Copy of Swan Lake - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (8D Binaural Sound - Music Therapy)

Behold, Archie Chen's superhuman pianistic feats as he tackles Leopold Godowsky's gravity-defying reimaginings of the Chopin Etudes. Archie doesn't merely perform the Godowsky versions; he ups the ante by kicking off with the original Chopin version, leaving your jaw on the floor! The Studies unveil a pianist whose technical prowess is so mind-boggling that one could mistake Chopin's originals for child's play. Don't miss Archie's dazzling interpretation of Frederic Chopin's Etude in C major, Op. 10 No. 1, followed by Leopold Godowsky's Study No. 1 in C major.

Godowsky, a pianistic wizard of his time, shares his magical secrets with ingenious fingerings and enchantingly expressive pedaling. At first glance, some Studies, particularly those for the left hand, seem like Herculean tasks only fit for a Greek god. But fear not! Godowsky, the crafty problem-solver, has provided solutions that mere mortals can attempt. His metronome marks, often seemingly beyond human capabilities, taunt us with lofty aspirations of unattainable virtuosity, invoking the image of a pianist as a finely-tuned, unstoppable machine.

Picture this: you're a budding pianist encountering Carl Czerny's studies, which, let's be honest, are about as exciting as watching paint dry. Yet, they inspired some of the most extraordinary études of the 19th century, like those by Franz Liszt and our beloved Frederick Chopin. These works strike the perfect balance of technique, virtuosity, and refined expressiveness, much like a tightrope walker gracefully balancing between two skyscrapers.

The interwoven relationships between these composers are akin to a love triangle of musical dedications, with Liszt dedicating his 'Transcendental' Études to Czerny, Chopin dedicating his Opus 10 to Liszt, and Opus 25 to Comtesse Marie d'Agoult, Liszt's mistress. While Liszt's Études shattered records for virtuosity, his revisions often tamed the beasts, removing leaps and stretches that would make even an octopus sweat.

Chopin, in contrast, left his Études untouched after publication. Enter the annotated editions: a treasure trove of posthumous wisdom from Chopin's disciples and top interpreters. These editions offer a backstage pass to the artistry of the masters, from Ignaz Friedman to Alfred Cortot, whose notes could rival the length of a Tolstoy novel.

Take, for instance, Chopin's Étude Op. 10, No. 1 in C major, nicknamed the "Waterfall" étude. This thrilling solo piece challenges the right hand to stretch its fingers like a superhero wielding superpowers. The enchanting cascade of notes conjures images of Piranesi's dizzying staircases. Even Vladimir Horowitz, the legendary pianist, wouldn't dare perform this étude in public, dubbing it the most challenging of all.

Godowsky's Studies on Chopin's Études, a staggering set of 53 arrangements, are the Mount Everest of piano challenges. As critic Harold C. Schonberg puts it, they're "the most impossibly difficult things ever written for the piano." With several studies featuring right-hand parts shifted to the left hand, and others solely for the left hand, these Herculean tasks are not for the faint-hearted.

Join Archie Chen on this extraordinary adventure as he conquers Godowsky's Everest, scaling the heights of pianistic technique and musical artistry. Witness the impossible become possible!

Live from the Hugh Lane Gallery on August 4th, 2013 as part of the concert series of the Dublin International Piano Festival & Summer Academy. Please comment and share.

My SoundCloud Channel: https://soundcloud.com/archie-chen
Official Website: http://www.archiechen.com
Youtube DIPF https://www.youtube.com/c/PianofestivalIe
Youtube Archie https://www.youtube.com/c/ArchieChenPianist
Festival Website: http://www.pianofestival.ie
Teaching Website: http://www.pianoacademy.ie

Piano: Hamburg Steinway B
Piano Technician: Martin Walsh
Recording Engineer: Joey McDonald
Piano provided by Pianos Plus

Frédéric Chopin Etude in C major, op. 10 no. 1 plus Leopold Godowsky Study no. 1 in C major

Swan Lake - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Swan Lake Act One. No. 3. Scene (Allegro moderato) - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (8D Binaural Sound - Music Therapy)

Swan Lake Act One. Introduction (Moderato assai) - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (8D Binaural Sound - Music Therapy)

Swan Lake Act One. No. 2. Waltz (Tempo di valse) - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (8D Binaural Sound - Music Therapy)

Swan Lake Act One. No. 1. Scene (Allegro giusto) - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (8D Binaural Sound - Music Therapy)

Swan Lake Act One. No. 5. Pas de deux II. Andante - Allegro - Molto più mosso - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (8D Binaural Sound - Music Therapy)

Swan Lake Act One. No. 4. Pas de trois I. Intrada (Allegro) - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (8D Binaural Sound - Music Therapy)

Swan Lake_ Act One. No. 5. Pas de deux IV. Coda (Allegro molto vivace) - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (8D Binaural Sound - Music Therapy)

Buy/Acheter sur iTunes

J.S. Bach "Suite N. 1 In G Major, BWV 1007 - Prelude" Ophélie Gaillard, cello

🌑 The 15th Seal: Revelation in Fractured Frequencies is an invocation, a sonic apocalypse channeled through Ethereal Labyrinth’s labyrinthine machinery. It opens the gate, where silence and sound trade identities, and the world ends not with a bang, but with an infinite, trembling resonance. This is Revelation rendered in reverb a hymn for those who dare to hear what should have remained sealed.

🎧 Musical Interpretation of the Eschatonic Pulse

Opening – The Whisper Before the Rupture
The track begins like a forgotten transmission—a low, sacred hum submerged beneath static, as if decoding a signal from beyond mortality. Sub-bass murmurs crawl beneath crystalline chimes, building unease. You don’t enter the song; the song opens you.

The Unsealing – Resonant Cataclysm
The rhythm doesn’t drop; it erupts. Percussive pulses crack open the sonic crust, each hit tearing through layers of ether. Metallic textures grind like collapsing heavens. The kick feels less like a heartbeat and more like a divine hammer striking the veil between worlds.

Revelation in Decay – The Choir of Fractures
Ghost-voices shimmer behind the main rhythm—fragmented, reversed, half-human. They chant in impossible harmonies, weaving both prayer and curse. Every frequency sounds like a confession bleeding into distortion. The melody ascends, but never resolves. There is no redemption here—only unveiling.

Ritual of the Ninth Frequency – Ascension Through Dissonance
Midway, the track spirals into chaos. Beats fracture; the synths twist around themselves like serpents devouring time. You are pulled into an electronic ascension—an ecstatic disintegration. The floor beneath the sound collapses, and gravity gives up its claim.

The Eye Opens – Harmonic Collapse
The density implodes. Sound stretches thin, frequencies wail and dissolve into drone. This is the eye of the storm, a sacred stasis where you hear nothing and everything. The listener becomes witness to the unmaking—an observer at the center of revelation.

Final Seal – The Thirteenth Frequency Beyond Silence
When the rhythm returns, it’s distorted, divine, and irreversible. The percussion no longer serves tempo—it enacts judgment. Arpeggios slice through the air like scripture in code. The track ends in a burst of unresolved resonance—a door opened, never closed.

Aftermath – Echoes of the Unheard
The fadeout is not an ending but an erasure. Faint tones linger like the memory of prophecy, or the static left when gods stop speaking. The silence afterward feels heavier than sound itself.

🧠 Eschatonic Symbolism & Sonic Character

🔮 The Sound of Revelation:
Ethereal Labyrinth doesn’t compose; they prophesy. The 15th Seal breaks musical form as an act of spiritual entropy—melody used as scripture, distortion as revelation.

🕯️ Ritual Through Frequency:
Every layer feels intentional, like an initiation rite rendered in modulation. This is trance not for the club but for the catacomb—where basslines become commandments.

💀 The Collapse of Dualities:
Noise and harmony coexist until they’re indistinguishable. The 15th Seal teaches that creation and destruction are the same frequency, heard from opposite ends of eternity.

⚡ Judgment as Artform:
The production feels divine and brutal, immaculate in its ruin. This is not rebellion—it’s revelation through annihilation.

🩶 Best Used For:

Ritual scenes of divine confrontation or awakening

Cinematic sequences of apocalypse, transformation, or revelation

Story moments where knowledge is both power and punishment

Dark-ambient raves in sacred ruins or digital cathedrals

🎭 Symbolism & Final Reflection
“The 15th Seal” is Revelation rendered as rhythm. It’s the sound of the universe realizing it has a body—and choosing to tear it open. Ethereal Labyrinth doesn’t ask you to dance; they demand you bear witness.

The seal breaks, and through the crack, the infinite sings.

The 15th Seal

Songs from the Arc of Life

The Carnival of the Animals, R. 125: XIII. The Swan (Arr. for Cello and Piano)

A Trip to Prague

Symphony No. 9  Op. 95 "New World Symphony" IV. Allegro Con Fuoco

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.2 in C Minor Op.18 
II. Adagio sostenuto
By Dacorum Youth Orchestra

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No.2 in C Minor Op.18 - II. Adagio sostenuto by DYO

Swan Lake Act One. No. 1. Scene (Allegro giusto) - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (8D Binaural Sound - Music Therapy)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Related tracks