heidiv - Godowsky Alt Wien: Message Board

heidiv's Comments

"Old Vienna: Whose Yesterdays Look Backward With a Smile Through Tears": Number 11 from the set Triakontameron, written in Seattle in 1919, though it sounds like it could have been written 50 years earlier. Perhaps best known for his version of the Chopin Etudes, Godowsky wrote this whimsical little piece as a homage to the vanished city of Vienna that he knew prior to WWI. Godowsky was a true virtuoso, but plagued by severe stagefright. Arthur Rubinstein commented, "It would take me 500 years to get a mechanism like Godowsky's."

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Name	Date	Comment
wr	2010-08-22 01:50:45	A charmer, and very charmingly played. Love all the very appropriate inflections.
jotur	2010-08-22 00:55:21	This was wonderful. Very evocative of early 20th century, parlors, even some feel of ragtime - music becoming modern and light :) I liked it very much, and your playing was perfect for it.
Inlanding	2010-08-21 18:58:03	You pay Godowsky a very sincere compliment by expressing his music the way you do. Such a romantic feeling you bring to the images painted with this piece. Bravo!!
heidiv	2010-08-21 08:18:43	Thanks, guys. I first heard this piece on a Hamelin CD entitled "Kaleidoscope," which I highly recommend and is chock full of obscure works. This whimsical little diddy strikes me as the perfect encore piece after a serious program. I like to keep it in my fingers for those occasions when I'm asked, "Oh, could you play something for us?" Glad you enjoyed it!
Sorcerer88	2010-08-20 21:33:27	Ah, i've heard this one before. Yes, sounds like a 19th century saloon piece ^^ i like your prolonged notes before the end of the phrase. cute :)
Rachfan	2010-08-20 20:48:23	This Godowsky piece has a lot of charm, and you play it very beautifully too! David
Carey	2010-08-20 20:19:51	I never knew that Godowsky lived in Seattle !! Nice job with this !!
Cinnamonbear	2010-08-20 18:30:58	heidiv--I totally hear 1919 in this piece. Nice touch! Nicely done!