Debussy - Two Etudes - Pierre-Laurent Aimard

[kuzoppful]

accurate but graceful

[MYRNYE]

JUST LOVE PIANO MUSIC :O

[MrAkihiros]

I want to listen to him play the rest of the etudes. If he can bring out the music from etude no. 1 which looks harmless on paper, what more the others. bravo.

[cmk3001]

Aimard is a BEAST

[minimalist147]

what is a lang lang?

[then00best]

oh god i peed myself

[fredericfranc]

At the news that Mr. Aimard missed three times I was going to hit high octane intoxicants to recover, but after seeing the whole video I figure Debussy has got a real shitload of notes there, on percentage basis it is not so bad. What bothers me more is that Mr. Aimard has such a good time, acts like Lang Lang damn near, but we have to forgive him this, I mean the guy plays all the Boulez, Messiaen, with that French dignity too...

[jre58591]

@fredericfranc Well, in all fairness, these were some encores, I am pretty sure, to a very serious concert which included some Messiaen (which I posted). I think he can be as Lang Lang-like as he wants to (but within reason, unlike Lang Lang).

[guirlandes3]

@jre58591 And finally, where Lang Lang moons and swoons in order to compensate for his lack of authority, and considers imaginative programming to include nothing but warhorses such as the A flat Chopiin polonaises, Aimard embraces rather different, more sophisticated and intellecually inform\ed musical values. Where Lang Lang, a foreign nationall bought and paid for by the culture industry, extols tackiness as the measure of his success, Aimard, an authentic artist, will have none of it.

[Reubunderfull]

as you can see.. It takes a certain characteristic insanity to play at this level.. You'll hardly ever see modern pianists play so freely..

[JHighland1]

amazing

[disturbiapixie]

at 1.20: ooooh, cutiepie!

[vesperwang]

amazing!!!!! but he has interesting facial expression!? haha:)

[vcupiano]

I would say...excellent..at least

[diditrich]

I'm just so grateful that a pianist with experience with contemporary composers (and such a great one!) dared to explore such a work like the Art of Fugue. It's always a refreshing approach to music that can't die.

[bouhet22]

Lang Lang?  not a contender!

[EdiEllerymissing]

Not even close. Aimard is an artist, Lang Lang is just a trained monkey who plays for a few coins that DG throw at him. Aimard makes music, Lang Lang just care about sell records...

[John11inch]

I don't personally agree with his interpretation of "Pour les cinq doigts d'apres Monsieur Czerny" here, but it's extremely impressive from a pianistic standpoint; it seems like he can make the piano do absolutely anything, and without making it sound even slightly labored. Impressive as (almost) always!

[telephilia]

If one were only to look at the titles of these 12 Etudes one could assume they were nothing but dry, pedagogical exercises. Indeed in the one "For the Five Fingers", Debussy pokes fun at that most dreary and elementary of piano exercises before turning it into a magnificent musical fantasia on the essential idea (as if the beginning student becomes a virtuoso overnight.) All twelve both improve technique while making wonderful music even for those who know nothing about playing the piano.

[Justino111]

AIMARD: simply AMAZING as ALWAYS.

[sequenzaVII]

I can't believe Aimard's performance of "la cathédrale engloutie" has been taken down from the site. Whoever's responsible should be shat on.

[floorembden]

Avec Loriod et Messiaen on est à bonne école ! Regardez Turangalila symphony 5th movt, il faut être P.-L. Aimard pour s'amuser à ce point en jouant un tel éblouissement... (PS. A bonne école ! "Etude pour les 5 doigts": A 2'25 une erreur - Aimard saute 4 mesures, il attaque le "la bémol" de la mesure 83 - mais en moins d'une demi-seconde [en 1/2 mesure] il revient sur le mi bémol de la mesure 79... Dans le tempo, nul ajout nulle perte ! L'étude "Pour les octaves" va quand même un peu vite non ?)

[sagalat]

A Gallic Lang-Lang? Couldn't be better performed. Bravo...Encore, s'il vous plait!

[jre58591]

these were actually two of the encores, heh. there was one more, which was messiaen's regard XV, which i might post when i have a chance.

[20Regards]

Hello jre58591, what was the complete programm of this concert, when & where ?

Could You be so "Messiaenic" to post Regard XV. Compliments with utmost respect.

[pianopera]

Lang-Lang will never in his life play on this musical level ;-)

[jre58591]

agreed.

[Jwarrior53]

If he ever leaves the hot shot stage of life he may, but for now he just has other priorities. What those are....beyond me!

[12holiday12]

@Jwarrior53: Hmmm, interesting...could you explain a bit more precisely what you mean, as something tells me we're a bit on the same line?

[Jwarrior53]

I mean that in his current stage, the majority of his performances are about him. His interpretive decisions are based around what will make him appear to be a good pianist. And he can do that, he is young, having fun. I saw him perform twice now and while there was growth the second time, he still loves being flashy for the sake of being flashy. And I AM NOT talking about his movements or expressions, but I am talking about his actual interpretation of the music. He will grow just give him time

[12holiday12]

@Jwarrior53: I can see we are sure enough entirely on the same line!