Hamelin plays Liszt Fantasy and Fugue on B-A-C-H Part 2 of 2

[philtro99]

i gotta say kun woo paik's version of this is much cleaner and more attentive to the nuances of the piece while still being devilishly brilliant.

[1Thompsonmusic]

3:38 GRRRRRR!!!

[1Thompsonmusic]

People who critisize this pianist are intimated because his technique is frightening OH YOU SHOULD BE MORE MUSICAL LIKE LAZER (LAZY) BERMAN

[Laudan08]

Damn i thank god for letting me see this.

[mkeysou812]

Anyone who has the balls to play that live and can pull it off like that is pretty awesome in my book

[ibclappin]

age has taken some from his hair but none from his technique

[stylusfantasticus]

Utterly magnificent performance. Absolutely in the "pathos" of the Master. Genial work, genial performance.

Thanks

[jules0659]

I recommend listening to a good organ rendition, e.g. that of Noel Rawsthorne at Liverpool Cathedral, for comparison.

[danedaworld]

Okay, imma kill the atmostphere. EVERYONE KNOWS HAMELIN USES AIMBOT ON THAT "PS3" OF HIS

[DanMarcy1]

Wow. I've been trying to find a high quality version of Hamelin performing this piece but unfortunately he hasn't recorded it. Do you have this in higher quality?

[Sword1479]

@DanMarcy1 He recently released an album with this piece on it. I highly recommend it, for the album also has his preformance of the Sonata in b minor.

[PhilPhilUSA]

Liszts music cannot be separated from the theatricality of its realization - historically he owns this turf - and youtube with sight and sound together is reaffirming this more and more.

Liszt anticipated film. Schumann knew it and was a bit -jealous: if Liszt played behind a screen much of the effect would be lost. Brendel has it right: Liszts music is not tacky -

it can be played tacky, if the performer is not up to what the execution demands. For me Mr. Hamlin is on very solid ground.

[howdilydoodily]

Sorry, but I must respectfully disagree. Liszt's fugue in his sonata is perhaps his best, but just because one writes fugues does not mean that one should. Even his sonata's fugue barely develops in form. Liszt's amateur attempt of counterpoint in no way resembes the brilliance of Bach's (and Palestrina and others) contrapuntal writing.

Ironically, it is much simpler to develop an atonal subject (such as B-A-C-H) and continue modulation than it is to adhere to one key--say, c# minor.

[singsinsing]

Here Liszt just repeats himself all the time...like a broken record. This work in my opinion is awfully predictable, not to mention this performance is quite a bit of banging, just like Howard's rendition of douze grandes etudes. No disrespect to either of pianists.

[howdilydoodily]

Completely agree. Don't blame the pianists, though. Liszt--bless his heart--just could never figure out how to compose in a simple manner. He tried so, so hard. But I really believe he never figured it out. Ironic, seeing how his idols were Bach, Beethoven and Schubert--all three who mastered the art of turning the simple into the sublime.

However, you must see that Hamelin's execution of this work here is absolutely brilliant with phenomenal sound, emphasizing the darkness of B-A-C-H.

[Vinc8585]

pure genius...............

[konzolmester]

Dont want to list all of the problems but what really bugs my ear it the pianopianissimo at 5:33 The sheet says FF not PP oh well....

[LisztianGR]

It says "p". Check your books mate.

[konzolmester]

I assume we study different sheets. Please do listen to Leslie Howard, he plays it accurately.

[kusuna7]

He also completely ignores Liszt's original fingering, which conveys a lot about the meaning of the music to the listener. Many easier passages are given awkward, difficult fingerings to make it sound more intense.

[tjugofyra]

Liszt once said to Cesar Frack:

"You are the best composer for organ, after bach of course."

As far as I know, Bach was liszt's favorite composer!

[ComeLeVent]

He should have studied him more ;)

But as far as i know, Beethoven was liszts favorite, wasn't he?

[tjugofyra]

I have heard that is was Bach, but Beethoven sounds reasonable!

I have to say that I don't fully assent to your describtion about Liszt's music.

Sure, he can sometimes be a bit cheap in his tonal language but he is not a bad composer, at least not to me. I like Liszt!

I really like this piece. It was originally written for the organ (as you probably already knew) and then transcripted for piano. The organ version is great! In fact, it's fantastic!

[tjugofyra]

The piano version is also great but Liszt failed with some things in the piano version. The piano version feels superfluous (hope I used the word correctly!) and it does not have the same serious undertone and tonal language. The organ version is musically much better.

[konzolmester]

Beethoven was Liszt's role model,his 9 Symphony transcription to piano is solid enough proof.

[kusuna7]

You evidently have no perception whatsoever of the harmonic complexity in this work.

[ComeLeVent]

I heard about this supposed complexity. In this case, Liszt proves his talent to conceal even the slightest sign of smart design. So it comes down to sounding dull and repetitive. Unfortunately, Liszt failed to demonstrate not harmonic complexity, which is common in romantic music, but contrapunctual & linear complexity. At least a little bit would have been appropriate in a hommage to bach, wouldn't you say? Liszt wasn't really capable of that.

[78625amginE]

Liszt loved Bach a great deal...

This is a fantasy on the B-A-C-H motif. Fantasies are "free", so of course there's no "apparent structure" But as far as Liszt's transcriptions (and others for that matter lol, Busoni, Tausig etc...) this is how people back then thought Bach should sound. But playing Bach, as is, on the piano as we do today is a rather new concept. Enjoy it for what it is, not for what it isn't.

Anyway, have a good day!

[ChalieChaplin]

F A N T A S T I C ! ! ! ! !

[ChalieChaplin]

I prefer this Liszt's organ work on piano!

[eggplant1994]

liszt himself would have thought hamelin to be a freak of nature :p

[afertyus1000]

well to compose this stuff he must've been a bigger freak

[eggplant1994]

but he actually composed the last 3 minutes of liszts hungarian rhapsody no.2 (of the version that he plays). it is so well written that i didn't even know it wasn't liszt's until i read his thing on wikipedia. so yeah, hamelin is basically an equal to greater freak of nature :p

[afertyus1000]

i read that as well, he has composed some studies and a french horn piece but i think you would wait a long time for works of the calibre of the mighty unassailable liszt

[afertyus1000]

@eggplant1994 just read your ridiculous statement it is definitely not from Liszts style and Liszt was far superior to Hamelin [even though i admire him]

[afertyus1000]

@eggplant1994 narrr liszt could play all his works and as good as hamelin or better

[1Thompsonmusic]

@afertyus1000

Better. He could play and NEVER needed to look at his hands, and even have conversations with people around the piano whilst playing! I'm not making that up. Read various books on Liszt. Clara Schumann also described his evenness as 'devilish'.

[afertyus1000]

@1Thompsonmusic i am agreeing with you? just replying to the guy who said hamelin is equal to or better than Liszt??? what a joke

[ryguillian]

Audacious and annoying cinematography... amazing, amazing playing.

[ragtimemarkbirnbaum]

STAGGERING!

THX

M

[radurak]

well they knew why. I'd do so, too :P

[afertyus1000]

those l/h octaves at 2.14 just amaze me, he must have perfect arm weight control

[felix0911176727]

I want to see the sheet music of the fugue part, it must be dazzled.

[sanctusignis]

I have it. Just send me your email address in a PM and I'll send it to ya.

[classicalspin]

Just a great performance from one of the world's great virtuosos.

[afertyus1000]

lol

[brozors]

there's several parts in this performance where i feel its rushed. i guess i'm too used to Cziffra's legendary recording of this fugue.

[Jw22DeeJay]

so bach composed on like that?

[Jw22DeeJay]

cam someone explain this piece to me. like why is it called B-A-C-H?

[tompilk]

those notes on the piano are Bb-A-C-B, the four chromatic notes which the piece is based on...

[maxi937]

Nothing to do with Bach then?

[Scrithe]

It's the theme B-A-C-H(g#). G sharp is called H in Germany, so Bach put that theme into many of his pieces, and other composers used it as well.

[tjugofyra]

not really! H in "Germany"= B in USA.

B in Germany= Bb in USA:p

[klavierspielerin83]

@Jw22DeeJay

in germany the letter 'b flat' is said as 'b'. the letter 'b' is said as 'h'. thus when you put all the letters together you get: a, b flat,b,c or in german you get a, b, h, c. if you move them around can spell: b a c h! Bach used this motif in his finale countrapunctus of the Art of the Fugue (left unfished at his death).

hope that helps!

[elkwolf]

@Jw22DeeJay in german the note B is H, so Bb A C H

[leejockey]

oh my god..............

[davidcia]

fucking awesome great work!!!!!

[mtysonhe]

すばらしい！！！

[goobleglob]

omg!