Composed by Leopold Godowsky
Performed by Thomas Kobialka
TIMECODES:
0:00 -No.45. E Major. 1st version from Nouvelle étude No. 2 in A-Flat Major
4:43 - No.34. C-Sharp Minor 'Mazurka'. 2nd version from Étude in E Minor, Op. 25 No. 5
This is a video of me performing two pieces from Leopold Godowsky's "Studies on Chopin's Etudes", which is a set of 53 arrangements based on Chopin's études composed between 1894 and 1914.
Godowsky's studies are some of the most challenging pieces in the piano repetoire, which is not surprising given that the bare Chopin Études are very difficult in themselves! So why in my right mind did I tackle and learn these two pieces? Because, despite their difficulty, they are brimming with aesthetic beauty and sophisticated craftsmanship. There are no superficial notes - each note draws attention to the inner beauty of Chopin's études. The fact that they are difficult to play is simply a by-product of the dense but beautiful style of writing that Godowsky is known for.
When Godowksy composed these studies, his motivation was to "upgrade" Chopin's etudes for the coming generation. However, Godowsky could have never foreseen the Second Viennese School and the atonal revolution in Western classical music. Hence, Godowsky's thinking might appear slightly dated nowadays. But if one ignores "historicity" and simply takes the studies at face value, I think it's hard to deny the staggering achievement in piano writing that they are, the likes of which we will probably never see again.
By the way, I highly recommend taking a listen to Marc-Andre Hamelin's complete recording of the Godowsky studies (can be found here: • Шопен-Годовский, Этюды... ). In my opinion, it's one of the most impressive pianistic achievements, ever.
Thank you for listening!