most insanely fast octaves ever recorded!!!

[stevie]

yeah its a question

prime candidates?

[liszt1022]

though I haven't heard Cziffra's own recording, I know Volodos playing Cziffra's octave arrangement of Flight of the Bumblebee almost makes me cry.

[da jake]

Orgy L-H octs in PimpSon
Ho octs in Tchaik, PimpSon (early recz)
Rectum live octs in Eroica (Berman Melodiya almost as fast, more controlled)
Dre 39/10 ?

[brewtality]

Cziffra's live heroic octaves clock in at around 25 seconds I think, very fast. Valentina Lisitsa's octaves in the same passage were very impressive.
If we're counting alt octaves (or chord RH/oct LH passages like in the bumblebee) I wanna mention Hofmann's early rondo cappriccioso and Liszt Tarantella. The latter in particular will dismiss any spurious claims that he had slow octaves.
Horowitz and Gilels in the Tchaikovsky First.
Yundi Li in La Campanella.

[practicingnow]

Try listening to a Katsaris recording where he is trying to play fast octaves - unbelievable!
Mephisto Waltz, Mazzeppa, etc.
He can play them so fast, even on a white-key (C major) scale, which is the hardest type of octave passage to play IMO - they are so fleet.

[quasimodo]

Cziffra's live heroic octaves clock in at around 25 seconds I think, very fast. Valentina Lisitsa's octaves in the same passage were very impressive.

I do agree, was about to suggest this as a contender : https://www.valentinalisitsa.com/polonaiseAflat-1.wmv

[chromatickler]

hirofumi uematsu's right hand octaves near the end of the horowitz/liszt/saint saens danse macabre.

[rob47]

Horowitz rach 3, from the vivace/cadenza 3rd mvt.  those left hand octaves wow

aslo LangLang playing the end of Hungarian rhasody 2.  I showed the vid to one of my friends who said "F***, that's like the slam dunk contest of piano"

[tompilk]

Bedrich Smetena could play the left hand notes of Revolutionary Etude in octaves. It was written in a leaflet - and yes it was hard to believe!!!
Tom

[spirithorn]

Horowitz playing his transcription of the Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodie #19.  Not THE fastest, but it'll be up there.

[pianohopper]

Horowitz rach 3, from the vivace/cadenza 3rd mvt.  those left hand octaves wow

aslo LangLang playing the end of Hungarian rhasody 2.  I showed the vid to one of my friends who said "F***, that's like the slam dunk contest of piano"

Interestingly, Horowitz does not play the fastest overall recording of the Rach3.  Rachmaninov himself played it a good 4 minutes faster.  Whirlwiind, and his octaves aren't shoddy either.  Very fast also.

Where can I see the video of Lang Lang you are referring to?

[chromatickler]

uematsu octaves, from 0'01 to 0'03

https://s33.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2D4X6E58EMQ3K1EYNI7D5Y3HJ0

[sevencircles]

I wonder what pace Smetana played it in.

I doubt that he played it very fast.

[brewtality]

I wonder what pace Smetana played it in.

I doubt that he played it very fast.

Alexander Dreyschock was famous for playing the rev in octaves. He could apparently play them up to speed but it took a lot of effort to pull it off.

uematsu octaves, from 0'01 to 0'03

https://s33.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2D4X6E58EMQ3K1EYNI7D5Y3HJ0

true

[chromatickler]

and here, uematsu's ziff bee excerpt

https://s7.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3GIL2780IP47A1HNHXJYF98PDQ

 

[rob47]

and here, uematsu's ziff bee excerpt

https://s7.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3GIL2780IP47A1HNHXJYF98PDQ

 

damn. haha the Japanese have unmatched speed.

[perfect_pitch]

That Umat ziffs... Is it just me or is that truly impossible... Either that or it is a piece for 4 hands?

The human body just isn't that quick.

[chromatickler]

That Umat ziffs... Is it just me or is that truly impossible... Either that or it is a piece for 4 hands?

The human body just isn't that quick.

it's his pleasure to prove you wrong. 

[chromatickler]

and here's a longer clip of the performance where the RH octaves came from

https://s7.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0LOJ3EXR39L3Y1O5SFC91U50X7