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Chopin and His Europe - Warsaw Invites the World
Celebrating its 20th anniversary the festival “Chopin and His Europe” included the thematic title “And the Rest of the World”, featuring world-renowned pianists and international and national top ensembles and orchestras. As usual the event explored Chopin's music through diverse perspectives, spanning four centuries of repertoire. Piano Street presents a selection of concerts videos including an interview with the festival’s founder, Chopin Institute’s Stanislaw Leszczynski. Read more >>

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Topic: Youtube's best piano performance? (Read 8618 times)

vertigoone

Newbie
Posts: 18

Youtube's best piano performance?

on: January 18, 2014, 07:06:20 AM

Youtube is an unrivaled musical resource that's turning the classical music world upside down. To earnest students of music, it's Julliard in your living room. Instantly, you can listen to historic or amateur performances from around the world from several different time periods. The purpose of this post is to delve into the world of Youtube a little more and, through your help, sort out the greatest performances it has to offer.

Performances must be solo piano. No piano concertos.

I am not necessarily looking for historical performances but ones that you personally feel contain the most significant statements of expression. I understand that it is impossible to include all of the variables that go into great piano playing in a single performance, so it is NOT necessary to find performances that contain as many elements as possible. Rather, I am asking for performances that you would consider a 'breath of fresh air.'

I will begin by posting three of my personal favorites.

Alfred Cortot, Etude in F Minor, Op. 25, No. 2, by Chopin

Vladimir Horowitz, Prelude in G Sharp Minor, Op. 32, No. 12, by Rachmaninoff

Glenn Gould, Rhapsody in B Minor, Op. 79, No. 1, by Brahms

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“I will seize fate by the throat; it shall certainly never wholly overcome me.”
― Ludwig van Beethoven

bharatbash

PS Silver Member
Jr. Member
Posts: 42

Re: Youtube's best piano performance?

Reply #1 on: January 18, 2014, 09:27:09 AM

Here, Since I am on a Rach mode for weeks,

Nikolai Lugansky trying some pianos and unleashing his RACH 3 skills:

Also, Lugansky stellar performance of Rachamanioff's Musical Moment 4 :

Simply Astonishing!
IMO Nikolai Lugansky is one of the best interpreters of Rachmaninoff's music. Yet he is often overlooked. Anyways,

P.S. here's James Rhodes, another British pianist with some irrestible Chopin :

Thanks!

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worov

PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 270

Re: Youtube's best piano performance?

Reply #2 on: January 18, 2014, 09:55:30 AM

Anne Queffelec playing Scarlatti :

Alicia de Larrocha playing Albeniz's Iberia :

John Browning playing Barber's sonata :

Lili Kraus playing Mozart :

Pierre-Laurent Aimard playing Messiaen :

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vertigoone

Newbie
Posts: 18

Re: Youtube's best piano performance?

Reply #3 on: January 18, 2014, 08:34:29 PM

Quote from: bharatbash on January 18, 2014, 09:27:09 AM

Here, Since I am on a Rach mode for weeks,

Nikolai Lugansky trying some pianos and unleashing his RACH 3 skills:

Also, Lugansky stellar performance of Rachamanioff's Musical Moment 4 :

Simply Astonishing!
IMO Nikolai Lugansky is one of the best interpreters of Rachmaninoff's music. Yet he is often overlooked. Anyways,

P.S. here's James Rhodes, another British pianist with some irrestible Chopin :

Thanks!

Video #1:
I was refreshed by Lugansky's economical use of the pedal. His finger work was surprisingly unblurred but legato nonetheless. At 6:45, he unleashes the necessary power for this kind of work but never loses its singing quality. Sometimes I felt that the melody fell too soft and was either broken up or nearly silent. I feel that for an intense performance the melody should usually be intense (in some way) to every one in the room. But it could be a number of things (the piano, the camera, the auditorium) and not necessarily Lugansky himself. Great performance, though!

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“I will seize fate by the throat; it shall certainly never wholly overcome me.”
― Ludwig van Beethoven

sevencircles

PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 913

Re: Youtube's best piano performance?

Reply #4 on: January 20, 2014, 07:56:49 PM

Sergej Babayan playing Ligeti.

I wonder if he could play it like this live?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JlDpRJQCY8

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tinyhands

Jr. Member
Posts: 90

Re: Youtube's best piano performance?

Reply #5 on: October 23, 2016, 10:15:14 AM

I love this video link below of Joey Alexander a self taught child Jazz pianist, he's like an old soul and plays in such a mature style what is one of the hardest jazz pieces to play. I love seeing the look of delight and awe in the music professors' faces makes me light up every time. The power of great music.

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jeffok

Jr. Member
Posts: 33

Re: Youtube's best piano performance?

Reply #6 on: October 23, 2016, 11:52:00 PM

Well, this may not be what Vertigoone had in mind but I offer it quite sincerely. It is a breath of fresh air and I found it inspiring - so much so that I tracked down a copy of the piece (Vittorio Monti's "Czardas") and learned it - adding a few tricks that I've learned from working on and listening to other Hungarian music. I gotta say though - the kid in the video (his name is Jake Clayton and he has a YouTube channel) seems to have a better lh than me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkrYodMMQhM

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minhogang

Jr. Member
Posts: 42

Re: Youtube's best piano performance?

Reply #7 on: October 24, 2016, 04:08:26 AM

There was a live performance recording of Trifonov playing all of Liszt transcendentals in Lyon but sadly it got taken down.

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