nyiregyhazi live - plays liszt faust sym mvt1, pt1

[sallyrob101]

Nyiregyhazi played with such power that we thought the piano strings might break. I was told that actually happened at times when he was younger. His life was often quite sad. However, it was an incredible experience to hear him play live and I don't think the recording, made on a portable tape recorder, fully captures the intensity of his performance. I've often said that he put his whole self into performance. He had the small audience captivated and it was very quiet, as you can tell.

[checkmatesolidier]

sallyrob101 - again, thank you! i will be putting up some more nyiregyhazi treasures soon. i hope they will bring you enjoyment.

[sallyrob101]

I was invited by a friend to attend Nyiregyhazi's recital. The pianist was dressed in a navy-colored suit. He played with great intensity and concentration. He put his entire body into performance, breathing hard and sweating. Typically, he was concerned about the "romantic expression," rather than playing the notes correctly. He held the audience spellbound and, when we finished, we were all in a state of shock.

[checkmatesolidier]

sallyrob101 - thank you very much for these priceless memories. i dearly wish i could have been there, but i was just a kid at the time and on the east coast. many people have expressed doubt that nyiregyhazi's sound could have been as titanic as it shows on these recordings. do you have any memories of that issue - having been one of the lucky few people who heard him live!

[sallyrob101]

I was present when Nyiregyhazi gave this live performance in a home in Novato, California. I was very fortunate to be invited to the recital and dinner that followed. I didn't really get to talk to him because there was a large group there. However, I learned later that he noticed that there were a few young people in the audience (including two of my friends and myself) and he was pleased at that.  He was troubled man and had a very hard life, but he loved these opportunities to play.

[checkmatesolidier]

sallyrob101 - what a fascinating report - i'm so glad you commented. tell me, how did you come to hear that concert, and would you be willing to set down all of your memories about seeing him - how he moved at the piano, his posture - anything, really? (i trust you read the recent biography of him.)

[luminoceanne]

OH great !!! I have been searching long for this ! Thank you so much :)))

[checkmatesolidier]

luminoceanne - my pleasure. hope you enjoy the rest of what i have up from the great one.

[uhartchristian]

he was a genious like Horowitz was but wasn t that organized in life so he did not manage to make that career. If his personal problems which started in childhood woould not have affected his career we would have a lot more froom that pianist. But thats it, life isn t that easy.....

[checkmatesolidier]

uhartchristian - i wonder how his personal life fed his art, and the reverse. somehow i am unable to imagine him as anything other than just what he was. what a huge energy he had!

[demosj]

Out of curiosity, I checked out the score at the International music score library project, and the one that's closest to what Nyiregyhazi plays is the four-hands arrangement. XD

[kasyapa]

have you read the new biography - "lost genius"?

[demosj]

@kasyapa

Not yet, but I've ordered it on Amazon, along with both his CDs. I particularly look forward to his rewritten Rachmaninoff 2nd concerto second movement.

[checkmatesolidier]

it's up - did you get to see it?

[sallyrob101]

I was fortunate to hear this performance in person in Novato, California, in May 1978. It was the most incredible thing I've ever seen or heard, especially since we were told that he hadn't owned a piano in many years. He really brought to life the music of Franz Lizst in his own transcription of the Faust Symphony. The invited audience was literally spellbound. He played with great power and intensity, putting his entire body into the performance. I will never forget what he did.

[checkmatesolidier]

sally - i can only confess to the very deepest envy that you were able to see him live - i never did, indeed learned of him only a little before the time he died. do you have any specific memories of him - were you able to interact at all? i trust you read the recent biography? i was able to help out on that a bit.

[denpl]

I LOVE THIS! That`s how one should play the piano!

[checkmatesolidier]

people would be shocked, but in many ways he's a model pianist. schoenberg knew nyiregyhazi's worth!

[Symphonicprelude]

This was truly a mad man.

[kasyapa]

aye. he combined the greatest sanity with the greatest madness.