L a z a r B e r m a n
"but as to this one🎶🎵🎶 ...I don't like it at all." (Richter)
from "Russia's great modern pianists"
byMark Zilberquit
Paganiniana Publications, 1983
Snippet Google Books
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LAZAR BERMAN: I believe Chopin's etudes are more difficult than Liszt's. Each Liszt etude is an image in itself that can be grasped and comprehended easier than the images of Chopin's etudes. In my opinion, Chopin's technique is more refined, more melodious. Every Chopin note is worth its weight in gold, so to say. Here you cannot profit by using the pedal. Besides, the Chopin etudes are more on finger technique than Liszt's, i.e., in the Liszt etudes formulas on octave and chord technique prevail. And one more remark. In Chopin the instructive element, the technical formula is more obvious: there is the "chromatic" 6tude, "terza", "sesta", "octave" etudes, etc. It is more difficult to reveal their image-bearing sphere, as everything in them is highly concentrated. Liszt also has a certain formula but it is not so distinct as in Chopin's etudes. In the Liszt etude there may be several tasks. For instance, in The Blizzard it is tremolo and leaps.
Mark Zilberquit: You have made recordings of all the Liszt etudes, haven't you? "I believe the Chopin etudes are more difficult than Liszt's.
LB: I have. And it was Sviatoslav Richter who inspired me to make those recordings. He played
MZ: Generally speaking, I can understand it. I don't think there is a single pianist who would like all the compositions of the Great Masters without any exception.
LB: I fully agree with you. For example, I have never played and will never play the Schumann Toccata, the Balakirev Islamey. As for the Liszt rhapsodies, with the exception of The Pest Carnival, I don't like them very much and I've recently turned down an offer to make recordings of all the Liszt rhapsodies.
Mark Zilberquit: You have made recordings of all the Liszt etudes, haven't you? "I believe the Chopin etudes are more difficult than Liszt's.
LB: I have. And it was Sviatoslav Richter who inspired me to make those recordings. He played
only eight etudes. I listened to them in concerts and was so astounded by the performance that I made up my mind to learn all twelve. Once I met Richter and asked, "Why do you play only eight etudes but not all the 12?" He answered, "Because I don't like the other four. I don't like this music". And among those four Richter spoke about there was also Chasse Neige which I greatly admire. I asked him in amazement, "Can you consider Chasse Neige to be bad music?" And I immediately began to hum a part of that piece.""Don't you like it?""Yes, I do like this part," answered Richter, "but as to this one . . ." (and he hummed a part), ... "I don't like it at all."
MZ: Generally speaking, I can understand it. I don't think there is a single pianist who would like all the compositions of the Great Masters without any exception.
LB: I fully agree with you. For example, I have never played and will never play the Schumann Toccata, the Balakirev Islamey. As for the Liszt rhapsodies, with the exception of The Pest Carnival, I don't like them very much and I've recently turned down an offer to make recordings of all the Liszt rhapsodies.
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La foto di Sviatoslav Richter è stata scattata a Taškent nel 1986. © Tutti i diritti sono riservati ai legittimi proprietari. La fonte originaria viene sempre citata o collegata con un link alla stessa. In questo Blog OGNI citazione o riproduzione di brani/foto/immagini o di parti d'opere sono UTILIZZATI a soli fini di ricerca scientifico-artistica, il cui utilizzo avviene secondo finalità illustrative o di discussione e per fini NON commerciali. Nessun Adsens è introdotto, come altre forme pubblicitarie finalizzate al profitto.
La foto di Sviatoslav Richter è stata scattata a Taškent nel 1986. © Tutti i diritti sono riservati ai legittimi proprietari. La fonte originaria viene sempre citata o collegata con un link alla stessa. In questo Blog OGNI citazione o riproduzione di brani/foto/immagini o di parti d'opere sono UTILIZZATI a soli fini di ricerca scientifico-artistica, il cui utilizzo avviene secondo finalità illustrative o di discussione e per fini NON commerciali. Nessun Adsens è introdotto, come altre forme pubblicitarie finalizzate al profitto.
