Schnittke - Piano Sonata No.1 (1987) - mvt1

[CurledUpWithMachines]

i love this piece. the first time i listened to it i was brought to tears when he lands on the g minor triad. that whole part of the movement still gets me sometimes.

[langlois1]

Wonderful performance. I played the first concerto grosso this summer, as well as accompanied the viola concerto, and have been in love since!

Out of curiosity . . . the bench?

[lucradiste]

Am I missing a joke or something?

[Ahelphand]

Great, I'd love to meet the 3bjk34bkj3b4k3k4b344 family.

[gonrolgonrol]

Regarding the A D S C H motive- which note is the S?

[a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3]

@gonrolgonrol It's one of the E flats in this long passage. (Are you asking what "S" is? It's "Es") The piece starts A, D, F, G, A (Don't know what G maps to, if anything). Then Eb------Eb-----D Eb D-------Db C Bb-------Bb--Ab. Anyway, A D S C H is stated just after those cluster chords later on. It goes A, D, Eb, C, B(nat), F, E.

[gonrolgonrol]

@a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3 Ah, of course- Eb- Es! :) Many thanks for your great answer :)

[jamiebyrne77]

one of the first pieces of 'modern music' i ever listened to and it blew me away. thanks for sharing - the repeated high note is amazing in a good digital recording. the resonance is cool. ;)

[op77po]

ЭХ, ВАСИЛИЙ...

[AikiNick102]

Not a single composer, who's music I would confuse with Schnittke's! He might as well be the most distinctive composer ever! The only one I find similarity with is Schoenberg, for some reason... Anyways, great music!

[jdbrown371]

I just finished Yuri Bashmet's video of Schnittke's viola concerto. Now, I'm treated to this. This is very exciting. I dislike the heavy treatment some modern composers give to the piano. This is an amazing new approach to the piano. Schnittke is all around amazing what I've heard so far. Great piano playing. I've learned a lot in five minutes listening to you play.

[LeroyJacksonJones]

Why did you strike that high G so many times? What did it do to you?

[a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3]

@LeroyJacksonJones

It's nothing personal, just business. I am employed as Schnittke's hitman.

[uhartchristian]

a russian conductor A: Kornienko asked me to play the pianoconcerto with him in Austria , I refused as I had a recording session of Chopin and Mendelssohn in Poland to do. Well I am glad to have refused as I cannot see any advantage (except money) to play this music....

But ok if people like it its their right to do so

[Catikia]

I didn't like some of the chords but the song drew me in and I couln't stop listening until the piece ended. It sounds like a struggle between sadness and anger. Possibly like you would feel after someone close to you dies unexpectedly, before their time.

[conmuymalaleche]

WTF???????????????????????????­

[vanya2309]

WTF is you. This sonate is masterpiece!

[Gfel1]

Gorgeous

[Lukecash12]

For some reason i really want to hear you play Alkan's Grand Duo Concertant in F sharp minor- II L'enfer. Great poise...

[a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3]

I'm convinced that our friend Marc-Andre can do a much better job of performing that piece.

[Lukecash12]

That goes without saying though. I'd really like to hear Lewenthal or Gibbons play it though.

[sectorj1]

I like this piece Tolya.

[hessianihil]

I don't think anyone's asked this yet, but why are you sitting on the SIDE of the stool?

[a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3]

It was asked in a comment for a different movement, actually.

I had to sit like that because I need to sit low at the piano (e.g. like Gould). Before I built my own piano bench in April of 2003 I had to do this if a bench low enough was not available.

[hessianihil]

Oh I see. Is it your technique, or are you just really tall? Ever fall off? :P

[a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3]

It's the technique, and I am about average 5'11". Never fell off, though.

I can do it on purpose though, and make it look like an accident :)

[Ltlevim]

Does it ever hurt?

[VICTORMANUELMORALES]

I have seen all your performances of the 3 piano sonatas! Absolutely amazing!!! You are an excellent pianist... but I would like to know what is your name, because when you play I would like to go to see you!!!

[a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3]

Well, thanks, but I don't play as much in public (as I should?). My next concert is in Charlotte, NC, USA.

[xoffie]

amazing!!! Schnittke is great and underrated composer!!

[kongerle]

Ligeti that is :)

[kongerle]

Reminds me of Ligety... from Eyes Wide Shut  some of it :)

[jajajjajajaass]

your a great player but when u study too much you loose the sense of taste,,,specialy good taste...this is so ugly you´r killing that piano with this stuff...

[a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3]

Poor Steinway! I didn't realize it died that day.

[shynium]

i dun think this piece is good. i dun even understand what this piece is trying to express =.=

[a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3]

So, is your criteria for defining something as "good" always based on your ability to understand it? i.e. Assuming you are not an expert in quantum physics, would you also say "I dun think quantum physics is good. I dun even understand what it is about"?

[shynium]

excuse me, this is based on my own opinion. i may not be those experts probably like you, who can understand this piece but like i said, this is my own opinion. I didn't say everyone must not appreciate this piece. I'm free to comment what i like. At least i didn't insult.

orthopianist commented that he/she truely can't see how anyone can appreciate this piece and it frankly sucks but u didn't say anything to him but why to me? ur ridiculous.

[a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3]

Well, I think you misunderstood the point of my question. Please, comment all you like. One of the reasons I replied to your comment and not to Mr. ortho is because I found your "dissenting" comment actually more intelligent in the way you phrased it. So, my question still stands.

[forgetsalot]

Comparing music to a science isn't very fair. The point of music is to evoke something so if a piece is incapable of evoking any emotion or thought from someone then how are they supposed to like it? A science on the other hand just has to show usefulness in someone's life since isn't a form of expression.

[a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3]

I am sure someone like Einstein might see it quite differently...My point could be expanded to say that we often dismiss that which we "don't understand" only to fall in love with it when we, at one point, acquire enough knowledge and experience that allows the meaningful connection to take place.

[forgetsalot]

I wouldn't put words into Einstein's mouth but regardless.. I agree there are times when you like something after you let it seep in but often, to me, it seems like people assume that if they don't get it at first it's because it's so complicated and amazing. (dunno how I feel about this piece BTW)

[pietervoogt]

hello 1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3, i made a painting inspired by your performance

[a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3]

It's a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3! :)

Would love to see the painting.

[pietervoogt]

I put it on my website. I can't find my other comment about it, so maybe they remove responses that contain web addresses? You should be able to search for me under my name Pieter Voogt.

[a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3]

Thank you very much. I like the way the wood grain unites the pianist and the piano using the texture.

youtube has become pretty aggressive about removing links in the messages - that's true.

[beethoven8]

Thats awesome. I love Schnittke. and Ive never heard the sonatas, thanks for that. Was the first movement easy? or was it one of those things that looks easy but is pretty hard?

[BrucknerEnthusiast]

I can sympathise with people who are hostile towards Schnittke's music, as I used to be hostile towards it myself. But that was one of the many misjudgments I have made during my life as a musician - I now realise that these three haunting sonatas are major additions to the piano repertoire. We don't know this pianist's name outside cyberworld, but maybe that's because he wants us to concentrate on the composer, not on him.

[orthopianist]

I'm sorry guys, but I truely can't see how anyone can appreciate this piece. It frankly...sucks lol

[fijneR]

May I suggest a CD by Svetlana Ponomareva found on amazon (dot) ca/gp/product/B000FVQO68/701-8­516793-5872336?v=glance&n=9165­14

Always nice to see Schnittke's music fans!

[fijneR]

Thank you a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3.

[a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3]

myself

[pedriales]

Superb performance. But is 1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3 your firstname or your surname?

[a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3]

in cyberworld its both

[fijneR]

Hello, who is the pianist on this video please? Thank you.

[a1s2d3f4g5q1w2e3]

Glad you enjoyed it, hons

[honsaan]

Awesome music,great performance...Thank-you so much, a1