Gabriela Montero - Improvisation on Bach's Goldberg Variations

[4hm3dimr4n]

Is it me or does this sound like jazz?

[VibratorDefibrilator]

"We can only guess what is REAL music", Bach once said. He's realized that he can't look beyond his conceptual horizon. This lady here has 250 years of musical development AFTER Bach - the whole bunch of musical stiles that Bach couldn't imagine at all. And she uses her musical background very cleverly... which is the very essence of improvisation. Thank you, miss Montero!

[suzimagalhaes]

Técnica aliada a muita inspiração e talento! Parabéns Gabriela!!

[multiinvisibleman]

Goldberg Goodness throughout, not a moment without it. She's a genius with the harmony, which is what the Goldberg variations are all about. Bach mainly did variations with respect to the Goldberg bass line, and its not always about the theme melody.

[goodcatholicboy]

Who are these uncircumcised Philistines that they can't hear beauty and utter joy when thy hear it? Makes me feel bad for them.

[bekacynthia]

either she is the reincarnation of mozart or she is the antichrist. :)

[imaFABULOUSUnicorn]

Wow, fantastic!

[Nieves457]

If a musician is as gifted as Gaby really is, there should be no critics to afront her: Just feelings of rejoice on the listeners: You are witnessing a miracle upon imporvisation.  There are little instrumentalist who could catch up with Gaby . . .

[throwscats]

It's really a stupid argument that you can't hear the theme, anyway, considering that the Goldberg variations, themselves, change so much that the aria becomes a memory VERY fast. For that reason, to say that it doesn't sound like the aria is, well, just stupid. There's no nice way to say that.

[8bitvlad]

Just found out who this pianist is by reading a article on her on piano magazine. This is the third video I see of her and by what I have read and seen, it looks like she is known for her improv skills. Now for those that are arguing she is not improvising in Bach style, I don't think that's what was asked of her. They said to IMPROVISE on the theme. So that is what she is doing. I like her style and her approach to improvise on classical themes. Now, how much jazz influence she has, I don't kn

[bekacynthia]

she has powerful ears!

[JoFrSc]

Infuriating! This video stops at 2:34 each time! I've tried everything! INFURIATING!

[JoFrSc]

Astounding. Just astounding.

[mrjkdeyoung]

She is phenomenal

[marcxopoco]

Why does she presume to use themes of works by the greatest composers for her noodlings?

[fenderbender92]

@marcxopoco Bach noodled too, you know.

[marcxopoco]

Clueless @fenderbender92 is a youtube musical "expert" who just posted an all time winner in any category for the all time most clueless youtube comment.

Musical expert fender says Bach "noodled."

Without question fender has established himself as one of the great minds of the century.

[fenderbender92]

@marcxopoco What's with you? The point is that both Montero and Bach improvised.

[marcxopoco]

Youtube cretin @fenderbender92 equates this lady's noodling with Bach.

IGNORANCE is bliss, huh fenderbender?

[fenderbender92]

@marcxopoco Well, not exactly, I've never actually said that. I said both improvised. I believe Bach to be the greatest spiritual communicator in the history of music.

Call me more names. I'm a clueless cretin. What else am I? I don't know.

What I do know is that people like you ruin Bach for me. Let me know, do you enjoy that, too? It's hard for me to differentiate if you're a troll or a Bach chauvinist. But I guess that just only proves my stupidity. Wouldn't you say? Well, why am I asking?

[evilbunnyrabbits]

How do you kill a piano critic? Give them 7 octaves plus a minor third and tell them to fill the silence.

[vereda61]

Wow, that was amazing!!! OMG!!!

[franjaserra]

He oido las variaciones de Goldberg infinidad de veces, al oir a Gabriela se siente un resurgimiento contemporaneo de una pieza musical muy dificil y retadora. Realmente refrescante manteniendo el espiritu que le impuso Bach.

Gracias Gabriela... un gran orgullo criollo... 

[belialah]

Gabriela utiliza una absoluta linea compositor-estilo-improvisacio­n-publico, ella no toca por tocar, ella sabe lo que esta haciendo, esto es musica jovenes! El gran musico Chick Corea es una fuerza de la naturaleza improvisando pero seria tonto compararlos, son estilos completamente diferentes, ella es pianista clasico, utiliza temas que ya estan establecidos por lo que por un lado un publico educado va a saber si ella lo hace bien o mal....un absoluto sistema de improvisacion ordenada

[sleeve51]

The audience loves her, I love her. Case closed!

[idaspe]

@sleeve51 Totally agree with you :o)

[mrpossibilities]

That's my girl! Eat your heart out, Oscar Peterson

[Coreypiano]

I'm torn between awe and envy. What a genius!

[martinGrock]

excelente vídeo, dominio total del piano y la expresión musical... simplemente envidiable.

[costasimpson]

Improvisation on the the theme of Bach's Goldberg Variations in the style of Debussy?

[eek4rus]

@costasimpson maybe, but notice the intricate counterpoint throughout

[costasimpson]

@eek4rus

Yes, definitely. Its very interesting music.

[negoni8]

Wonderful, excellent skill

[maxjamesorgans]

Listen to Richard Grayson who is much better at improvising, his channel is called improvelectronic

[deenie1219]

I heard her play for the 1st time on my Squeezebox radio and was blown away by her artistry, feeling and technique. IMO, she is the real deal. Also check out Aziza Mustafa Zahed for another genius.

[principecalaf]

Stafano Bollani is much better!!!

[jormanhernandez]

ok then go look the videos of Bollani...what are you doing here?

[principecalaf]

does she fuck your ass babe? shut up, you seem her ass licker.

U are nothing and you don't know nothing about classic music. Idiot

[jormanhernandez]

with your vocabulary you just showed your intellectual level ( i think it must reflect your musical level too) I don't have any interest in arguing with people like you...

[maxjamesorgans]

how did you come up with the theory that people who can't spell and are childish can't play music. Mozart was childish and although he was shit a lot of people seem to like his music. Maybe this guy isn't bothered to spell properly or he is from Kazakhstan and has only been to America once-on a voyage to find his dear Pamela? So basicaly shut your fkucking two boys one cup mouth and flee to where a bomb happens to be placed.

[jormanhernandez]

spell? lol, his english is not my problem dude, lol.

[maxjamesorgans]

well maybe those words are the only ones he has been taught in US & A?(Biatch)

[jormanhernandez]

just for finish, look this, "Gabriela Montero improvises on Rachmaninoff's third piano concerto in the style of Bach", OMG is not romantique....search this in youtube.

[Ellinidara]

She's an other Martha's pupil:-))) with Tiempo,Pogorelich,and Polina Leshenko.Martha never was wrong:-)

[filmmaker901118]

GENIALE!

[AlfaAxel]

Humor in music is the most wonderful relief from grief.

[jormanhernandez]

try to put in on yours speakers

[principecalaf]

nothing special

[jacksongrant15]

You haven't seen her live.

[jormanhernandez]

performances with the New York Philharmonic debut with Lorin Maazel, LA Philharmonic , Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, Rotterdam Philharmonisch Orkest at De Doelan and NDR Hannover at the Bergen Festival In recital, the Edinburgh Festival, Vienna Konzerthaus, Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Koln Philharmonie, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Konzerthaus Berlin, Alte Sendersaal Frankfurt, Kennedy Centre Washington DC, and at the Progetto Martha Argerich .you are right nothing special.

[principecalaf]

I confirm, nothing special! As classical pianist she is in the average, nothing compared to Volodos, Pletnev, Argherich or others. As jazz pianist less then the average, let's listen to italian's Stefano Bollani and you will notice he's much more complete. I admire her carreer but she's a commercial product, someone pushed her good talent to make her considered as a genius. It's the same Giovanni Allevi's story, nothing new, nothing special.

[jormanhernandez]

LOL "some one pushed her" "she a comercial product?" Ho dude you dont know nothing, you dont like..ok, is not special to you?..ok but dont say this crap about her, if agerich think she is a greats pianist i think your opinion is a shit

[scotty123123]

Anyone who calls her a "genius" is being extremely absurd. She just has very well honed aural abilities - that's totally different to being a genius

[tn526]

Barack you're drunk,go home

[Alessandro1985]

She's obviously talented, and has incredibly developed ears. But I don't like the way she turns it into a trivial circus act - into a bourgeois circus performance. Her improvisations lack emotional depth or interest, compared to the real Jazz musicians. Her classical performances are - quite good

[NotSoDivineMsM]

She brings to mind one of my favourites, Jacques Loussier although she has a distinct style of her own...BRAVO!!!!!!!!

[JulyForToday]

Mmm... This is good stuff. :-D

[KennYWooD2]

miticasabina, I challenge you to find the theme in many of the actual Goldbergs themselves. You can't, because Bach, doesn't present it verbatim throughout. Variations, are really nothing more than improvisatory strands on a theme, but that doesn't mean that you're always going to hear said theme throughout those variations. Some good advice to always heed is, "Be sure your brain is engaged (i.e. know what you're talking about), before you put your mouth in gear".

[Tokkemon]

Actually, its variations on the bass line, not the aria theme. It is, really, a passacaglia set in a "theme and variations" form.

[KennYWooD2]

That's exactly right. You've pointed out what I failed to in my comment above.

[bugsy3333]

Sweet and a beautiful touch, her internal metronome never falters. I would like to see the word genius used a lot less, since many do not appear to know understand it's meaning.

[kidodragon]

I love it its so pretty :-)

[natteah]

My favourite encore pianist is Evgeny Kissin, his encore usually can be count a recital.

but this such a Phenomenom!! I never heard any concert pianist give an improvisation as encore,

She absolutely one of Genius!! FIVE STARS

[miticasabina]

I don't hear the Golberg theme any more... This is just ridiculous, she now pretends to be considered also a genius of improvisation?

[luiscar89]

Povero disgraziato senza cervello. She doesn't pretend to be anyone, that's a statement of your own. Gaby just follows her heart, you can call it either improvisaton or composition, it doesn't care, it's irrelevant because people love the final result.

By the way, you seem to have a clinical eye to distinguish ridiculous and ridicules as well. Are you one of them?

[MiguelTicona]

@luiscar89 you are the man most cursi what i know. follows her heart?, please stop, dont make me laft.

[highwingprop]

miticasabina, with all due respect, I actually still hear the theme. it's faint, yes, but it's there. the first 7 notes of the aria occurs again and again throughout just the first 2 minutes of this video. the rhythm is modified but the "skeleton" of it remains..

[olgabenitoharp]

"This is just ridiculous, she now pretends to be considered also a genius of improvisation? " How can someone say that? I think she has an enviable capacity that most of us would love to have.

"I don't hear the Golberg theme any more..." Maybe you should clean your ears...

She is a genius :)

[nicubbon]

She borrows from other variations as well.

[jormanhernandez]

loool thats funny, you are right...if you dont listen the theme there you have a big problem in yours heards or in your brain....or maybe in Both

[Steinwaytoday]

@miticasabina Well, excuuuuuse her for not playing the theme all the time. She plays it now and then, but the improvisation is based on its harmonies. Plus, even when it's not, it still is correct. Who, with this creativity, would stick ALL the time to the theme and harmonies from Bach's variations, when they can create so much more?

[ScisMacGillicutty]

@miticasabina If you hear the Goldberg "theme" in the original, you don't understand the baroque concept of variations like the passacaglia and chaconne. The harmonic structure or just the bass line is kept constant or only varied slightly, while the upper voices (in a passacaglia) or all voices (in a chaconne) have free reign. And even this distinction between the two is an after-the-fact simplification—(con't)

[ScisMacGillicutty]

—the point is that the primacy of a "melody" in the theme rather than it being the structure for the subsequent variations only comes on the scene with the rise of monophony and the decline of polyphony.

On top of it all, there's more of the Goldberg melody (upper most voice) in what she's doing than there is Bach's 1st variation—or 2nd, or 3rd, so by the time we get to the Quodlibet Bach's using two drinking songs of as his upper voices. More power to Ms. Montero!

[MiguelTicona]

Perdon, pero eso no tiene nada que ver con el tema propuesto y en todo caso me quedo con chick corea que improvisa mejor, ademas no puede improvisar a lo bach, me parece muy trucho

[luiscar89]

MiguelTicona no me queda más que decirte que estoy en total desacuerdo contigo, pero respeto tu opinión, pues creo que en la tolerancia radica el entendimiento. Dices que ella no sabe improvisar a lo Bach... Pues en mi humilde opinión ella es una maestra improvisando a lo Bach, creo que si escucharas un poco más de su trabajo te darás cuenta de ello. En segundo lugar ella tiene un estilo propio al improvisar; puede que guste o no, pero es su estilo

[MiguelTicona]

Ok, tenes mucha razon, solo que no me gusta y me parece mediocre, pero ey, jeje es solo mi opinion!

[luiscar89]

y tiene la valentia de pararse en un escenario y mostrarse tal y como es. Especialmente es una época donde hay muy pocos artistas con un estilo propio. Como bien dice "Kirisuconductor" ella sigue su corazón y se deja llevar por el inconsciente. De eso se trata improvisar, es algo libre que no se sabe ni para donde va... en eso radica improvisar y ella como te dije antes tiene su estilo propio al improvisar.

Pace e goia a tutti quanti.

[MiguelTicona]

ok, pero improvisar se trata de componer musica en el mismo momento en el que se ejecuta, si uno toca y no sabe para donde va creo que le sale eso que le salio, jaja

[turcioz]

De hecho sí está presente el tema del aria de las Goldberg. Aparece luego de la introducción, claro que no iba a presentarlo tal y como Bach lo escribió, nungún improvisador con suficiente imaginación haría eso.

[turcioz]

En general lo que Gabriela Montero me parece que hace es elaborar variaciones del tema elegido cambiando siempre el estilo,es por eso que aquí la improvisación no suena tan a Bach,aunque al final sí es más polifónica, lo que la acerca a Bach y al mismo tiempo es de corte jazzístico. No creo que sus improvisaciones no tengan una dirección.

[MiguelTicona]

en realidad, toma una pequeña celula, del tema, y hace cualquier otra cosa que no tiene nada que ver con nada, cualquier improvisador puede hacerlo. y el contrapunto jazzistico es muy facil de hacer, es decir todo suena, ademas nada tiene que ver con el tema, la verdad nose que publico tendra, pero no debe tener idea de lo que es una buena impro.

[MiguelTicona]

la verdad tocò una cosa que es imposible calificarla como impro del tema que propuso, ni se porque aplauden, tocò una obra cualquiera le pongo un trinito por ahi y listo, "me improvise sobre las variaciones goldberg", no hay nada mas mediocre que esto.

[turcioz]

Creo que deberías escuchar más temas con variaciones, Brahms y Schumann escribieron algunos por ejemplo que no usan el tema tal cual en cada variación , y lo que Gabriela hace es usar ese tipo de desarrollo motívico. el que no escuches es tema no significa que la improvisación no esté basada en él.

[luiscar89]

Saludos Turcioz. Con relación a MiguelTicona no vale la pena que pierdas el tiempo... Déjalo que escriba lo que le de la gana. Él dice que improvisa mejor que eso, entonces que ponga videos de el improvisando.en vez de andar comentando los videos de Gabriela Montero... Turcioz tranquilo que MiguelTicona es otro que cree que él inventó la improvisación y elabora un concepto acomodaticio a sus gustos de lo que es la improvisación

[turcioz]

Gracias por la advertencia.

Saludos

[MiguelTicona]

@turcioz y no crees que pudo prepararlo sola en su casa.

[luiscar89]

pero tranquilo, respeto tu opinión y tu valentia al plasmarla en youtube de una manera respetuosa y fundamentada. Saludos.

[MiguelTicona]

@luiscar89 tranquilo las guindas

[jormanhernandez]

hermano estas mal pero muy mal, obviamente ella no improviso a la barroca cosa que muchisima gente hubiera podido hacer, ella baso su improvisacion en las 8 primeras notas con ritmos y estilos diferentes, chik corea es genial pero no creo que pueda improvisar asi y tocar un recital de rachmaninof en el mismo concierto, no se pueden comparar, es como comparar futbol con basquet...y no es que no pueda improvisar a lo bach es aun mas genial, es que no quiere.

[thecr8tor]

@MiguelTicona no sabes distinguir, tiene completamente que ver con el tema, pero en un estilo contemporáneo, su intención no era improvisar en el estilo de Bach. Si quieres ver una improvisación de ella a lo Bach, escucha su improvisación del Claire de Lune de Debussy.

[MiguelTicona]

@thecr8tor mira hace mil años que puse ese comentario, no quiero ni oirla ni saber de esa mina, no me escriban mas por este tema.

[wolkowy1]

Amazing. Great improvisation. To klaverfat: it has to do a lot with Bach, but she kind of prepared the right mood to go as far as possible from Bach. Brava for her!

[DesAbends]

She pretends to be the new Liszt? ahahahaha Liszt IMPROVISED "Divertissement sur la cavatine I frequenti palpiti" from Pacini's Niobe... just nothing to do with that rubbish.

[kirisuconductor]

May I ask you, have you ever seen or heard Liszt live in person... oh, no he is already in heaven since 1886... Gabriela uses her heart to play, theres no preconceived formula, you should find out a little more about her before make a judgement like that... but is ok... entre gustos no hay disgutos, bless.

[luiscar89]

Bravo "kirisuconduconductor": Parlato bene, parlato bene...

[principecalaf]

I agree, she's just a good pianist, nothing more.

[klaverfar]

I completely fail to see what that jazzy mixture of debussy and gershwin has to do with Bach... (??)

[Tokkemon]

I think that was the point. Taking a Bach theme and putting it in a totally new context.