VIDEO: Kapustin Variations op.41

[sjskb]

Live performance of my favourite Kapustin piece...

Hope you guys enjoy the video.

cheers,
sjskb

[rachfan]

Hi sjskb

Bravo!  I totally enjoyed your rendition of this difficult Kapustin piece, performed at your high standard of excellence which we've all come to expect.

Kapustin consistently denies being a true jazz composer; however, I believe that he could fool all of us any day of the week.  

Also, it sounds to me as though they did some voicing work on the studio Yamaha.  It has a darker tone and is much more pleasant sounding now.  

Thanks for sharing your wonderful video.

David  

[sjskb]

Hi rachfan,

Thanks for your nice compliments. I read somewhere that, kapustin discourages pianists to add any rubato to his music. Easier said than done!

I personally view his works as unimprovised jazz, and I try my best to keep the touch as light and fleeting as I could. The other challenge is then to play his crazy rhythms as accurate as possible.

Learning his op 40 no 7 etude now. Great fun!

Cheers,
sjskb

[ted]

Very enjoyable, thanks for posting this.  I am particularly impressed by your articulation; everything is crystal clear, not a trace of blurring, and the rhythms are definite and incisive. And do you play jazz yourself ? If not then  perhaps you should think about trying it. You are still young enough to establish the habit of improvisation.

Surely this performance deserved a more enthusiastic response; the people in the front row look as if they are concentrating on something else throughout your playing. I would have had 100% eyes and ears on it.

[sjskb]

hi ted,

i feel absolutely flattered (and slightly embarrassed) when reading your comments... yes, most of the performance holds well, but certainly far from note/rhythm perfect... for eg, the last presto part is a killer..

no, i don't play jazz, mainly becoz i am not able to improvise melodies... thus, kapustin is the nearest i can get.. i do enjoy the sound of jazz though, just not able to do it myself.

haha, no comments regarding the audience in the front row... yes, their movements can be distracting at times for me. it's pretty near to the piano.

[scottmcc]

now that was a delight!  I'd not heard this piece before but it's making me want to look into kapustin a bit more.  I'd kind of written him off in the past, and probably undeservedly, but anyway, thanks for presenting this!  I don't have much to add to the detailed comments above other than to say that you've done a great job with a challenging piece.

[pianoplayjl]

Lovely! I enjoyed it much.