rubinstein (The God!)

[@eminturkarslan5365]

French with his Berlin accent😄. Sublime. I like it. Maybe also the best way to play Beethoven. Very poetic.

[@philippesimon566]

Toujours merveilleux : quel équilibre !

[@mirellaaulino1399]

Di un altro pianeta ... Che suono incredibile !!!!

[@berthill2305]

A great Beethoven interpreter in top form.

[@MalabarTheGreat]

Spectral... 🌟 Thanks for the upload.

[@sachseco]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, W.K. ,BORN ON THIS DAY, NOV. 25, 1895. DIED 1991!

[@nevillehough4191]

Wow, fantastic interpretation Mr. B would be impressed !

[@ofthetree]

Maybe the best video on youtube ;-)

[@majidzaya5484]

Very nice , soft and strong at the sametime. best third movement played.

[@tatianachernenok7064]

Переслушиваю и переслушиваю. Господи, а лицо какое. Как проникнуть в мысли гения? О чём, о любви или смерти? О благодарности Всевышнему? А Бетховен-то каков! А какое прелестное лицо у женщины на 18.12 минуте. Чудо

[@SpontaneityJD]

Master of this piece

[@user-cm9id9mf2x]

Bravo!!!!!!!

[@masakoikeda1710]

Thank you very much I couldn’t be better!!!

[@BelovedDavid]

Nachdem ich Kempf und Backhaus gehört habe, muss ich alles daran messen.

[@MrInterestingthings]

French and Russian television produced much of what we have of these older generations musicians !

[@yolainesene8691]

Thank you !

[@dima1353]

Богоподобное исполнение. Никто никогда не сыграет 17ую сонату цельнее, правильней и в тоже время так чувственно.

[@elviranakipbekova639]

Просто гениальное исполнение Бетховена! Трудно представить ничего более прекрасного

[@olgafjodorova3876]

Я тоже считаю, что это -- лучшее исполнение этой сонаты. Как будто при родах присутствуешь, и понимаешь это совершенное -- живое, вот даже пару раз в нужную ноту не попал.

[@user-mw8fw1hg8j]

Его и наследником Бетховена можно считать в какой-то степени :)

[@user-cm9id9mf2x]

Столько переслушал,а от этого исполнения аж мурашки по коже.Супер.

[@user-oz1tx2hm4z]

いい映像だ！演奏も👍❤

[@tatianachernenok7064]

Ему здесь 73 года. Не пойму, что больше восхищает, игра или лицо? Оторваться невозможно.

[@phillipone]

thank you, superb

[@danielvanlaethem6748]

Thanks for posting !!

[@marigoldruff]

I love the change in his expression at 14:52.

[@airtonaraujo3972]

best part starts at 00:00 and finish at 19:19

[@fazec0ld802]

My favorite Tempest interpretation- tough choice, Gould brought a surprising amount of smooth richness and just an ever-so-slightly slower tempo to the sonata in his later recordings of it (which, I’m aware, sounds hard to believe given his trademark dry, crisp, and frequently speedy style of play) Even if it contrasts a bit with the thematic motif of a tempestuous storm, does make for quite the beautiful sound. Barenboim’s beautiful touch, rubato, voicing and articulation add so much thematically to the 1st and 2nd movements, but I have to hand it to Kempff for having my favorite overall. He always has such a remarkable, almost-metronomic sense of rhythm and tempo, which, combined with the particularly excellent phrasing he brought to the piece, makes for an absolutely outstanding interpretation. Also worth a mention, his No. 14 (Moonlight) Movement III is leaps and bounds ahead of any other recording I’ve ever heard of that movement, if anyone reading this cares to listen to it 🙃

[@jyseoh]

He is looking beyond... But the camera man is looking for female faces... Or taking films. Great job!

[@ciararespect4296]

Yea imagine being his age and exciting the bits of fluff

[@allanfuller1155]

Dignity and intelligence prevails...Nothing further required.

[@SopPink]

……….하나님 … 녹음으로라도 듣게 해주셔서 감사합니다… 좀 더 일찍 태어났다면 .. 직접 볼 수 있었다면….. 😢

[@aegis9090]

12:13

[@JOHN-tk6vl]

Kempff was the master.

[@schnipsikabel]

transcendental playing

[@chanandlermusiclover4036]

Очень хорошо. Спасибо.

[@farshadnazridoost8966]

❤❤

[@otilia1246]

♥♥

[@joefarnell5672]

12:13 Eureka! Gosh darn, that's a Really cool riff there, Mr. Beethoven.

[@marigoldruff]

I wonder which is his favorite to play.

[@francoriva55]

Great kempff @!! Rip

[@wolfgangklofat594]

Beethoven nicht etwa im Stil einer perfekten Übung seines Schülers Czerny (wie sie teilweise sogar auch ein Friedrich Gulda demonstriert), sondern als hoch empfindsame poetische Nacherzählung des rätselhaften Shakespear´schen Märchenschauspiels...

[@truBador2]

Kepff is the Goat. No, really.

[@gergerklekle9400]

Ein Botschafter !!!

[@a2140416]

Is it French at the beginning? Does anyone know what it says?

[@danielvanlaethem6748]

yes indead it's hard to understand. Because I understand both German and French, here the non litteral translation "I am a man who is exercising with any detail (of this music), but unfortunately after having analysed I cannot reiterate the way I understand how to play the piece... " The problem is that Wilhelm Kempff thinks German and translate his toughts by translating the german words out of the context. Anyway, Wilhelm Kempff is a brilliant pianist and a fantastic composer! Listen to "Menuett g-moll aus der Suite de pieces" this is composed by Georg Friedrich Händel and Wilhelm Kempf left a really really fantastic transcription of this wonderfull piece. Here the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHfZamNnq6iibK8&start_radio=1&t=132

[@schnipsikabel]

@@danielvanlaethem6748 I believe he also says that when he plays, he feels the emotion as if it's the first time. And that i find really spectacular to watch here! Looks like we can literally see it on his face... as if 13 years after that horrible war, he were to offer his heart and soul with this piece of a german composer to reconnect to his french audience.

[@danielmalter3373]

It's an interesting insight into an inadvertent aspect that made him great. I believe he says "I am a man of attacking a part, [but] afterwards I cannot [am unable to] repeat the part. That is the difficulty for me today [to this day]. In the evening you get to practice a couple of minutes in your room [he says "rôme", probably an attempted adaptation of the German word "Raum', i.e., room, to the French language, which doesn't exist; he probably means chambre], and then I go out [on stage] and really feel like it's the first time." It is unclear from the snippet whether he refers to playing on a different stage and piano every night or whether he refers to a general characteristic of his playing, i.e., a technical inability to repeat himself twice in exactly the same way. My sense, and my wish, is for the latter. If you are unable to repeat yourself with precision, you could be chaotic, but you most certainly cannot be boring.

[@user-ix1zg4di1j]

Nowadays there are no even such pianos say nothing of such pianists...

[@airtonaraujo3972]

What is he saying at beginning?

[@danielmalter3373]

It's an interesting insight into an inadvertent aspect that made him great. I believe he says "I am a man of attacking a part, [but] afterwards I cannot [am unable to] repeat the part. That is the difficulty for me today [to this day]. In the evening you get to practice a couple of minutes in your room [he says "rôme", probably an attempted adaptation of the German word "Raum', i.e., room, to the French language, which doesn't exist; he probably means chambre], and then I go out [on stage] and really feel like it's the first time." It is unclear from the snippet whether he refers to playing on a different stage and piano every night or whether he refers to a general characteristic of his playing, i.e., a technical inability to repeat himself twice in exactly the same way. My sense, and my wish, is for the latter. If you are unable to repeat yourself with precision, you could be chaotic, but you most certainly cannot be boring.

[@farshadnazridoost8966]

Why just his face?!

[@mirellaaulino1399]

Ma potevano far vedere un po' le mani nell'ultimo movimento ... Pessima regia

[@subswithoutvids-dw6dv]

He was a perfect pianoist to play Beethoven.