Garrick Ohlsson - Chopin - Polonaise in A-flat major, Op 53

---

Frédéric Chopin
Polonaise in A-flat major, Op 53

Garrick Ohlsson, piano

[bifeldman]

I’ve been listening to recent Ohlsson performances. Wonderful to remember how sumptuous the playing was when he was a sprightly boy. Then and now one of the greatest Chopinists ever.

[Juscz]

As a 14 year old, I remember listening to this and the other Polonaises of Chopin on Ohlsson's complete recordings of those works.  I vowed than to some day earn the A flat Polonaise played here.  Two years later I played it in a recital.

I remember listening to the Horowitz recording back then as a 14 year old and thinking how much more I liked the Ohlsson performance than the Horowitz version.  I have subsequently cultivated quite a deep appreciation for Horowitz's art.  But my musical intuition back then, unfettered at that time by ideas of virtuosity, was perhaps was on to something.

Thanks for posting!

[lauramalek]

Discovered Garrick Ohlsson back in 1979 on of all things The Johnny Carson show. Mesmerized, since Chopin was a favorite of mine even then. Fortunate enough to see him perform live shortly afterward at Grady Gammage Auditorium in AZ - perfect acoustics. Met him backstage and he shook hands with me. Man has the span of 12 keys on one hand, 14 on the other - no wonder he's magic with this instrument. 💖

[AidenHammerfist]

he is such an underrated Pianist. Not many people realize he is the very first Chopin Competition Winner from the US. US never had any other Chopin Competition first place ever since. Other Chopin Competition winner like Argerich, Zimermann, Pollini, and Cho (most recent) winner became so famous. Even the second place winner like Ashkenazi has world wide fame. it's sad to see Grandmaster like him not known to most people.

[CheolhyeonPark]

I think most of the winners of Chopin Competition played this piece...

[runnowhere]

He looks like pretty young on this video.
When was this performance recorded?

[camilloflaim]

For me the piano it' s one instrument for to learn how to use the fingers ; for these i have readed all compositions of Chopin. But after when i have started to learn music of Bach for organ and cymbal i have asked to me : why you losed so much time with the music of Chopin?
But really i like all the 14 valzer of Chopin.
I am to composer not only for keaboard but to for music of camera and music for orchestra( to with french and english horne ).

[loving-everyone-equally]

Next lifetime if I have hands like him I'll play it almost as well. (:-)

[Boris_Chang]

Um, maybe because twelve-thousand people have viewed the video. That’s just a guess.