Balakirev - Islamey (Evgeny Kissin Live in Amsterdam 2002)

[pianomusik123]

why is everyone talking about Pogorelich,Lang.Lisitsa,Gavril­ov,Cifra... just enjoy and talk about Kissin HIER

[spydrfoun]

Andrey Gavrilov's Islamey may just be even better ...

[CameronS654321]

I can play this............just kidding I don't even play piano.

[WookieITADJ]

Exceptional execution. Still... I found it less catching than the Pogo's one. listen to it and see the differences (in Pogo's execution there is a more profound ensemble of sounds). Both Exceptional, but I give my personal preference to the one on youtube at : watch?v=cepieLOSu24 . Cziffra plays everything so quick that it seems he just wants to finish and I get no heart in that..

[andreyborisov]

IT IS QUITE phenomenal.

[chobeethaninov]

Ok that is absolutely insane!!! Kissin, you are such a genius!!!!!!!

[EntertainerClassical]

Bravissimo, but in my opinion this is still just the secon best Islamey because "A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away" was a man called CZIFFRA

Look Cziffra - islamey balakirev

[sbanchi]

7:32-7:37. Shocking.

[arlongan]

seems that lang lang has created 7 accounts.

[psudeoaccount]

Wow... This is seriously the single most impressive performance of any piece of music I've ever heard.

[cityboy63]

That's pretty stunning right enoiugh.



[TheLCNnono]

GREAT!!!

[rvn10rvn17]

too bad there is no recording of Franz Liszzt playing this.. wants to hear how he tackled the piece..

[TheLCNnono]

@rvn10rvn17 I agree with you:)

[EntertainerClassical]

@rvn10rvn17 Listen Cziffra and you could imagin how would Liszt play this.

[Rikatross]

I wonder how Valentina would play it. That would be very interesting. Wonderful performance, He is one of my top favorites.

[miker2001]

If you think about it, there must be thousands and thousands of notes in this piece. It as if you typed a short story, on your keyboard, not missing one keystroke, AND IN ADDITION, each note was pedaled properly, and the notes were attacked properly, held properly, not to mention the intensity of the attack. That is what Kissin can do. (plus it was memorized)

[cpanati]

Wow! I heard every single note. Kissin is in a class by himself.

[msg355]

fucking unreal. how is this possible

[TheSwordsweeper]

"Practice, practice, pracitce."

[trschaefer]

My heavens... this is a mighty good performance!!!

[stuffcluster]

holy god kissin must be possessed a human cannot play so this i think he doesn't miss any note also playing at the light velocity and you can hear every single note he play

thanks kissin to exist

[Stoneyridger]

Such wonderful, articulate control. Thanks for the post.

[freeqwerqwer]

I don't know about all the raving comment but this is an immature performance. There are a lot of dumb listeners who confuse technique and art all the time. Technique is suppose to serve art not Art serving technique. This is a cold, mechanical performance with a big void in imagination. His tone is grating, unpoetic, and his techniique is showy and pretensious. This Kissin is no poet. He has only a smidgeon ofl talent , and certainly not in league with Horwoitz or others..

[MuscleheadsUnite]

@freeqwerqwer Maybe the performance does nothing for you, but why put down those who enjoy it?

[scriabin007]

this is a good live perfomanc....but in my opinion its to forced!

[jafigueroa41]

Extraordinaria interpretación, sobresaliente !

[sgivas]

WHO ARE YOU??? You dismiss Cziffra like YOU are actually somebody or consequence!!! Neither Cherkassky nor Lang Lang belong in the same sentence as Kissin or Cziffra. Wake up Fool!

[MrRabazzoni]

Great Kissin!The best in the world!

[QMPhilosophe]

This is fantastic - better than Horowitz's version. Kissin plaing Beethoven's Turkish march is also a treat for the ears!



[thekingontheviolin]

Does anyone have a recording of Shura Cherkassky? I remember well his live performances of this ... He was the Master of "Islamey" His tone production in the middle section was especially beautiful and as for "old school" virtuosity.... Please can someone find a Cherkassky performance?

[Stoneyridger]

@thekingontheviolin I'm going to look around and see what I come up with. -Stoney.

[massimiliano123123]

For me, Andrei Gavrilov plays Islamey very better than Kissin

[clasartisti]

very boring....... music must breathe

[wsp67326]

@clasartisti you are too funny... had me going there for a minute

[cammywatt95]

My favourite performance of this piece by far.

[cammywatt95]

I think I'll give up the piano now lol

[mylovelylittleone]

Though I am not a particular fan of Evgeny I have to admit the really "nailed" all the "moods", specially the playfulness!

[brianCIM]

WOW! this is impressive. This piece gets continually butchered by pianists who see it primarily as a technical stunt. Not so here. His tone is rounded, the dynamic inflections are wonderful, it has tremendous rhythmic drive. Don't even put Clang Clang's name on the same page as Kissin. Kissin has more musicality in the pinky finger of his left hand than Clang Clang has in his whole twisted, contorted body. BTW, check out Adam Aleksander's performance on youtube. It's the best i have ever heard.

[wsp67326]

@brianCIM agree with you regarding Bang Bang; do not agree with you regarding Aleksandr. This version is better.

[brianCIM]

@wsp67326 Better? or preferred? I would say it technically is on the same scale as Adam's, but i prefer the frenzied, no holds barred version of Adam's. To each his own, right?

[brianCIM]

@brianCIM Bang Bang.(LOL). well at least we are in concurrence there.

[wsp67326]

@brianCIM to each their own

[brianCIM]

@wsp67326 whatever floats your boat. this is really quite stunning.

[brianCIM]

@wsp67326 give a listen to Arrau's performance from the 20's. it is stunning.

[JoFrSc]

I've listened to this dozens of times - and I'm still gobsmacked!

[GermanPianoMan]

Great performance! But I personally prefer the interpretation of Pogorelich (just my opinion) =)

[asdfhuliashduflasihf]

At parts a bit stiff and mechanical, but i really like the phrasing in some areas

[madlovba2]

I've heard a lot of other Islameys, but this is the best; I cannot really imagine a better performance. Tightrope of virtuosity. 5*****

[richclayderman]

hey how about Berezovsky's?!

[JoFrSc]

@richclayderman What about him? I listened to his Islamey, and it really doesn't come close to this Kissin.

[richclayderman]

@JoFrSc c'mon dude, you gotta b kiddin me

[MrStrav81]

4:56 is the most impressive part of the whole performance for me. He achieves a clarity that I've never heard in this section, and he does it without hesitation. It is amazing.

[guitarwizard6]

He emphasizes different voices than most pianists...very interesting interpretation!

[Qadrien]

My new Islamey standard. At first it was Berezovsky, but he is too technical and i dont feel anything when i listen to his interpretation. Then it was Pogorelich and now it is Kissin. There's not much difference between Pogorelich and Kissin, but Kissin's technique is little better. In fact his technique is godlike:D

[bennettpiano]

@Qadrien I still like the Pogorelich...its so musical in such a challenging piece. In a weird way I think his technique is better than Kissin (did I just say that?)...Pogorelich wins me over with his style. Both are amazing. Berezovsky is a MONSTER! All three are geniuses!

[darnott44]

I love this son of a bitch piece.

[UWSResident]

A riveting performance from an artist in full flight. There is a sense of animal excitement and risk-taking in the outer sections that is hard to resist - the coda is quite thrilling.

For me, though, the crowning glory of the performance is the middle section. Here Kissin shows all his great musical qualities: the voices seem to sing to one another, as in operatic dialogue.

Without doubt, this is one of the finest performances of Islamey.

[rafikiisking]

Balakirev was one creepy mofo

[BenjyTehJet]

I think Kissin's version is amazing. Kissin seems to (in my opinion) play everything exactly how I would want it to be played ha ha.

But, I must say I love Adam Aleksander's version too.

[krone191]

wow.

[daniel0212]

beast

[pfeltovich]

Kissin my main-man, yet I think Julius Katchen's performance is the best of Islamey!!

[ppfuchs]

I have to agree with those who say that Kissin's Islamey is the greatest ever. Other Kissin Islamey live performances are even better than this one, which is incredible to say. In the other live performances he takes the slow section with a bit more of the sweep that, for instance, you always heard in his readings of the slow waltz section of the Prokofiev 6th Sonata. I only wish his interpretations of classical era pieces had this excitement. Also, someone should upload Juana Zayas' Islamey.

[wsp67326]

I have listened to all of the Islamey versions on youtube over and over; it's an incredible piece of music and I keep coming back to this specific version. Despite a few wrong notes (very few; and who wouldn't hit at least something incorrectly with such an involved technically difficult piece?), this is the cleanest, most exciting, moving, and overall effective version I have heard. I'm sure others have differing opinions, but this version is the best in my opinion.

[absland]

-.- hermoso!! Bello!

[ewheeler07]

What I wouldn't give to see the video for this

[lister1nePaz]

soo beautiful ... the best islamey!!

[marrieter08]

kissin+islamey=balakirev

[edopiano88]

right...the best performance of the history...........a genius

[mrmazmaz]

Does he have 4 hands ? :D

[JoFrSc]

@mrmazmaz Six, by the sound of it!

[1978christos]

He is trully amazing...

Does anybody know if Martha has played Islamey?

[bryanabeling]

This is great (because Kissin is an amazing pianist) but I think I'll always be partial to Berezovsky's performance in Mexico City... But Bravo nonetheless Kissin!

[celach]

Agreed. This one is pretty good but Berezovsky's is definitely the best in my book..

[LetTheMusicFlow1]

this and berezovsky are my favortie performances. they dont drown the piece in pedal like most everybody else does. they also keep a pretty reasonable speed.

[mwc613]

I just heard Pogorelich's Carnegie Hall performance of this piece today (elsewhere on youtube). Wonderful, wonderful playing in my opinion. Check it out if you haven't.

[tts0mn0bl0luvluv]

he is true genius

[guaguote]

This is the best performance of Islamey I've ever heard. Other performances from lang lang, czifra of others can't reach to the essence of this fantasie !!!

[PianoMazter]

For me, it's the best of best performance of Islamey too.

[BasicSwordsman]

@PianoMazter

didn´t wanted 2 vote against just was setting the video as a favorite when the menu dissapeared so the next click accidentaly was there

REALLy sorry bro

[turbogaleb]

@PianoMazter i love Pogorelich's version! try it, for me even better than this one.. more accurate, so to speak..

[twooffour]

@PianoMazter

A jaw-dropping performance, no doubt. But to me, Berezovsky owns some passages, like the quirky slowed down pace after the end of the middle section, the way he goes he goes into the descending passage at 4:50 in this video, and of course, the ending. My god, the ending - he tastefully manipulates tempo and dynamics there, I haven't heard anyone else play it like that before.

There are others.

Although this one would probably win in terms of interesting ideas overall.

[Albertthefatcat5]

@twooffour I agree with you; Berezovsky is my personal favorite when it comes to this piece, and he does an amazing job with this. But Kissin is better in some ways, it sounds clearer to me the way he plays it.

[pfeltovich]

@Albertthefatcat5 E. Kissin and Julius Katchen are the two best for this piece!!

[MrStrav81]

@guaguote

I highly recommend the recording by Andrei Gavrilov. It is neck and neck with this performance.

[cziffra1980]

@guaguote Best you've heard? Are you kidding? I just turned it off after the first twenty seconds. Awful playing, with no shape whatsoever.

[JoFrSc]

@cziffra1980 So you judge Kissin after 20 seconds. You clearly have what they call a 'tin ear'.

[cziffra1980]

@JoFrSc You'd need ears of reinforced steel to endure those twenty lumpy seconds and want to carry on.

[Phi1618033]

My goodness. Say what you want about Kissin, the man has an almost flawless technique. Wow.

[kaperisk]

GREAT!!