Alfred Brendel plays Liszt Concerto No. 2 in A major

[Johannes999999999]

I am impressed by the pianist, not so much the composer.

[kgiven100]

By the way Brendel is great, his technique is perfect for him.

[TORNELLcello]

Brendel looks tired at the beginning. :)

[1Thompsonmusic]

This is NOT Liszt. And this pianist has a very weak technique.

[SuperAfc100]

@1Thompsonmusic "This Pianist" was one of the greatest of the 20th century.

[FantasyPiano317]

Great Perfomance! :)

[DickranAtamianMusic]

What a wonderful interpretation.

[darkblueangel1956]

Le interpretazioni di Brendel con Liszt hanno sempre stimolato tempeste di polemiche ! E' un modo di eseguire in cui predomina un linguaggio romantico che ha molto di Schumann e Schubert e Mendelssohn, e non tiene conto che Liszt ha anticipato molte aperture nuove, nelle tematiche, nelle tecniche del pianismo nei successivi Prokofieff, Bartok, Stravinskij, Shostakovitch, e molto del secondo periodo di Scriabin. E in fondo, certi manierismi con Liszt possono risultare fuori luogo !!!

[Spiritakis]

Brendel might have checked a little his ridiculous mannerisms!

Musically better, yet mannered too, in Brendel's typically exaggerated way. It may be sincere. All the same, I find the listening unpleasant business.

[pianoenthusiast11]

no fault of the sound file...brendel just has such an ugly sound - i never get him.

[ChaltesiaAshley]

Oh, Alfred Brendel is really one of the best pianists!!! His interpretation of Liszt is fantastic and his emotions are fantastic, too! Enjoyed this video very much! :)

[brandonscherrer]

Hes old here give him a break!

[lurgidbee]

I saw Brendel perform this piece in 1982 (with Micheal Gielen conducting.)  I remember being very impressed by Brendel's interpretation.

[lovesGenet]

Nothing endearing about his playing! Oh geese. Hear his infectious wittyHadyn.Hear his emotional solid,cleanest playing alive in the Beethoven .hear his Liszt rhapsodies and Chopin op.22. His playing has always gotten tome.Like Kempf he is always there& PERSONAL. He is strong emotions not easily ascibed too perhaps.

[choppinliszt]

how he struggles compared to Ranki or Koscis!!

[wagneristhebest]

Can anyone tell me why exactly Brendel plays the NON PRESTO cadenza on p22(edition peters) PRESTO? if not, at least attempt to offer an explanation, because i'm literally tearing my hair out here.

[quinto34]

I like other interpretation more, for Liszt he is most definately not my favorite, but Brendel is always interesting, he is a great musician and pianist with great musical insights and flawless technique.

I love his Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert

[yozyoz321]

Brendel's point of view of music is wordwide recozigned, such à michellangelli , michel bourdoncle, duchable, luisada, D. Merlet......

The tempo and "phrasé" is very important for brendel.

[chrish12345]

I haven't counted the number of disks but I think Schiff is already way ahead. Of course simply looking at the number of recordings isn't important - look at the number of disks Pogorelich has made, maybe a handful, but its the quality of the playing that counts most of all (of course).

[chrish12345]

Brendel has only recorded one Bach disk, most Schubert sonatas and the Trout Quintet, about the same amount of Haydn as Schiff , one disk of Schumann solo works plus the concerto, complete Beethoven piano works, complete Mozart concertos and only RECENTLY most of the sonatas, Brahms concertos. He did a little bit of Chopin, the Pictures at an Exhibition, Schoenberg concerto, maybe one Prokofiev concerto, a bit of Stravinsky, a few disks of Liszt.

[TovenAAA]

At 7:00 we hear the heavy metal of the day.

[obboray]

anyone who plays with there wrist below the keyboard has average technique, the point i was making is that technique is relative. horowitz in my opinion is one of the greatest players ever, but just because his technique is not straight out of a teaching manual doesn't mean he is a poor pianist.

[obboray]

how can people say Brendall has bad technique? he plays this concerto just about faultlessly when it comes to technique. Surely technique is functional, if it gets the job done there is no problem, look at horowitz, pretty average physical technique but he still had an astounding sound.

[JohnEBProductions]

You think Horowitz has average technique?

[Schamschi]

I guess that when people say Brendel has a bad technique, they refer to the fact that he is probably as tense, cramped, and uneconomic as you can be. How he still manages to hit the right notes so thoroughly is indeed a mystery to me, but for one thing, Brendel used to practice very, VERY much, and I also think that, while almost every part of his body is cramped, his fingertips aren't, so he still has control over the part of his body where the contact to the key is, but that's only a theory.

[chrish12345]

i'm not denying it but just wondered how you know he practiced so much?

[Schamschi]

Good point. I just heard it from a fellow pianist who knows a lot of such stories and facts. Indeed, I couldn't find that piece of information on the internet, but I very much doubt that he just made it up.

[chrish12345]

yes well im sure he did practice a lot, i think that added commitment is what makes the difference....

[Schamschi]

Which difference? I just wanted to point out that because he is so stiff, he needs to practice very much in order to be able to hit the right notes, much more than he would need if he were more relaxed. Also, I think that this physical stiffness is associated with mental/psychical constraint - he just can't "let go" and just play, which is probably why he is so obsessed with his idea that "feeling and intellect go together", and which inevitably shows in his playing.

[chrish12345]

1. I always think that his performances look tortured, for example his Beethoven 3rd piano concerto on youtube. Compare it to a Pollini who makes it look effortless. But what counts is the sound - he wouldn't be able to give convincing performances if it really was such an effort for him to play. You may be right about the fact that he makes it hard for himself through his posture at the piano, but I'm sure that he had simply found the way that suits him the best .

[chrish12345]

2. Compare it to the way Horowitz played. Similarly, it looks as though he is choosing to play in the most uncomfortable way possible, but surely this is just the way that suits him. Also its true that Brendel's performances are often rightly criticised for being too analyticial/constrained but I think this mostly applies to his 'middle period'. If you listen to his early and late performances they are actually much freer.

[chrish12345]

3. I think this evidence for the phenomenon having more of a psychological rather than a physical root. Your point about the sight reading could have some truth to it. He was not a natural 'progidy' like, for example Andras Schiff, who one imagines could sight read anything without much effort and who has played a lot more than Brendel did. However let us not overlook Brendel's great quality of being able to get inside the music like few others have been able to do.

[FABrendel]

"...and who has played a lot more than Brendel did". Where did you get that lie from?

If Schiff has HALF of Brendel's repertoire i would be surprised. Look up for this piece of info. where you want.

Also, that's a good comparision. A child prodigy (Andras Schiff) has nothing over Brendel, not even technique. A child prodigy is nothing, as those who dedicate their profession to INTERPRETATION (Brendel, Schiff) rely mostly on his intellectual power and musical knowledge, not sight reading.

[chrish12345]

Schiff has clearly recorded a lot more, don't forget the work he did for Decca. i think Schiff has improved a lot, and his Beethoven sonata performances I found impressive, but yes I take the point.

[FABrendel]

Look, there's no point in saying who recorded more, but, as you insist...

Go to "iclassics. c o m". There you will find all Decca-Philips group recordings from Brendel and Schiff. Brendel doubles Schiff on recordings, plus, we aren't counting what Brendel did for labels such as Box, Turnabout and Vanguard when he was young and is A LOT: Balakirev, Chopin, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, etc.

Brendel also recorded full Mozart concertos and Beethoven's complete works for piano.

[chrish12345]

Schiff has recorded the complete Bach piano works including concertos, complete Schubert piano works and chamber music with piano, complete Beethoven sonatas and concertos, Brahms and Chopin concertos and Preludes, complete Schumann piano works plus the concerto, complete Mozart piano works, Bartok concertos, Janacek solo works, lots of Haydn lots of lieder accompaniment. And he's only in his mid 50s.

[FABrendel]

This is another lie! Hitting the right notes is, by no means, bound to relaxation.

So, you need to be a corpse to hit the right notes?

To "let go" is animalistic, and we are looking for real artists "who shed some more light over the mysteries of a piece".

Of course feeling and intellect go together. You think an artist is made of feelings? Yeah, Da Vinci's heart painted the Mona Lisa. A friend told me he closed his eyes and his heart made his hand move... can't remember who said so, though.

[Schamschi]

2. You need control in your fingers, which you cannot have when you are stiff. You need to realise there's a difference between tension and stiffness. Arrau, for instance, always talked about being relaxed, and why do you think he was able to play Liszt's transcendental etudes at the age of 70 or even older? Because he practiced 6 hours a day throughout his life, waggled his lower jaw while playing and eventually got arthritis? (continued...)

[FABrendel]

I told you, Brendel's technique drastically improves (relax-wise) when needed. Have a look, for instance, at D958 part 3-2 here in youtube and you'll see.

Arthritis is an illness that no old man can escape from. What are you trying to say? That Brendel retired because of arthritis which is a consequence of his "bad technique", HA-HA!

I saw him on stage Nov. the 27th 2008 in Barcelona, his last tour. He sounded better than on cd, had perfect control and no missed notes, so?

[FABrendel]

He retired because piano isn't everything for him (60 years carreer) and let's say he is a very wise man.

Your friend is wrong! Watch Brendel's last interview, third video.

Well we'll never agree on that. "Musical intuition" is too amateurish and unprofessional, to me.

Yes, you need to be an intellectual to tell if something sounds good FROM A CLASSICAL MUSIC STANDPOINT.

You see, can you discuss relativity with a physicist? No! because you know nothing about it. What's the difference then?

[FABrendel]

That music is more popular and accessible to everyone. Therefore the amount of stupid shit being said upon piano masters. Each amateur feels powerful enough to dismiss an interp. Here is when the intellect comes and filters "the intuition, love" etc. Hence the interp. becomes something able to criticize KNOWING about the matter.

The Mona Lisa analogy means, that his creator relied mainly on his intellect and painting skills, not just emotions. Just emotion is what a 5 years old kid paints.

[Schamschi]

1. You call that relaxed? HO-HO! Well, you're probably stiff as a board yourself, so you wouldn't know the difference. LOL! And why did you point out that he didn't miss any notes in that concert? Have I not acknowledged the fact that he HAS control over the piano? Or have you not understood my comments? If so, I suggest you reread them with your focus on this particular aspect. Furthermore, I have watched Brendel's last interview and know what he says about why he retired. (continued...)

[FABrendel]

Really, if you say that in d958's video (part 3-2 from start to 0:55) he didn't change his technique, as i pointed out, has perfect digitation and played in a relaxed way, then we should stop commenting to each other as it's useless.

Every specialization is intellectual. A first class piano player is a specialist. Therefore he has to have an added element over the rest (intellect).

"Everyone can have their opinion of classical music". Shit no! Everyone can have an opinion about everything.

[FABrendel]

BUT, that doesn't make that opinion valid at all.

This means that someone who didn't study CLASSICAL MUSIC isn't entitled to have a MUSICAL and hence INTERPRETATIVE argumentation (positive or negative) over a performance. Of course that person can say, i like this and not that, but that is not the point.

Music is subjective, in a way, because it comes from a subject (the player) and goes to another (the listener). But there are parameters that make it objective. A definition is objective.

[FABrendel]

Classical Music is a definition, as well. It has "borders" and "limits" that make it be classical music and not something else.

You are failing to acknowledge there are rules. You cannot play a sport without knowing the rules, right?

To conclude, following the rules and showing less subjectivity in a piece is better from a classical music standpoint. It also happens to sound much better to me. Sounds better to you? I don't know, but your taste means nothing.

[Schamschi]

Ah, I didn't get an email of these comments, so I didn't respond to them back then. So there are objective rules about classical music? And what are these? Of course you can play a sport without rules, but it wouldn't make sense, and so people have made their own rules they can follow. But who made the rules in music? Brendel? The professors who are teaching it at a university? Or maybe God himself? If so, I would like to know them, because I must have missed them in my years of studying piano.

[Schamschi]

2. But that's not the point, I was just talking about how his stiffness makes playing the piano a harder job than if he were more relaxed. And about "you need to be an intellectual to tell if something sounds good FROM A CLASSICAL MUSIC STANDPOINT" - what's that supposed to mean? That classical music is a special "intellectual" kind of music, and that nobody who's studied it is entitled to say that they like a piece/performance or not? OMFG!!! Music is subjective! It's about (continued...)

[Schamschi]

3. feelings, you cannot learn that! You're probably one of those "show us your playing or STFU" guys. Despicable. Everyone can have their opinion of classical music, as long as they are able to listen to it (meaning to fully devote themselves to it while listening). Musical intuition is too amateurish to you? Big surprise, coming from a Brendel admirer ("without intellect, what one does is amateurish").

[Schamschi]

Ah, I see you have explained your Mona Lisa anology, good. But I'm afraid it doesn't really reflect what we're talking about. What you describe as "intellect" in the Mona Lisa example, would in piano playing be the knowledge of the keys and how they work. If you don't know the system behind the piano, you will indeed fail to play Beethoven or Liszt. But you can still have your own ideas of works by these composers, which are in no way inferior to the ones by those who can play the piano.

[Schamschi]

3. (Ah yes, if it poses such a problem for you, I can ask that friend of mine where he got the info about Brendel practicing so much anytime, no problem, not least because I'd like to know it myself)

And about intellect and feeling going together: Interpreters don't rely on intellectual power and knowledge, but on musical intuition, of which those so called "prodigies" (for want of a better word) seem to possess more than other people/children. (continued...)

[Schamschi]

4. You don't need to be an intellectual to tell if something sounds good or not. Of course, you can try to analyze music in an intellectual way, but you can't truly explain why someone thinks something sounds good or bad, also because music is subjective, and if you indeed CAN, then I'll be delighted to hear it. But maybe you can explain your Mona-Lisa-anology, because what on earth does this have to do with feeling OR intellect?

[Schamschi]

Ah yes, and it also fits the fact that Brendel is not a good sight reader (he says so himself in the Intervew "Brendel - man & mask". It's here on Youtube, he says it right at the beginning, somewhere around 0:30 of the first part)

[FABrendel]

I'm sorry but your comments are throughly ignorant and have no basis at all.

First: Brendel's technique isn't stiff. He once said "You cannot play Moonlight Sonata with a smile in your face (1st mov)". His gestures, faces, etc. is all a part of his acting. You can realize his technique drastically improves when needed.

His sound clarity and precision is a consequence of his great technique, in fact.

Second, he never was "only" a pianist and therefore he didn't practice "very very much".

[summeruv67]

Can someone please tell me the time signature on this piece and at what time the tempo changes. Please???

[mdoub]

i feel i'm entering space when i listen to this.

[tchebinai71]

looks as though he's falling asleep at the begining. so cute . peaceful face at the begining of the piece and tortured one at the end .nice .

[kajohada]

...the bare haircut is really a catastrophe ;))

[tchebinai71]

Do you prefer the conductor's teeth ????

hehe

[kajohada]

nooo....i prefer mr.brendel´s incisors LOOOOLL!!

[tchebinai71]

Please don't talk about things that may turn me on !!!!

[kajohada]

huhuhuh...hahaha.....honey,you­ re the last brendel lover i suppose!

[tchebinai71]

I wish I was .... Well no he's a bit too old . yuck !

I was sure you would laugh .

[Discerninator]

it's called , getting in the mood or trying to remember what his first notes to play were, then all of sudden you see him peer under his glasses and you can see he remembers he's at an engagement playing Liszt #2, how cool a customer is that!

[kajohada]

mr.brendel is creating a pretty good sound only for haydn,mozart and the early beethoven,all the other epochs,well....its rather disappointing,for instance he has no sound at all for the liszt concerto,because his technique generally is pretty bad!

....and besides said its a question of temperament;))

[ddrevs]

Wow, it's amazing to witness the boldness of some people: To claim that someone like Brendel has a "pretty bad" technique clearly needs some guts!

[pianoenthusiast11]

i dont think you can blame the sound on the recording here. I have yet to hear a recording of brendel that has anything nearing a beautiful tone.

[Discerninator]

what a pity your you

[kajohada]

what a pity that mr.brendels "superflous"and weird "gesticulations" are not able to create music without striking the keys.i think that would be right but unfortunately it´s not enough for him.....hahahaha.but seriously said,his technique generally is pretty bad!

[tchebinai71]

How can we make a difference between brendel's gesticulations and gould's ones.each pianist who does that (many others) really irritates me . Is it something uncontrolled or is it only "airs and graces" ???

I saw gould make ridiculous gestures only to hit one key . what does it mean ???

you, who claim to know what is good and bad, what do you think of that ???

[kajohada]

glenn goulds bewegungen am klavier sind spiegelungen der musik die er gerade spielt.sie sind organisch,nicht aufgesetzt und passen zur musik,somit wechselwirkend.brendel hingegen gebraucht seine bewegungen als suggestion,komischerweise sollen sie oft den tragenden ton suggerieren,den er nicht hat,das sostenuto nämlich,zu beobachten im späten liszt.also sind seine bewgungen nicht genuin,sondern kompensatorisch,der zuhörer unterliegt somit einer illusion,es ist sehr schwer zu beschreiben!

[pianoenthusiast11]

giovanniEMB has a point - brendel is a very technical player but that is in my view his downfall. there is no beauty of sound, he simply plays the notes - there are plenty of superfluous gesticulations but no musical emotion or beauty of phrase.  Listen to horowitz and yes at times we do hear wrong notes - but they are magical and all that he does is musical and exciting. brendel never achieves any of this. It is dry and technically polished, but there is nothing endearing about his playing.

[thegreatapologist]

How could you look at his face and deny the expression? Just because its a compressed recording so it takes more effort to feel the piece doesn't mean it is empty.

[jody1770]

@pianoenthusiast11 Dry? No emotion or beauty of phrase?! Clearly you have never sat down and listened to Brendel's Mozart Concertos. They are a thing of great beauty and Brendel's tone is second to none.

[intervalkid]

@pianoenthusiast11

I hear emotion here and beauty of phrase. On the more technical parts I hear less, but that is because he is probably not good enough technically to put emotion into those lines as much.

[thegreatapologist]

@pianoenthusiast11 I think that what you are talking about is due in part to the recording. I can detect the compression of the sound file. I bet that live, this would have been an astounding performance.

[pianoenthusiast11]

the worst pianist in the world! he has a horrid tone, and i have yet to hear him play anything that has not been surpassed 100 times by other pianists...

i just never understand why people like him.

[kajohada]

e x a c t l y!!

[finally someone who has understood:))]

[GiovanniEMB]

My answer: I like not spinach but I said not that a Restaurant with spinach à la carte is bad. For very objective facts Technique and musical level of Brendel is ok, if whe like him our not. I heve never listen a whrong thing by him at concert our at recordings. I can not said this, for example, to Weissenberg, Horowitz our Pollini but I adore them.

[kajohada]

...u never listen to a "whrong thing" by brendel,ya,thats true but u forget to add that u never listen to a right one;))

there is only one artist who deserves this attribute u mentioned--->arturo benedetti michelangeli

[tchebinai71]

for example, i've never been fan of kempff interpretations but I often listen to him because i like to hear what he suggests and then i love his character. i think people who love brendel love him strong and people who hate him, hate him strong too. i agree, the sound isn't very nice but it's the recording(?!) he can't be changing the timbre that way !!!

[GiovanniEMB]

"Some people listen to Brendel every day on computer and hate him." Hahahaha, excuse me.

[kajohada]

...very funny,i dont hate mr.brendel but i dont love how he treats the piano:((

[kajohada]

all wrong what u wrote,his technique is very bad he wants to play flowing,but he cant,the octaves,LOLL,he couldnt pass an exam with that and u will say to me that his technic is phenomenal,and therefore he plays pretty anecdotic and even amateurish.formal there is no better approach to this concerto than s.richter´s version,and harmonically he should better talk about this piece.being sincere,engaging and moving in a false way doesnt make any virtuoso.suisse people do ve special quality claims!

[GiovanniEMB]

This concert is a historical thing. Brendel understand better as any other this work. He is the only one able to master the fantastic harmonically and formal tension without sentimental and anecdotic dispersions. From beginning to end a bow taut. Others pianists make this concerto as a puzzle of (ugly) episodes. Brendel is completely sincere, engaging and moving. Technique level is phenomenal. The top. Some people listen to Brendel every day on computer and hate him.

[kajohada]

...powerless,stiff,dry,hard touching,no sound,ugly strange motions on the piano who doesnt suit to the music,no virtuoso,bad technique for liszt,weird......and so on,why didnt mr.brendel decide for himself only playing schubert,that´s the question!!!!

the only who played this concerto magnificent was s.richter and london symphonie conducting by k.kondraschin;))

[kiddylay11]

TO Z666Z666 and KAJOHADA: You two assholes, DON'T EVER make spam on this video because nobody gives a shit on your comments

[kajohada]

little a s s h o l e;))

[GiovanniEMB]

Hahahaha. I discovered this before kajohada and z666z666z. Very good Concert.