It would be great if anyone who id so kind and posts a video (or audio) here, also posted when and where it was plaed. This one (as well as Chopi 2 Etudes + MacDowell Etude) comes from a recital in Avery Fisher Hall in New York, February 22, 1985.
Comments such as TheJonalii´s or Raptorgangtsa´s shouldn´t be here, since they are idiotic.
@Medvedor Eh, Watts is far more expressive. Berezovsky is brilliant but I just didn't feel the magic like I feel it here. Watts completely transforms this piece IMHO.
@mxzysptlik Berezovsky playes it well, but it's way too fast. I've tried to do it at his tempo, not a great Idea. Watts' recording here is great and I personally believe he plays it at a good tempo.
Any of him playing Mazzepa. I've only heard 2 versions I like. One by Boris Bezorosky (or whatever) and another by a unknown artist. I think he will play is like them.
I compared this Watt's take and Astanova's, and this one is much better in my perspective. More dynamics and tempo changes make this piece have much more emotion. Lola does it flawlessly, but feel she's just pushing it a bit too hard.
He plays the piano too hard and it puts it out of tune,any one with perfect pitch can notice that.they don't make steinways the way they did in 1920.....but what a freakin brilliant pianist....what agony and ecstasy to be a musician
It's marked Allegro Agitato molto. This interp. is just not Allegro Agitato enough for me, too Maestoso. Is it marked 'con bravura'? No. Appassionato assai, yes. I think this piece should be like 'rapids'.. restless, liquid, fast-moving, ever surging forwards. Compare Claudio Arrau. Nice octave chops in the stretta.
I like this because he doesn't fall into the trap of trying to play faster and flashier than everyone else. He adds a great deal of poetry to his interpretation, and some part are really incredibly touching. I wish people would quit picking out the negative in every performance and concentrate on the good.
I got to hear him perform this just two days ago at Ravinia. Along with the Liszt piano concerto No. 2, which he did with the CSO, and my dad, who was a substitute for that concert and many others. He said Andre Watts was a wonderful pianist, and this is actually the first time my dad has performed with him.
I would love to see the video of the Liszt concerto no.1 with Lenard Bernstein at age 16 that brought him fame. If anyone has access to this video please post it.
Ma chi vuoi prendere in giro Mister Watts ? Eseguire uno Studio Trascendentale di Liszt così infuocato e vibrante, come fosse una ninna nanna ? Neanche fosse un Notturno o un Improptu di Chopin !!! DISASTROSO MALINTESO !!!!!!!!!!
@darkblueangel1956 a me non sembra così malvagia come interpretazione...per dire preferisco la sua a quella di pollini...questa è più...pulita. Almeno così la vedo io.
@bigcalamaro Beh, vedi caro amico. Posso accettare che questa ti piaccia e che quella di Pollini sia da considerare uno "scivolone" (e siamo in tanti a pensarlo !). Il fatto è che il signor Watts esegue quasi tutto Liszt COSI' ! Idue Concerti con Bernstein, gli altri Studi, ecc, hanno sempre questo tono da Romanza di Mendelssohn con monumentalizzata altisonanza e con una una flaccida andatura. Un capolavoro E' GIA' DA SOLO COSI' ! Perchè "sovraccaricare" ancora ? Grazie e un cordiale saluto.
Wow, I thought the kind of idiotic criticism and all the ensuing arguments and insults I found here would have only been found in the rock guitarist video realm.
Now THIS is a great performance! If his face has to slide right off his face to achieve this level of perfection, then so be it. Nobody -- and I mean NOBODY -- else can do this. Oh all right, maybe Horowitz in his prime, but I doubt it.
This performance was taped from a "Live From Lincoln Center" broadcast from Avery Fisher Hall, on February 20, 1985. I have it on laserdisc but sadly it's still not available on DVD. You'd think someone would have put this thing out by now. This is the best piano recital I've ever seen. I was blown away by Andre Watt's performance on this day. During the breaks, he was interviewed by Andre Previn. I had to pleasure to running into him. I told him how much I was moved by this performance.
The no-names on YouTube are wimpy crabs in a bucket. The man has been an acknowledged artist since age sixteen. Who knows "you," and for what? How he can maintain his passion for music played over and over for so long is wonderful. He doesn't "concentrate" on his facial responses. That is unconscious response to the music. Often, I wish there were no comments on You Tube, only because of the lack of manners, taste, talent and intelligence by those who will not be known beyond an e-mail address.
@th3wing3dpaint3r listen here you tit...obviously you dont know what you're talking about otherwise you wouldnt be talking out of school. some musicians have to express themselves in that way
@benjianubis I obviously know what i'm talking about since it's my own opinion of this performance. And being vulgar isn't going to change that, it just makes you sound uncivilized.
@th3wing3dpaint3r Well.....i am a pianist as well and do have a masters degree in it. As you are entitled to your opinion so am I....all i'm saying is that pianists sometimes have different ways of approaching whatever piece that they perform. it is true that Andre Watts does a whole lot of expressions with his face but I guess this helps him more with his playing where as Arthur Rubinstein once said that being calm helped him more in performing. Not everyone is the same.
@benjianubis I still don't see a reason for you to be steamed up about my comment. I didn't particularly enjoy his performance (opinion), I thought his facial expressions were exaggerated and distracting (opinion) and i attributed his alleged shortcomings to them (speculation?).
One could argue that Lang Lang's gestures help him in performing, I just think they're a bad idea.
@benjianubis I'm not sure what any of this has to do with what I think about this performance. But in case you're interested, 92 likes out of a total of 105 is not nearly 98%
@th3wing3dpaint3r oh ok....so obviously you're assuming that the few people that actually voted against it and or gave it a thumb down have a great profound knowledge of music and understand it to its full length. In other words, im quite sure that some people came to that video by either accident or just because perhaps they listen to SOME classical. I actually play Etude and have a masters degree in music so I think that i could judge the piece quite well.. ...TYVM
@benjianubis "so obviously you're assuming that the few people that actually voted against it and or gave it a thumb down have a great profound knowledge of music" No. Feel free to point out where i did that. You assumed that I did. Based on nothing:D You, on the other hand, used your acquisition music degree to do *just that*.
And STILL, your alleged "superior" judgement of the piece has nothing to do with my opinion of this performance.
@th3wing3dpaint3r I didnt assume anything but since you pointed out that 92 likes out of 105 liked it. and i merely stated that "IT DOESNT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THE 12 OR SO UNDERSTAND A WHOLE LOT OF WHAT THEY VOTE FOR.....Is this any clear no?? And I am not using my degree for anything but yes....obviously I WOULD KNOW THE PIECE BETTER than someone who doesn't play it and would understand it better. if its your opinion that you don't like it then thats your prerogative...but don't go around
@th3wing3dpain3r......saying to others that he didnt do a good job there because obviously you must be on a high volume drug, perhaps a troll, or either it is that you are jealous of it which frankly is what i believe is the case here.
@benjianubis And i'll go around saying whatever i want about this performance. As long as you have the right to say that you like it, it's only logical for others to be able to express their opinions too.
"you must be on a high volume drug" More proof of your narrow-mindedness
"it is that you are jealous of it which frankly is what i believe is the case here" There r 2 reasons why this doesn't make sense. 1) I'd never compare myself to this guy. I'm an amateur pianist, this guy's a pro...cont
@benjianubis Again, here's your assumption: "you're assuming that the few people that actually voted against it and or gave it a thumb down have a great profound knowledge of music"
"IT DOESNT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THE 12 OR SO UNDERSTAND A WHOLE LOT OF WHAT THEY VOTE FOR" I never said so, but why assume the opposite either? Answer: you're a narrow-minded snob.
For the second time, your alleged "superior" judgement of the piece has nothing to do with my opinion of this performance.
2) If i was into comparing myself to pianists who are a dozen times better than i am, i certainly wouldn't go with this guy. There are pianists out there a thousand times better than he is.
@th3wing3dpaint3r i never said that there wasn't but there are few that are legendary as him. And I am just conveying to you PERSONALLY....not another person. stay within the subject son.
@benjianubis This IS the subject. Your narrow mind thought that the only way I could possibly dislike this performance, is if I were jealous of the pianist. what a joke you are :D
@th3wing3dpaint3r now now sunshine......didn't I said that you had the right to like or dislike it....Check the previous messages. As far as narrow is concerned you are indeed the one who expressed that you didn't like it just because of his facial expressions which has absolutely nothing to do with his playing. Also, in your previous message you said that there are thousands of pianists that are better than him but I could say that there are millions that aren't. Now run along and take a nap
@th3wing3dpaint3r Now now sunshine. If I told you once, I've told you several times already that you do have the right to your opinion but so do others. However since you seem to be so interested in his facial expressions rather than his music indicates that you are distracted and not fully concentrated otherwise you would have heard the music better. Now run along kiddo and go do your homework better
@benjianubis it's so pathetic how you wrote the same comment twice with "run along kiddo" in one and "go take a nap" in the other :D
Anyway, I'm pretty sure you misunderstood all my comments if you think i'm "interested in his facial expressions".
And again, your failure to understand that others might have valid opinions that are different than yours is sad. I think he's mediocre, you think he's a genius, get over it and go find something better to do with your life.
@th3wing3dpaint3r nah...I actually wanted to write twice kiddo bc its all worth the fun; furthermore its funny how of an imbecile you are lol. And also, I never said that you where interested in his facial expressions but since you merely criticized it, I gave my own opinion as I am entitled as well. Obviously if you think he is so mediocre then why would you even be on this page debating when its obvious that I will not leave here till you do?
@benjianubis "ts funny how of an imbecile you are" this incorrectly sentence is an unfortunate example of how a simple youtube discussion can be ruined by vulgarity.
"I never said that you where interested in his facial expressions" I quoted you :D Maybe you forgot because you wrote the same comment twice. Here you go: "since you seem to be so interested in his facial..."
"why would you even be on this page" to reply to your comments, obviously :P
@th3wing3dpaint3r In addition to that it seems to me that since you try and be in denial regarding your own insecurities of your own inadequacies, you like putting others down but I will be the one to burst your bubble here. Actually I already have successfully done so but like I said, its all worth the fun. Debating with you is like drinking a cup of tea and tossing you like a tennis ball sunshine. Tsk Tsk Tsk Tsk.......btw, hows 5th grade doing for you? Oh thats right, they failed you.
@benjianubis How is saying "I'm an amateur pianist" make me "in denial regarding [my own] insecurities"? And who am i putting down? Are you Andre Watts? or are you one of those people who live vicariously through their idols.
"I will be the one to burst your bubble here"...again, i'd recommend you'd try spending your time doing something slightly more important.
"Debating with you is like drinking a cup...they failed you" This honestly makes me feel like i'm talking to a child. So sad...
@th3wing3dpaint3r ..............im sure if you re-read what I wrote then you shall understand. Actually, I guess I should explain it again lol since its obvious that your comprehension skills are questionable.... regarding your insecurities: I mean that the way you express yourself and talk about someone just bc of his facial expressions and or gestures; makes it seem that the only thing you look for is that and not the playing itself. In one of your previous comments you did say that
@th3wing3dpianist3r..........he would be better if he didnt do so many facial expressions...but later since you popped your cherry, you started saying that he is this and that and he is mediocre. It shows that you are getting mad and makes you look quite insecure about yourself. Otherwise, why would you even be replying to this lol? You say....by doing this it makes me look like a child???? so why are you feeding into it then. Duuuuuh, obviously it's your ego and self centered brain replying.
@benjianubis "Otherwise, why would you even be replying to this lol?" That's sort of how a discussion goes.
"obviously it's your ego and self centered brain replying" I'm not sure you know what "self-centered" means. And you-for some reason- have taken this discussion personally and have started attacking me in person instead of contributing to the debate with any useful responses.
So i'll disregard your vulgarity and repeat my opinion...
@th3wing3dpaint3r .....He has played in a different recitals and others videos as well.....this isn't the only video he's in. But like I said...you're entitled to your opinion but so are others. All his critics praise him. Do you think we know more than them? However that is your opinion which you are entitled to....even though my opinion defers from yours.
@th3wing3dpaint3r The worst kind of musician , regardless of technique, sits behind the keyboard stone-faced as if what he is doing is a job. I LOVE to see the artist, passionate in front of the keyboard, enthralled and beyond this world, making art as it should be. THAT is what art is about, not technique, not degrees, not awards or competitions won.
@Cancrizans If you only care to evaluate music from a visual viewpoint, then you're absolutely right. We have one too many "passionate" movers nowadays. Enjoy" the music"!
Superficial gestures -for me at least- don't determine the quality of the art. There's something much deeper to music than facial contortions and flailing arms.
@th3wing3dpaint3r Well, I absolutely agree with you, but what I do not like is RESTRAINT of personality and uniformity of interpretation which has been the way of the academies for many years. My point is, you can't really "teach" this kind of music in the sense we try to nowadays,it just isn't an academic pursuit. I prefer to listen to someone who makes ten mistakes and looks like an orangutan doing it, but has passion and something different to say, than 100 "technically brilliant" renditions.
Not only that; they don't have anything to do with music in the first place. Flailing arms - visual body movements. Music = sound. This has nothing to do with "depth" or "quality of art".
@th3wing3dpaint3r I agree, so I ignore the gestures. Why criticize gestures at the same time you insist extra-musical factors don't count? They shouldn't count one way or the other. I'm very curious about this. E.g., the last Van Cliburn ... (cont'd)
That Nobuyuki Tsujii overcame blindness, we're not supposed to take into account, only his playing--which Tsujii said himself. Fine, I'd still pick Tsujii. Yet in a master class Earl Wild warned of a pianist who lost a competition he should have won because the judges held his florid gestures against him. So we hold extra-musical gestures against a pianist, but we can't credit Tsujii's unearthly will power because it's extra-musical? That sounds like ideology to me.
@Erikk91 At 2:15 his body expresses the passion he feels about the piece. I wonder what people would say if they had an audience watching them make love, and criticized the motions they made during the process. Criticizing an artist for revealing themselves, in trust, to an audience they believe has some idea of the passion art takes to create, is pretty much the same thing. If anything artists on Youtube do bothers you, go practice and create a better performance.
I love the way he looks at the piano as if someone was taking a dump on it and he is both surprised and disgusted at the same time :) this guy is amazing!
@lovesGenet I agree...the ending of this piece is by far the best part and there is ZERO dynamic in this particular video. it totally kills the best part of the song. It might be the audio quality, because this guy is obviously an amazing soloist!
gosh can you believe it ? i am 17 , nearly 18 and before those 5 minutes i didn't know the existence of andre watts. what a shame, he s such a great artist ....
Absolutely brilliant! I saw Watts play at my university in 1975 -- he's still an amazing performer. The confidence to walk up to a piano and rip off Liszt "cold" like that -- it's something that a very, very few human beings in the world can do.
@CAridge2008 Honey ,I am negro but i must tell u there are a million pianists who play this etude . I'm not even that well trained adnI play this and 3 of the very dificult LisztPaganini etudes. The world is a big place.There are prolly a hundred pianists on utube alone playing this.Many thousands who play all of them and all of the Chopin etudes too.U just show how little u hav been exposed.
@lovesGenet You sound barely literate enough to play chopsticks let alone any of these etudes. I honestly hope you were speaking figuratively when you threw numbers like "a million" around,because if not, his so called lack of exposure makes your lack of common sense and perception look like brilliance. And I still can't figure how his praising ONE OF THE FEW great classical pianists of the past 50 years constitutes a lack of exposure. Also please upload you playing even a part of these etudes.
Absolutely my favourite version of Liszt's Transcendental Etude No. 10. A very profound performance imho. Never really been a technique-person myself, I find Watts' interpretation very deep and touching.
What strikes me about this is how he absolutely does NOT over play it and turns it into more of a poetic interpretation. Although we all know Liszt is known for fireworks I have always felt this perception has grown with the legend until it is now out of proportion and all too often the poet Liszt is lost to the ego of the performer. This is a very thoughtful performance.
Almost titanic energy ! BUT ROUGH and not a brilliant technique by today's standards.Geese. I'm glad he's on top though . Gould ,Schnabel too had an ugly sound when ever he played romantic composers! The sound is so strident.I'm a black pianist as if that matters but I'm always shocked by his records which show no love of a gorgeous varied sound. This is a perfect example sounds like hammers jiggling .A pianist with his fame really should have more care for his sound.
This is Liszt with balls, wide awake, powerful, strong. Of course, you can find things to criticize, but there is more to admire in Watts playing and in this unique approach..
Sorry to all you Watts fans out there, but I can't stand the guy. Yeah, he plays a lot of notes really fast, but with zilch intonation or rhythmic flexibility. He is an excellent representative of the worst of modern piano playing. If you want to hear some music instead of just a bunch of notes, check ouf Cziffra playing the same piece.
@kt4utube Even his virtuosity is very commonplace. You hear random talented pianists, not even conservatory students, play pieces as good as Watts. This piece is just a pale copycat imitation of the Cziffra interpretation, which is itself inferior to those by Berman and Lugansky.
Thank you for posting videos from this concert. I used to listen and watch it a lot!!! André is such an amazing musician and person! Exelente gracias! .
A very good question since he his performances have been widely televised. I love the way Watts doesn't overplay the opening thematic material thus leaving immense room for the piece to grow into something titanic.
This artist have been one of my favourites since I hade the privilege to hear him live in Tel-Aviv in the end of the 78 or 80. The best Liszt second concerto , truly diabolic and a spirited Jeunhomme . He has a distinct voice of his own
paired with a great sense for each composer
he plays . Has a feel for rythmical drama ecualled by few others . Please upload whatever there is of this magnificent live-performer.
@jhoward1957 ; Andre Watts has done many spectular performances: the early performance of the Liszt Sonata in B minor and the Liszt -Paganini Etudes. There was also a wonderful video of his playing the Liszt Concerto in Eb major; Beethoven 2nd Piano Concerto and the Rachmaninoff 2nd Piano Concerto . Some of those which show him at the height of his career should be posted. I think they will come.
clankety clankety clankety clank
anonymousQ45 1 week ago
His mother : "before you go, don't you want to go to the bathroom?
He says : No mom, i'm fine
Look for the consecuences ¬¬
15Yuzuru 3 weeks ago
the best thing in this video is absolutely his face.
MidnaFan111 1 month ago 5
It would be great if anyone who id so kind and posts a video (or audio) here, also posted when and where it was plaed. This one (as well as Chopi 2 Etudes + MacDowell Etude) comes from a recital in Avery Fisher Hall in New York, February 22, 1985.
Comments such as TheJonalii´s or Raptorgangtsa´s shouldn´t be here, since they are idiotic.
TheHanslick 1 month ago
I think his doing the face dance? :||
TheJonaii 1 month ago
HUNGARY BITCH!!!!!
Raptorgangtsa 1 month ago
This is the best rendition of this piece because it's not rushed like the others.
brangreen85 1 month ago
Etude no. cos10.sinx
freitasnetuno 1 month ago
Unbelievable control!
brangreen85 1 month ago
After listening of Berezovsky, it is unreal to give positive rating to other performers.
Medvedor 2 months ago
@Medvedor Eh, Watts is far more expressive. Berezovsky is brilliant but I just didn't feel the magic like I feel it here. Watts completely transforms this piece IMHO.
mxzysptlik 2 months ago
@mxzysptlik Berezovsky playes it well, but it's way too fast. I've tried to do it at his tempo, not a great Idea. Watts' recording here is great and I personally believe he plays it at a good tempo.
PSwildcat12 1 month ago
@Medvedor Interesting. I'd say the same thing about Watts.
ThePaulinoContreras 1 month ago
Any of him playing Mazzepa. I've only heard 2 versions I like. One by Boris Bezorosky (or whatever) and another by a unknown artist. I think he will play is like them.
fapestar 2 months ago
What a performance!!!!! !!!!!
yenyenlim1 2 months ago
Hyperventerlating...thank you Andre Watts and your Hungarian mother and Liszt...
loveyjay320 2 months ago 2
The looks this guy pulls are hilarious. I'd like to see a video from the front of the entire thing.
He is incredibly talented though.
theCrpldOrphnPrjct 2 months ago
what's amazing to think about is that this was written as an etude... to help improve a pianist... yet it's an amazing piece to listen to as well.
CGPdude100 3 months ago
lol nodame cantabile at the top xD
xXAzNBa0Xx 3 months ago
Just beautiful!
hwkfee 3 months ago in playlist Weitere Videos von Nodame2006
2:55-4:08 is pure heaven.
mxzysptlik 3 months ago
I compared this Watt's take and Astanova's, and this one is much better in my perspective. More dynamics and tempo changes make this piece have much more emotion. Lola does it flawlessly, but feel she's just pushing it a bit too hard.
Zircemerald 4 months ago
WOW. I didn't even think it was humanly possible to play the coda at that speed.
masterofvagina1 4 months ago
So many complex emotions: saddness, happiness, struggle...thankyou Liszt and thankyou Mr. Watts.
mxzysptlik 4 months ago
The emotional expressions of the performer are a major factor in the pleasure of watching them perform.
waldseemullerGPS 5 months ago
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ses expressions faciales me semblent très pénibles.........
psycholeo1991 5 months ago
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psycholeo1991 5 months ago
He plays the piano too hard and it puts it out of tune,any one with perfect pitch can notice that.they don't make steinways the way they did in 1920.....but what a freakin brilliant pianist....what agony and ecstasy to be a musician
TheRobertEllismusic 6 months ago
Heh, he plays the middle section exactly like I've been picturing it... always cool to find something like that ;)
twooffour 6 months ago
0:23 - "God, thats an awful taste in my mouth"
MsFloopdedoop 7 months ago
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MsFloopdedoop 7 months ago
Liszt was a god.
PeacefulStrife 7 months ago
It's marked Allegro Agitato molto. This interp. is just not Allegro Agitato enough for me, too Maestoso. Is it marked 'con bravura'? No. Appassionato assai, yes. I think this piece should be like 'rapids'.. restless, liquid, fast-moving, ever surging forwards. Compare Claudio Arrau. Nice octave chops in the stretta.
AlexAlcyone 7 months ago
@AlexAlcyone I agree in that Arrau is incredible with this piece.
Cancrizans 7 months ago
I like this because he doesn't fall into the trap of trying to play faster and flashier than everyone else. He adds a great deal of poetry to his interpretation, and some part are really incredibly touching. I wish people would quit picking out the negative in every performance and concentrate on the good.
Cancrizans 8 months ago
I got to hear him perform this just two days ago at Ravinia. Along with the Liszt piano concerto No. 2, which he did with the CSO, and my dad, who was a substitute for that concert and many others. He said Andre Watts was a wonderful pianist, and this is actually the first time my dad has performed with him.
Maazel456 8 months ago
I would love to see the video of the Liszt concerto no.1 with Lenard Bernstein at age 16 that brought him fame. If anyone has access to this video please post it.
skimask777 8 months ago
impressive that it is possible to have that much "feeling" in that opening frase. does that chromatic descending of chords really say THAT much?
elineangelica 8 months ago
Ma chi vuoi prendere in giro Mister Watts ? Eseguire uno Studio Trascendentale di Liszt così infuocato e vibrante, come fosse una ninna nanna ? Neanche fosse un Notturno o un Improptu di Chopin !!! DISASTROSO MALINTESO !!!!!!!!!!
darkblueangel1956 8 months ago
@darkblueangel1956 a me non sembra così malvagia come interpretazione...per dire preferisco la sua a quella di pollini...questa è più...pulita. Almeno così la vedo io.
bigcalamaro 8 months ago
@bigcalamaro Beh, vedi caro amico. Posso accettare che questa ti piaccia e che quella di Pollini sia da considerare uno "scivolone" (e siamo in tanti a pensarlo !). Il fatto è che il signor Watts esegue quasi tutto Liszt COSI' ! Idue Concerti con Bernstein, gli altri Studi, ecc, hanno sempre questo tono da Romanza di Mendelssohn con monumentalizzata altisonanza e con una una flaccida andatura. Un capolavoro E' GIA' DA SOLO COSI' ! Perchè "sovraccaricare" ancora ? Grazie e un cordiale saluto.
darkblueangel1956 8 months ago
Se le acabaron las pilas...
PercyEdwards 8 months ago
Wow, I thought the kind of idiotic criticism and all the ensuing arguments and insults I found here would have only been found in the rock guitarist video realm.
I guess not.
Too bad.
bergerdrum 8 months ago
Now THIS is a great performance! If his face has to slide right off his face to achieve this level of perfection, then so be it. Nobody -- and I mean NOBODY -- else can do this. Oh all right, maybe Horowitz in his prime, but I doubt it.
rickideemus 9 months ago
His face = win
rikku38 9 months ago
This performance was taped from a "Live From Lincoln Center" broadcast from Avery Fisher Hall, on February 20, 1985. I have it on laserdisc but sadly it's still not available on DVD. You'd think someone would have put this thing out by now. This is the best piano recital I've ever seen. I was blown away by Andre Watt's performance on this day. During the breaks, he was interviewed by Andre Previn. I had to pleasure to running into him. I told him how much I was moved by this performance.
MarcEdwards5050 9 months ago
Don't compare.
Because there will be as many "opinions" as there are people to give them.
It is really about our own unique and deeply personal experience with a specific performer and the music that he/she produces.
If you do not "like" Andre Watts" then keep negative opinions to yourself because you would be wasting your time. Why?
Because, Piano Performance experts and Critics (who get paid for being Critics) have already made him a World Class, American icon.
ayomon1 9 months ago
I should pracitce this for my diet !
Chromatica23 9 months ago
heard playing this piece burns 1200 calories
dadaboi777 10 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I think this MAN is not a man, but a MARTIAN!
johnwaynepresley 10 months ago
WOW! I can feel the intensity and the energy from this clip.
jazzlife1 10 months ago
What's wrong with you people? Can't you just enjoy the lovely music?
Have some manners.
MsBearQueen 11 months ago
The no-names on YouTube are wimpy crabs in a bucket. The man has been an acknowledged artist since age sixteen. Who knows "you," and for what? How he can maintain his passion for music played over and over for so long is wonderful. He doesn't "concentrate" on his facial responses. That is unconscious response to the music. Often, I wish there were no comments on You Tube, only because of the lack of manners, taste, talent and intelligence by those who will not be known beyond an e-mail address.
GwenAYF 11 months ago
search "Lola Astanova plays Transcendental etude No. 10"
chrisnantucket 1 year ago
He'd have played it much better if he'd focused more on the piece than his facial expressions.
th3wing3dpaint3r 1 year ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r what's up with the hating man. stop criticizing, like seriously! geez, bunch of haters out here.
MySuperstar09 1 year ago
@MySuperstar09 Do you want me to apologize for not liking it (or his facial expressions)?
I find his facial contortions to be unnecessary and distracting, (sorry?)
th3wing3dpaint3r 1 year ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r listen here you tit...obviously you dont know what you're talking about otherwise you wouldnt be talking out of school. some musicians have to express themselves in that way
benjianubis 10 months ago
@benjianubis I obviously know what i'm talking about since it's my own opinion of this performance. And being vulgar isn't going to change that, it just makes you sound uncivilized.
th3wing3dpaint3r 10 months ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r Well.....i am a pianist as well and do have a masters degree in it. As you are entitled to your opinion so am I....all i'm saying is that pianists sometimes have different ways of approaching whatever piece that they perform. it is true that Andre Watts does a whole lot of expressions with his face but I guess this helps him more with his playing where as Arthur Rubinstein once said that being calm helped him more in performing. Not everyone is the same.
benjianubis 10 months ago
@benjianubis I still don't see a reason for you to be steamed up about my comment. I didn't particularly enjoy his performance (opinion), I thought his facial expressions were exaggerated and distracting (opinion) and i attributed his alleged shortcomings to them (speculation?).
One could argue that Lang Lang's gestures help him in performing, I just think they're a bad idea.
th3wing3dpaint3r 10 months ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r actually lang lang is more of an show man exhibitionist than a serious performer {opinion}.
some of his gestures are way too much exhuberant. Technique wise he is outstanding but interpretation wise doesn't convince me and others too much.
Andre Watts gesteures help him perform in his music even tho sometimes he can be taken out of context.
benjianubis 9 months ago
@benjianubis Good for you!
th3wing3dpaint3r 9 months ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r i know it is......and over 98% agree as well except you. So yeah, its GOOD for all of us
benjianubis 9 months ago
@benjianubis I'm not sure what any of this has to do with what I think about this performance. But in case you're interested, 92 likes out of a total of 105 is not nearly 98%
th3wing3dpaint3r 9 months ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r oh ok....so obviously you're assuming that the few people that actually voted against it and or gave it a thumb down have a great profound knowledge of music and understand it to its full length. In other words, im quite sure that some people came to that video by either accident or just because perhaps they listen to SOME classical. I actually play Etude and have a masters degree in music so I think that i could judge the piece quite well.. ...TYVM
benjianubis 9 months ago
@benjianubis "so obviously you're assuming that the few people that actually voted against it and or gave it a thumb down have a great profound knowledge of music" No. Feel free to point out where i did that. You assumed that I did. Based on nothing:D You, on the other hand, used your acquisition music degree to do *just that*.
And STILL, your alleged "superior" judgement of the piece has nothing to do with my opinion of this performance.
th3wing3dpaint3r 9 months ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r I didnt assume anything but since you pointed out that 92 likes out of 105 liked it. and i merely stated that "IT DOESNT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THE 12 OR SO UNDERSTAND A WHOLE LOT OF WHAT THEY VOTE FOR.....Is this any clear no?? And I am not using my degree for anything but yes....obviously I WOULD KNOW THE PIECE BETTER than someone who doesn't play it and would understand it better. if its your opinion that you don't like it then thats your prerogative...but don't go around
benjianubis 9 months ago
@th3wing3dpain3r......saying to others that he didnt do a good job there because obviously you must be on a high volume drug, perhaps a troll, or either it is that you are jealous of it which frankly is what i believe is the case here.
benjianubis 9 months ago
@benjianubis And i'll go around saying whatever i want about this performance. As long as you have the right to say that you like it, it's only logical for others to be able to express their opinions too.
"you must be on a high volume drug" More proof of your narrow-mindedness
"it is that you are jealous of it which frankly is what i believe is the case here" There r 2 reasons why this doesn't make sense. 1) I'd never compare myself to this guy. I'm an amateur pianist, this guy's a pro...cont
th3wing3dpaint3r 9 months ago
@benjianubis Again, here's your assumption: "you're assuming that the few people that actually voted against it and or gave it a thumb down have a great profound knowledge of music"
"IT DOESNT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THE 12 OR SO UNDERSTAND A WHOLE LOT OF WHAT THEY VOTE FOR" I never said so, but why assume the opposite either? Answer: you're a narrow-minded snob.
For the second time, your alleged "superior" judgement of the piece has nothing to do with my opinion of this performance.
th3wing3dpaint3r 9 months ago
2) If i was into comparing myself to pianists who are a dozen times better than i am, i certainly wouldn't go with this guy. There are pianists out there a thousand times better than he is.
th3wing3dpaint3r 9 months ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r i never said that there wasn't but there are few that are legendary as him. And I am just conveying to you PERSONALLY....not another person. stay within the subject son.
benjianubis 9 months ago
@benjianubis This IS the subject. Your narrow mind thought that the only way I could possibly dislike this performance, is if I were jealous of the pianist. what a joke you are :D
th3wing3dpaint3r 9 months ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r now now sunshine......didn't I said that you had the right to like or dislike it....Check the previous messages. As far as narrow is concerned you are indeed the one who expressed that you didn't like it just because of his facial expressions which has absolutely nothing to do with his playing. Also, in your previous message you said that there are thousands of pianists that are better than him but I could say that there are millions that aren't. Now run along and take a nap
benjianubis 9 months ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r Now now sunshine. If I told you once, I've told you several times already that you do have the right to your opinion but so do others. However since you seem to be so interested in his facial expressions rather than his music indicates that you are distracted and not fully concentrated otherwise you would have heard the music better. Now run along kiddo and go do your homework better
benjianubis 9 months ago
@benjianubis it's so pathetic how you wrote the same comment twice with "run along kiddo" in one and "go take a nap" in the other :D
Anyway, I'm pretty sure you misunderstood all my comments if you think i'm "interested in his facial expressions".
And again, your failure to understand that others might have valid opinions that are different than yours is sad. I think he's mediocre, you think he's a genius, get over it and go find something better to do with your life.
th3wing3dpaint3r 9 months ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r nah...I actually wanted to write twice kiddo bc its all worth the fun; furthermore its funny how of an imbecile you are lol. And also, I never said that you where interested in his facial expressions but since you merely criticized it, I gave my own opinion as I am entitled as well. Obviously if you think he is so mediocre then why would you even be on this page debating when its obvious that I will not leave here till you do?
benjianubis 9 months ago
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@benjianubis "ts funny how of an imbecile you are" this incorrectly sentence is an unfortunate example of how a simple youtube discussion can be ruined by vulgarity.
"I never said that you where interested in his facial expressions" I quoted you :D Maybe you forgot because you wrote the same comment twice. Here you go: "since you seem to be so interested in his facial..."
"why would you even be on this page" to reply to your comments, obviously :P
th3wing3dpaint3r 9 months ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r In addition to that it seems to me that since you try and be in denial regarding your own insecurities of your own inadequacies, you like putting others down but I will be the one to burst your bubble here. Actually I already have successfully done so but like I said, its all worth the fun. Debating with you is like drinking a cup of tea and tossing you like a tennis ball sunshine. Tsk Tsk Tsk Tsk.......btw, hows 5th grade doing for you? Oh thats right, they failed you.
benjianubis 9 months ago
@benjianubis How is saying "I'm an amateur pianist" make me "in denial regarding [my own] insecurities"? And who am i putting down? Are you Andre Watts? or are you one of those people who live vicariously through their idols.
"I will be the one to burst your bubble here"...again, i'd recommend you'd try spending your time doing something slightly more important.
"Debating with you is like drinking a cup...they failed you" This honestly makes me feel like i'm talking to a child. So sad...
th3wing3dpaint3r 9 months ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r ..............im sure if you re-read what I wrote then you shall understand. Actually, I guess I should explain it again lol since its obvious that your comprehension skills are questionable.... regarding your insecurities: I mean that the way you express yourself and talk about someone just bc of his facial expressions and or gestures; makes it seem that the only thing you look for is that and not the playing itself. In one of your previous comments you did say that
benjianubis 9 months ago
@th3wing3dpianist3r..........he would be better if he didnt do so many facial expressions...but later since you popped your cherry, you started saying that he is this and that and he is mediocre. It shows that you are getting mad and makes you look quite insecure about yourself. Otherwise, why would you even be replying to this lol? You say....by doing this it makes me look like a child???? so why are you feeding into it then. Duuuuuh, obviously it's your ego and self centered brain replying.
benjianubis 9 months ago
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@benjianubis "Otherwise, why would you even be replying to this lol?" That's sort of how a discussion goes.
"obviously it's your ego and self centered brain replying" I'm not sure you know what "self-centered" means. And you-for some reason- have taken this discussion personally and have started attacking me in person instead of contributing to the debate with any useful responses.
So i'll disregard your vulgarity and repeat my opinion...
th3wing3dpaint3r 9 months ago
I find this performance lacking, musically, in comparison to other professional versions. His facial contortions make the experience even worse.
th3wing3dpaint3r 9 months ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r .....He has played in a different recitals and others videos as well.....this isn't the only video he's in. But like I said...you're entitled to your opinion but so are others. All his critics praise him. Do you think we know more than them? However that is your opinion which you are entitled to....even though my opinion defers from yours.
benjianubis 9 months ago
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@benjianubis " All his critics praise him. Do you think we know more than them? " When it comes to personal preferences, i'd say i know best.
th3wing3dpaint3r 9 months ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r The worst kind of musician , regardless of technique, sits behind the keyboard stone-faced as if what he is doing is a job. I LOVE to see the artist, passionate in front of the keyboard, enthralled and beyond this world, making art as it should be. THAT is what art is about, not technique, not degrees, not awards or competitions won.
Cancrizans 7 months ago
@Cancrizans If you only care to evaluate music from a visual viewpoint, then you're absolutely right. We have one too many "passionate" movers nowadays. Enjoy" the music"!
Superficial gestures -for me at least- don't determine the quality of the art. There's something much deeper to music than facial contortions and flailing arms.
th3wing3dpaint3r 7 months ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r Well, I absolutely agree with you, but what I do not like is RESTRAINT of personality and uniformity of interpretation which has been the way of the academies for many years. My point is, you can't really "teach" this kind of music in the sense we try to nowadays,it just isn't an academic pursuit. I prefer to listen to someone who makes ten mistakes and looks like an orangutan doing it, but has passion and something different to say, than 100 "technically brilliant" renditions.
Cancrizans 7 months ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r
Not only that; they don't have anything to do with music in the first place. Flailing arms - visual body movements. Music = sound. This has nothing to do with "depth" or "quality of art".
twooffour 6 months ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r I agree, so I ignore the gestures. Why criticize gestures at the same time you insist extra-musical factors don't count? They shouldn't count one way or the other. I'm very curious about this. E.g., the last Van Cliburn ... (cont'd)
croussant 6 months ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r (cont'd)
That Nobuyuki Tsujii overcame blindness, we're not supposed to take into account, only his playing--which Tsujii said himself. Fine, I'd still pick Tsujii. Yet in a master class Earl Wild warned of a pianist who lost a competition he should have won because the judges held his florid gestures against him. So we hold extra-musical gestures against a pianist, but we can't credit Tsujii's unearthly will power because it's extra-musical? That sounds like ideology to me.
croussant 6 months ago
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@Cancrizans
"THAT is what art is about, not technique, not degrees, not awards or competitions won."
Odd man out, LOL!
Lugansky and Hamelin sit pretty stone-faced most of the time. Their playing is quite interesting ;)
twooffour 6 months ago
@th3wing3dpaint3r um...he did play it great
benjianubis 10 months ago
HE'S NO MATCH FOR BEREZOVSKY ...
FOR ALL OF YOU WHO WANT TO HEAR HOW LISZT SHOULD SOUND,LISTEN TO BEREZOVSKY.
bazzatt1 1 year ago
@bazzatt1 Berezovsky plays it very well .. but some of berezovskys mistakes , makes LUGANSKY Better on playing this Etude .. so Listen to Lugansky
fatjon15 1 year ago
@fatjon15 haha mistakes. Do you hear the piano for the first time ?
Berezovsky plays pieces like Wilde Jagd much wilder than anyone else
BlazeKenny 1 year ago
Bang bang
fabioso82 1 year ago
I saw him a few weeks ago!! Thank you mr. Tidwell for telling me about him!
auntiepicklebottom 1 year ago
Cool, but what happens at 2:15 ?
Erikk91 1 year ago 13
@Erikk91 what do you mean?
timsanity8 1 year ago
@Erikk91 he shakes his left hand
Erikk91 1 year ago
@Erikk91 At 2:15 his body expresses the passion he feels about the piece. I wonder what people would say if they had an audience watching them make love, and criticized the motions they made during the process. Criticizing an artist for revealing themselves, in trust, to an audience they believe has some idea of the passion art takes to create, is pretty much the same thing. If anything artists on Youtube do bothers you, go practice and create a better performance.
Cancrizans 6 months ago
@Cancrizans Ok, but i did not criticize him, i love this performance!
Erikk91 5 months ago
I love the way he looks at the piano as if someone was taking a dump on it and he is both surprised and disgusted at the same time :) this guy is amazing!
johnsull66 1 year ago
Why did he choose that piano. Its tone or his has so little variation adn it dies as soon as it is played! Geese.
lovesGenet 1 year ago
@lovesGenet I agree...the ending of this piece is by far the best part and there is ZERO dynamic in this particular video. it totally kills the best part of the song. It might be the audio quality, because this guy is obviously an amazing soloist!
johnsull66 1 year ago
A very deep look into Liszt the Musician not the technician.....
hadsell1962 1 year ago
He makes the middle section sound like a lullaby. I like the abnormally slower tempos used by Watts and Cziffra.
gott1rott 1 year ago
he has the emotion perfectly nice XXD
DarkHeartzz021 1 year ago
The performance is slow but really musical.
pianowxy 1 year ago
6 people must have mis-clicked.
h0bgawblin 1 year ago
6 people must have misclicked.
h0bgawblin 1 year ago
LOL i regret what i've just said. i've just seen cziffa's interpretation and he just seems to imitate him
gouloum2222 1 year ago
gosh can you believe it ? i am 17 , nearly 18 and before those 5 minutes i didn't know the existence of andre watts. what a shame, he s such a great artist ....
gouloum2222 1 year ago
eww dear no no please stop
chrish12345 1 year ago
Absolutely brilliant! I saw Watts play at my university in 1975 -- he's still an amazing performer. The confidence to walk up to a piano and rip off Liszt "cold" like that -- it's something that a very, very few human beings in the world can do.
CAridge2008 1 year ago
@CAridge2008 Honey ,I am negro but i must tell u there are a million pianists who play this etude . I'm not even that well trained adnI play this and 3 of the very dificult LisztPaganini etudes. The world is a big place.There are prolly a hundred pianists on utube alone playing this.Many thousands who play all of them and all of the Chopin etudes too.U just show how little u hav been exposed.
lovesGenet 1 year ago
@lovesGenet You sound barely literate enough to play chopsticks let alone any of these etudes. I honestly hope you were speaking figuratively when you threw numbers like "a million" around,because if not, his so called lack of exposure makes your lack of common sense and perception look like brilliance. And I still can't figure how his praising ONE OF THE FEW great classical pianists of the past 50 years constitutes a lack of exposure. Also please upload you playing even a part of these etudes.
Cancrizans 7 months ago
@Cancrizans Yes, I meant your lack of perception makes his lack of exposure look like brilliance, kill me I'm drinking.
And posting on the interweb while doing so which should probably be an indictable offense. Oh well.
Cancrizans 7 months ago
@Cancrizans Also I am now responding to myself twice over, still doesn't change the fact that this is a personal and fascinating interpretation.
Cancrizans 7 months ago
He looks like Andre Watts!
The55555SSSSS 1 year ago 14
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this performance has more passion, artistry, and expression, than all other versions on youtube combined. wow.
Cheeto717 1 year ago
Absolutely my favourite version of Liszt's Transcendental Etude No. 10. A very profound performance imho. Never really been a technique-person myself, I find Watts' interpretation very deep and touching.
fayedr 1 year ago
What strikes me about this is how he absolutely does NOT over play it and turns it into more of a poetic interpretation. Although we all know Liszt is known for fireworks I have always felt this perception has grown with the legend until it is now out of proportion and all too often the poet Liszt is lost to the ego of the performer. This is a very thoughtful performance.
zolessi 1 year ago
same body and facial expression as Cziffra !!!! funny, but not quite close to it technically !!!!!!
flouz2 1 year ago 3
-_________-
4785689 1 year ago
He's a great pianiste,but it's a pity that he's a bit acture :(
loboris1995 1 year ago
Almost titanic energy ! BUT ROUGH and not a brilliant technique by today's standards.Geese. I'm glad he's on top though . Gould ,Schnabel too had an ugly sound when ever he played romantic composers! The sound is so strident.I'm a black pianist as if that matters but I'm always shocked by his records which show no love of a gorgeous varied sound. This is a perfect example sounds like hammers jiggling .A pianist with his fame really should have more care for his sound.
lovesGenet 1 year ago
This is Liszt with balls, wide awake, powerful, strong. Of course, you can find things to criticize, but there is more to admire in Watts playing and in this unique approach..
mrdarcyme 1 year ago
Sorry to all you Watts fans out there, but I can't stand the guy. Yeah, he plays a lot of notes really fast, but with zilch intonation or rhythmic flexibility. He is an excellent representative of the worst of modern piano playing. If you want to hear some music instead of just a bunch of notes, check ouf Cziffra playing the same piece.
kt4utube 1 year ago
@kt4utube Even his virtuosity is very commonplace. You hear random talented pianists, not even conservatory students, play pieces as good as Watts. This piece is just a pale copycat imitation of the Cziffra interpretation, which is itself inferior to those by Berman and Lugansky.
demosj 1 year ago
BRAVO!!
I really wish I could play Lizst like him.
djadysa 1 year ago
He makes everything look so easy! I wish I could play like him someday :D
Shihoru221 1 year ago
Fantastic video! Completely cracked myself at 2:16. Great player!
picthebudgie 1 year ago 8
@picthebudgie I agree. Absolutely amazing expression.
mindovermattjr 1 year ago
piano looks so nice
v4liumfrance 1 year ago
Does anybody know where to find a video youtube when he plays La Campanella?(Maybe there is no?)
swedentracknfield 1 year ago
Thank you for posting videos from this concert. I used to listen and watch it a lot!!! André is such an amazing musician and person! Exelente gracias! .
MartinVejarano 2 years ago 4
whoa, he's good.
his expression shows the mood of this song.
formafew 2 years ago 2
Bravo
samuelpunkska 2 years ago 4
A very good question since he his performances have been widely televised. I love the way Watts doesn't overplay the opening thematic material thus leaving immense room for the piece to grow into something titanic.
Grigor99 2 years ago 6
This artist have been one of my favourites since I hade the privilege to hear him live in Tel-Aviv in the end of the 78 or 80. The best Liszt second concerto , truly diabolic and a spirited Jeunhomme . He has a distinct voice of his own
paired with a great sense for each composer
he plays . Has a feel for rythmical drama ecualled by few others . Please upload whatever there is of this magnificent live-performer.
dereczynski 2 years ago 35
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I like this but it's kind of bangy.
everythingistken1291 2 years ago
Andre Watts is very good, I wonder why he isn't on Youtube as much as some other lesser artists?
everythingistken1291 2 years ago 48
skin color perhaps
jhoward1957 2 years ago 8
@jhoward1957 ; Andre Watts has done many spectular performances: the early performance of the Liszt Sonata in B minor and the Liszt -Paganini Etudes. There was also a wonderful video of his playing the Liszt Concerto in Eb major; Beethoven 2nd Piano Concerto and the Rachmaninoff 2nd Piano Concerto . Some of those which show him at the height of his career should be posted. I think they will come.
concerto35 2 years ago 3
@everythingistken1291 IKR these transcendental etudes are like impossible
like seriously wht the hell was liszt thinking when he wrote these lol
PetYouKim 8 months ago
@PetYouKim I agree. Very, very difficult pieces of music. Andre Watts can really handle himself though lol
everythingistken1291 8 months ago