Kodaly Sonata for Solo Cello Op. 8. Alisa Weilerstein, Cello

[nimuroji]

where can I download an mp4 of this performance? It is stunning!

[Poet2916]

35 people can't make passionate love to their cellos

[ewhite3746]

@Poet2916 35 people know how this piece goes

[4StringAlex]

@freshrob20 same here this is... I think I peed a little O.O

[Freshrob20]

i play cello and the hardest song i can play is cello suite by Bach and only half of it.

[jokerXL512]

She really kicks butt. She's so fun to watch too!

[seattlegrrlie]

exquisite 

[Aikamatsu]

I usually ask my mom for a hand massage after playing this song...

[Prelh]

magnifico!



[NYCroxmysocks]

hmm, i a violinist, so idk much about cello, but is she holding her bow oddly?

[ewhite3746]

@NYCroxmysocks yes

[ThighDeepinTofu13]

That cello looks so big on her

[faericin]

IM just in complete awe of this... i have no words.... <3

[tzuhaoml]

I'm amazed that her bowhair survived that...

[musicgirl2318]

she has the greatest way to express feelings in her music and on her face.

[randomblackjap]

0.0

[shay1602]

Witchcraft.

It's the only explanation for a person making such impossibly perfect sounds.

(jk, youtube, don't hurt me.)

[anisometropie]

@shay1602 perfect is not exactly how i would describe such a cello sound

[UltimateC2020]

You know that around 423, it's supposed to go into a C, not an A.....

When I first was practicing this piece, I was like, oh it's an A, then I looked again and noticed it was a C... I'm kinda curious if you made the same mistake I did...

[hardybar1]

@UltimateC2020 In the bar(423) to which you refer, it is a 3-note chord from the bottom up; the lowest note is written C2, (which sounds a B1) the next note up is a D3 which is indicated to be played on the 2nd string (open string), and the top note is a written A, indicated to be played on the Third string, and therefore sounding a G#, giving us a sparely indicated Bm6 chord; moving immediately to a Bm7, back to Bm6, and then to a simple B minor, i.e., B D F#. I can't see where the mistake is

[UltimateC2020]

She's into me, I can tell

[Messiaenss]

How many noises!!

[XmonikaXcelloX]

This piece is perfect for her!

[FerencLiszt]

Wonderful! You've got the power of God!

[hurtyou123123]

shes going to need a chiropractor in a couple of years...

[jaidabug24]

i wish i could take lessons from her! amazing!!!

[BreneeandFriends]

she is making angry love with this cello.

amazing.

[luisca2007]

I met her in cartagena and I had some master classes with her, she is amazing cellist and very nice person!!! Bravo Alisa!!! 5*****

[efeuermann]

Your right hand is very interesting.

[luisca2007]

I agree with you!!!

[adrianjosepineda]

lo mejor

[FreeInquisition]

It's great, but I think I prefer the Janos Starker version.

[anisometropie]

@FreeInquisition she is no match for Janos Starker.

[DaTedinator]

Her hands move so fast!

[BonannoSimona]

It's spectacular... i've not words! GREAT

[mclaughlinkp]

she is even better live!

[ConductorsHateMe]

This is spectacular... its like listening to an entire orchestra on one instrument.

[freshflowersonline]

This shit is raunchy.

[crookeyejim]

Neither of them plays it perfectly in a mechanical sense. They're each adding their own unique touch to the piece, which I would say is what makes it so interesting.

[erlover3]

I just had a masterclass with her a few weeks ago, and she's fantastic. She said her bow hold is how she's always held her bow. Wish I could sound like her holding my bow the standard way...

[mfte260]

It's even better live.

[AlamoCityCello]

SPECTACULAR!

[patriciapoop3]

i hate how she's holding her bow.

[cellotennis]

unfortunately, every one of us needs to work with limbs coming from mom & dad....why don't you just enjoy the gutsy and espressive sounds she makes with her small hands ????

[Seoul2rain]

quite admirable playing of kodaly for the technique for which i have only seen when i myself am joking around on the cello. Unbearable to watch at 2:00 as I cringe. Beautiful playing all in all. Lots of will power to go through this piece with THAT kind of technique. BRAVO!

[nimuroji]

curious if some cellsts could comment on her bowhold. Is this a particular school of hold or personal style or?

[tarvertime]

AMAZING!

[michaharan]

It's different, at times very expressive, it's a pitty that there are some wrong notes.

[pegasus09196]

not just a cellist but any instrument.

[pegasus09196]

She has so much stamina! (thats a good thing to have as a cellist)

[cellogeek95]

I don´t like her playing at all, it feels very uncontrolled, and there are many young cellist in the world that are much better than her. Even if she has her own playing style, so is that not enough. But all this is is just my opinion, everyone has their own taste of music, and other people might like this, and that´s absolutely okey with me.

[kayakeenut]

It's Kodaly. i.e. hungarian folk-inspired... i.e. playing very wild and even a bit uncontrolled is a good thing.

[Apalexpe]

Even if you don't agree with her playing, you can't just go around saying that there are people younger and better.She is there for a reason and we must sometimes stop the critical commentaries and instead think more constructively.

[silvershocker123]

Its kodaly, one of the hardest pieces of musics there is to play and even if your peception tend to say that her style is somewhat uncomfortable to watch you have to leave that to her and only be critical of her ability to play the notes alone.

[cellogeek95]

I know that kodaly is a very hard piece, not just techniqually, but musically too, because I play it my self. You should not play kodaly too soft, but it´s too not controlled for my taste. I like it to be energic yet controlled, and I think she´s uncontrolled, not just when I see her play, but also when I hear her play. But as I said, you may like this performance, everyone has their own taste of music, and this didn´t match with my taste I guess :D

[KennYWooD2]

Parts of your comment here are really quite laughable.

[cellogeek95]

what parts? Is it laughable that I think she has an uncontrolled playing style? Or is it that I think there are better young cellists in the world that have worked very hard and still doesn´t get famous like Weilerstein? I´m just wondering

[vilidat]

It is definitely understandable, Alisa Weilerstein's performance does seem uncontrolled and sporadic.

But it should be mentioned that Kodaly produced this piece to represent Hungarian folk material which derives its rhythm from the improvisatory character.

[cellogeek95]

The thing is that I listened to Janos starker exactly before I watched Weilersteins performance! And Starker´s version has almost perfect technique, but I actually like Alisa´s wildness and she plays with more freedom than Starker, she plays with the piece quite much, and that´s good to have in Kodaly. You can not be too stiff.

[cellotennis]

uncontrolled ??? SURELY you mean free-spirited, involved, capricious, engaging....

[cellotennis]

unfortunately, working very hard is just one of the many components necessary to get out there.... it is also the ONLY measurable unit amongst those components, in terms of hours spent on the cello...imagination, talent, charisma and guts are much more elusive....

[rimatus]

whats the point of showing that microphone the whole time? it looks like marketing crap attempt to make this gal more "serious", and ignore the fact she doesnt know how to hold the bow.

[xXTiberiusXx]

i suggest you listen to her pampeana recording ... this particular video doesn't show her real talent.

[rimatus]

wow... after seeing this I feel more free to take some licenses

[cellogeek95]

Her bow is extremely long! Or is she that short?

[ShivaDea]

she is that short, dude.

[pierrot79]

Very good performance

Technically very far from Starker (available on Youtube, also), but warmer

[PeonyLantern]

I think he means the type, I couldn't recognize it from the angle its at, but I'll ask around at the music shop I work at on good microphones :)

[randytooth]

What's the microphone there? 0:47 Any ideas?

[jayseagull8888]

to record it...?

[randytooth]

Looks a lot a a Shure KSM model.

[randytooth]

A Complete Cellist! It's all there folks! Sound, Chops, Commitment to the line.

She has it all!

BTW..I think Alisa is cute as a button 2!

[TiqueO6]

continued: (providing it doesn't take away from the articulation of what they're trying to communicate and hopefully the composer's intententions)?

I'd much rather hear a few anomalies during a moving performance than a purely technical one any day.

[TiqueO6]

She's definitely my kind of musician. I feel that it's really not worth it if you don't commit and feel and express.

Who thinks that the composers of great and moving music weren't completely caught up in the moments of discovery, passion, delight, pain, joy, awe and transcendence that we hopefully experience during great performances? Why shouldn't instrumentalists, just like actors, singers, dancers, etc. be just as expressive as they want...

continued in next post:

[XmonikaXcelloX]

@TiqueO6 Some people said that she's old, I prefer perfect, expressive playing of mature emocionally woman, than small, 10 years old children with learned interpretations of theirs teachers.

[kovachian]

This woman has one hell of a bow arm on her. She absolute punished that cello and I loved it!

[thecelloking]

no kidding, looks like she might have studied with rostropovich at some point. look at that bow hold.

[ureshii2123]

WOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

[charlesbrooks]

Some good things but lots of squeaks and out of tune notes.. too many for a studio recording IMO. Definately not my favorite.

[webrunnerqw]

You´re a jerk.. Alisa rules!

[violajerk]

Wonderful, committed music making.

What a totally strange bow hold! She really makes it work, though.

[SoCalTrojan]

i love it. shes really into it

[henrykkingdom]

bravo

[braimes]

mmmaaaaaannnn..... I need to learn the cello.....

[grmusician]

Alisa is an incredible talent!!! I saw her once in performance...unbelievable technique and musicianship...she combines unbridled passion with flaming technique...amazing and incredibly sexy too!!!

[Gollam12]

Starker and Perényi.. They feel it, because they always heard hungarian folk music. I think she knows nothing about hungarian music. I don't like the Fournier version too. That's not hungarian.

[Cellistic82]

If you think Starker's version is correct you are far too wrong. Kodaly didn't like Starker's interpretation of the sonata....actually he liked FOurnier's version!

[caradeescusado]

thats not true at all.

[mlunapiena01]

could you provide a source for that?? That would be really interesting to read up on...

[AbsoluteZ3R0]

Wow, this is MESSY, but maybe I've just been listening to Starker too much

[fiddlestickies]

MESSY???? You must be on crack...

[AbsoluteZ3R0]

Well there's a lot of extraneous non-tonal noise, and I can't really hear every note she plays come through clearly. I mean, she plays it well, but it's not completely clear. It sounds really jumbled in many of the places, the phrases also aren't as clear. Compare this to Starker and you'll understand what I mean.

[pviola314]

True... but you know she's hot. This kinda piece is better a lil dirty if you know what i mean ;) hahah To me it'd be like playing don juan to straight.

[AbsoluteZ3R0]

Well I mean, obviously she is very good, I just don't like her interpretation as much as Starker's. I don't think this entire piece is intended to sound agitated (although many of the parts do call for it). I just feel like Starker's interpretation is more mature/refined.

[smilesnewton]

Kodaly may not agree. apparently he didnt much like starkers interpretation and they worked on it together

[AbsoluteZ3R0]

Well, it's possible that Starker's interpretation at the time may have been different than it wis in the video. What didn't Kodaly like about Starker's interpretation?

[dylanmonacelli]

I thought it was pretty Bad-Ass =D

[Ramen4ever2]

Imo, it's too rigid, I won't get into the intonation and rhythm issues because it's an incredibly difficult composition. But the style is completely off. It doesn't sound anything like the folk music imitation it was intended to be.

[julywonderland]

it just seems to me that she tries wayyy too hard to play to show people how loud,i mean ahem,well she can play. this is neither kodaly nor hungarian sounding to me. she can play the cello and she is energetic, alright

[Beeslie]

Usually, I don't post comments, but LISTEN TO 4:03 to 4:08.

[neomiford]

she is soooo into it

[sitarooman]

did anyone look at her bow grip...what the hell is going on with that

[Cellistic82]

everyone seems so good at criticizing here...just name one of super cellists who had a performance without "a scratchy and hacking bow technique".u can make some research on this same website. I dnt mean to defend her, but this is one of the most difficult pieces and anyhow the best thing is that she gives it character and is full of stamina throughout...

[capicchioni]

you're right in a way...the girl is giving her best..we should honor that...

[yomommacello]

Is this Mr. Weilerstein's, the famous violin teacher, daughter?

[capicchioni]

yes, she is

[capicchioni]

i don't mean to hurt the feelings of those who feel "grabbed" by this performance, but it seems undeniable to me that she doesn't care much about quality of tone or intonation for that matter. the fine cello she uses makes the best of her scratchy and hacking bow technique. an agressive and strident tone together with a lot of body motion is sold here as "passionate" playing in an attempt, conscious or not, to cover up for lack of instrumental capabilities. it's simply cheating. i feel offended.

[Robibi84]

We see in any virtuoso performance that the rules in general will not apply to them. One of the first techniques you hear when learning piano is to play on the tips of the fingers. Yet Valentina Lisitsa doesn't play on the tips of her fingers all the time...the true talent comes from a virtuoso when they can master their instrument no matter the technique. I am not a fan of Kodaly, however, you cannot say this girl cannot play. She is astounding. Clearly this mean that you don't know true music.

[kevalenoxx]

ohhhhhhhhh boyy she is feeling this one lol

[Omega1988]

the last comment was meant for Tortelier18

just because she holds the bow odd, doesn't mean that she plays bad. just listen to her. it works perfectly. the reason we learn to hold the bow we do is to get maximum out of minimum. It exists different kind of techinques each with the goal to produce a great sound without hurt the right hand.

So now i want to hear what you can do better than her

[CelloFiend]

I saw her play the Haydn D Major Concerto once and MET her after. She's cool.

[alaskadreams82]

Here is a cellist who not only plays what she feels but who grabs the listener along for the journey. And as we watch and react, we are inspired. If our inability to share the journey leaves only criticism on our tongues we must admit that in this age of mass music production and ersatz virtuoso performances this is a refreshing reminder of what classical music can be. Bravo.

[violinguy123]

The preceding comment is so completely ridiculous it shouldn't even merit a response. Clearly he/she has no idea the definition of a good sound. I would say that he/she is probably not even a musician to say something that outrageous.

[Tortelier18]

dude, this cellist sucks balls. what a horrible sound, and she doesn't even know how to hold the bow! hehe

[Omega1988]

Can you post a video of yourself doing better and grab the listener as she does. I don't have what it takes to do that, but because you have a such big mouth, it seems that you are so good that you can play better than her and captivate us better than her.

I look forward to hear you

[cellodude1]

I don't. Tortelier obviously is a terrible musician. Your bow is meant to be an extension of your body. She decides that the best sound is produced with the way she holds her bow...

[dadookacsa]

After hearing Perényi's version of this piece, this performance can hide...

[rainmancello]

she beats the shit out of that cello!

gross bowhold too...

[darkelend89]

omfg

[ldocBT]

Really amazing.... such naturalness.

[thetreetreetreetree]

Great playing.

Is it just me or is that a rather odd bow hold?

[caitygirl120]

it is just a bit high on the bow, but to each player their own i guess...and apparently that bow hold is doing a great job for her so...

[LorenzoLassek]

The bow hold is very strange for real!

but odd doesnt mean bad automatically!

[violinguy123]

holy shit...

[ladyxviolinist]

What virtuosity.......

[diegoloukota]

Superb Kodalyesque volcanic-epileptic playing...

[takhminka]

BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[randytooth]

She makes it look easy! GREAT PLAYING SWEET HEART!