Leonidas Kavakos - Paganini Concerto no.1(1st mov. cadenza)

[horozcorc]

Great respects to Mr. Kavakos from Turkey... He is the best of bests!

[evidel7]

4 dislike???? ήθελα να ήξερα ποιος τα έκανε... ειλικρινά...

[ConquistadorAlfred]

hes good, but not the best on youtube..theres still heiftez and perlman...

[TiagoHikaru]

OMFG! what was that?

[godmuratviolin]

@TiagoHikaru Its INFERNO ! :P

[6justmusic9]

definitly the most virtuoso and awesome video on youtube...alien!

[paulostroff99]

Superb violinist! Up there with the very best.

[lovesGenet]

I can't believe this is possible on violin.always so much more diff than piano.Whose cadenza is this?

[TheMaestroBrad]

@lovesGenet Émile Sauret wrote this cadenza, and is probably the most freqently performed out of all of the existing cadenzi for this concerto. He was a late 19th Century violin virtuoso and a student of de Bériot and Vieuxtemps. Cheers!

[Farnik01]

Psh. That's easy as pie.

[bad5096]

I love the violinist's faces sitting behind him. They just got showed up.

[violmaster94]

maybe this is what Joshua Bell was attempting to remake...haha fail

[u9n923a]

a person who can play the caprices musically can probably play other things musically as well

[zhujun516]

~for kavakos's technique I can say that he is the best on you tube. for this piece who else can play so accurate and keep at such fast and smooth speed.

[MusicCloud1]

Does anyone else think that Kavakos will probably have problems in the future because of his posture? While that might be the best posture for him right now (he plays BRILLIANTLY), it doesn't promote longevity at all...

[violmaster94]

@MusicCloud1 agreed

[xPatriarch]

is he using his guad in this vid?

[takhirviolinest]

c'est en Paganini competition à Gênes.

[horozcorc]

hehe I,m sure philippe hirschorn is NOTHING :) You got the point quickly...

[milstein91]

I said compared to Kavakos cadenza ,but still his cadenza is amazing,but kavakos is just out of this world.

[theviolinist12345]

hehe, Hirschhorn had special,beautiful sound and the most amazing vibrato i`ve ever seen. His playing was soulful, but this is just ROBOT. I actually hate this interpretation.

[horozcorc]

Guys listen to philippe hirschorn and discover a new horizon with this cadenza:)

[milstein91]

philippe hirschorn's cadenza is nothing compared to this one

[Bautisnemo]

Kogan still far away from the level that Kavakos reached at that moment...of course, Kavakos was incredible , but Kogan is a bad beast nobody ever will beat.

[AbsoluteZ3R0]

No way, I think Kogan did a much better job with this cadenza. Not to say that this isn't great, but no one beats Kogan when it comes to Paganini.

[Bautisnemo]

That's what I wanted to mean...that Kogan is far better than Kavakos lol.

[dkurgano]

kogan is still my favorite because he adds style and an intense sound to his great technique.

i have to say, however, that kavakos does things in this performance that kogan just wouldn't be able to (neither would anyone else ive ever heard) ...just in terms of sheer speed and coordination....that itself is quite amazing! but, as i said, it doesnt make the WHOLE performance. This is enough for some of paganini's works, like caprice 5, 24, god save the queen. no one can touch kavakos on thos

[Bautisnemo]

"Kogan wouldn't be able to do" anyway, fortunately is just your opinion , Kogan didn't want to play faster for obvious melodical reasons and Kogan paganini caprices are out of this planet , anyway , as I said before is just your opinion, don't want to discus about this. Have a nice one, ciao !

[dkurgano]

1. Of course it is my opinion ( who else's opinion could it be? would you rather have me repeat your opinion instead?)

2. The obvious fact that this is my opinion is only "fortunate" for people who don't know how to use the english langauge

3. it is amazing that you seen to know what Kogan wanted and didn't want.

[Bautisnemo]

I Could expose my reasons , but as I can see you are going to take it in a bad way again lol.

[SkrPchr3]

@dkurgano

That part about what Kogan "wouldn't be able to do," I don't know man. After seeing Kogan's Carmen fantasie (waxman) and Paganini, I can't imagine anything better. On those particular pieces, I would even rank him at the same level as Heifetz. You can say "I like Kavakos' style better," but to say "Kogan can't do this if he tried"--well, how would we ever know? These guys are like machines.

[xPatriarch]

I still wonder how his violin didn't like explode during all of that.

[gnatural]

ROFL!!!

[xPatriarch]

w t f

this is so epically good

[paganini13]

the devil himself!!!!!! i just saw paganini playing!!!!!

[leonidaskavakos]

no its kavakos. :P :D :):)

[paganini13]

just amazing!!!!!!!best violin player ever!!!!

[milstein91]

This is a unique moment in violin history,

Kavakos is the master of Paganini.

[pipipapiu2]

Mallooon  kala to paei to bioli o mastoras.....Mallon

[JVQ8Y]

my head will explode from the perfect cleanliness of the intonation....

[milstein91]

Fantastic,best paganini cadenza i ever heard but also kogan's.

[iluminada333]

he is too good i will explode :'''OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO­O

soo good oh thats too much

[Mnacuspia004]

holy shit. why i didnt knew anything about him????

[MIchaelYiochalas]

He's not jewish.;)

[violatione]

you should get out more

[norbi21]

who is The best?Koga or Kavakos???:)

[decrodin1]

beautiful !!!

[hooolla89]

kala ta les cellosail THEOS O LEO !!!!

[hugaadro]

again.... long live king leonidas!!!!

[stradrools]

den uparxei kaluteros!!!!!!!!!!!

[Violinisst]

O MY GOD!!!!!!!!!

[gigos58]

Kavakos è un GENIO DEL VIOLINO. Non ci sono altre parole per descriverlo! E' impossibile suonare cosi'.

[violatione]

I agree! Taking time in virtuoso music is for people who shouldn't be making the attempt in the first place.

[egonsky]

fuck taking time! taking time in paga is for amateurs...

[danielliviu]

Amazing technique! Bravo!

[jimmyd8844]

awesome playing. Could be more cadenza-like in the fast bits like when he does the string crossing passages,he should meld into them and take more time over passage transitions

[violatione]

People take time in Paganini because their technique is deficient in one way or another. Playing this stuff in tempo shows the flawless technique required in such music. Take time in Brahms.

[jimmyd8844]

although it shows flawless tchnique, he should take time so that it sounds better musically and cadenza-wise rather than a display of technique

[asesosas]

Don't agree with all you are saying ,eventhough it's true that SOME violinist do need time to negotiate the difficulties.I have no problem with how Kavakos does this cadenza,this is how you want a paganini cadenza to go,extreme virtuosity in a show off kind of way,as we know Paganini was a show off himself,but I have seen great violinists play this cadenza in a more musical way and this does not mean they lack technique,it just means they have a different musical concept of the composer

[violatione]

Actually you don't know if they lack technique or not. Surely no one is going to tell you (this shit is hard and that's why I'm taking time here). Nearly all players have weaknesses and will choose rep and take tempos that hide said weaknesses. The only way to show that you have the technique is to have a recording like this floating around, and then you can take all the time you want. And you will never be questioned on it.

[SkrPchr3]

@violatione

Just ask yourself: ignoring the techniques, would it make sense to take time here? If yes, then technique is irrelevant. If not (in other words, if it makes NO musical sense to slow down), then technique must be the problem.

Also, I think you are underestimating the techniques of top violinists. They all have crazy technique compared to us. Paganini isn't that hard now by today's standards. There are MUCH more difficult pieces now.

[violatione]

@SkrPchr3 Actually no I'm not underestimating their technique. Paganini is still wickedly difficult even by today's standards. This is why the people who play Paganini really well tend to be specialists. You won't hear Bell, Hahn, or many other top violinists playing this stuff.

And yes people slow down in virtuoso music because they lack the technique to play at tempo. That's what makes this video so great. Find another Sauret cadenza played at tempo. Oh wait! You can't!

[SkrPchr3]

@violatione

This is a balance between speed and accuracy. Kavakos is far from perfect, but he basically said "Alright, I'll live with these errors because I want to go faster." Another violinist (like Accardo) might say "I'll slow down a bit so I could minimize the mistakes." It's a balance.

And remember: this is a cadenza. There is no set tempo. You slow down and speed up as you will. Kavakos slows down too, just like others, but that's not an indication of technical limitations.

[SkrPchr3]

@violatione

And speaking of difficult pieces, listen to Irvine Arditti's recording of Cage's Freeman Etudes. These pieces make Paganini look like a joke. Arditti might just be the only player in the world who can go that fast, and he's only one of two people in the world who has ever dared to record it.

Now, does Arditti have the best technique? Hard to say. I'm sure there are errors in his recordings, but they are so difficult that it's impossible for me to tell by listening.

[zhujun516]

@SkrPchr3 I think u're Irvine Arditti hahaha

[SkrPchr3]

@zhujun516

lol, I wish, then I would busy been rich and famous instead of posting on youtube. Try taking a look at those etudes, and you'll see what I mean. If you thought Paganini was difficult, you are in for a huge shock. Paganini himself would get a heart attack if he saw the music to that.

[shqipo72]

Kavakos - the best !!!!!

[likemyviolin]

What to comment on this??? No words.

Mister Paganini.

[egonsky]

If this would be tekken ... he would be Dark Lord.

[NestorAudinotviolins]

bad to the bone!

[10DongJJ]

his bow hold is very unorthodox, his wrist is always bent, nevertheless is is awesome playing

[MCasalaspro]

That's true... he can get a fortissimo with a bent wrist... curious i guess

[dkurgano]

his arm is low, he drops all of his weight in to his wrist and uses flat hair.

[legman36]

Long live King Leonidas!

[wander969]

grande leonidas!!!!

sei da sempre incredibile

ci vediamo....

[hugaadro]

Lo mejor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nbaballer8227]

OMG!...speechless. that was amazing.

[Achillesandwisdom]

Nasty!!!

[ijsnyder]

Haha - this is rated 4 stars.

There must be some really sour violinists out there. :)

[KolodziejczykKuba]

Hahaha!!! :)))

exactly

[carloslaran]

genius!!!!!!

[Draganviolin]

Best living violinist at the moment...he can play everything

[zhujun516]

actually, person who can play all the paganini's pieces can play everything

[MusicCloud1]

@zhujun516 Not really...a person might be all technique and able to play all Paganini's stuff moderately well, but they wouldn't be able to PLAY everything else. Take Sibelius Concerto for example. It is very musical and moving, and a technical person who can play all paganini's caprices and concerto wouldn't be able to get the essence of Sibelius's piece at all. Kavakos makes it different because he's able to play all of Paganini's things with style along with technique, making them brilliant.

[SkrPchr3]

@zhujun516

LOL, everything? I guess you haven't heard about the Freeman Etudes, right? They make Paganini look like a joke. They sound terrible, but difficulty-wise they are light years ahead of Paganini.

Even some "classical" pieces are about as hard as Paganini. The waxman carmen fantasy comes to mind, but there are others. Paganini might be the "impossible" back in his time, but not nowadays.

[MusicCloud1]

@Draganviolin I prefer Ilya Kaler

[mixailaggelos2004]

Excellent , superbe !

[cremona32]

Absolutely heroic performance,what can you say?ive been studying the great violinists past and present for quite a while now and i especially love the compositions of Nicolo Paganini,i have never seen such dazzling style and integrity as Kavakos.Pure electricity,i think he's set a standard that very few if any will achieve for generations,a bit like heifetz.But i think even heifetz would find it hard to swallow this

[naumrenato]

cellosail eisai theos san ton leo heheh

theiko videaki!!!

[shkorpions]

hahha First comment

I don"t want to say anything else for this boy he is amazing,crazy,the best, etc.