Xuefei Yang - H. Villa-Lobos - Estudios 11 & 12

[imsoto]

This woman's virtuosity would be otherworldly if we didn't know any better! Sublime performance!

[rjones197]

seriously superb , I have just recognized that Xuefei is a master.

[MsAzz12345]

well i don't know.. but it seems that i don't like the way she plays this.. i know, there are many parts that should be played 'forte'.. but.. in this video.. there are too many.. then, the first part 'lento' part, she used too much apregio i think..

[BaZoOKeT]

she deserves every applause

[tm350s]

Fierce and wonderful.

[RingOfFire79]

One of the last pieces I studied...simply memorable.

[CRAPAPELADA1]

@RingOfFire79

MOLTO BENE!

[DrHollywoodTeeth]

she's amazing

[1996classical]

the WORLD the BEST Estudios 11 & 12

Villa-Lobos would be so happy that his songs is this great!!!

by a great artist like Xuefei yang

[PoerlsFun]

Its great played... Wonderful!

[Heimdalll]

Para, credo.

Sem palavras.

[meamaral3]

A primeira parte está tão rápida que nem dá para entender o ritmo da peça. Técnica é bom mas tem que saber ~usá-la. Que efeito faz, para quem não entende!

[poupee58]

Fastest gun in the west ,Too rushed ,there should be a huge pause before playing the final chord in etude 12 but players always ignore it.Not my cup of tea.

[Papeeloo01]

@poupee58

Jalousy ? frustration? This young artist makes her guitar sound like a orchestra with all the flavors of the Brazilian characteristics. Amazing and highly impressive. Poupée vous êtes injuste.

[arfurlife]

Oh my word this lady is pure class. Incredible virtuosity but also supreme interpretation skills. simply spell binding. This music is awful when played badly but when played like this it's an emotional rollercoaster. i am green with envy and respect,

[tomophirwedge]

one of my favourite pieces.. so intense... Villa Lobos was a modern master

[rodrigomasca]

Fiammix, resumiu bem em seu comentário, feito Há um ano atrás, sobre o compositor Villa-Lobos e da sua importancia. Villa peregrinou o Brasil inteiro para conhecer melhor sua cultura, sua música, sua identidade. E apesar de toda sua originalidade, ele teve várias influencias, como Debussy em algumas músicas composta para piano, e em outras músicas temos estruturas muito semenhantes aos seus contemporaneos, como Stravinsky.

[valenciaSERG]

increible........me voy a estudiar me senti un poco mal jeje.

Exelentes verciones de dos exelentes estudios.

[iamguitarmutt]

12 is a bit faster than I've heard before, but the clarity is supreme. Every note is clear, and it's freakin' exciting. 11 is one of my faves of all time and, again, played beautifully here. I hope to hear her in concert someday. WOW.

[minitual]

This performance defines virtuoso.

[lucascvr]

I agree that Raphael Rabello played the guitar as few people plays, but she is amazing

[glump83]

seriosly to the comments bellowVVVV

you seriously cannot play this piece!!!!!!!!!!! when she hits the i,m,a,m,i section she executes it with skil while remaining a quality tone

ps: john williams is senile

[nathbr2002]

this is not a good performance...she hasn't a good interpretation...seh needs to hear a Raphael Rabello´s recording.

[beepsandbuzzes]

I absolutely disagree I have heard numerous recordings of this piece including that by John Williams, and I find this performance to be superior.

[thejugglenaut91]

listen to julian bream

[glump83]

excellent perfect execution u nailed it and keep up da good work

[jacobsladdermusic]

doesnt get better

[licaptn]

Truly excellent. Perfect execution and wonderful intrepretation on both pieces.

[aghily]

Xuefei, plays this like a rock star. Best I've heard.

[schwarzngr]

it's incridble, when i listen this my heart start beating fast..

Incridble xuefei yang

[31041955]

one of the better 12's I've heard!

[poupee58]

The middle section of etude 12 is written in groups of 4 semiquavers,she plays them in groups of 3 .Sorry but it is just a big mess.

[MBledzephed]

There are two versions of the etudes in publication. My version has groups of 3 as well, and although she does leave a few out, who cares? It's still the most exciting version of these two etudes I have ever seen/heard.

[MelasChupa]

You must listen to Alvaro Pierri's version. Ofcourse this one is excelent, but still it wouldn't hurt to listen to Pierri play it.

[vinnothelizard]

who the fuck was hendricks when it came to the guitar!! he was shit!!

[keto6789]

Brouwer is modern composition.

[galliraz]

well put

[Klimt00]

TEMPO!

[PatrickReinan]

Excepcional

[santhiagolopes]

Perfeito!

[robertoneves26]

MUITO BOM!

[albatross111]

this is just incredible the fastest section is just incredible, every note can be heard its not just an effect

[keto6789]

I like Villa-lobos studies ( I have 12 Etudes sheet music) but consider them sort of dark and depressing after playing them over and over and really don't think of them as "classical" pieces like say Bach or Sor, they're more improvised sounding instead of well thought out pieces. Same with Leo Brouwer, I consider his stuff improvisational and not that pleasant to the ears.

[Fiammix]

you've got to be kidding!, Villalobos is considered one of the most geniussly composers of the 20th cent. He uses just the perfect chords to express the energy, danger, magic of Brazil's jungle, and of course is experimental harmonies too, but that's what makes the genious!!: creating new stuff, new sounds, new sensations. Besides, you've got to be high to do somethin as stupid as compare Bach/Sor/Villa-Lobos to judge if one of'em is better than another, beginin with the diference of periods.

[lucasgaroto]

Villa-Lobos and Brouwer are as "classical" as Bach and Sor, they just belong to different period of the music's history...

[blitzstratx100]

you must be some musician

[Linque13]

I don't understand mush of music, but I know that Villa-lobos' pieces have many elements from the brazilian music and from himself, that's because some of his pieces sound a little strange, but GREAT anyway. Congratulations Villa-lobos!

[lhendrixbr]

well, Villa Lobos is brazilian(was) ^^

btw i love villa too! and this girl make it amazing! good feeling, perfect! all clear! i dont remember someone play so perfect like she , sry for my cheap english =)

[tonictriad]

I'm currently learning this. I hope to be able to play it with passion like this wonderful version

[keto6789]

thanks

[keto6789]

Does anyone know in Etude 12 if that part with the low E drone do you use all 3 fingers a, m, and i, or just i and m?

Thanks.

[nanaDcThes]

You can use any compination that works!! I started studying it with a,m,i despite my teacher's warnings of being rather difficult... Eventually, I tried all combinations and ended up to a, m.. (lol)

But most people I know play it with i,m. It's up to you!

[MBledzephed]

I, M rest stroke will be the most powerful, i have heard of people who play it using just P as a controlled thumb stroke, and P I strumming as well to get a big sound...with this part anything goes

[rexmortuus]

awesome!!

[guitargiiiirl]

this is simply the best version of the two etüdes!! It has all it needs: speed, expression, technik, shape!

cheers

[tripoco]

Magnifico

[Rieko33]

the best i've heard...

[quantumcactus]

simply perfect

[1rscott]

SMOK"N need more

[DirrtyJewceBahxxx]

ahhh you nailed the swell after the second section. i havent seen anyone do that well since i saw phillip de fremery do it. best version of 11 and 12 on youtube.

[lakeylove]

I completely agree. Phil is the man.

[DirrtyJewceBahxxx]

were you a student of his?

[gutrot2]

great!!!

[surfdude36]

very beautiful, you could almost say its perfect, 5 star

and awesome job on the arpeggios dam lol

[Rainmanontour]

She is awesome...Actually my fingers want to play guitar.. I should let them do it..

[angrymormon]

Watching this left me both amazed and disturbed. This performance is exceptional.

[BJJ415N]

This girl simply rocked the house!

[rang3erhero]

Just ignore Nuncperludum, hes just another critic who knows the way, but cant drive us anywhere. He hasnt yet posted ANY videos to tell us of what he thinks is a superior way of understanding music.

[yfcharry]

haha, weve known nuncperludum

he just came to say sth to show wot a person hes LOL....

[rang3erhero]

LOL....his account doesn't exist anymore though. I've tried clicking the link. HOORAY!!!

[Classicalmusicfan123]

She would make Villa Lobos proud!!

[panagogt]

he is already proud after this! no question about it. R.I.P. VILLA-LOBOS from Greece

[raziel7777]

honestly. the 12 was a bit too fast. she needed to let it breathe a lil more. but it was still great. xuefei is awesome. her spring breeze is the most beautiful song.

[guiti1989]

brillante muy buena tecnica e interpretacion !! sin dudas los 2 mas lindos estudios del maestro Villa-Lobos

[hurrea]

Maravillosa interpretación, a mi juicio, de los dos estudios más complicados tecnica e interpretativamente del mejor compositor que ha dado latinoamerica.

[carlosvbm]

definitivamente amigo(a) hurrea, nuestro nivel de concordancia sobre este video está al 100%

[hurrea]

Gracias por tu comentario, es bueno que un amigo a la distancia entienda lo que la música del maestro Villa-Lobos nos comunica.

A la dintancia, tu amigo Rodrigo

[swing216053]

Wonderful. I'd like to know what luthier made the guitar. Even on a computer sounds like the sounds jumping out at you. Such a clear tribute to her playing and mastery of the instrument.

[jakobbangsoe]

It's a Smallman guitar..

[petersuki]

It's brilliant. But is it a a satisfying musical experience

[6strings5fingers]

such passion! it's rare to see a woman play so powerful.

[fatnapster]

nuncperludum attacks again .. how boring.

[yamabushi170]

Doodling on the walls, deliberately avoiding correct punctuation. I know what you mean, you little minx!

[loadermen]

machine

[haimcito]

great, what an anergy and musicality.bravissimo.

[hivimusic]

OMG, she's great, such passion and singing quality! Great music played by a beautiful woman. I love it.

[vinnymatrix]

She is lovely woman .... 1000000 roses from your friend..cheer

[nuncperludum]

Yes, she is an attractive woman and her team obviously knows how to sell her image and all the (male) suckers fall for it. But is she a good musician? No. Why not? Bad tone. Lack of refined sense of style (for Western classical music at least). Narrow scope of emotional expressivity (which IS quantifiable for those who know more about classical music than the average joe), aside from her ability to 'affect' (pretend to portray) emotion through exaggerated bodylanguage

[mayorde18]

she is not a musician because she is one of the best guitarist in the world?? how stupid

[nuncperludum]

She is hardly one of the best guitarists in the world. Even if she were, being a guitarist does not automatically make you a Musician!!! I'm sorry you can't tell the difference.

[yamabushi170]

Wow, someone's sounding jealous. I've heard her play live. I promise you, she is a musician of a very high calibre. My teachers, who are some of the finest performing concert guitarists in the world agree. Bitterness is such an unattractive quality, don't you think? Good luck with removing that huge chip from your shoulder.

[bwv1]

What a technique and musicianship! Just brilliant. I am in awe!

[vossenjr]

great piece,great composer,great interpretation!

xuefei is playing in vienna this atumn,i hope she plays some villa-lobos there,:-)

respect!

[davcout]

Je l'ai rarement entendue si bien jouée, si ce n'est chez mon ami Pavel, chapeau

[leonbrady12]

What is up with you Nuncperludum ? Why are you particularly attacking many of Xuefei's video clips on YouTube ? What have you got against her or her playing ? Her playing is appreciated by so many. Professional jealousy perhaps ?

[Va55ili5]

On the other hand I find Yepes too concentrated on technique.But that is just an opinion,not a fact!In music you should never idolize someone and compare everyone with him/her.Neither should you be so absolute with your opinion.Perhaps you should grow up and try to become more open minded.

[Va55ili5]

nuncperludum,do you even understand what you're saying?Or is it that you're jealous or smth?I find her interpretation of the studies both technically suberb and awesome when it comes to phrasing and sensibility.Besides the tempo SHOULD be metronomic because they're studies.Her playing is full of life and doesn't let the listener bore himself.

[jdbrown371]

Xue Fei dominates these pieces technically and you can hear it in her playing. She is doing far more than just getting by but playing every note with a sensitivity and balance. She's an artist. She's also a visually appealing performer. I hope I can do for "Prole do Bebe 1 & 2" just a fraction what she does here for his Guitar pieces.

[erichertsens]

whow... whatever you maestros comment good or bad, this untrained un biased ear is awe struck....

[gambaleecar]

muy bien !! sabes transmitir lo que se debe, y éso es ser artista!, congratulations!!

[nuncperludum]

This is performed with great consistency: as fast as possible, as loud as possible, as robotically as possible, with as bad tone as possible, with as little musical sensibility as possible. If you want to hear a real Musician perform these, view the two videos of these Villa-Lobos pieces as played by Narciso Yepes.

[wolflostlove]

IMHO, Yang's playing is far better than Yepes on these two pieces.

[nuncperludum]

On what grounds? Yepes' phrasing is clearer, underlined by coloristic shading and varied dynamics. His tone is superb, dark and cantabile when it needs to be (not consistently metallic like this). His playing separates the voices clearly, brining the melodic line out from the accompaniment. His tempos are more appropriate, allowing you to hear clearly the musical structures and phrases. In Yepes playing there is a profound and compelling sense of drama and direction.

[nuncperludum]

The sense of drama/direction, the sense for phrasing, and contrast between foreground anb background are completely lost in Xeufei's frantic attempt to play everything as fast and loud as possible. Xeufei's playing is a muddle. Nothing is clear. The meaning of individual notes and the overall spirit of the music escapes her. LOUDER, FASTER, SHARPER, are not BETTER in music. Grow up.

[nuncperludum]

I see you're from Hong Kong. You would be biased towards a Chinese player, wouldn't you? despite her utter lack of sensibility for Western music. You might as well listen to a midi file on the computer. There would be no difference between that and this. Metronomic tempo. No phrasing. No coloristic shading. Square dynamics. No distinction between foreground and background (what is melody and what is accompaniment). All as loud/fast as possible with as ugly and metallic tone as possible.

[wasupman]

I do not think Yepes' performance was bad, it's comparable to Xeufei's. They both have different interpretations of it.

It is however, a FAR stretch say Yang is a midi file. She definitely has color in her tones, and she MOST DEFINITELY does NOT "attempt" to play this peice. Maybe you need more sensibility for Western music.

Don't insult Xeufei just because Wolflostlove did not agree with you.

[yajit999]

>I see you're from Hong Kong. You would be >biased towards a Chinese player, wouldn't >you? despite her utter lack of sensibility >for Western music.

Is this comment by "nuncperludum" blatant racism? Can one not have legitimate opinions regardless of their race or background?

[nuncperludum]

No racism whatsoever (unlike the favoritism shown to her by people of the same background). Elsewhere I have clearly pointed out my preference for Li Jie and K. Yamashita (who is also Asian!) his "Romance" compared to hers, which, like Williams (who discovered her) is bland and unmusical.

[whitewitch11]

Naughty naughty again.  The white witch can see your sad heart. Why keep attacking Xuefei's music ?

[nuncperludum]

Aw, poor witch, as deluded by your "psychic" ability as you are about your sense of music. Try again.

[musicloveranthony]

this is a very highly compressed video. Obviously her guitar sounds a lot different in person. I've seen her, I would know. If you think a guitar sounds like that in an acoustically designed concert hall you have no business commenting on a classical guitar performance.

[nuncperludum]

There are numerous equally "highly compressed" videos on youtube of guitarists who are also MUSICIANS and the difference is evident. I've seen her better, heard her recordings. Simple plain fact is that she is terribly mechanical (metronomic, metallic, rushed) and utterly unmusical (boring, bland). Really you just don't know any better.

[carefreemusic]

Simply, jus fantastic!!!

[sappho6]

beautiful.

[mpare23]

I thought the 12th etude was a wayyyyy too fast, you don't get to appreciate the cool notes villa-lobos puts in, she just blends all of them together, i'd say that's like elliot fisk, except she doesn't suck like him

[sapjes]

goosebumps!

[ysfaljanabi]

what was good about that? seriously - zero harmonic. is she better than mike oldfield. lol yeah rite.ysf

[blitzstratx100]

yes ......she is far better than mike oldfield

[ysfaljanabi]

u must'nt have heard mike oldfield play.

YSF

[b5b9]

Outstanding!!! What technique! What passion!

[Honken]

That must of been one of the best performances I've ever seen. I mean thoose dynamics are incredible! And the whole performance is almost flawless, even with that speed!

[billinrio]

This is very sensitive playing. Excellent dynamics. Nice use of retards. I've never heard Nº12 played so fast, and I don't believe it needs to be. Amazing technique, though.

[guitar16]

that was really dark and haunting.

[dtongay]

For the unitinitiated to Villa-Lobos, listen to Manuel Barruecos on the CD package "200 Years of Classical Guitar." All of Heitor's etudes are presented. Ms. Yang is a master. She is something special. Bravo!

[macabreminstrel]

damn she played #12 fast

[elevenbravo01]

wow...that was ice cold...bravo!!!

[OktoberStorm]

KnightofZyryab, take your fucking medication or something, I've played the estudios myself

[KnightofZyryab]

Yes,I also play them. I thought I'd clarified what I meant earlier.

[OktoberStorm]

ah.. sorry for the outburst

[KnightofZyryab]

No problem.

[GProMangore]

Really inspired playing! Only thing that could make it better is to get rid of those finger noise when changing positions after all Villa-Lobos etude where meant for that!

[bachrock86]

Villa-Lobos wrote his etudes on a guitar with gut strings.  AKA NO FINGER NOISE. So although they are great for getting rid of finger/string noise, the real reason for all the slides on the bass strings in his music is because it WASN'T A TECHNICAL CONSIDERATION FOR HIM.

[GProMangore]

So you don't agrre that without noise i'd be better??? I suggest you listen to Alvaro Pierri, he recorded a complete Cd of Villa-Lobos

[ntrimm]

Shhhhhhhhhhh.

[deekdooken]

alot of ego stroking here- everything to do with the poster, but not too much about the performer

[ClassicalJoeNo1]

Ivan Rijos is good too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v­=4N_eUeCCWDk

[guitarbusiness]

He's good but Xuefei's playing is better to my taste.

[ClassicalJoeNo1]

Her guitar is a Smallman

[watercolour]

Fabulous!! The performance is strong and powerful, it really catches the essence of Villa-Lobos' music. Well, I have to say that Etude 11 is quite hard and to play Etude 12 like this, left hand fingers is going to hurt a lot.

[KnightofZyryab]

Villa Lobos never wrote studies.

[watercolour]

Are you sure? As I know, he wrote A LOT of stuides. Maybe you could google villa lobos and find out more about his studies?

[KnightofZyryab]

I didn't mean it literally...

[buddybear]

Villa Lobos wrote in total 12 "etudes" also know as studies for the guitar.

[KnightofZyryab]

Look, I know he wrote the twelve etudes because I play one of them. I merely meant that the etudes were so lyrical and musically animated that to the unknowing listener they would sound like and be considered as if intended to be performed as virtuoso solos in a concert.

[buddybear]

hmm, thanks for the clarification. if this is what you intended then why didin't you say? insted you said, "villa lobos never wrote studies" you need to be more clear next time. Cheers

[sehnsuchtdep]

don't be so an asshole

[02023089D]

Absolutely powerful and full of appropriate passion!

[nabilinho]

love you! amazing!

[crabsncancer]

This performance is the most powerful, moving rendition of these pieces I've ever heard or seen... I can't stop watching this... it is simply too amazing.

[ameliekatrina]

Such emotion, such heart. It's so satisfying to listen to.

[kovachian]

Damn, what is it with these asian chicks and their mastery of classical guitar?! I swear your average 12 year old Chinese girl would smoke Esteban! Not that THAT is hard to do but still.

[NITSUGA]

MANY LIVE VIDEO RECITALS I'VE SEEN HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO MATCH THE SONORITY OF HER GUITAR.