Godowsky: Complete Studies on Chopin's Etudes

I am not sure there is very much to add to what’s already been said about this set. Leopold Godowsky’s 53 Studies on the Etudes of Chopin will continue to divide opinion – there is little doubt that his reworkings border on and often cross the line to the bizarre, and that they are (legitimately) viewed as something of a Platonic idea of fin-de-siècle decadence (a contradiction in terms, yes, and intentionally so). Though the original etudes are already fairly challenging (at least some of them), Godowsky has taken the technical challenges to the extreme, and in the process twisted, broken, ornamented and embellished the originals, sometimes to the point where the original is almost covered by torrents and maelstroms and storms of new notes. Not everything is successful, and it would be hard to argue that he “improves” upon the originals – but that wasn’t Godowsky’s goal either; indeed, his goal was at least nominally the same as Chopin’s, namely to help pianists (virtuosos, definitely) improve their technique with music of genuine artistic merit.That said, I’d wager that few pianists would be able to play these pieces in anything close to an artistically satisfying manner – and many of these works will elicit only incredulous stares on first listening (or viewing). And though several of them may not sound technically insurmountable for a professional pianist, that is probably because they are for the left hand alone (such as the Revolutionary Etude transcription). Enter Marc-André Hamelin (but of course). Well, to tell it in brief: this is pianism that defies belief, from the first note to the last. Not only is Hamelin able to defeat any technical obstacle thrown his way, he makes it sound easy (well, sometimes); the phrasing remains wonderful, the textures clean, with every torrent of notes sounding as otherworldly, glittering fireworks of such ridiculous brilliance that it may lack any worthy comparison in the history of piano recordings (perhaps apart from Hamelin’s own Alkan recordings).Now, I will readily admit that this music is not for everybody, and I remained very unsure for quite a while. Though many of the arrangements are fairly straight, even in these the elegance, beauty and moods of the original works are muffled by Godowsky’s flowing rum ball textures, and resetting one’s expectations for the experience is actually not always that easy (and the studies should certainly be taken one at a time – more than three in one go will give you the mental and aural equivalent of a stomach pain). Slowly, however, the listener will (at least this listener did) realize that Godowsky’s embellishments aren’t just cheap tricks to dazzle audiences – though there are a couple of these as well. I suppose that, if you are in doubt, you could try no. 47, which actually combines Chopin’s op. 10 no. 5 (which, by the away, makes an appearance in no less than seven of these studies) with op. 25 no. 9 into a single monster of a piece.In any case, and whatever you verdict may ultimately be, this is an experience like nothing else, and as such this disc is something of a must. I have only heard a few selections from Hamelin’s previous recording of (several of) these studies, but if nothing else the Hyperion sound is clearly superior, and the notes are exemplary.

I gave this complete set of Leopold Godowsky's "Studies on Chopin's Etudes" (or Etudes on the Etudes) played by Marc-Andre Hamelin only four stars because this may not all be really music to listen to, but instead ultimate piano studies for the professional virtuoso to practice to make the hands (particularly the left) stronger, and practically develop a separate brain for each. Many of these studies are written for the left hand alone to strengthen the hand which needs it most (in most cases), so don't look for music written as variations on Chopin's originals, though that's more or less what Godowsky did in some cases. In other etudes, he's combined two etudes together, which sometimes sounds like three hands playing(!), a trick used by Vladimir de Pachman. It's just that this is really for the professional musician, even though many of these jaw-droppingly difficult etudes are often very exciting, especially in these incredible performances by Marc-Andre Hamelin, who sounds as though he's tossing some of them off,not breaking a sweat. However, Mr. Hamelin himself warns us in his detailed notes not to listen to the complete set of these works at one time. I can understand his concern, because it might turn a pianist into a nut like de Pachman. I give Hamelin TEN stars for his incredible performances and TEN stars for the sound. For professional pianists or Chopin scholars only....Maybe.

This cycle of Godowsky's 53 Studies on Chopin's Etudes is something that you absolutely cannot miss. These genius-upon-genius works by Leopold Godowsky are nothing less than heart-shocking to hear. Many of the individual pieces, if you are already a Chopin lover, will touch you deeply, experiencing Godowsky's utmost respect and devotion the material.In honesty, it would be well worth the entire price of admission just to experience ONE of the stunning left-hand-only studies, such as the No. 5 after Op. 10 No. 3; they defy all preconceptions and passed any expectations I imagined prior. They really must be heard to be believed, and single studies on repeat as often as possible, since these pieces only become more wondrous the more clearly you understand them (and yet, they have much beauty even to an untrained ear - even if you accidentally think he is playing with 2 hands when he is with just 1 - such is an intended result of Godowsky's choice to build on Chopin's existing compositional brilliance).Also - the liner notes are some of the best I've ever received with a product. 24+ full booklet pages of English text (no translations included). This includes: Godowsky's own preface to the Studies on Chopin's Etudes, followed by background information with more passages by Godowsky written by Jeremy Nicholas (author of 1989 book, Godowsky: The Pianists Pianist), then an essay on the Studies written by Mr. Hamelin himself (amazing insight to be found here), finally followed by an indispensable set of descriptions for each of the 53 studies that "will serve to draw attention to certain special features while listening. Incidentally, I would not recommend hearing the entire series in one sitting, as some lovers of Godowsky's idiom would undoubtedly like to do; in my humble opinion, it is too rich a meal. But if you must..." (quote: Marc-Andre Hamelin).

Leopold Mordkhelovich Godowsky Sr. was a Lithuanian-born American virtuoso pianist, composer and teacher. He was one of the most highly regarded performers of his time.Best known work in the field is 53 Studies on Chopin's Études (1894–1914).The fifty-three studies based upon twenty-six Études of Chopin have manifold purposes. Their aim is to develop the mechanical, technical and musical possibilities of piano­forte playing, to expand the peculiarly adapted nature of the instrument to polyphonic, polyrhythmic and polydynamic work, and to widen the range of its possibilities in tone colouring.The results were described half a century later by Harold Schonberg, famed critic of the New York Times, as ‘probably the most impossibly difficult things ever written for the piano. These are fantastic exercises that push piano technique to heights undreamed of even by Liszt’.

Quelle magnifique interprétation par Marc-André Hamelin des Études de Godowsky (1870-1938) sur les Études de Chopin! Il faut dire que cela représente un travail colossal, 54 études en comptant toutes les versions composées par Godowsky et jouées par Hamelin soit plus de 153 minutes de jeux pianistiques sublimes. Les deux CDs sont accompagnés d'un livret qui explique chacune des études en trois langue: anglais, français et allemand. Les enregistrements ont été faits en août 1998 et en août et octobre 1999, produits par Hyperion Records, la présence du piano est excellente.

On these CDs Marc-Andre Hamelin performs some of the most difficult piano pieces ever devised. Godowski composed his studies on Chopin's etudes primarily for the use and enjoyment of piano players, not for public performance. About half of the forty-eight compositions are for the left hand. Like most listeners, having enjoyed Chopin's etudes for decades, at fist I found that I could not fully appreciate Hamelin's incredible dexterity and sensitivity of interpretation or follow Godowsky's seemingly rambling, deprecable and prostituted scores. But after listening numerous times over to these CDs I got into Godowski's ethos of Chopin worship. These pieces testify to his admiration and respect for Chopin's genius. His intention was not to twist, stretch or adulterate Chopin's scores but to explore and enhance Chopin's themes, playfully but also methodically, with the goal of challenging serious pianists to hone their craft. As compared to Chopin's originals, some of Godowski's pieces are bombastic and others are whimsical and some are sober, but they all provide inventive, contrasting musical textures. For many of the left-handed pieces it is unbelievable for the listener that only one hand is involved. Hamelin's enduring performance is probably the high benchmark for these compositions. This is a treasure for listeners with the tolerance and patience to explore abstruse piano artistry by masters of their art.

機械と人とは、まるでちがう。

Un des enregistrements les plus riches et spectsculaires de Hamelin, avec ceux d'Alkan et de Medtner.