Just saw Brendel's last concert in Montreal.

[thierry13]

Well as many of you know Brendel announced he was retiring, and was doing one last world tour. He came in montreal to play with the Montreal symphony orchestra. The program began with a piece by a quebecker composer, Denis Boulyane, with a piece called Le sexe des anges, for orchestra + solist bass clarinet. Then Brendel came in to play the 3rd Beethoven concerto! This guy is simply amazing and I have to admit I REALLY do not see how anybody can call him "brendull". This guy kicked off the harder passages in "little notes" with an amazing speed, clarity, and even beauty of phrasing! I mean this interpretation was definitely a very touching and exciting one. I think he made 1 or 2 wrong notes and that's it(not even in the hardest passages ...). I went to see him backstage and he signed my copy of his CD where he plays Liszt's sonata, totentanz ,concerto no.2 and vallée d'obermann, coupled with schumann's fantasy in C and Kreisleriana. There was a huge line of people waiting to see him so all I could say was congratulations mr. Brendel haha. Anyways, the concert ended with Berlioz's symphonie fantastique after the intermission, so it was quite a memorable concert! If he comes near your town, I definitely recommend to buy a ticket and go see this amazing pianist, this is the last occasion you will have to see him!

[Petter]

Brendel is to classical what Mcdonald's is to great restaurants. It's trash and will allways be even if lots of people like it.

[thierry13]

That's the exact kind of infinitely dumb answer I was expecting from you. The fact is that Brendel is NOT liked by a lot of people : I heard lots of bad criticism everywhere, on youtube as well as on this forum. Your reply was pointless and senseless.

[Petter]

Still YOU answered to IT.

[Kassaa]

Brendel does to me what Schumann does to Thalbergmad.

[thierry13]

Still YOU answered to IT.

And your answered my answer ... what's your point? I can't see why I shouldn't reply on your reply to me, wich you replied by the fact that I answered it? Wow, you REALLY have nothing to say dude, and that in itself says alot.

[Petter]

no u

[tompilk]

i just got tickets for one of his performances, even if it is only for his Schubert Bb...

[thalbergmad]

Brendel does to me what Schumann does to Thalbergmad.

Poss, but i am wondering if i should buy tickets to hear him play at the Chipping Camden festival.

Thal

[thalbergmad]

That's the exact kind of infinitely dumb answer I was expecting from you. The fact is that Brendel is NOT liked by a lot of people : I heard lots of bad criticism everywhere, on youtube as well as on this forum. Your reply was pointless and senseless.

How about Brendel plays Jazz?

Would you like that?

Thal

[franzliszt2]

Brendel is an amazing musician, and he is a fantastic pianist. I have seen him, and he is a very deep musician from what I heard.

Why do you not like him petter? Why does he bore you?

[ahinton]

I would like to see some of this "brendull" stuff put into some better kind of perspective. I also find far too much of his playing insufficiently engaging, yet there can surely be no denying that he is a profoundly intelligent and perceptive writer on music and other matters who is more than capable of engaging and maintaining our attention. Even in his "dullness" as a performer he could on occasion be interesting; I have an LP recording of him playing Busoni's Fantasia Contrappuntistica and to perform this work in a more or less consistently boring manner is surely quite a remarkable achievement in itself - yet he did it at the age of around 18, obviously believed in the piece and had the courage to present it as a young man at a time when few pianists of any age played it at all (and, let's face it, the piece is the very opposite of a walk in the park for the pianist!).

Best,

Alistair

[gerry]

It's not too difficult to discern that there are posters on this forum who like to make inane judgments just for shock value with no point other than to get a rise (which they seem to be able to do with success). The pattern seems to be to post something outrageous then sit back and take a perverse delight in the responses of those who take them seriously. They often take the form of a clever-sounding but sarcastic put-down of a successful performer that impresses their peers so they mindlessly repeat it. A simple challenge to them to substantiate their opinions,with some degree of intelligence should be sufficient--you'll notice there will seldom be an adequate response--after which they should be relegated to a trashbin labeled "ignorables".

[cygnusdei]

Don't they have a saying ... something like ... don't feed the trolls? 

[dan101]

Brendel is one of those amazing, world class artists that just keeps growing in depth and understanding. I last saw him live nearly two decades ago, but I have a number of his recordings.

[thierry13]

How about Brendel plays Jazz?

Would you like that?

Thal

The fact is that Brendel is a profound and very intelligent performer, and CONSEQUENTLY he would not play jazz 

[gerry]

RE: The subject of jazz (albeit perhaps a different form than some have in mind)

Years ago at a nightclub in LA I heard Michel Legrand improvise a brilliant set on piano where he began with his theme from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and took the audience on a magnificent 20-minute "trip" journeying farther and farther away from the basic theme but still maintaining enough harmonic connection to hold the whole together--in the end, he gracefully returned us to the "ground" by returning to the original theme. To this day, I see very little difference between that experience and listening to a well-played Godowsky concert paraphrase on an opera theme or the like. While there are some aspects of jazz that are, at worst, self-indulgent and aimless, I also think there are some higher aspects that share characteristics with what we call "classical" music.

It may be that, as some opine, discussion regarding jazz doesn't belong on this forum, but I feel that the spontaneous ability to improvise creatively, shedding light on previously unrealized aspects of well-known popular themes and thereby enhancing our appreciation of them is a magnificent intellectual endeavor and a rewarding experience for the listener. While some of the best of these musicians didn't have the opportunity to undergo the classical technical training necessary to play a Ravel Gaspard, it's nonetheless apparent that the intricate workings of their brains are quite able to guide their hands in strange and wonderful ways.

[Petter]

Forgive me my impertinence. Just fed up with the original poster of this thread. If Brendel was to play in my town I would certainly watch it.

[michel dvorsky]

His playing left a Brendelible impression on me.