KEMAL GEKIC plays La Campanella S.141 by Liszt

[Marc1414]

I met him last night!!!!

[junxtionbox]

It's the best version.. :*

[DICACIO1]

hell with y'all...this was exciting liveness! my 3 amigos = Kissin, Y-Li and Gekic

female goddesses = Valentina, Alicia de Larrocha and Ingrid Hemming ;)

[kasyapa]

fun alterations and passion throughout.

[MikenoTamami]

No one can play like Gekic even in future. The best La Campanella!

[FirstPublicChannel]

with that hair he look like a real liszt

[MsTallBlond]

AMAZING!! PERFECT!! Liszt incarnated! Such Passion and Intensity And he looks like he's having fun! This is how piano should be played!

[Venustsang1]

I love his improvisation at 3:57 .

It is very beautiful!

[ABigOneLikeDaddys]

When Hairy Met Sally.

[HeySlowPokes]

@1212surface

Samson to I suppose.

Delightful music !

Cheers.

from,

del-boy.

[chamade216]

This is incredible. No chaseing, just perfect, very lisztian to me. fool proof!

[sirzoro]

15 people have no hair

[canmoscow]

@sirzoro :) i have no hair but he is still great !!!

[FishGush]

this is first class piano playing.. wow

[junxtionbox]

The Best one, I've ever heard... Glamorous...

[matthewhung212]

I think this is an wonderful performance. He did very good~~~~~~

[HeySlowPokes]

Get a haircut !

[Adler900]

I'm trying to self teach myself this piece after four and a half years of piano....now that i see this i might just GIVE UP. This deserves a billion views cause you don't realise how hard this is until you try it...he makes it look easy but it is a pain on the fingers at times, requires determination and bags of skill.. gekic has it all....

[Piglet0123456789]

@Adler900 altho i have to admit that this is a very hard piece to play (i myself dont noe how to play it), I dont think you shud be "taunted" by Gekic's playing and give up.

[xfraq]

tu si tas cabreras estas bien loco

[kasyapa]

more interesting creativity and one of the bigger sounds this piece has ever gotten.

[catgirl999yt]

OMG i have been playing piano for 3 years and I can never ever play like that, I mean if you watch his fingers constantly, it is impossible to imagine , and especially at the end!

[ssimoessim]

bravo!

[jacoman1234567]

He made some awesome additions to the song, BRAVO!

[sonicsyndicate1111]

The only word for this pianist is Genius.

[linezero3]

Your by FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA­AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA­AAAR the best La campanella player ever!!! Wow i've also noticed the last part was a bit different, as if one tone echoes behind another one!! Impressive dude!!!! How come ther is only few videos of you playing??????

[PIanoReview]

For those wondering about the improvising, this is a very common practice for great Liszt pianists ranging from Horowitz to Cziffra and now on to Gekic. It's a wonderful way for a virtuoso pianist to be creative and add a little something to a showpiece. And for the purists, even they must respect that Liszt was the type of pianist who would do this to other composers music - so now it comes fuill circle to his own music.

[PIanoReview]

A very nice performance, not rushed and in great taste. For those who prefer more of a daredevil approach, Gavrilov's is hard to beat. But no question this is an extremely fine performance here.

[enjoyjoyjoyfully]

so creative!

[parapluiesdechebourg]

Hasn't he improvised in some places?

It sounds so different from any other performance I've heard.

Are there multiple compositions?

[xiaoqiaozhugeliang]

different version?

[RFanatic730]

Bravo!!!!! I like this rendition even better than Claudio Arrau's...

[anemonejins]

Interesting! :D

[salamence47]

the piece is really difficult and full of technicality

but then, as he plays the piece... It is just simple and easy for him to play.

:P

[egitnyc]

How FUCKING obnoxious is that ad bubble over the video?! Youtube, BOO! I can't watch the video without a bubble saying "Dear youtube viewer...." BOOO!!!

Kemal... sorry. Your playing is great. I just can't watch the video with that obnoxiousness obscuring your playing Bye.

[sonicsyndicate1111]

Same here, man :D

[nx2000]

well turn it off with the button on the lower right of the vid

[xXNickPXx]

You can turn off annotations, you know.

[demosj]

Definitely worth listening to. I dislike the way he kills the rhythm at 4:10 though. It's a creative performance, but slightly eccentric.

[kirishimaboo]

この､ﾗ･ｶﾝﾊﾟﾈﾗ はオリジナルっぽくアレンジって言うか､タッチが多いですよね(­*^o^)／＼(^-^*)なんか､好きだなぁ〜

[Zoaguyver]

his hand technique is similar to horowitz

[rva25]

this is not best campanella, but it/s interesting.

[arsencarkic]

Simply perfect! Probably the way that Liszt played the piece....

[TomOwen77]

Agreed. Fluid thought and controlled fingers. In my head this is how Liszt himself would have spun it.

[BoratBrother]

But having said that Gekic is a genius! He takes artistic liberty to a level which is redefined,,,

[BoratBrother]

unorthodox yet mind blowing...listen to Andrea Lucchesini's version which I have posted on youtube..he recorded it when he was only 19 yet what finesse and maturity!

[MoonMankkkkkk]

No, they don't play it with wrong notes. Rubinstein makes only one mistakes, but along with Gyorgy keep a consistent tempo and properly hammers the end of the piece.

[MoonMankkkkkk]

Um... no it isn't. Again, at least Gyorgy and Rubinstein know how to hammer chords and octaves and don't insert unneeded cadenzas. His tempo is a bit uneven, also.

[yelvaberry]

No, it isn't. Both Gyorgy and Rubinstein have better tone color and tempo.

[yelvaberry]

Gyorgy and Rubinstein all the way.

[yeelic]

this one comes with some crazyness, very good one indeed. This one makes me high.

[gonzal0999]

mucho mejor q kissin...de lejos..

[frenchmusician12]

totally crazy. wow

[NOSEhow2LIV]

Very interesting & enjoyable to hear at least once.The variants are fun,altho,as ever,the plus or minus from the original is debatable.What leaves me a bit empty is the "applied" technicality and "ideas" rather than spontaneous musicality & daring.This can be the disadvantage of studio-made DVDs.

[88Woland]

Hi Paul//I am glad you liked it a bit

[WillCathers]

Wow, I like Yundi Li's performance more, but this interpretation was very intriguing. I enjoyed the variation Gekic put into this, I haven't heard anything like it before.

[Attila19101960]

mamma che fenomeno!!! però è meglio KISSIN

[stienwayz]

he plays that 3-octave RH part insane!!!

One of my favorite performances!!

[musicolorhythm]

Kissin is one of the most powerful and inspired players of history. No doubt. But what Kemal Gekic does with La Campanella absolutely amazing, he plays with great power and fierce, with beautiful expression and absolute clarity.

[gipfeli]

good, better, best... relative words in music... but you can't deny this is one of the "best" ones, too, right?

[ssyynntax]

@gipfeli Aye, Alice Sare Ott has the ease, Kissin has the technique, Yundi Li has the beautiful sound, but Gekic has it all. 10/10

[mordent17]

Every interpretation of his is a real discovery!

[bquarante]

~hey boys~

[gyseegy]

its just my opinion but i don't appreciate much his version...,but he has great musicality and technique! bravo~!

[liszt80]

He is amazing, truly, 5 stars.

But the variations made in this piece, IMHO, are not so beauty than Liszt's original ideas. Liszt used to add notes or change the original score, actually to improve the piece, not to impoverish it. La campanella (and Liszt's music in general) is just so rich and virtuoso that we really don't need to add notes). Busoni, Cziffra, Horowitz, Wild and so on, adding and changing notes, make his music worst.

[michieldpiano]

This is boring

[FutureAbe]

great! very interesting version 5/5

[rankfrankrank]

Powerful

[Rohit0406]

sounds like a jet engine

[GetMeThere1]

koizumiyakumo, you're such an idiot--and you repeatedly express the same idiotic idea on almost every youtube piano solo video.

You seem to believe that music is a game, where the object is to play exactly the written score--and anything else is an error, an abomination.

Why no just create your own MIDIs of precisely the correct notes--then you won't have to bother watching youtube anymore??

[notteee]

In my opinion he is the best playing this song!

[impathesheikah]

wow, talk about technic

incredible

[Arcolithe]

It can no longer be called liszt's campanella, but rather, gekic's campanella. Yes, music, including the score, is very open to interpretation and therefore many of the performers idea can be imposed on it, but within this, the composers original intent must be present, and felt by the audience at all times. This performances completely lacks this aspect of a good interpretation.

[Arcolithe]

fernography is correct that art is completely relative. However, this does not excuse this performance, for the pianist goes far beyond the limitations of the music.

[fernography]

Music as any other art, is totally relative. Depends on each individual person. I love how he puts some of his own here. Im sure not even Liszt played his pieces the same way over and over and over, for me, it would be patetic. If I would want to listen it exactly how it was written, I'd buy a CD and play over and over until dead. But, its valid that you dont like it, but that doesnt mean its wrong, is it? Not you nor me have the absolute true.

[fernography]

Can you do it better? Show us please.

[patrickytting]

Nice additions I think, guess they're his own little tweaks. Anyway, busoni did a different version and so did Ignaz Friedman. I also recommend Cziffra's rendition highly, its astounding, it's on youtube, just audio. Checkitout.

[stradavarius]

did not enjoy this one.

[jmsofia]

total train wreck. bad tempi, not following the dynamic markings in the score, and making up whole sections (WTF is this shit at 1:44??!) bad chromatic work at 2:20. weird stuff at 3:17. then plays p when should be sf and then the reverse. and the coda totally breaks tempo. terrible.

[PaulTergeist314]

I'm not sure why you're analyzing this piece as you are. Perhaps his technique and style is a bit different than you prefer, but please realize that he is generally considered the best Liszt performer in the world to date. Also realize that Kemal enjoys finding transcriptions of pieces. Are you sure that you're looking at the same score that he used? I'll grant you that this recording is not the best he has made, but does it deserve such scorn?

[jmsofia]

"generally considered the best Liszt performer in the world to date"?? could you provide some references to support that statement? i would be interested to read them, especially if they are by music critics.

[PaulTergeist314]

Granted this is taken directly from his website (so the quotes are filtered), but the Boston Globe quote is rather indicative...

"the most talented pianist since Horowitz"

Boston Globe

"One of those phenomenal few in any generation born to play - a 'piano centaur' as it was said of Liszt"

Adrian Corleonis, Fanfare, USA

Check out his website to read some reviews: kemalgekic(dot)info You can also check out the publishers if you are so inclined.

[mastrovito88]

yeah man, you have got to chill out. If you criticized Gekic this bad, I wonder what you said about Yundi Li and Evgeny Kissin. In my opinion, Kemal plays this piece the best.

[mathias4545]

Kemal the best

[mathias4545]

Unleash the beast

[unalegeli]

harikasınız

[agt200]

Amazingly great!!!... Nothing more to say.

[SirMuco]

this is absolutely amazing. look at his hands. omg.

[Supanova7G]

Excellent. I dislike the piano though, it rather spoils the performance approaching the end.

[indokinawa]

i dont know this version, its the first or second version of la campanella of liszt ? i love  particulary the part at 3:56.

quelle est cette version ?

[nico22059]

lol, yundi li sucks

[nico22059]

a great piano player. Almost won chopin competition

[mastrovito88]

Maybe...just maybe...it isnt a mistake

[courtmcl]

just kidding. ;) but he IS the best!

[guboub]

Yes, I like it! One of my favorite version of the Campanella on Youtube.

You often see pianist who make a good job in this piece but that look to be working sooo hard to make it. He is on top of things, and that's what I want to see when I look at a pianist: someone who is enjoying himself, not being afraid of not being able to put it together...

[mastrovito88]

He recently performed at Florida International University with the FIU symphony Orchestra, and I saw him. He played Piano Concerto No.2 in G major by Tchaikovsky. He was insanely fast yet with incredible dynamics. He is a genius and he got a near 10 minute applause in which he exited and re-entered 3 times. On the last time he sat back down on the piano and played an encore by himself.

[billabongxv]

Wonderful! But is he a nice person?

[vzv06101]

Yes, the Genius is so kind a gentleman. He is one of the most sophisticated and generous artist whom I have ever met.

[mastrovito88]

Yeah he's a cool guy, i only talked to him once but he's a chill guy.

[vzv06101]

Do you have a tape of the performance?

[mastrovito88]

He is artist in resident at my school...hehe i see him everyday...anybody jealous?

[nightblade37]

Damn u >> ;p

[billabongxv]

I am jealous....is he nice?

[mastrovito88]

yeah he's super chill and a good teacher I hear. (im a classical guitar player so I wouldn't know)

[courtmcl]

i'm insanely jealous

[courtmcl]

of mastrovito.. he's at your university for real?

[mastrovito88]

yeah he is

[ugnex3]

What school?!

[mastrovito88]

FIU

[TheUnfan4222]

I must agree with billablong on this one, and I will politely say shut the fuck up : )

[billabongxv]

yundi li as a pianist and musician can not untie the shoes of this man. Highflowdrummer, better stick to your drumming and don't mess with things you don't understand

[nightblade37]

You got that rite.

[nightblade37]

He does look like Liszt dont u think?? heheh Technically and appearance.

[mordent17]

I know! towards the end he looks just like him.

[nightblade37]

I totally agree with you. Simply amazing. Techinically and musically. Kemal Gekic is also one of the few who played Liszt's crazy transciption on William Tell Overture. What a genius.

[TheUnfan4222]

too fast on La Campanella? there's a first.....

[88Woland]

Starting from brisk tempo(while many others enjoy nocturne-like slack pace),continuing with new cadezas, imaginative pedalling and ending in transforming the last occurence of the main theme into a canonic display, this is a paragon of creativity in this piece,of which I have yet to find equal on Youtube or elsewhere.If you are aware of it, please let me know. By the way, I commend your good taste regarding Busoni, and completely agree on Kissin and Li

[busylifemeto]

I could never confess to have an understanding of music that you obviously posess. I can only relate to your comment that this piece is a paragon of creatitity. I have heard La Campanella plyed countless times but Gekic adds some magic particularly from 3:58 I have NEVER heard expressed as briliantly

[TheUnfan4222]

88Woland = way too smart....

[88Woland]

Dear smithsherman,I have the highest esteem for Busoni. Unfortunately, we can not take the piano roll a a representative sample of his musicianship for variety of reasons. As displayed on the roll, Busoni's contribution lies in a deduction from the printed score( actually, some of the most difficult parts are omitted), while Gekic version is based on addition of new effects.

[88Woland]

The most creative Campanella

[JACZERO5]

sii en 3:57 hace un canon con una mano dios es increible

[JACZERO5]

oohhh en el final hace en una mano el tema prencipal y el segundo al mismo tiempo dios eso es ina concentracion, independencia de dedos, y articulacion increible, bravissisiisiimo

[JACZERO5]

me dejo sin palabras, es la mejor interpretacion que he escuchado!!!

[eribani]

damn can't believe i didn't see this easier. the final theme addition is sweet. great effects too

[blueyoyi]

I would love to play like this ...

maybe on my 13th Bday!!!!

[morbongonsales]

kemalgekicdotinfohashmaindotht­m

[NeoComposer]

Ha, he's the splitting image of Franz Liszt.

[Hellpiano]

bravissimo! questa e la migliore esecuzione della campanella che abbia mai udito

[Soltan1988]

sin duda la mejor interpretación que he visto!! simplemente magnifico!!!

[LisztForLife]

This is without doubt the best performance of La Campanella I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. This beats all the others, kissin, yundi li, everyone.

Gekic is a true virtuoso and lives up to the term by adding his own interpretations of the piece into the performance. BRAVO!

[spanky225sn]

he added a whole bunch of notes everywhere in this piece. weird coda....i don't know......

[TheCrazyHairPianist]

This is by far the best version of La Campanella that I've heard on Youtube. This is so powerful it's amazing.

[RustyRagnarok]

wicked version, i like

[mykezs]

Oh man... the piano was leaping... Anyone else familiar with the piece? it seemed like he added some notes on the chords before the finale... I dont know...

[xXNickPXx]

Wha........ Wha.......

[RustyRagnarok]

Amazing.

[SpinDoctor101]

The man has quite obviously sold his soul to the devil... I can't even begin to imagine a better performance. In the finale, the piano appears to be leaping from the floor from the power of his playing.

[aaabbbccc5]

I would enjoy to hear the MephistoWalz No. 2 from him......but i have extremly clear to say....this is good

[johnnyztells]

Gekic is one of the best for La Campanella, IMO, the other was Arthur Fredheim an actual Liszt pupil.

[fuuinOrochi]

poo poo on lang lang

[orjus]

he does not amaze as much as delight ,which is a lot better -a brain at work --a certain Mr . Li could learn

a lot from this ......

[Soltan1988]

wonderful!! that was very impresive, have the touch of a genius!! awesome

[allegrissimo]

In my opinion, this performance is beyond criticism! So creative, diabolic and colourful! BRAVO!!

[totalblissandri]

doesn't it look like his hands are floating?!

[FlyBoy7X7]

I've never heard it played this way - it was really wonderful; I think Liszt would approve!

[JohnDaArtist]

if only he didnt rush out of tempo. excellent!

[hugleberthumperdink]

thats just a tad amazing.

[yerko77]

fantastic sound and impresionant technique. Very good nose also...

[17jf17]

wonderful technique, although I think he plays the theme too fast.

[dlg111]

wow what a performance and what a cadenza

[Mattyb2001uk]

This guy is amazing. His accuracy is unbelievable when he does bug jumps and he can get so much power from such little effort. Hope to so more of this guy. 5 Stars!

[billabongxv]

Marcelmoombek, Cziffra was a great virtuoso, somewhat underappreciated today.He probably deserves more . The problem is, he could never get such a sound out of the piano as this guy does

[rusz]

the best interpretation ever!

unique hand posture, but marvellous playing!

why i never hear anything about him in asia?

he should come to asia to perform especially malaysia.

[billabongxv]

Rusz, I agree this is the best interpretation of all.He tours Japan twice every (!)year as far as I know,because he is a huge name there, but rarely performs in China and Malaysia, although occasionally he visits S.Korea and Taiwan

[rida1990]

Does anyone know where to get the notes from???

[vzv06101]

Wellcome,Mr.Marcel. Of course you are a famous Cziffra fan in EU.

[kukusso]

The best version by far.

[dsamogray]

kissin is still the best imo

[harriter88]

This guy First.Earl Wild 2nd-up for grabs after that.Sorry Yundi don't own it nor do Kissin.This guy does.

[LousyPianist]

one of the best performances of this piece

[seahyimin]

the only change i like is the last time the theme comes in and he makes some kind of cannonic fugue thing.

[lisztiano]

Ohhhh so great, no easy piece, even like that Kemal show can control performance everywhere parts piece he want and when he want.

[ina9]

jeeaahh !

[vzv06101]

If you missed the broadcasting of Rchmaninoff by KEMAL GEKIC, you must read the description on this clip. You will find links to the material of Rach!

[vzv06101]

Kemal Gekic Plays Rac 3!

Broadcast by BARTOK RADIO on 21st SEP,2006.

20:05 A Cseh Nemzeti Szimfonikus Zenekar hangversenye Vez. Libor Pesek

Km. Kemal Gekic - zongora

1. Berlioz: Római karnevál - nyitány, 2. Rahmanyinov: III. zongoraverseny, (Kemal Gekic), 3. Debussy: Ibéria - szvit (Zenekari képek No. 2.), 4. Ravel: Bolero

(Prágai Városháza Smetana terme, 2005. július 24.)

[vzv06101]

Thank you for your positive revue on the material.

You will find other materials of the DVD at eBay etc as descrobed.

And pelase enjoy the other 2 materials on YouTube also.

[johnnyztells]

Does anyone have a video of the "Busoni" version?