Uploaded March 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Comparison of 5 great pianists (Rachmaninoff, Horowitz, Moiseiwitsch, Lhevinne, Hofmann) and 10 great conductors (Stokowski, Szell, Fried, Fiedler, Khachaturian, Koussevitzky, Ansermet, Bruno Walter, Munch, Mengelberg) on the same works. This is not a serious versus, of course, aim here is to show miniature orchestral character of piano :). Piano can create orchestral sound under great pianists!
Many composers and pianists have established a relationship between piano and orchestra. For example, Horowitz argues that Beethoven was like this (I agree with this view): "Beethoven wrote for the piano, but he thought orchestrally. His piano was the means to an end, and his objective was fulness of tone. He heard in the piano the string quartet, the orchestra."
For Liszt, Beethoven's spiritual heir, the relationship between orchestra and piano was more evident. In a letter he would say: "By the title of Pianoforte score I wish to indicate my intention of associating the spirit of the performer with the orchestral effects, and to render apparent, in the narrow limits of the piano, sonorous sounds and different nuances. With this in view I have frequently noted down the names of the instruments: oboe, clarinet, kettle- drums, etc., as well as the contrasts of strings and wind instruments. It would certainly be highly ridiculous to pretend that these designations suffice to transplant the magic of the orchestra to the piano; nevertheless I don't consider them superfluous. Apart from some little use they have as instruction, pianists of some intelligence may make them a help in accentuating and grouping the subjects, bringing out the chief ones, keeping the secondary ones in the background, and--in a word--regulating themselves by the standard of the orchestra."
Liszt has many such attempts. Even Hungarian Rhapsodies, Piano Sonata and Mephisto waltzes have orchestral effects.
Horowitz was influenced by orchestra in playing the piano, he said: "Some people say, 'A piano is only a piano.' But I do not feel it so. I think forte, and think 'orchestra.' I think of many instruments when I play. I do not mean that one should try to imitate, for the timbre of the piano is not the timbre of the violin nor the bassoon nor the flute. But if one thinks of the quality or the sonority of the various instruments, one is helped to play more beautifully. We have, in the piano, all registers—flute, oboe, violin, viola, clarinet, 'cello, bassoon, double bass. . ."
I put original version first, then arrangement version:
1. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - "Flight of the Bumble Bee", from "The Tale of Tsar Saltan".
00:00 Leopold Stokowski
1:21 Sergei Rachmaninoff
* Stokowski with National Philharmonic Orchestra, recording date 1976, Arr. by Stokowski. Rachmaninoff's recording date 1929, Arr. by Rachmaninoff.
2. Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy - "Scherzo" from "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
2:35 George Szell
6:47 Sergei Rachmaninoff
* Szell with Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest, Rec. 1957. Rachmaninoff rec. 1935, Arr. by Rachmaninoff.
3. Camille Saint-Saëns - "Danse Macabre"
10:47 Oscar Fried
17:36 Vladimir Horowitz
* Fried with Berlin Philharmonic, Rec. 1928. Horowitz Rec. 1942, Arr. by Horowitz.
4. John Philip Sousa - "Stars and Stripes Forever"
25:52 Arthur Fiedler
29:15 Vladimir Horowitz
* Fiedler with Boston Pops Orchestra, Rec. 1957. Horowitz 1950, Arr. by Horowitz.
5. Aram Khachaturian - "Sabre Dance" from "Gayanne"
33:14 Aram Khachaturian
35:37 Benno Moiseiwitsch
* Khachaturian with Wiener Philharmoniker, Rec. 1962. Moiseiwitsch Rec. 1948, Arr. by Oscar Levant.
6. Modest Mussorgsky - "The Hut on Fowl's Legs (Baba Yaga)" from "Pictures at an Exhibition"
37:53 Benno Moiseiwitsch
41:21 Serge Koussevitzky
* Moiseiwitsch's Rec. 1945. Koussevitzky with Boston Symphony Orchestra, Rec. 1930, orchestrations by Maurice Ravel.
7. Claude Debussy - "Fêtes" from "Nocturnes"
44:53 Ernest Ansermet
51:11 Josef Lhevinne and Rosina Lhevinne
* Ansermet with L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Rec. 1957. Lhevinne's Rec. 1935, Arr. by Maurice Ravel.
8. Johann Strauss II - "An der schönen, blauen Donau" (The Blue Danube)
56:51 Bruno Walter
1:05:02 Josef Lhevinne
* Walter with Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Rec. 1956. Lhevinne's Rec. 1928, Arr. by Adolf Schulz-Evler.
9. Richard Wagner - "Magic Fire Music" from "Die Walkure"
1:12:03 Charles Munch
1:15:36 Josef Hofmann
* Munch with Boston Symphony Orchestra, Rec. 1957. Hofmann's Rec. 1923, Arr. by Louis Brassin.
10. Ludwig van Beethoven - The Ruins of Athens, Turkish March.
1:19:57 Wilhelm Mengelberg
1:22:33 Josef Hofmann
* Mengelberg with Concertgebouw Orchestra, Rec. 1930. Hofmann's Rec. 1937, Arr. by Anton Rubinstein.
Comparison of 5 great pianists (Rachmaninoff, Horowitz, Moiseiwitsch, Lhevinne, Hofmann) and 10 great conductors (Stokowski, Szell, Fried, Fiedler, Khachaturian, Koussevitzky, Ansermet, Bruno Walter, Munch, Mengelberg) on the same works. This is not a serious versus, of course, aim here is to show miniature orchestral character of piano :). Piano can create orchestral sound under great pianists!
Many composers and pianists have established a relationship between piano and orchestra. For example, Horowitz argues that Beethoven was like this (I agree with this view): "Beethoven wrote for the piano, but he thought orchestrally. His piano was the means to an end, and his objective was fulness of tone. He heard in the piano the string quartet, the orchestra."
For Liszt, Beethoven's spiritual heir, the relationship between orchestra and piano was more evident. In a letter he would say: "By the title of Pianoforte score I wish to indicate my intention of associating the spirit of the performer with the orchestral effects, and to render apparent, in the narrow limits of the piano, sonorous sounds and different nuances. With this in view I have frequently noted down the names of the instruments: oboe, clarinet, kettle- drums, etc., as well as the contrasts of strings and wind instruments. It would certainly be highly ridiculous to pretend that these designations suffice to transplant the magic of the orchestra to the piano; nevertheless I don't consider them superfluous. Apart from some little use they have as instruction, pianists of some intelligence may make them a help in accentuating and grouping the subjects, bringing out the chief ones, keeping the secondary ones in the background, and--in a word--regulating themselves by the standard of the orchestra."
Liszt has many such attempts. Even Hungarian Rhapsodies, Piano Sonata and Mephisto waltzes have orchestral effects.
Horowitz was influenced by orchestra in playing the piano, he said: "Some people say, 'A piano is only a piano.' But I do not feel it so. I think forte, and think 'orchestra.' I think of many instruments when I play. I do not mean that one should try to imitate, for the timbre of the piano is not the timbre of the violin nor the bassoon nor the flute. But if one thinks of the quality or the sonority of the various instruments, one is helped to play more beautifully. We have, in the piano, all registers—flute, oboe, violin, viola, clarinet, 'cello, bassoon, double bass. . ."
I put original version first, then arrangement version:
1. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - "Flight of the Bumble Bee", from "The Tale of Tsar Saltan".
00:00 Leopold Stokowski
1:21 Sergei Rachmaninoff
* Stokowski with National Philharmonic Orchestra, recording date 1976, Arr. by Stokowski. Rachmaninoff's recording date 1929, Arr. by Rachmaninoff.
2. Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy - "Scherzo" from "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
2:35 George Szell
6:47 Sergei Rachmaninoff
* Szell with Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest, Rec. 1957. Rachmaninoff rec. 1935, Arr. by Rachmaninoff.
3. Camille Saint-Saëns - "Danse Macabre"
10:47 Oscar Fried
17:36 Vladimir Horowitz
* Fried with Berlin Philharmonic, Rec. 1928. Horowitz Rec. 1942, Arr. by Horowitz.
4. John Philip Sousa - "Stars and Stripes Forever"
25:52 Arthur Fiedler
29:15 Vladimir Horowitz
* Fiedler with Boston Pops Orchestra, Rec. 1957. Horowitz 1950, Arr. by Horowitz.
5. Aram Khachaturian - "Sabre Dance" from "Gayanne"
33:14 Aram Khachaturian
35:37 Benno Moiseiwitsch
* Khachaturian with Wiener Philharmoniker, Rec. 1962. Moiseiwitsch Rec. 1948, Arr. by Oscar Levant.
6. Modest Mussorgsky - "The Hut on Fowl's Legs (Baba Yaga)" from "Pictures at an Exhibition"
37:53 Benno Moiseiwitsch
41:21 Serge Koussevitzky
* Moiseiwitsch's Rec. 1945. Koussevitzky with Boston Symphony Orchestra, Rec. 1930, orchestrations by Maurice Ravel.
7. Claude Debussy - "Fêtes" from "Nocturnes"
44:53 Ernest Ansermet
51:11 Josef Lhevinne and Rosina Lhevinne
* Ansermet with L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Rec. 1957. Lhevinne's Rec. 1935, Arr. by Maurice Ravel.
8. Johann Strauss II - "An der schönen, blauen Donau" (The Blue Danube)
56:51 Bruno Walter
1:05:02 Josef Lhevinne
* Walter with Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Rec. 1956. Lhevinne's Rec. 1928, Arr. by Adolf Schulz-Evler.
9. Richard Wagner - "Magic Fire Music" from "Die Walkure"
1:12:03 Charles Munch
1:15:36 Josef Hofmann
* Munch with Boston Symphony Orchestra, Rec. 1957. Hofmann's Rec. 1923, Arr. by Louis Brassin.
10. Ludwig van Beethoven - The Ruins of Athens, Turkish March.
1:19:57 Wilhelm Mengelberg
1:22:33 Josef Hofmann
* Mengelberg with Concertgebouw Orchestra, Rec. 1930. Hofmann's Rec. 1937, Arr. by Anton Rubinstein.
