Jonathan Plowright plays Gottschalk 'The Banjo'

[alderneyfred]

I'm just waiting for the violin piece "The Tuba".

Or maybe the timpani piece "The Piccolo".

[cgoodson2010]

Clean!!!

[alkanian]

MARC ANDRE HAMELINS ETUDE NO 5 IS A DISGUISED VERSION OF THIS, IN WHICH IVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF PLAYING!

[sf2fs]

Beautiful, one of my favorite piano pieces EVER

[Eye2EyeIIIV]

That was beautiful!

[xAmazonxValkyriex]

Wow...amazing. I love how it sounds like he sped up the pace a bit. I've never been much for classical music, but I absolutely love this song. I finally discovered that a segment of this is what Shannon Christie plays in the film Far & Away and it's actually what has prompted me to search for it to begin with. Anywho, again this is an amazing rendition of the song!

[tigerlilly66]

Love your interpretation of Gottschalk! Wouldn't it have been great to hear him live?

Wow!

[Jazzbonick]

He just hasn't got the right feel for the rythm he's emphasising 1 and 3 instead of 2 and 4. I don't think that's how Gottschalk intended it I have the piano copy but I'm not a piano player but I can see how it should be played. Excellent technique but it's too fast.

Listen to BackScholar's version and you'll maybe see what I mean

[jtr48009]

@Jazzbonick your retarded

[nicktbiz]

@jtr48009 If you have neither the wit nor the intellect to express your opinion intelligently it would be better if you did not resort to such childish comments

[jtr48009]

@nicktbiz you don't play piano man... I've played this piece... you don't know what your talking about... your comment was retarded... callin'em like I see'em. how gottschalk intended...lol... the interpretation between composer and performer is ALWAYS different, as is the way a performer hears the piece as to the audience. Tigerlilly66 is awesome... who ever you are :)

[nicktbiz]

@jtr48009 Well really, I never said I didn't play piano. I simply did not claim to be a piano player. I was playing the piano long before you were born, sonny boy. My copy of Le banjo has been in the family for about 100 years or more and I can certainly read it it if not play it as i would like. As a semi pro musician I certainly know what I am talking about. You obviously are so immature and insecure that you regard anyone's contrary opinion as a personal threat

[jtr48009]

@nicktbiz I'm not personally threatened, I don't even know you to be. Your just wrong toughguy :)

[tigerlilly66]

@Jazzbonick =

I'll ask LMG the next time I see him. I'm sure he'll concur with your erudite assessment.

[opinionize]

I really like how you played this piece. You kept the purpose of musicality in your playing. I can hear the "songs" of the South and I can at times feel a gentle breeze from the Bayou...I think Mr. Gottschalk would highly approve.

[germanmusician]

Wow, this was great! Truly emulates a banjo, and was interpreted very nicely!

[mawaby59]

I think the phrasing and dynamics are impecable. Great playing.

[pbeaner42]

i hate it

[pbeaner42]

i hate it

[InLawsAttic]

Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!

[HolyMotherofGrid]

Sounds like Aaron Copland!!! Definitely in the same tradition - wonder if there is a connection??

[blacklabeledpeaches]

wow. i really love this piece. how i wish i could play it like that too!

[katrinaburgoyne]

Awesome work Artschampion

Great video. :)

Much love Kat

[Artschampion2004]

thanks very much for your kind comment - have you also seen JP's Bumble Boogie? hope you like that one too!

[kanajlo]

This is the way Gottschalk would have played it.

[hailkayy]

I have a friend that sight-read this for me at that tempo or even faster, i felt awkward

[BillSalem]

Bravo, bravissimo! Great Performance of a difficult piece.

[Chemoliano]

You tube erudits...get a life

[LazlosPlane]

Technically proficient, but TOO FAST.

[wannabedesi]

In 2/4 rhythm?! I mean IMO 2/4 should never exist, but for this song I don't think you COULD go "too fast"

[marvinracer88]

@lazlosplane Too fast??? clearly ur not familiar with this piece.

[LazlosPlane]

Clearly you are a rude baboon. I didn't say, first of all, that I didn't admire it. You lose much of the subtlety of rhythm at this tempo.  But you are clearly a product of post MTV generations for whom "subtle" means "boring," if anything.

I FIRST performed this piece in 1975, had master classes with Magda Tagliafero, Garrick Ohlsonn, and Mieceslaw Horsowski with it.

So, crawl away, back into mommy's basement, you little bitty nothing that you are.

[marvinracer88]

@lazlosplane Excuse me... MTV? Did your mommy bury you at the early 2000's? Oh gosh. Well Sir, I'm not from your "Criticize all pianists except me generation". If you couldn't play it faster than Largo... then, sorry, go back to your Czerny's etude book until you feel this piece is easy enough. It was a marvelous performance so... I go back to my basement to my piano and you tell mommy to sue your first grade piano teacher, clearly she was scammed.

[germanmusician]

It was pointed out to me by some teachers of mine that this piece is commonly played too fast. You're most likely familiar with the majority of the recordings out there...however, if you actually look at the sheet music, it's marked moderato, making this slightly fast.

HOWEVER, I like this tempo best, myself. I think it sounds the most banjo-like, plus the best overall stylistically.

[balayan68]

Jonathan Plowright played this piece so beautifully. I love Mr. Plowright's interpretation. Another captivating interpretation of this piece was performed by Leventritt Gold Medalist Pianist CECILE LICAD during her solo recital in Singapore. It is available on youtube, just type: "Cecile Licad Encores2-3" (no spacing).

[guidohizon]

she did a better job too :)

[Chemoliano]

The guy is a virtuoso, but I don't like the interpretation, there is something jazzy in Gottschalk that is somewhat lost here. Is too clasiccal way of playing the piano...dunno

[Ewqa8]

Immensity! Incredible!

[hailkayy]

I have a friend that played that at first sight, with a really nice rendition

[kecske35]

whay is that a negative comment ... ? Otherwise i really like this piece, i have recently discovered gottschalk ;)

[terryregnar]

I'm so curious.. What did Thracozaag write? :)

[jadiiz]

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[jadiiz]

Don't forget the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol!

[pianist2013]

Excellent !!!

[xxyya]

from the greenwood cemetery he says..play it as you like.

[088x088x088]

I just love this song!

[PianoManJed]

I love the resonance he builds at the end of the piece...aweseome! Very well played.

[pinkfuzz0609]

Flawless. Sounds Great!

[zestynacho]

A++

[killergirls]

Perfect tempo! Well played.

[Morahman7vnNo2]

He goes up and down in tempo, certain parts I find a bit too fast, other parts in the spirit of the piece.

[steinwaygrande1]

The temp is 100% perfect. Go listen to Alan Marks playing this and its the same.

[muzykologyst]

generic performance

[BRONGOHORST]

If he play faster the music and harmony wil be destroyed.

It is not intent to play fast.

Alkan is for that.

[lmeister3]

I think the tempo he takes it to is perfect

[BRONGOHORST]

E degustibus non disputandi

Regard Brongohorst

[BRONGOHORST]

TEMPO IS PERFECT AGREE 100%

[robbiethemann]

be nice to Alkan

plzzzzzzzzzz

i do agree it is a bit too fast though

[BachScholar]

(My last post was in response to maxi937's comment below.)

[BachScholar]

Are you crazy? This is too fast in my opinion. Do you know what Gottschalk's tempo mark is? It's Moderato. Yes, Moderato. It does speed up at the end though. If Beethoven or Chopin wrote Moderato I'm sure we would all be careful to observe it. Why then is it OK to disregard Gottschalk's intentions?

[maxi937]

Your right. Forgive me.

[BachScholar]

To maxi937: You are forgiven, my son.....

[muzykologyst]

Those markings are just suggestions, what the composers might have wanted...but seeing as they are dead (and have been for decades) I think we can allow our own artistry and interpretations to permeate the music, otherwise we'd all be playing piece in the same manner (and I'm sure Chopin or Gottschalk would not have wanted that ;-)

[BachScholar]

to muzykologyst: If you take 20 pianists and have them all play a piece at the same tempo, you will discover that everyone will still sound much different with their own unique sounds. Tempo in itself does not make everyone sound the same. But Gottschalk did mark this moderato and there's no getting around this fact. Plowright's performance is much too fast for moderato. You can't argue your way out of this one.

[ArtCrumm]

Gottschalk was the first American "Pop Star".

If you have an interest in Gottschalk you should read the book "Bamboula". It's a great biography of Moreau Gottschalk and the origins of American Popular Music.

[anorak64]

Jonathan Plowright (one of the top pianists on earth) played 'The Banjo' recently at a concert in Dublin, what a brilliant piece and performance - very refreshing and can only be tackled by the best.

[MACSHUNDESS]

Perfect in my opinion. I love Gottschalk. A true jazz precursor. Can you hear Scott Joplin's tunes behind his notes ? Great pianist too. Thank you.

[MASHgrl4077]

yay! isn't this also a duet?

[MaximusErectius]

It is definately slower, I bet Gottschalk blew away the audience with the coda.

[ssnotsnot]

the most decent version i've seen posted so far. a tad sloppy in parts but not bad overall.

[st3v0]

kind of slow...

[pianoman1984]

I have this roll on player piano, but never really knew how to play it.... this is a great example... I'll record it once my pianola is restored, My working player piano I've just sold....

THNX a lot for this great video

[oldcremona]

I play the banjo in the 1850ish style that Gottschalk was familiar with- I think it helps me understand this piece a little better. The banjo sounded quite different back then.

[elmojone1]

Beautiful. I can't get tired of watching that. More Gottschalk please.

[chopin5440]

Been looking for a video of this. thanks for posting. I have also seen this piece performed by four pianos playing at the same time. catchy tune

[pndq5]

Thank you. I really liked your interpretation of the piece. I could hear the banjo. I have had the music for several years and have been watching lately for someone to post a video. Thanks for sharing your great talent.

[robbiethemann]

thanks for telling me about this.

"the banjo" played exactly as it should be

[robbiethemann]

(all i have is cecile licad's version which kinda sucks!)

[Alvarordonez]

I've heard this piece by Ivan Davis, a great pianist. I didn't know about Cecile Licad's recording of this however I've have one opportunity to see her playing the Chopin's Piano Concerto Nº 2 in 2002.

[aspacguy]

this is definitely a slow 'redneck' version.