Barber - Sonata, 4th Movt - Stephen Beus

[darthjoey13]

That's incredible. If I didn't know this piece, I would think it was sped up. The tempo is nice, it imparts a sense of urgency and brings out the emotion of the music.

[scotcking]

what a mess.....Listen to the audience wooo hooo....duh...Poor Mr. Barber is rolling in his grave.

[davidbaker03]

@scotcking what are you talking about?

[FlyingBlackAndWhite]

YOUNG TALENT!

[Epogdous]

This is absolutely astonishing!!! BRAVISSIMO!!!

[Laudan08]

3:54 . I HAVE TO SEE THAT DAMN SCORE!

[TheEngraver]

Maybe not perfect, but very furious execution! I like it, even if sometimes his face reminds to the young Jerry Lewis. ;-)

[kasyapa]

interesting pianist. he seems to be going for a glenn gould persona.

[kasyapa]

gladandgood - perhaps you're stephen himself? :) if so (or if not), stephen is indeed talented. i've compared him to barere in the spanish rhapsody - highest praise possible!

[gladandgood]

@kasyapa Ha ha. I am not Stephen Beus. I've never met him, only seen and heard him perform. Mutual acquaintances say he's a very nice person. I doubt that he would post comments under an alias in praise of himself. Besides, there's no need. We're doing that for him. Unless, of course, you're Stephen Beus. Just kidding.

[kasyapa]

gladandgood - how did you ever guess? no, i'm not stephen either - but he should get more of his videos up!

[4785689]

@kasyapa eheehhe

[mazingerduke]

Pero quien es este imberbe? cómo toca,el jodío.Por un momento me ha hecho olvidar a Horowitz.Qué cabrón!

[jre58591]

Tocó esta sonata en el Van Cliburn de 2005, y tocó una otra vez en el Van Cliburn de 2009.

[guitarwizard6]

This has none of the pulverizing power of Horowitz's recording.

[BenMcCormack91]

@davidbaker03 I never suggested that the piece was slow and sensitive. I also never suggested that this video was played at the wrong tempo. I merely said that this music isn't showy; instead it requires more than just showmanship. That doesn't necessarily mean I think people should "overthink" it.  Read the comment I was responding to.

[JLFpianist]

I listened to this performance off and on over the past year and I still think it's ridiculously fast. Beus has a tremendous technique, but so much of this piece is just a blur and so many details are lost. I know that he has the musicianship to get this piece reeled in. Once he does get the tempo more controlled he should play this piece superbly. I know that this performance is from the Van Cliburn competition and I'm sure that the atmosphere contributed to the very fast tempo here.

[iluv2write]

that's absolutely great.

a little fast, but great.

[bonmom]

Watch Ryan MacEvoy McCullough for a good tempo - leaves room for more interesting musicianship.

[BachScholar]

It would be much better if it were faster. He just doesn't hit the sub-four range. When will anyone play a four-minute Barber Fugue? (Of course I am being facetious. Competitions have ruined this work. It is not music anymore, just gymnastics.)

[assfuck15]

Just on this subject of facial expression. There is a great cellist teaching at my conservatorium who once told me that I played too much with my body. A bit esoteric, I suppose, but what she was saying that all this bodily expression was not going into the sound. I don't think that's the case here.

I would have to say the tempo is a bit fast for my liking. It has a tendency to steam roll the subtleties of Barber's counterpoint. This guy does have a very enviable technique, though.

[youvebeensmoked]

LOL this is a supremely intellectual comment for someone with the tag "assfuck15". I like it!

[assfuck15]

Haha yeah. I dashed it off in a hurry some years ago. It's this obscure Nine Inch Nails reference I'm sure not even Trent Reznor would find funny.

[mickyj300x]

Well that's a rather apocalyptic ending. Well played.

[jczcameron]

regarding the comments about facial expression and expression via keyboard - does anyone agree that perhaps one fuels the other and vice versa - of course this still varies from person to person, in some it is less [e.g.Horowitz], and some it is more [e.g. Beus]

[jczcameron]

I mention this because I recently heard a discussion between psychologist/musician explaining how music you enjoy stimulates us in other ways simultaneously e.g. movement of body [dancing along], and vocalization [singing/humming along]. Glenn Gould was known for this I believe

[ReturnOfTheStienway]

I think her recording is one of the best. It is the only other recording I think that can stand up to Horowtiz's.

[Verityseo]

yes, in live and on cd. live version was even more astonishing.

[m9hymas]

Speaking of his face, how about after the final chord? Would that even a few of us could experience that kind of technical and artistic triumph, to merit such a look of exhaustion/satisfaction. My sense of Stephen Beus is that he gives such a pure gift. Thanks for sharing this.

[g1e2c3k4o]

Bravo! What a beautiful and devastatingly difficult piece of music! There are tremendous rhythmic drive, not to mention interpretive hurdles in this piece. I bet this is on par in difficulty with Alkan, or Liszt B minor sonata, or the late Beethoven op. 106 sonata of Islamey. Once again, bravo!

[davidhberlin]

He loses the music in the speed. He is showing off - it would seem to be all about him and not Barber.

[goateedguy]

Who cares about his face? This is an astounding example of music-making.

[Politikfreak98]

I like the moment at 4:10

[davidbaker03]

when was this? Cliburn 2001?

[kcostell]

2005 Cliburn, Preliminary Rounds.

[davidbaker03]

thanks. i don't really like the fact that he played this again at van cliburn. just my personal opinion on the matter.

[smb12321]

The speed which so many posters harp on is correct IF the pianist can pull it off in both the technical and artistic departments. Beus can. He is a remarkable pianist and I have several of his recordings. He may be just another wunderkind but that in itself is an achievement.

[chazinko]

Awesome dude- the Matt Damon of the piano!

[go4flamingos]

My favorite recording of this piece....... Seriously. Stephen Beus is the guy who made me fall in love with this sonata. I love the tempo. Fast, but definitely not too fast. At least, not too fast for Stephen Beus anyway, because it was VERY clean AND musical! Bravo!

[celloguy]

Is this sped up? It's astonishing? Personally I find it too fast - the busier bits become a sea of noise and Barber's precisely thought out textures are a little lost in the haze. But as a feat of pianism, just astonishing.

[themoonandroundabout]

The left hand octaves weren't even anywhere near. Too fast a tempo methinks.

[steinwaykid]

Sick.. no one plays this fast...

[Grigor99]

How did this guy sneak in under the radar?? Great playing!

[lilbeto08]

Its because he comes from a small town called Othello here in Washington. His Dad was my current world problems teacher back in high school last year, and he plays here in Othello every year as a charity. The main reason why he snuck under the radar was because his family was on a missions trip for years in Russia and other countries. All his life his mom gave him piano lessons. Stephen is an inspiration to me and many others. check out my piano music video. Its not nearly as good as his 1 hand.

[Coixxman]

this guy is a Monster

[Coixxman]

3:42 sounds like Ginastera

[adam4397]

I got his autograph the other day at my church- he played there when he played the night before at illinois collage. HE IS GREAT!

[ginsengjin]

Amazing. I have complete respect for this guy.... but, i hate people who are overly dramatic when playing. Although this is not the worst I've seen (in terms of being dramatic).

[benjaminhaha123]

Just an expression of the flow of emotions when you perform, not trying to be dramatic, i think?

[krazykrammer]

Wow, this is probably the greatest song i've ever heard on the piano. Someone I know can this, but this is perfectly done. Congrats.

[h0ll0wm9n]

Outstanding! And NOT "too fast", if there is such a thing. IMO, if you can technically play well at a break-neck pace, as Stephen does when appropriate WITHIN the mvt., the piece only benefits.

[sanjosemike]

Stephen: utterly fantastic! But I have a preference for a slightly slower tempo, in order to hear the counterpoint better. I play it myself (although NEVER as well as you). I don't mean to be critical.

The Scherzando section in the middle, where Barber has some (almost childlike fun) could benefit with a slight slow down, in order to represent it almost like a child playing, would help your statement. I'd love a slower Coda, in order to hear the octaves in the right hand.

sanjosemike

[PianoMusicPeru]

omg!! i love this sonata!! specially this movement!!

[BeckyRawMusic]

Oh. My. Life. Absolutely incredible

[sjonathan0223]

You're a nerd, Veli.

[vivacelife]

He is amazing.

[slamdunk0209]

I just saw this guy like 2 days ago. he was amazing

[janicezany]

This young (and handsome) pianist is the REAL DEAL! I heard him in the 2001 (or was it 2005) Van Cliburn Competition and marked him then for huge success. Can still hear his Chopin b minor sonata in my ears.

'marked" hhim

[aldebussy]

OMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMGGGGGGGGGGGGG­GG!

I feel so retarded and depressed.

[franbardi]

I have always loved this composition. It is so powerful but at the same time it makes you so tender.

[kathyferneau]

1:38 is INSANE. How can anyone play left hand octaves that fast? *dies*

[CharlieDraper]

Phenomenal. I need to see this performed live. The framerate can't keep up with Beus' hands!

[Grigor99]

The opening tempo was fine. I personally didn't find it outrageously fast. I have played the sonata and know the difficulties as some of you may also know from having played the work. What is really impressive here is the combination of his tender years, the speed, clarity and power. The coda was terrific! This is a major talent indeed.

[classicalthema]

Magnifique

[ihowell83]

Every time I start to feel good about my performance of this piece, I come back and watch this clip to remind myself how much better it could be. His control is absolutely astounding; you can't tell at all how amazingly awkward the piece is. I am in awe.

[kjw163]

I'm very impressed by Stephen's performance of this movement of Barber's great sonata. Maybe it could benefit by a little light being let in here and there, but WOW, technique wise, very few could match that. Hamelin, perhaps.

[whitethunder922]

Look people, Stephen is a friend of mine, sleeping in the other room right now. I promise you he can play better than any of you people that seem to think this video is somehow sped up. He really is that amazing, so humble yourselves and deal with it.

[staryoskol84]

check this out type Arsentiy Kharitonov he plays the same movement.

[bobbank77]

Possibly the best performance of that fugue that I've heard. Very difficult to take it at that speed and still have the type of clarity and phrasing that he has. I might have liked the soft/tender section in the middle to slow down a bit, but ... WOW, what a performance.

[Syle2222]

i went to school with this kid. the nicest person you will ever meet. a true virtuoso as well.

good video, load more if you have them!

[JLFpianist]

This pianist has plenty of technique and for the most part, I liked the performance. Too often this piece is tossed off like a virtuoso display piece (which it certainly is), instead of looking deeper into the meaning of this piece. I think the ending was way too fast (although the pianist's technique is staggering!) I would like to see a little more of the poetry in this performance.

[Belx2]

My God! Love the ending...

[archyjones]

I got to listen to him live a couple days ago. It was amazing, but unfortunately he didn't play any Barber.

[stephenTGV]

Wonderful playing of this very difficult Sonata. Bravo.

[pokerplayingpianist]

Wow! I am so inspired

[Waldstein19]

oh my god

[aznxboy1228]

was this at the Van Cliburn Competition?

[sweesh]

My brother was a classmate of his and when he saw the video said that it was the same level of virtuosity that Stephen displayed on a regular basis. If the video has been sped up (which seems highly unlikey, especially given the pitch and fidelity of the sound) then it still is only matching Stephen's regular performances and in no way exceeding them. Here's hoping that he eventually makes a recording of Prokofiev's 3rd.

[guboub]

ok guys, to finish with this speeding up controversy: anyone with perfect pitch can tell you it has not been speed up. Or the guy played halftone lower and then speed up the tape from 2%!! lol

[isokalamies]

Stephen you rock! Put some more videos on Veli, and can you please upload your version of Finlandia? Kiitos!! Chapman

[celloguy]

Towards the end the speed is utterly astonishing - looks like it has been sped up! However one rather feels that it is just becoming an excersise in raw virtuosity, and of course Barber's music is so much more than that. The hamronic implications of many passages are obscured because of the speeds, but as a pure feat of pianism this is astonishing. Are you sure it hasn't been sped up?!! :)

[FarnumA440]

I just this evening saw him perform it at the Mannes International Keyboard Festival in NYC - THIS VIDEO is NOT sped up!

[FDCRX]

Yes, good, but I prefer Sa Chen, at the Van Cliburn Competition 2005, although she had a memory lapse, she was however more effective and stronger than Stephen Beus.... good however, very good

[SauloKrieger]

Handsome! And he plays too (lol)!

[seutoba2000]

Oh, great this guy! Hillarious facial expressions, of course, very original, but the sonority speaks for itself too. Techink domain — no comments.

I´d like him playing the first movement.

Congratulations for the young boy, from São Paulo, Brazil.

[dnephi]

Is there a similar amount of fury in the other movements of the same sonata?

[jre58591]

i can upload those if anyone is interested. they do have a considerable amount of fury, but they dont come close to the 4th movement.

[miRthkon]

Please please please upload the other movements. Many thanks for your posts. Barber rules!

[dnephi]

Hilarious expressions! However, I wouldn't call it neoromantic. Note that the first movement's theme is a 12-tone row according to an article I'm reading.

And sick technique! Man that's incredible!

[dnephi]

That's fury. I can kind of respect this semi-atonal after repeated hearings.

[Psill10]

Barber Neo-Romantic, I beg to differ! Rachmaninoff was neo-romantic, Barber is a little bit too a-tonal.

[jre58591]

this is neo-romantic. rachmaninoff is completely romantic. barber is in no way atonal. he always keeps a clear tonic, even though he sometimes uses dissonances. i call barber neoromantic because his music is romantically written, but he sometimes includes modern techniques in his music, such as the dissonances you hear.

[miRthkon]

the first movement features 2 distinct 12-tone rows. of course, in Barber's typical maverick fashion, he disregards all the so-called ''rules" of serial organization and just throws some 12-tone rows in the piece because they sound cool. If you look at the score, these are some of the most cleverly composed 12-tone rows I've seen. Webern would be jealous (and secretly admiring Barber's wit).

[miRthkon]

I think it's pointless to try to classify Barber's music as anything other than American Classical, the same classification I'd give to someone like Frank Zappa. These people wrote what they wanted regardless of whatever trends were occurring in contemporary music around them at any given time.

[faustsaccomplice]

this video has been sped up

[qivory]

Awsome.

[dnephi]

Hilarious facial expressions, but sounds a bit bland or without niceness.

[guyincognito84]

This guys' awesome!...if we consider that everything played was intentional lol...no offense to barber, but that piece sounds as if he wrote on a page..."GO NUTS ON THE PIANO!!" hahah...but very well played.

[datruzepp]

hahahah jre u fuckah. u iz comparin da DOCz ztudio rec wiz diz mofoz live-undah-prezzah comp perf. Zum of da wank unleazhz in diz vid iz juz a bit unmatched

[Khailand]

Yes, not as good as Hamelin, HOWEVER, this kid is mad young to be attempting the piece at all. Very admirable.

[datruzepp]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA­HA LEGENDARY SHEEYAT

n no u mofo, a DOC vid iz unlykly to match diz. da ZAVAGELY RAPED ENDIN iz juz da TRU WAY

[jre58591]

yes, the ending is good, and thi guy may be fast, but he isnt very accurate. i heard a lot of missed notes and such. mazz rezpec for his speed, but it aint much without accuracy, which hamelin clearly has.

[jre58591]

i only wish this guy was as good as hamelin . too bad there arent any vids of him playing it that i know of.

[pianistkaka]

Do you have others movement? Thank you so much for sharing such great music~~~thank you!

[DaComme]

HAHHAHAHAH da end iz 1 of da moz WIKID EXAMPLE OF ZAVAGE RAPE

LEGENDARY