Liszt Mazeppa the tru way - Pavel Raikerus

[ATHENA3141]

Marvelous! Kind of the toughest piece there is too.

[gtimny]

Not his best playing by a long shot, but let's be fair... One of the reasons it lands with such a splat is that he makes very spare use of the pedal so everything is exposed. It's very honest playing, and when he's having a better night (check out his Prokofiev Toccata on YT, for instance) the results are spectacular.

[ipvac1]

pavel should report you for uploading this. He isn't really a bad pianist

[musicien73]

it certainly has a lot of energy but it is a pity that he plays as fast where the bad notes. I think too fast. Quite disappointing as interpretation. It takes a lot of work to get in playing this beautiful piece by Liszt

[Phi1618033]

Certainly gets an A for energy. He's laying a mushroom cloud on the freaking piano. But he's paying for it with too much sloppiness for a competition, where they scrutinize every single note.

[mark4ever01]

haha...what a joke he just made out of himself....sucker

[FrostyTheFuckhead]

This is hilarious. I like to watch this for fun. I'd like to punch this fuckhead in the face and watch the blood run down his Latvian necktie (or whatever the fuck he is).

[konzolmester]

True way? :-)

I heard musicians in high school play Transcendent Etudes twice as good as the mn on the irregular tempo. Is that suposed to be Velocity or Cziffra virtuose variations or what?

[PeacfulJoh]

I'm not sure what people expect out of this man's playing of Mazeppa at a Liszt competition. He's just using it to show off his technique. It's a competition, people!!

[daniel830905]

god damn

that makes me sick.....

that's only speed

it ain't a good performance

and i didn't see your emotion

[Georginito]

I don´t like it.

[BachScholar]

Very impressive speed, but this performance proves that faster is not necessarily better.

[jimmyg01011]

there may be a few wrong notes, but how can you be this critical when none of you can even play the first couple of pages of this?

if you can prove otherwise, then i take it back and congratulations for being a virtuoso. i doubt it though

[wiesnase8]

sauber ohne viel Peral, schönes Pempi..im Vortrag auch interessant. danke

[L1ttl3Karl0s]

the worst interpretation I ever heard

[Vanlioglu25]

ok, thanks for the correction, i'm french if you want to know.

[Vanlioglu25]

this is the worst interpretation that i have heard...

that's bad, we can't rate 0 star

[Corleone1337]

I like his style. It's a shame he made so many mistakes, but it's enjoyable nonetheless.

Must've been horribly frustrating to make so many mistakes; even in the 'easy' parts.

[massy1111]

very well.....but too frenithic and worry about the tecnique....he's CRAZY, not MAD,as he should be, like cziffra,you know. a bit esaurited....

however...compliments!

[beryllium2]

Well I give him credit for having some sense of technique. If he slowed it down, and worked on all the wrong notes, he would be good enough. Allthough its metalic, unmusical, and harsh...

[Rob48]

mannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

i cant believ i nevah favortid thiz

rezpec

[gxfu0127]

Never falls below a mf.

[pianocommy]

NOT the "tru" way by any means! All the same there's plenty of flare here..As someone who's recently started learning this very hard piece, I enjoyed this.

Of course there isn't the wild excitement of Berezovsky on the one hand, or the beautiful sounds and musical maturity of Arrau, but we're talking genius here!

He deserves some credit... Pavel's OK, and I look foreward to hearing him again!

[brozors]

god what the.. did he put the pedal on auto-pilot?

[Zoaguyver]

naah... prefer berezovsky... too rushed cant enjoy the notes... sounds like he was playing during basd weather with all those notes thundering down and sustaining atop each other causing a massacre of over built sounds on top of each other. even the slow part is sloppy.

Good Pianist, Bad interpretation... TOO SHOWY.

[joesubaruson]

I guess he just flew in and ran from the airport to play without preparations. He has a great tone, is playing much faster than a Berman version I know. Berman had much stronger long-wavelengths resonances to enjoy audience. But this guy still has a beautiful tone, obvious from the first chords. I think he will do very good.

[gojewla]

His pedaling is terrible and his playing is choppy, as well. I believe likely heard the Lazar Berman recording and attempted to copy it, because his tempi and phrasing are fairly similar. In my opinion, it's a poor imitation.

[SilentViolins]

Either my hearing's off, or I could hear 3 mistakes in the first minute alone, and they're repeated throughout the piece.

In your efforts to make the piece sound faster and lively, you ended up causing the reverse effect. It's slurred, sloppy, hard to hear, and generally a poor performance. You should slow down and nail the technique. You have to make a piece sound good before you try to make it sound great.

[afertyus1000]

yes if this was me on youtube i would be embarrased after all the hours working on it

[konzolmester]

so much tallent and speed, and yet he doesnt know how to playe it..

[maxi937]

No datruzpp, this is not the true way, what do you know about Liszt anyway, your an idiot who can't even spell properly.

[HUNTPIECENIGGA]

if you can make it through the first half the end is actually good

[piano0989]

what a stupid man.

[9sibra]

let's play piano with a hammer - terrible.

[MaksutovCG]

lol

[demothefuckin89]

sui 3 minuti e 50 il tipo fa crepare dal ridere, sia per come saltella per le sprangate che tira su quei tasti prendendoli tutti forchè quelli giusti...Se non sei in grado di suonare un pezzo il repertorio classico ne ha altre migliaia che possono venirti sicuramente meglio

[enantiodrom]

Buttarsi sul pianoforte o dentro il pianoforte produrrebbe effetti più gradevoli. Comunque qui si mostra la grandezza di Liszt, riesce a cantare anche sotto le bombe. bravo Franz. "Ma zeppo" di orror e di error

[javacisnotrecognized]

I cannot believe I'm the only one who sees the beauty in this interpretation, despite all the wrong notes. His execution of the middle section is at once hauntingly beautiful, but at the same time carries the malicious undertones that permeate the whole piece. The rest is frantic and out of control, yet it's all still a cohesive unit and each part flows logically into the next. I think overall it still "works" from a musical standpoint.

Also, HOLY CRAP THOSE OCTAVES.

[jero13595]

Actually I don't find this that bad too.

[MaksutovCG]

i agree, but i also think that his approach is somewhat too aggressive in places it shouldn't be and lacks variation - his interpretation is floaty however it is not meant to be equally expressive throughout. At 4:18-4:45 he is just tapping the notes without meaning and without emotion. This piece tells a complex story and the art behind this story is missing with him.

[konzolmester]

horrible...

[morphasesystem]

Wow, look, someone has memorised a large series of complicated movements. Hardly art.

This is not the 'true way'. Not only is there no such thing as the 'true way', but this soulless interpretation is hardly the 'true way'.

[anferlo]

There's no doubt this is the worst version of this piece I have ever heard. Of course liszt wrote a large amount of pianistic bestialities, but he has taken this fact so far, so far that he can't control the beggining of the piece. Where's Romanticism? I'm sure we could be able to write another mazeppa only with the notes he failed.What a mess... esto ya es dar notas por dar notas, sin sentido alguno, realmente me ofende que a dia de hoy muchos consideren esto como la mejor interpretacion...

[NordicHealer]

That poor piano. It must have been Hospitalized after this Abusive Attack.

[jero13595]

lol...

[piano0989]

tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo­ fast

[thesunlessea]

Oh god make it stop!

[piano0989]

plaese!!!!!stop!!!!

[DjKrisz]

Liszt wrote some pieces that really go beyond the extremes of playing the piano.Each and everyone of these suckers shits himself while trying to play this.And I'm just having such a great time laughing at them:D I LMAO:D hahaha I think Liszt would have laughed too.That's why he wrote it, so that noone would be able to play it except him:D What a bunch of losers:DDD Hilarious.I'm having such a good time watching these suckers trying to do the impossible:DDD

[oloindafolo]

good, its a very hard piece

[drummernr1]

bezerovsky plays it much much better and nicer

[Malatopianist1]

Stupendo! Veramente eccezionale! Bella interpretazione! Si devono curare solo i finali delle note del controcanto, per il resto è la miglior esecuzione che io abbia mai sentito di mazeppa.

Beautiful interpretaion, big technique!

It is the Diabolic Liszt! It is the best Mazeppa i can hear. Those persons that say it is a mediocre interpretation can't be that stupids! (...)

[Havenscope]

Wonderful technique; mediocre interpretation. Sorry, but it's my opinion.

[cholapat]

bad technique plus bad musicality..

no need to say sorry.. this is really bad. It is not only your opinion but it should be the opinion of all people who have thoughts.

[Malatopianist1]

Beautiful interpretaion, big technique!

It is the Diabolic Liszt! It is the best Mazeppa i can hear. Those persons that say it is a mediocre interpretation can't be that stupids! (...)

[cholapat]

what made you angry?

and what make you think this performance is superior?

please answer.. i really wanna know how come.

He plays so harsh...loudly and forcefully with all the other sounds.

It is nothing but a mess. Why appreciate him?

[BachFong11]

misses every other note...

[ytpiano7]

Really ugly performance.

Just like fast Czerny exercise. Ugly..............Not nuances, not nothing.

ytpiano7

[cdpiano27]

I did some research. He (Pavel Raikerus) got to the semifinals: final 9 performers in the Liszt competition in 2005 in Utretcht.

[jgsky]

wow! amazing.

but a bit too fast

[pianopera]

He has but one qualification to play this piece: the soul of a horse.

[keesmees777]

...the soul of a horse....

thats exactly what you need, to play this dramatic morbid poem. mazeppa strapped naked on the back of the horse as punishment, which is set loose on the steppe galloping at breakneck speed.

first of all this etude doesn't pretend to be music and second I see the horse running with wide open nostrils, scum on his mouth in this interpretation. the thirds can be played a bit more staccato.

[henrypurcell111]

hes playing waay too fast for this piece

[feenix1keith]

I really enjoyed the first 3:10. Almost an homage to Berman, but then the rest fell apart for me- notes, music, interpretation.

[kreutzo1]

of course if you compare berezowsky and Bolet interpretations,they are absolutely amazing,instead of this,the marziale spirit of this piece is absolutely respected bye the artist.

[Reaper978]

I thoroughly enjoyed this performance. The thirds are ferocious, the octaves are terrifying, and the quiet interlude is executed with good contrast.

It's interesting to note that any really personal interpretation of a great piece is looked upon with disdain from the products of 20th century perfectionism and "note-perfect" crap. I am quite disappointed with most modern piano students because their playing is all the same.

[OverFjell]

I have a lot of respect for anyone who has the technical ability to play such a Behemoth of an etude. But this guy needs to spend a lot of time working on the musicality of this etude, rather than just the technical aspects.

[ibclappin]

this is a very physical performance, no matter how much he tries to act like he actually gets his musical emotions to play a role. but the temp i do not disagree with; i think this piece SHOULD be played this fast and Liszt probably played it even faster and more powerful. frankly, i enjoyed it.

[Pucicchio]

The problem are not the wrong notes, it can happen in a live performance and in a such hard piece.

The problem is that this guy didn't understand a thing about MUSIC!!!

And it's awful to hear someone playing so superficial in the same way he is just opening a pig to make sausages!

Definitely too bad to take part to a Liszt Competition.

[JstAnothrVirtuoso]

all the people saying this is bad.. id very much like to see you play it better..

berezovsky is obviously better becasue of less mistakes

but this guy is definately quality

[radurak]

I can't play it better, but i think this performance sucks.

Now what? Do you want to tell me that i have no right to have an opinion because i can't play Mazeppa?

It's a cheap argument. Criticism is not dependent on the ability to make it better, and never was.

[JstAnothrVirtuoso]

im not denying you your right, you can criticize if you want

however you must take into consideration that pieces like these (writen by arguably the best pianst ever) are designed to be able to be played by only very gifted pianists..

yes his performance was ordinary

but the mere fact that he can play it, this fast and in front of a crowd, is very impressive

[lipattihaskill]

I agree with Jstanother.Also words like "sucks"are not suitable to describe ones performance.Perhaps radurak should read Schumann's critics on his fellow pianists and analyse Schumann's use of language.Bye

[cdpiano27]

Which Liszt Competition is this? Utretcht? Weimar? Budapest? I think this is terrible and very unprofessional. But there was someone even worse on youtube playing Valse-Impromptu? Is this really who they let into the Liszt competition - Utretcht?

[funny161616]

TERRIBLE ! HORRIBLE ! CATASTROPHE !

[michaelkid13]

omg, the first page's cadenza was terrible...and the thirds are even worse. I can play this piece better right now..

[mkaykov]

LEGENDARY!!!

AHAHA, dis iz da only perf dat unleashes ds inzane rape zects at da tru speed. And, at tiz zpeed zum wrong notes juz increase da fury.

RESPECT!!!

[BennoKnotta]

I love people, not mentioning any names ofcourse (petethepianist), that criticize such performances making comments like "this guy should be getting coffee for berezovsky"...course he's not that good....and wait a minute...neither are u...come to think of it i doubt u could play it at all...much less on a stage during a competition....my suggestion: go brew up some coffee urself

[7milord7]

menziolatec!!!!!!!

[MikeMan2727]

This is pretty awful. What are the preliminary requirements to get into the competition?

[cdpiano27]

He amazingly got to the semifinals (the final 9 people!!) What??!!!

[cdpiano27]

the semifinals of the Liszt compeition in Utretcht in 2005!! I think this was so sloppy that he should have been out after this, in the first round!

[datruzepp]

ahahah tru

rezpec da jury n no rezpec fo yo puzzy lil azz

[BachFong11]

I can't even count all the missed notes here....

[datruzepp]

at da zpeed he playz at, i wudn expect u to

[xiphoid13]

Does anyone know someone who can play the thirds correctly?

[doofus69chris]

I play it with thirds. will put post up eventually.

[petethepianist]

this guy should be getting coffee for berezovsky.... seems to be the extent of his talent.

[pyroprince78]

if you're really a pianist, you should be ashamed of you for making such a self-defeating comment. fucked up.

[liszt80]

THIRDS not LEGATO!! This is a horse riding, not a boat on the ocean!

[pianisamet]

good idea but he takes a lot of mistakes=/

[Xanthous04]

im hearing alot of added notes.

[EtrofOnaip]

To all people who reacted on this Mazeppa: an old Dutch expression: "The best Steersmen are on shore "

[nico22059]

He plays it too agressive

[DoctorChode]

Being dragged behind a horse is an aggressive thing.

[radurak]

not good. At all.

[digiarto]

He's excellent, but he plays it too fast. Especially the part at the start.

[DoctorChode]

Horses run fast, guy.

[fortissimo25]

this guy sux!

[celach]

This guy needs to stop letting his left hand overpower the entire piano...

[nico22059]

He´s got a great technique, but he hasn´t understood this piece, he plays it really loud, even at partes he should play soft

[celach]

Indeed. Good observation.

[takeval]

Too fast!

he should be more steadly, and he has too many mistakes.

[pdsimdars]

Yea, I agree that there are a lot of trashy comments. I thought he was great. I think he got the spirit right. I have heard too many that got a lot of notes but didn't seem to touch the soul of this piece. He hit on the heart of it.

[ibclappin]

and it's almost funny what happens to the speed around 4 minutes through the piece... but overall it's a great performance, or should i say, a great gesture :)

[jackewiebohne]

too many mistakes

[ibclappin]

LOL!!! i agree with you pentium1000 that the "springy oscillations of his upper body" might throw a curious-one off for a noticeable grip, but you gotta cut the guy some slack... i mean he does looks like he's just not heavy enough to set-off the whoopee-cushion under his seat, but that's because of all the power he's setting behind every note, which is how this piece should be played. but that has nothing to do with the fact that he plays so many WRONG NOTES!

[pentium1000]

The interpretation is relatively good, but I still ponder which is more distracting: The plethora of erroneous notes, or the springy oscillations of his upper body.

[meneltar]

indeed!

[afertyus1000]

extremely difficult,he plays it like a streetfighter without much finesse but fair play to him

[wborgstro]

Amazing that anyone could critique this presentation who isn't qualified to play it better. Talk about sour grapes!!

[pokadots00]

well I thought it was cool!

[michieldpiano]

He plays alot of mistakes, but I like his interpretation alot! For me this is mazeppa, he understands liszt.

[kapayazi808]

feel the trembling of the pavement indeed

mistake-ridden tho

[ibclappin]

this guy would be a good drummer!

quite a few wrong keys and ugly sounds not just because of the wrong keys but also because of playing some notes too strong and essentially banging away like he's playing the drums.

but, believe it or not, this piece is meant to be played even faster, and i've never heard anyone play it fast enough.

[gordonf238]

The entire piece sounds like a race to get to the end. He makes an almost forced break in section "Lo stesso tempo", but ultimately fails to grasp the fact that this is a romantic piece.

He has stupendous technique, especially in octaves.

[OorvakanSar]

He plays excellently with perfect executions, but his body movements are awkward and distracting.

[richardfrommatrix]

I actually like this interpretation-sometimes you have to compromise with a piece like this because of the sheer musicality demanded from the performer. In this case mistakes are made but, in my opinion, he has an approach that is quite near to how this piece should played. Like Berezovsky, it is the harshness, severity and erratic nature that this piece is supposed to represent and Raikerus doesn't do a bad job.

[cliffman16]

i mean i know this piece is very very very difficult but damn try to cut down on mistakes please.

[ibclappin]

zhat zanguaje zou zpeakth?

[englishphil37]

jeeez.. that's what you call octave technique

[ibclappin]

i think this is truly how Liszt must have played it. except he probably didn't play so many wrong keys but altogether it's great.

[datruzepp]

ahahaha zadly da PIMP himzelf lykly played it at half diz zpeed

[ibclappin]

amazingly with minimal physical effort.

[jefftam1234]

"excuze da random jeff rip wiz fucked endin"

WTF, I didn't mezzed up da ending, ma vid cap wuz flawlezz

tiz pozz da Utube komprezzion fuckzup

[John11inch]

Ahahaha I love it when amateurs try to sound like they know shit by saying a piece lacks in subtlety. This is MAZEPPA, a piece thats story is possibly based on a woman being raped by a horse. This is not Un Sospiro, and I doubt Liszt was playing it like a pussy back in his day. If you want boring go listen to Brendel and stfu 8)

[datruzepp]

ahahahaha rezpec! da zkep zpeakth da truth, unpredicktably 8)

[Krazypaul]

it sounds like hes messes up at the beginning, it just sounds weird to me

[FernandoPaganni]

hahaha jaapaap5 =D...

[thepolonaise]

GOD what i wouldn't give to play this piece..

[Ravel87]

smash smash smash!! I can smash the piano like that too if I spent my entire life working on technique.

[jaapaap5]

is that bill gates on the piano?

[dlg111]

he definately plays fast and very accurately but i don't think he has a great piano technique,its very exciting though

[kapayazi808]

omg and i thought boris was amazing O_O

[DoctorChode]

For every famous pianist, or any artist for that manner, there are untold numbers of substantially greater artists living in the general community that nobody really knows about.

[OorvakanSar]

I disagree, so there. The truth always shows itself.

[Mooggiee]

This is too amazing for words.

[terryregnar]

LEGENDARY

[pkpureatk77511]

you dont just press on it u make it sound like a glitter.... are you self taught?

[dnephi]

It's about being dragged by a horse until the horse dies from exhaustion lol.

[LordDazzer]

comme and the iron thumb both in this thread... wow

if the song is about getting raped by a horse... then the middle must have been the cuddling. lol.

[dnephi]

This is great. Speed and Fury. BTW what fingering does he use ont he thirds? 24 24 or facilitated?

[sumcrzymofo]

sum gud sheeeeeyat mofo!!! kick azzzzzzzzz!!!

[Razaak]

This is a wonderful interpretation, magnificent fingerwork and razor sharp octaves.

By the way, how many of you lot are you from that weird speed demon community site? This thread has been seriously hijacked!!

[Thracozaag]

Incorrect; ziff and da bear both pwn.

[Etudes]

rezpec da ZIFF trillz at da ZEPPAH

tru wif da BEAR

[datruzepp]

hahaha lez juz all agree dat:

TIZ DA BEZ ZEPP PERF EVAH

tru

[DaComme]

diz piece iz about bein raped by a fuckin horze, diz perf exprezzez dat mo den any otha rec

[suremate]

the other way round, it is about raping a horse. The orcherstral version is so much better.

[dnephi]

It's about being dragged by a horse until the horse dies from exhaustion lol. Read the poem. I personally love this version like nuts, and then the my favorite is the 2 piano version.

[suremate]

I'd say that qualifiez az rape.

[parule]

he plays like a "show-off piece".But i think Liszt doesn't compose it for that.

[daTruCatz]

HAHAHAH DAYM, tiz obviouz u lack da knowledge of da PIMP compo n virtuzo sheeyatz tru.

da pimp wuz pozzibly da biggezt showoff of da 19th century, diz y he invted da ZOLO RECITAL.

[daTruCatz]

altho accordin to da zepp, he apparently gave in to da zl*w world once he waz an old mofo

[dnephi]

While it iz tru zhowy, muzic and fury are da prime directive.

[PianoTony]

hey zepp, do you know what fingering he used? i think he still used 2/4. you know what would be interesting? i wanna see hamelin play this, with the 2/4 fingering. since hes the technique master, it'd be interesting =)

[datruzepp]

hahaha a bit unlykly, but rezpec yo faith in da PAV

n da DOC wud lykly give a ztunninly fluid interp, but no mo

[PianoTony]

oh sorry, i meant i thought he didnt use 2/4 lol. you'd have to have such wrists to do that. hey and are you a musician or something? you seem really interested in these classical videos

[DaComme]

almoz fazt enuff fo ma taztez