I wouldn't compare this guy to Horowitz - his Debussy is certainly favorable to Horowitz, in my opinion.
But huhm! I can't find any reference to this guy! Like, anywhere! Nothing on iTunes to my knowledge, and not even a Wikipedia article. I like him! Does he have any recordings?
I have another recording of David Smith playing this as probably world record speed. I also have a recording of him playing Ravel's Toccata at 160+ beats per minute!
I can tell this guy was mostly self-taught because of his fingerings. He does a lot of awkward crossing over and "finger-doubling" with his 4 and 5 in the left hand. This was more of my style until my professor worked it out of me.
i don't mean to be an ass, but does his fingering have to mean that he was self taught? i had a teacher that was most amazing and yet i still find myself using alternate fingerings. for some it may just be second nature to be unorthodox
Great technique but I'm not feeling this interpretation at all. It's like he's playing everything fortissimo. No dynamics, no subtlety. He seems to approach it more as a sport.
There is lots of dynamics in this... You are hearing the buzz of a poor recording.
If Gieseking played a pppp with an oversensitive mono mic amplified to the max and placed next to the strings of the piano, you would still hear buzz.
It would benifit you to learn how to see past those kinds of effects, because so many really great recordings (notably by Rachmaninoff and Horowitz, to name just a few) have them.
There's a difference between oversensitive mics and playing everything loud... even in old recordings (and yes I've listened to many, particularly Horowitz and Arrau), you can still hear the dynamics even if the actual volume is compressed. I just don't care for the interpretation is all, to each their own :)
@thinkpad20 this music is brilliant to fell music you need more than a common taste you must feed in the history music is telling and for that you need sensibility!
WOW. makes me wish i picked piano as an instrument to play instead of the reocorder. WHAT WAS I THINKINKG?? that guy who kept coughing was annoying beyond belief
To all of you: as to the coughing bit, you should watch the YouTube video "Loriot Hustensinfonie" (Loriot: coughing symphony). Don't worry - you don't need to understand german in order to enjoy that one. I'm sure you'll have a real good laugh!
i think he needs more change in dynamics. but, besides that, it was great! it's like my ultimate goal to play this peice before i graduate high school.
Before I saw your post I imagined the rather effeminate voice of the pianist exclaiming "oh, you might need a big lozenge in there" to explosive laughter.
what does guitar hero have to do with L'isle or this pianist ? Tonally same ff all da way thru!No hint of subltety playing for the peanut gallery .HOMIE DA malo SHEET! I think some lack of imagination the opening trills so big . JUDGEMENT ! . Like he is playing for gallery. Jesus no growth of structure. 2ndsecond subj has no water or light n it. Im sorry this is not da sheet to my mind. SamsonFrancois,Horowitz,Michelangeli anybody but this!
My Music Teacher was playing a part of this in class. I'm just now getting into Debussy. I find his pieces a lot more enjoyable than things I'm hearing than the romantic period, although that's when more various styles were coming in classical music, but this is definitely style.
This pianist is a great poet!! He understood this so lyrical piece, It,s someone like Monique Haas, Walter Giesiking or Lívia Rév playing Debussy. WONDERFUL!!!
the comments you teenagers put here r just embarrasing for yourselves.the sound quality is not reat here. thisis a fine conception.I learned something from 4:20 on so i think I better go and listen to complete performance.
What a pity the recording quality is so bad. But you can still hear what a good performance this is. I had not heard of him before. What a shame! He should be more well known.
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Yeah gay, yeah smart piano playing than you will ever know, Because your too dumb to comrephend. This takes time to learn, to memorize to teh brain. If you hcan to it and are jealous FUCK YOU! Go back to Bach you simpalton! This is modern music!
Hey man, don't go out saying crap about Bach. Without Bach's great music you wouldn't have any of what you hear here... I would like to see any of your modern music share the same mathematical and musical perfection that only Bach could achieve.
Bach is without a doubt one of the greatest musicians of all time and tasteless repetitive modern music will never compare. not saying all of it sucks it just doesn't have as much substance
the way he show off, stand up like that at the end, and the way he plays it ... I mean, i'm not for critizising since i know how hard it is to perform that kind of masterpiece correctly ... But man ... I don't know but he must be a little too proud of himself and i think it tends to be hearable in his play ...
C'est tellement pas comme ça que je veux entendre du Claude Debussy, putain !!
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amazing performance, amazing performer, amazing piece of music, i used this piece as a warm up before the hello round at a piano competition(i played a different piece) than this, it is definately worth learning, watching this performance is worthwhile for any musician.
Ignoring the minor audio problems, wonderful performance! I've always enjoyed listening to this piece, and this is the first time I've seen it performed! I can learn a lot from watching the fingers.
There's only one Rachmaninov, nobody can be compared with him.. NOBODY!! The only way to be compared is somehow on interpretation but to be treated as equal nopp!! no parallel with ANYBODY!! just play Rachmaninov and you will see what I'm talking about.
I find comparisons of his style with Horowitz's or Rubinstein's are incongruous with his style of playing; he is too unique for such dichotomies to be drawn. To each his own. I find his playing great, anyway.
interpretation is good, especially the start - the most original one i've heard. a bit slow in the bit after the intro tho. but it was a good pace, in the section after.
It sounds as if he's technically quite secure in tackling this massive ontaking, but seriously....who did the sound recording in this? Either David has no conception of distinguishing volume or some sound engineer did a pretty lack-luster job at recording this. I mean come on, it sounds as if the entirety of the piece is played fff!
I've listened to several of his videos here, and find his playing uniformly excellent. Too bad the quality of the sound reproduction is so poor, but the wonderful control and brilliant articulation he achieves coimes through along with a touching enthusiasm for the music. The world missed something very fine and deserving in its failure to recognize the spendor of David Smith's talent.
Where has this man David Smith been all these years, and why haven't we heard more from him? He has an unfortunate speaking voice, which may account for his not achieving the reputation he obviously deserved.
Smith's pianistic facility is every bit the equal of Rubinsein, Horowitz, Rachmaninoff, etc. In that regard he has few peers. Smith is an underservedly neglected pianistic genius. Dod you read what Rubinstein and Hoffmann had to say about him?
Oh sorry, i dont mean to say that hes being a jerk to say that hes like rachmaninoff etc. David smith's got more than a lifetime of talent, and im in total respect for him. But he has his very own individual talent, not horowitz's or rubenstein's.
Reputable critics have compared David Smith favorably with those great pianists and both Rubinstein and Hoffman praised him extravagantly when he was still a student of Karol Lesnewski (sp?). They both said he was destined for greatness. I find it sad that he didn't have much of a career.
Frankly...listening to this song again, I think Smith does a very good job with the piece! However, I don't think how he plays it would be considered a traditional interpretation of the piece. In general, Debussy's works are much more focused on ambiance and melodic blends rather than the virtuoso style Smith plays the piece with.
L'Isle Joyeuse is one of Debussy's most virtuosic pieces. It is said to be inspired by a painting called Embarcation pour Cythere. I believe that artist was Corot, but the subject matter of the piece has to do with Bacchanalian revels------sexual orgies accempanied by much drinking to put it more bluntly.
Because he gives the piece a much more virtuosic interpretation, people will claim that it is against Debussy's musical style, and music scholars may not like how he plays the piece... But to anyone else (even with musical backgrounds), the piece is well played and also a strikingly different interpretation of a difficult piece as compared to many other famous performers.
It is well played, but I feel that this piece requires a more delicate touch than what Smith gives it. It's all there technically, but it could be so much more if he used more volume contrast...
I'm not sure I understand you correctly? Liszt it definitely is not, and I'm glad. Liszt to me is more like someone practicing scales and arpeggios rather than music. Debussy's piece influenced every film composer in the world! It's magnificent music!
Mmmmm, i would rather say that it's a quite different aesthetics. and that the interpretation of this guy points too much on the virtuosity of the piece, which is not important at all in debussy's writing (colors and melting of tonalities are much more important). from what i ear, he has an articulation which would fit better a piece from liszt. it's not the point of which composer is the best, rather style
You give me the impression that you are not used to listen to Debussy. His music is not (usually) easy to understand at first audition, but once you "discover" it you will be in love with his work.
Hey, forget my previous comment. I guess I understood what you said. You meant that he is playing this as if it were Lizst and not Debussy. In this sense you are right. This piece is more like a feather flying in the air and not like a hammer beating on the keys.
Absolutely wonderful performance from a pianist I was unaware of. I can't understand why everyone posts such negative comments on youtube, I get the impression they just want to stroke their own egos. There is no correct way to interpret a great work of art. What great artists like Mr. Smith, Rubinstein, Horowitz ect. are able to do is make everything about their performance sound proportioned and inevitable.
Furthermore, Rachmaninoff's technique is still considered to be one of the, if not THE very, best. Mr. Gunn, though reliable, blundered at least a little in his analysis: Mr. Smith's playing was very good; Rachmaninoff's was remarkable.
Alas I must be alone on this page in not enjoying Rachmaninoff's piano playing, notwithstanding my love of his work as a composer! I have never felt Rachmaninoff gave of himself as a pianist in the way he did as a composer (perhaps it shouldn't be surprising given the different attributes needed for each). By contrast I feel David Edward Smith conveys a warmth and tremendous passion (regardless of the slips) that isn't present in most pianists' interpretations, including Rachmaninoff's.
This piece is beautifully played, and Mr. Smith quite lucidly extracts Debussy's melody and tones well. His interpretation is one of the best I've yet to hear, and, coupled with a fine technique, the piece is well depicted. A comparison to Rachmaninoff, however, is clearly controversial as one can see from the posts. Rachmaninoff had a tonality and power that elicited the utmost perfection from whatever piece he played.
i wanna download this album again in downloadmusic .im
josieradomski81 11 months ago
he is wanking the piano.
conceptual0theorist 11 months ago
best interpretation I ever heard!!! The seashore is amazing.
MyHeartsBeat 1 year ago
T_T so beautiful .. im planning to play this piece for my LRSM exam in 2011. perhaps.
justmartha 1 year ago
too long becomes obnoxious and too much not listen able just not memerable and long
MrDannyMartini90 1 year ago
A glittering coat of mirrors, not yet coated in the grey etheric tobacco snot that killed Debussy.
Alexknobsob 1 year ago
haha that ending is just pure class
cclus 1 year ago 3
Yeah! This is him, Portland's great pianist.
demosj 2 years ago
I wouldn't compare this guy to Horowitz - his Debussy is certainly favorable to Horowitz, in my opinion.
But huhm! I can't find any reference to this guy! Like, anywhere! Nothing on iTunes to my knowledge, and not even a Wikipedia article. I like him! Does he have any recordings?
BenMcCormack91 2 years ago
Lol at the ending!
OrangeSodaKing 2 years ago
I have another recording of David Smith playing this as probably world record speed. I also have a recording of him playing Ravel's Toccata at 160+ beats per minute!
OrangeSodaKing 2 years ago
WAW O.O facinating !!! really this guy is super talented !
XsweetcherrylipsX 2 years ago
I can tell this guy was mostly self-taught because of his fingerings. He does a lot of awkward crossing over and "finger-doubling" with his 4 and 5 in the left hand. This was more of my style until my professor worked it out of me.
Upum12 2 years ago
i don't mean to be an ass, but does his fingering have to mean that he was self taught? i had a teacher that was most amazing and yet i still find myself using alternate fingerings. for some it may just be second nature to be unorthodox
sparkinsons 2 years ago
you are right it has nothing to do...
tinotrivino 2 years ago
Is he died?
ahuachapan2 2 years ago
aggressive.. like it, nevertheless
acerflots 2 years ago 4
wow... he has a fast hand.. he is talent
mylove5011 2 years ago
Great technique but I'm not feeling this interpretation at all. It's like he's playing everything fortissimo. No dynamics, no subtlety. He seems to approach it more as a sport.
thinkpad20 2 years ago 8
There is lots of dynamics in this... You are hearing the buzz of a poor recording.
If Gieseking played a pppp with an oversensitive mono mic amplified to the max and placed next to the strings of the piano, you would still hear buzz.
It would benifit you to learn how to see past those kinds of effects, because so many really great recordings (notably by Rachmaninoff and Horowitz, to name just a few) have them.
telemetricsT 2 years ago 2
There's a difference between oversensitive mics and playing everything loud... even in old recordings (and yes I've listened to many, particularly Horowitz and Arrau), you can still hear the dynamics even if the actual volume is compressed. I just don't care for the interpretation is all, to each their own :)
thinkpad20 2 years ago 2
@thinkpad20 Agreed. Debussy thought the piece was extremely difficult because you must attack the piano in every way possible - his words.
djmixah 1 year ago
@thinkpad20 Wrong.
DannyWrigley 1 year ago
@thinkpad20 this music is brilliant to fell music you need more than a common taste you must feed in the history music is telling and for that you need sensibility!
mstrmilhanos 11 months ago
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not very clear
quite scary
no feelings at all
man shouln't play this piece except debussy
phoenix222ayacsi 2 years ago
Awesome i love this song
KatyCullen09 2 years ago
omg this is scary. maybe its the music or just how good he is. i think its both.
godsloved3 2 years ago 4
i want to punch that coughing guy in the face. hes buggin
godsloved3 2 years ago 3
This is AMAZINGLY beautiful!
potatokid94 2 years ago
I did not know that Truman Capote could play piano.
weissebier 2 years ago 2
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schnuddeldi 2 years ago
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schnuddeldi 2 years ago
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schnuddeldi 2 years ago
Technique is OK but stylistically not so good.
Where are colors, shadings, contrasts and
other elements so characteristic for impressionism.
zcharleshavlik 2 years ago
Bravissimo!
MarStoryTime 2 years ago
Amazing!!!
rumps83 2 years ago 2
Una verddera joya de interpretacion. Nunca habia oido hablar de este magnifico pianista.
JorPove 2 years ago 2
what an interesting left hand..it must be comfortable for him playing like that cause it sound wonderful.
darkmaides 2 years ago 4
oh em gee hes good
YayWatermelon 3 years ago
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Geez dude, shut your gay pie-hole and play already.
homerboy488 3 years ago
WOW! my words exactly! :)
jensbond1978 2 years ago
when you play like him you can say whatever u want before doing your show, so u shut up and LISTEN!
resoloser 2 years ago 2
right?
BluezBro604 2 years ago
SHIT SHIT HOLY SHIT!!! This is on the same level as Ravel fo sho. 5 stars
UnwrittenPaul 3 years ago 4
You should be a music reviewer, UnwrittenPaul, what with your sophisticated eloquence.
;-)
NVanWendy 2 years ago 2
Haha I know that not be true. But thanks none the less. Now if I could only play this piece. That would fix everything
UnwrittenPaul 2 years ago 2
wow!
e5acf4 3 years ago
his fingers move so fast!!! its amazing!
dolphinjjam 3 years ago 4
School doesn't teach manners...Euteve...
He plays too fast..
XXXX18XXXX 3 years ago
yes, the coughing is way too annoying...i would've loved to just get up and throw a cough drop at their/his head/s...
xXLiZzYtHeBeStXx 3 years ago
preferably launched with a wrist rocket(sling shot).
cobaltjones 3 years ago
yep, that would work just fine. ^^
xXLiZzYtHeBeStXx 3 years ago
This is ridiculously amazing. My brain wouldn't even be able to function if I tried to play that fast.
bibliophile190 3 years ago 4
squeaky clean trills!
jonpbody 3 years ago
hall's mentholatum anyone??????????????????
irishmom58 3 years ago
fanTAstic.
musicy88 3 years ago
What a coda!
GrandPatzer 3 years ago
I love the ending of the song
Kierstenallthetime 3 years ago
it's not a song it's a piece:)
shizznizzz 3 years ago 4
there is always one who has to be obstinate! lol
4evajohnnydepp 3 years ago
haha i was just saying:)
shizznizzz 3 years ago
that was amazing. mesmerizing even.
sexylove1918 3 years ago
This is not my favorite piece, but its still beautiful
xsingitoutx 3 years ago
WOW. makes me wish i picked piano as an instrument to play instead of the reocorder. WHAT WAS I THINKINKG?? that guy who kept coughing was annoying beyond belief
moongoddess650 3 years ago
Yes, the coughing annoyed me to no end
maybez24 3 years ago
i don't understand how people manage to cough so much like hell leave the auditorium and get some water. Stop ruining it for everyone else.
SkyandCloud 3 years ago
haha, how do they cough so much!
lelizzylu 3 years ago
let's be gratefull they don't <2 usually" fart
Yes, they should stay home or go to a rock concert...or back to school to learn manners..
eutuve 3 years ago
John Cage made a composition for them,
4' 33'' of silence, so they could cough as much they want.
vokshumana 3 years ago
To all of you: as to the coughing bit, you should watch the YouTube video "Loriot Hustensinfonie" (Loriot: coughing symphony). Don't worry - you don't need to understand german in order to enjoy that one. I'm sure you'll have a real good laugh!
12holiday12 3 years ago
I didn't find that video. Is it removed?
klvinbagoly 3 years ago
No, it's still there. There are several pages on the list of results for "Loriot" - you'll find it on the second or third page.
12holiday12 3 years ago
Actually, all you need to do is type "Loriot Hustensinfonie" into the "search" field, and you'll hit right upon it.
12holiday12 3 years ago
O_O how can ANYONE handle all that trilling?!
twilightinheritance 3 years ago
Amazing.
be1calm 3 years ago
cool. o.o
BreannRox 3 years ago
what a freakin genious
GhadeerTalks 3 years ago
"word"
aznskillx3 3 years ago
i want to kill that guy coughing
xxxbh4everxxx 3 years ago 32
@xxxbh4everxxx just do him like bugs bunny and shoot him with a revolver lol
4hm3dimr4n 1 year ago
He is so amazing! It's absolutely astonishing how good he is!! I love this song, another classic.
NoM0reUsernames 3 years ago
omg. i wish i was a virtuoso. darnit.
ClairePeine 3 years ago
wow what a fucking cool ass song!
Sshelly34213 3 years ago
Vielen dank für dieses Video! Ein exzellenter
Pianist....GRANDIOS!!!!!!!
Lissi012 3 years ago
Stunning! Overwhelming!
Thank you for posting.
jkircher314 3 years ago
I see what you mean by rapid and gracefully, reminds me of a strange kind of intricate dance that blows away the amazing sense of hearing.
MYGodisawesome 3 years ago 2
O.O
He plays so gracefully, yet rappid, it's amazing.
*continues to stare starry-eyed and jaw on the floor*
adrialisme 3 years ago 2
Truly amazing.
Someone132435 3 years ago
He's so "sweet".
homerboy488 3 years ago
hehe
wjug17 3 years ago
i think he needs more change in dynamics. but, besides that, it was great! it's like my ultimate goal to play this peice before i graduate high school.
Rockin2OurDEBUSSY 3 years ago
I like Claire de Lune & Arabesque #1 much better, but I still like this song.
haleygip 3 years ago
i know what you mean. i love both of those songs much better.
courtneychk 3 years ago
It's soothing to me too. I love it.
KatyLynn2011 3 years ago
yuo have teh j3zus fing3rz
chrisflemming 3 years ago
All other versions of this I've heard are way too fast, especially the last climactic section. It totally ruins the piece. This is the perfect tempo.
credman 3 years ago
It's good, but I don't like how he keeps switching the fingerings between hands to make it look more difficult.
adventuregamer1 3 years ago
Magnifique!!!!!! L'isle de Joyeux - Debussy Merci beaucoup. - Penny
pennymusicMAma 3 years ago
I GOT SHIVERS ALL OVER
ViVacious90 3 years ago
1981 is not vintage ^^
BazzTheBoss 3 years ago
If you go to a piano concert take a lozenge. Jesus Christ!
EverybodyPolka 3 years ago 6
Before I saw your post I imagined the rather effeminate voice of the pianist exclaiming "oh, you might need a big lozenge in there" to explosive laughter.
cobaltjones 3 years ago
what does guitar hero have to do with L'isle or this pianist ? Tonally same ff all da way thru!No hint of subltety playing for the peanut gallery .HOMIE DA malo SHEET! I think some lack of imagination the opening trills so big . JUDGEMENT ! . Like he is playing for gallery. Jesus no growth of structure. 2ndsecond subj has no water or light n it. Im sorry this is not da sheet to my mind. SamsonFrancois,Horowitz,Michelangeli anybody but this!
lovesGenet 3 years ago
WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!
I could practice this same passage for 10 years non-stop and still would not come close to this! Humbling!
HawaiianTropicZone 3 years ago
My Music Teacher was playing a part of this in class. I'm just now getting into Debussy. I find his pieces a lot more enjoyable than things I'm hearing than the romantic period, although that's when more various styles were coming in classical music, but this is definitely style.
DieVersity88 3 years ago 3
Debussy is my favorite 20th century composer. His music is so soothing to me. It also wakes my imagination!
thbeatgozon 3 years ago 4
He has great style when he plays, love it!
biggabob 3 years ago
This pianist is a great poet!! He understood this so lyrical piece, It,s someone like Monique Haas, Walter Giesiking or Lívia Rév playing Debussy. WONDERFUL!!!
bernardocarmopiano 3 years ago
la fin est merveilleuse
floorembden 3 years ago
I'd never seen this played before, having only heard it on recordings. Now I can appreciate how hard it must be to play.
Fuliginosus 3 years ago
Excellent performance...
A charming, beautiful debussy that l've seen.
tony4842001 3 years ago 2
buon esecutore....ma van halen tecnicamente nn lo vede nemmeno
bam
ceresar29 3 years ago
the comments you teenagers put here r just embarrasing for yourselves.the sound quality is not reat here. thisis a fine conception.I learned something from 4:20 on so i think I better go and listen to complete performance.
lovesGenet 3 years ago 4
this is like van halen shredding but on classical piano
spiderpig9870 3 years ago 4
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what about Guitar Hero shredding
19505555 3 years ago
guitar hero is for fags
spiderpig9870 3 years ago
I agree. I don't play Guitar Hero but it's popular right now, that's the only reason I brought it up.
19505555 3 years ago
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Guitar Hero is the shit that came from the mothershit, Dance Dance Revolution
Turtl3dz 3 years ago
What a pity the recording quality is so bad. But you can still hear what a good performance this is. I had not heard of him before. What a shame! He should be more well known.
cynic150 4 years ago
he plays it like a Lizst piece. No subtlety but he has a lot of technique, just not enough.
playgued 4 years ago 5
i can totally hear what you're saying
youllregretit 4 years ago
agreed...
porcelaina75 4 years ago
I agree with playgued.... this lacks color and adds bravura for the sake of it, not for the character in the music.
porcelaina75 4 years ago
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Yeah gay, yeah smart piano playing than you will ever know, Because your too dumb to comrephend. This takes time to learn, to memorize to teh brain. If you hcan to it and are jealous FUCK YOU! Go back to Bach you simpalton! This is modern music!
atad 4 years ago
Dont ever mock Bach again please :]
if you hate Bach..then Listen to His Mass in B minor
"Gloria en Excelsis Deo
MrCosio 4 years ago 7
Hey man, don't go out saying crap about Bach. Without Bach's great music you wouldn't have any of what you hear here... I would like to see any of your modern music share the same mathematical and musical perfection that only Bach could achieve.
Funkypotat0 3 years ago 8
Bach is without a doubt one of the greatest musicians of all time and tasteless repetitive modern music will never compare. not saying all of it sucks it just doesn't have as much substance
thexshadexalchemist 3 years ago 3
also i find it interesting that you're calling others dumb when your spelling is atrocious.
potatohead4 3 years ago
yo i think jute-w/e person is reading alil too into it, "the way he stands up" ??? w/e. tight song
Kingberzerkomode 4 years ago
this is nice, but i prefer clair de lune ^-^
thefrayfan101 4 years ago
the way he show off, stand up like that at the end, and the way he plays it ... I mean, i'm not for critizising since i know how hard it is to perform that kind of masterpiece correctly ... But man ... I don't know but he must be a little too proud of himself and i think it tends to be hearable in his play ...
C'est tellement pas comme ça que je veux entendre du Claude Debussy, putain !!
jutelahyene 4 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
kinda gay, no?
detectivesyme 4 years ago
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kinda gay, yes!
tigerchief 4 years ago
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Where do you stand in the great bullshit debate? What are your views about bullshit? Is it a significant social force? Is it an important element of modern society? Has bullshit developed in recent years? Is the quality of bullshit as high as in the 1990s? Or do you not have views? Do you need advice from a bullshit guidance expert?
TheBigBullshitDebate 4 years ago
emphatique, maniéré, des mouvements inutiles, superficiel...
nkbeach 4 years ago 3
His hands move so smoothly and effortlessly. Beautiful piece, beautiful playing.
RainMan34 4 years ago 2
well, i don't know enough to not like it
Beyondward 4 years ago
I absolutely loved it when he slammed the final chord and just stood up and walked away from the piano. :-)
googleconspiracy 4 years ago 5
I absolutely loved it when he slammed the final chord and just stood up and walked away from the piano. :-)
googleconspiracy 4 years ago
my favorite interpretation so far. he's so skilled
dudette1989 4 years ago
yes - its a good piece but I think that the performer has used for too little emotion and feeling - mainly is the first few bars.
simon1777 4 years ago
amazing performance, amazing performer, amazing piece of music, i used this piece as a warm up before the hello round at a piano competition(i played a different piece) than this, it is definately worth learning, watching this performance is worthwhile for any musician.
galaxyrainguy 4 years ago
mono, bad recording, poor video, and yet still sends shivers. Easily one of the greatest works of Dubussy when done right, and this is done well.
StevoMacG 4 years ago 3
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is that music or noise. hmm..
its ok. not as bad as rachmaninoff :)
steeleopard 4 years ago
OmG. trills....!!
wonjoo89 4 years ago
wonderful! great skill
wang77 4 years ago
Beautiful......but a bit clumsy.
alungeorge 4 years ago
Ignoring the minor audio problems, wonderful performance! I've always enjoyed listening to this piece, and this is the first time I've seen it performed! I can learn a lot from watching the fingers.
neoguy9090 4 years ago
There's only one Rachmaninov, nobody can be compared with him.. NOBODY!! The only way to be compared is somehow on interpretation but to be treated as equal nopp!! no parallel with ANYBODY!! just play Rachmaninov and you will see what I'm talking about.
poisondor 4 years ago 8
I find comparisons of his style with Horowitz's or Rubinstein's are incongruous with his style of playing; he is too unique for such dichotomies to be drawn. To each his own. I find his playing great, anyway.
xiangyik 4 years ago 2
interpretation is good, especially the start - the most original one i've heard. a bit slow in the bit after the intro tho. but it was a good pace, in the section after.
13243546abcdef 4 years ago 2
Excellent piece, I found free sheet music for it on SheetMusicFox DOT com and absolutely love it!
ninaboyarsky 4 years ago
It sounds as if he's technically quite secure in tackling this massive ontaking, but seriously....who did the sound recording in this? Either David has no conception of distinguishing volume or some sound engineer did a pretty lack-luster job at recording this. I mean come on, it sounds as if the entirety of the piece is played fff!
ajwiebe 4 years ago
watch Patricio Molina 's videos
chilean100 4 years ago
I've listened to several of his videos here, and find his playing uniformly excellent. Too bad the quality of the sound reproduction is so poor, but the wonderful control and brilliant articulation he achieves coimes through along with a touching enthusiasm for the music. The world missed something very fine and deserving in its failure to recognize the spendor of David Smith's talent.
Miecyslaw 4 years ago
Where has this man David Smith been all these years, and why haven't we heard more from him? He has an unfortunate speaking voice, which may account for his not achieving the reputation he obviously deserved.
Miecyslaw 4 years ago
i do think this is a bit harsh for this piece..
i hope david smith denies whoever calls him a rachmaninoff or horowitz, because they were probably conked on the head before saying that.
p1ano 4 years ago
Smith's pianistic facility is every bit the equal of Rubinsein, Horowitz, Rachmaninoff, etc. In that regard he has few peers. Smith is an underservedly neglected pianistic genius. Dod you read what Rubinstein and Hoffmann had to say about him?
Miecyslaw 4 years ago
Oh sorry, i dont mean to say that hes being a jerk to say that hes like rachmaninoff etc. David smith's got more than a lifetime of talent, and im in total respect for him. But he has his very own individual talent, not horowitz's or rubenstein's.
p1ano 4 years ago
Reputable critics have compared David Smith favorably with those great pianists and both Rubinstein and Hoffman praised him extravagantly when he was still a student of Karol Lesnewski (sp?). They both said he was destined for greatness. I find it sad that he didn't have much of a career.
Miecyslaw 4 years ago 2
This is not blogging site.
wojo42 4 years ago
???
AtlastheTitan 4 years ago
Frankly...listening to this song again, I think Smith does a very good job with the piece! However, I don't think how he plays it would be considered a traditional interpretation of the piece. In general, Debussy's works are much more focused on ambiance and melodic blends rather than the virtuoso style Smith plays the piece with.
AtlastheTitan 4 years ago
L'Isle Joyeuse is one of Debussy's most virtuosic pieces. It is said to be inspired by a painting called Embarcation pour Cythere. I believe that artist was Corot, but the subject matter of the piece has to do with Bacchanalian revels------sexual orgies accempanied by much drinking to put it more bluntly.
Miecyslaw 4 years ago
Because he gives the piece a much more virtuosic interpretation, people will claim that it is against Debussy's musical style, and music scholars may not like how he plays the piece... But to anyone else (even with musical backgrounds), the piece is well played and also a strikingly different interpretation of a difficult piece as compared to many other famous performers.
AtlastheTitan 4 years ago
It is well played, but I feel that this piece requires a more delicate touch than what Smith gives it. It's all there technically, but it could be so much more if he used more volume contrast...
AtlastheTitan 4 years ago
madex99, i bet u suck :p
aslkbv1534 4 years ago
a girl played this piece at a piano-competition and because of her performance i didn't win. what to say - i hate this work^^
salamander156 4 years ago
sorry but it's not liszt, it's debussy: where is the music? it sound's like gymnastic not like music.
ririkuku 4 years ago
I'm not sure I understand you correctly? Liszt it definitely is not, and I'm glad. Liszt to me is more like someone practicing scales and arpeggios rather than music. Debussy's piece influenced every film composer in the world! It's magnificent music!
VladtheEmailer 4 years ago
Mmmmm, i would rather say that it's a quite different aesthetics. and that the interpretation of this guy points too much on the virtuosity of the piece, which is not important at all in debussy's writing (colors and melting of tonalities are much more important). from what i ear, he has an articulation which would fit better a piece from liszt. it's not the point of which composer is the best, rather style
ririkuku 4 years ago
You give me the impression that you are not used to listen to Debussy. His music is not (usually) easy to understand at first audition, but once you "discover" it you will be in love with his work.
esojbar 4 years ago
Hey, forget my previous comment. I guess I understood what you said. You meant that he is playing this as if it were Lizst and not Debussy. In this sense you are right. This piece is more like a feather flying in the air and not like a hammer beating on the keys.
esojbar 4 years ago
Pfft! I could play this with my toes!
madex99 4 years ago
omfg o_o
ionhollfman 4 years ago
Absolutely wonderful performance from a pianist I was unaware of. I can't understand why everyone posts such negative comments on youtube, I get the impression they just want to stroke their own egos. There is no correct way to interpret a great work of art. What great artists like Mr. Smith, Rubinstein, Horowitz ect. are able to do is make everything about their performance sound proportioned and inevitable.
bsmusicd 4 years ago
Furthermore, Rachmaninoff's technique is still considered to be one of the, if not THE very, best. Mr. Gunn, though reliable, blundered at least a little in his analysis: Mr. Smith's playing was very good; Rachmaninoff's was remarkable.
pentium1000 4 years ago
Alas I must be alone on this page in not enjoying Rachmaninoff's piano playing, notwithstanding my love of his work as a composer! I have never felt Rachmaninoff gave of himself as a pianist in the way he did as a composer (perhaps it shouldn't be surprising given the different attributes needed for each). By contrast I feel David Edward Smith conveys a warmth and tremendous passion (regardless of the slips) that isn't present in most pianists' interpretations, including Rachmaninoff's.
Reynartthefox 4 years ago
This piece is beautifully played, and Mr. Smith quite lucidly extracts Debussy's melody and tones well. His interpretation is one of the best I've yet to hear, and, coupled with a fine technique, the piece is well depicted. A comparison to Rachmaninoff, however, is clearly controversial as one can see from the posts. Rachmaninoff had a tonality and power that elicited the utmost perfection from whatever piece he played.
pentium1000 4 years ago