Slowest Recordings

[Rach3]

Nominate pianists with the slowest, most expressively rubato-filled Adagios, Largos, and Lentissimos in the repertoire! I'll start you off:

Glenn Gould -  b-flat minor prelude&fugue from WTC I, J.S. Bach
Richard Goode - Arietta from op. 111 Sonata, Beethoven
Leonard Bernstein et al. - Nachtmusik (II and IV) from Mahler's 7th symphony

[steinwayguy]

Goode's Arietta doesn't come close to a lot of others. I heard somewhere that either Volodos or Sokolov (I get the two confused) had one upwards of 22 minutes, which is insane.

Richter's "Molto Moderato" of the Schubert B-flat has to be in the mix, and even his "Andante Sostenuto" from the same piece.

And how about Arrau's Waldstein? I know it's famously slow, but I haven't heard it.

[pita bread]

Ivo Pogorelich - Ondine from Gaspard de la Nuit - 7:24 (probaby my favorite recording of this piece, still)

Louis Lortie - Jeux D'eau (ughhhhh so slow)

John Ogdon - Dutilleux Sonata mvt. 1

Ashkenazy - Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff piano concertos (so articulate though)

Simon Trpceski - Petrushka Danse Russe

[musicsdarkangel]

Ashkenazy. 

Ashkenazy.

Ashkenazy.

oh yeah.  and Arrau.

[perfect_pitch]

A guy I knew from Uni played Moonlight Sonata 1st Mov at less than half speed....

What was supposed to be a mysterious piece that had continuity, was a boring 10 min very slow awful headache.

[happyface94]

I think Glenn Gould played the slowest Chopin sad Prelude ever. That really short prelude in like 5 minutes.

[maxy]

And how about Arrau's Waldstein? I know it's famously slow, but I haven't heard it.

Arrau's Waldstein is slow, but fantastic.  Barenboim on EMI is even slower...

How about the legendary Brahms 1st concerto by  Gould? 

[Waldszenen]

Zimerman's Chopin Concerti - they take up TWO friggen CDs


And Arrau for pretty much anything

[pita bread]

Apparantly Arrau's Mephisto Waltz took about 13 minutes...

But he wasn't always so slow, his Islamey was about 7:51.

[the_ts]

I think Glenn Gould played the slowest Chopin sad Prelude ever. That really short prelude in like 5 minutes.

Gould is famous for playing pieces either incredibly fast, or incredibly slow. He played the Brahms 2 (or was it 1) so slow that the conductor, Bernstein, came out before the concert and gave a preface speech saying how this performance is completely Mr. Goulds doing, and that he had nothing to do with it. (well he said it in a more jovial way than that, but the point was there ).

[stormx]

Each piece has is suitable tempo...

That said, in my opinion, going too fast is usually worse than going too slow. Excessive speed easily destroys the piece's musicality.
For instance, nothing more horrible than a full speed "Fur Elise" 

[maxy]

Gould is famous for playing pieces either incredibly fast, or incredibly slow. He played the Brahms 2 (or was it 1) so slow that the conductor, Bernstein, came out before the concert and gave a preface speech saying how this performance is completely Mr. Goulds doing, and that he had nothing to do with it. (well he said it in a more jovial way than that, but the point was there ).

The Mephisto recorded in the 80s is slow...  not the one live in the 60s...   

Arrau is very deceptive when it comes to speed... even when he plays fast it never feels that way.  His Liszt Spanish Rhapsody is under 10 minutes...  Pretty much all other recs are over 12...

[donjuan]

Arrau's "Benediction of God in Solitude" is perhaps the slowest I have ever heard, but it is so brilliant it is the only recording I listen to of the piece.

[brahmsian]

How about the legendary Brahms 1st concerto by Gould?

Yeah I was gonna say that. Sooooooo Sloooowwww.

[transitional]

I got here from perfect_pitch's first post.

Richter's D 894 1st movement. 2.5x as long as Kempff's recording.

[perfect_pitch]

Holy crap - I forgot I made that post. That was 18 years ago.

How about the legendary Brahms 1st concerto by  Gould? 

Dear God - that was painful to listen to. On the subject - how about any recording by that nutbag Wim Winters and his bullshit theory about wholebeat metronome. Have you heard his Beethoven Sonatas?

It's like listening to an 11-year old kid try to sight-read them.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

There is also Wim's soulmate, one Wolfgang Weller

[perfect_pitch]

Oh dear god... there's 2 of them?!?

That 3rd movement was just bloody awful. The only reason I didn't post any YouTube links is because I didn't want to give that idiot (and his fellow buffoons) any more YouTube views.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

There are more 

Here, with added production values

[transitional]

Honestly, I feel like the way these people play the pieces twice as slow isn't the bad part. Richter did it to an incredible effect in D 894. (I'd love to hear Schnabel play Op. 2 No. 2, and I play the Moonlight Sonata at about the tempo Winters plays it. There's a reason why many people do the thing where they play the fast movements extra fast and the slow movements extra slow - it's to prove both your technique and your expression.) It makes them different pieces in themselves, rather than fully skewing them. But I get the sense that they're using WBM "theory" as a way to back up their poor technique. (For example, he plays the Moonlight 1st movement at a reasonable, though sort of slow, tempo, then proceeds to an obvious outlier tempo of a 3rd movement.) I mean, come on people, if you can't stand the technique of Chopin etudes, why not just play a Schubert sonata? Don't attempt a virtuoso piece that has both zero technical or expressional value. (Expression is not slowness and sheet music dynamics. It is much more than that and cannot be expressed through words or mannerisms that may "trick" the viewer.) If you can do great expression, amazing. Play Schubert. If you're into virtuosity? Play Liszt. You can't just be like, oh, I can't do technique on a technical piece, so I'll just slow it down twice as much and *hope* no one will notice.

It's one of those things where something is so bad it's good.

[lelle]

I think Richter in basically any slow movement often takes very slow tempos. He does it in WTC, in Beethoven sonatas, you name it. Seems to have been his thing. I think it's interesting that he holds things together so well even if I don't really agree with the tempo.

[transitional]

 

Call me crazy, but I enjoy listening to Richter Schubert sonata recordings at 0.75x speed. The Reliquie sonata, which I'm listening to right now, would be 1 hour long at this speed. But these slow recording work, even if they may not match the composer's intentions!

[transitional]

Gosh, I did not realize that Wim Winters used to play at normal speeds

[perfect_pitch]

Gosh, I did not realize that Wim Winters used to play at normal speeds

Maybe his idiotic double-beat method is the only way of trying to discern himself from the mass plethora of pianists out there trying to make a name for himself.

[transitional]

Maybe his idiotic double-beat method is the only way of trying to discern himself from the mass plethora of pianists out there trying to make a name for himself.

same thing goes for the use of the clavichord, and playing long appogiaturas as short appogiaturas, and those dumb mannerisms...

[thalbergmad]

I started to listen to Arrau's Waldstein in 1986 and I still haven't finished.
Thal

[lelle]

I started to listen to Arrau's Waldstein in 1986 and I still haven't finished.
Thal

The strange thing with Arrau is that I don't enjoy his recordings when he is old (there are some Beethoven sonatas on youtube I find dull), but in his youth he was quite an exciting pianist.

[tenusiajob]

I think Glenn Gould played the slowest Chopin sad Prelude ever.

[transitional]

Also, I'm in no way trying to promote myself, but it just so happens that my interpretation of the Bach-Brahms Chaconne is just under 20 minutes.

I used to take the Moonlight 1st at a speed that made it last 10 minutes but then realized it sounded terrible to the listener. Now my interpretation is much, much faster, at around 4 minutes.

[roboute guilliman cfa]

Gould strikes again with the Scriabin Sonata no. 5.

[flyusx]

Lous Lortie, Beethoven Sonata Op10No3, second mvoement. But to be honest, I kind of like it that slow, if not even a tad bit slower.

[transitional]

spam

[transitional]

I know this is just me now mostly, but what is this 

[frodo4]

I know this is just me now mostly, but what is this 

Doggie doo 

[perfect_pitch]

I know this is just me now mostly, but what is this 

Reminds me of someone we used to have on the forums a long time ago... Anyone remember SCP???

[jamienc]

Gould’s Appassionata mvt. 1…

i=Zt133W38w1AD2_iW

[perfect_pitch]

Gould’s Appassionata mvt. 1…

i=Zt133W38w1AD2_iW

I will admit, Gould is a great pianist at times... but he does have his eccentricities.

[frodo4]

Gould’s Appassionata mvt. 1…

i=Zt133W38w1AD2_iW

Listening to this now and enjoying it.  I don't mind slow when played well.

[frodo4]

Reminds me of someone we used to have on the forums a long time ago... Anyone remember SCP???

Don't know who SCP is.  I gave "MUSSULAM" every chance by listening one time for a full 2 minutes to his "performance".  It's a good thing I wasn't at his performance.  I would have yelled a few choice words in the middle and left.  BTW I'm just finished up on Gould's 1st mvt of same work and now hearing 2nd mvt.  I am enjoying his well played performance, although it is a little too slow for me.

[liszt-and-the-galops]

Anyone remember SCP???

I searched the memberlist and can't find him...
Can someone please link to his profile, if they have time?

[transitional]

Don't know who SCP is.  I gave "MUSSULAM" every chance by listening one time for a full 2 minutes to his "performance".  It's a good thing I wasn't at his performance.  I would have yelled a few choice words in the middle and left.  BTW I'm just finished up on Gould's 1st mvt of same work and now hearing 2nd mvt.  I am enjoying his well played performance, although it is a little too slow for me.

Completely agree about Messulam. I'm not usually this arrogant about my playing, but like my sight read through was better than that. What does he think he's playing at?

[perfect_pitch]

Completely agree about Messulam. I'm not usually this arrogant about my playing, but like my sight read through was better than that. What does he think he's playing at?

What made me laugh, is this line seems to be pasted on most (if all) of his videos:

"Sponsored by Celtrus Music Design International M. A. Messulalm's official web site opens to the public. The pianist is considered one of the greatest piano performers of contemporary times."

Someones taking the *** piss... Also, for some reason there seems to be multiple posts of the EXACT same video multiple times on his channel...

I searched the memberlist and can't find him...
Can someone please link to his profile, if they have time?

Meh... don't know if I want to drag him through the mud again. He was a prominent member over a decade ago, and his recordings bordered on the insane... think Messulam... but even worse.

The old school members will probably remember him...

[liszt-and-the-galops]

I mean, if he wasn't on the memberlist, I guess it's possible his account was deleted.

[perfect_pitch]

I mean, if he wasn't on the memberlist, I guess it's possible his account was deleted.

No... he was on the memberlist... I searched him up only 2 hours ago. SCP wasn't his exact username... but most people who knew him will know what it references.

[frodo4]

What made me laugh, is this line seems to be pasted on most (if all) of his videos:

"Sponsored by Celtrus Music Design International M. A. Messulalm's official web site opens to the public. The pianist is considered one of the greatest piano performers of contemporary times."

That's pretty funny and explains a lot.

Meh... don't know if I want to drag him through the mud again. He was a prominent member over a decade ago, and his recordings bordered on the insane... think Messulam... but even worse.

The old school members will probably remember him...

Actually, I remember many years ago hearing a strange performance of the great E-flat Major prelude to Bach's  WTC book 1.  Very strange, indeed.  Could this be the same guy?  If it is, I might have to disagree with you.  This E-flat Major prelude showed some sense of musicality to me.  But my memory may be way off.  After all, it has been many years since I heard it.  I think I remember laughing to myself a little as I heard it.  "MESSULAM" on the other hand.......  Well, I hope I made myself clear. 

BTW - My apologies to PP for being so disagreeable in the last post thread the last time I was there.  It's just that I post in that thread so seldomly (did I misspell this?) and I was hoping for at least a few hours in the winning spot, which I never received.   

[perfect_pitch]

BTW - My apologies to PP for being so disagreeable in the last post thread the last time I was there.  It's just that I post in that thread so seldomly (did I misspell this?) and I was hoping for at least a few hours in the winning spot, which I never received.   

If I'm not mistaken - your last post was in January, and it wasn't I that replied so quickly and quashed the length of your win... it was J_Tour who turned your invariable triumph into a short lived "meh"...

[talkfixy]

What was supposed to be a mysterious piece that had continuity, was a boring 10 min very slow awful headache.

[perfect_pitch]

Gould’s Appassionata mvt. 1…

i=Zt133W38w1AD2_iW

Maybe, but his Movement 3 is pretty damn great. It's not OVERLY fast, but it has an excitement to it.

[jamienc]

Maybe, but his Movement 3 is pretty damn great. It's not OVERLY fast, but it has an excitement to it.

Agree 100%!