even Chopin himself didn’t hear this melody…

Pianist: Cyprien Katsaris
Piece: Frederic Chopin: Waltz, Op.64 No.2

Video used:
Concert at Carnegie Hall, New York City, 1999: In Memoriam Chopin, 150th Anniversary
Provided to YouTube by Believe SAS
℗ Piano 21
Music Publisher: D.R

BuyMeACoffee:

[FORTEPodcast]

People who don't play piano are probably unaware how extremely difficult this is... masterful voicing!

[danielchequer]

Dude just added a whole new voice to the piece with the existing notes

[damienheemskerk]

This is nothing short of incredible. Not only did he find these "inner lines", he is able to play them convincingly and perfectly voiced while the notes are in different hands en sometimes in the middle of chords.

[pawncube]

He made it sound like a Godowsky arrangement without playing any extra notes

[nerrdinho]

Katsaris seems to be quite underrated. He’s easily one of the most talented living pianists. Katsaris playing Beethoven/Liszt Symphonies transposed for the piano is just mindboggling.

[Quotenwagnerianer]

I love how he just smirks after playing that passages: "Yeah, that's the stuff..."

[willjamison]

You broke the YouTube algorithm... Every time you change the name of this video it reappears in my recommended

[stoneuniko]

The voicing technique is so masterful. I, personally think that it doesn't need that much of an extra melody for this piece, but it's such a fresh take on this (somewhat) overly played waltz.

[lifenote]

That pedalling is actually insane though why is no one talking about it.

[ahmedelkadi]

Look at that sly smile.. this man knows EXACTLY what he is doing to our ears..

[openendedthinking]

Katsaris is an improviser and composer. Not surprised he found these inner harmonic motions. This is essentially what makes Godowsky's transcriptions of Chopin great. Those hidden melodies that while simple are the best. Chopin was incorporating more counterpoint with time as we can see with the barcarolle and the fourth Ballade. If only he had lived to atleast his 50s like Beethoven what we have missed out on is truly a crime against humanity.

[fmboykudo]

The title was "Playing Connect the dots with Chopin" you can't fool me

[hrobert]

Wow! I definitely never would have imagined this. Thanks for bringing it to our attention, especially with the notes circled so I can really see it. As someone with a jazz background who feels a bit stifled by classical sometimes, this is eye opening. I see that some commenters hate it, but I like that the pianist is willing to take such liberty/risk in a formal performance.

[Varooooooom]

not even part of the voicing, but this vid helped me see how Katsaris distinguishes the grace notes at 0:45 and 0:50. 0:45 sounds much more slippery whereas 0:50 sounds more jumpy. both are so beautiful. Katsaris is a master at making the same material fresh.

[RedZed]

I've credited Katsaris for years for showing me how important inner voices and their treatment are. You can find hidden passages everywhere and add a whole new layer to your playing. And he is the master of this as far as I'm concerned. I would love to hear him play Thalberg's Grand Caprice on Bellini's Sonnumbula.

[louisdeschamps]

i remember this video being named smth like: "chopin himself never heard the melody" or smth lmao

[benjaminbiro]

This very video gets recommended to me every few months and is one of the rare occasions when I'm grateful to the algorithm by not letting me forget this masterpiece.

[leongatha]

Have always loved this with the 2 underneath "melodies"--my piano teacher played it like that for me in 1962. He was a concert pianist who emigrated (escaped) from Russia to NYC.

[nawafmohammed]

One of the most phenomenal things my ears have ever heard

[minikawildflower]

I love this - it's not some bombastic new arrangement or style, it sounds like classic Chopin with a fresh take. That's what I want to hear from musicians, it's a perfect mix of classic and new!