Claire plays Carmen Fantasy

[Bitteneindanke]

Why are there so many dislikes?

[sio77nvd4]

This is very precise, the second best to Horowitz

I like the one in 0:51 which is different from the original

The ending is blind, I didn't realize it's already the end

Overall, wonderful

[KaramMarc]

i'm changing my mind about technic

[kuckorama]

Someone should do variations on John Cage's 4'33". Maybe like 2'17" or 1"511"

[mikosaaol]

awsome performance

[MrStrav81]

I wish people would stop playing the Carmen Variations. There are too many versions of it to allow for consistent performances of it. There are also plenty of other great pieces out there that are neglected and deserve to be played. I think Horowitz would want that.

[lightrays]

@MrStrav81 I strongly disagree. Variations are what make music an art, not a science. I think Horowitz would like to see the variations.

[MrStrav81]

@lightrays

They belong to Horowitz. I would rather see pianists create something new of their own than play this.

The multiple versions of it are fine, I have more a problem that people keep playing this piece in any version. At first I wanted to play these in concert, but the trend has become so disgusting I can't stand it anymore.

[kuckorama]

@MrStrav81 I think some of you are forgetting this stuff is fun to play once you can do it - almost all previously composed music has been played to death but that doesn't mean it should be banned from the repertoire - how ridiculous would that be? Lighten up a bit!

[MrStrav81]

@kuckorama

If on a season a disproportionate number of pianists programmed the Liszt Sonata, that would be no better. Encores likewise aren't special if everyone is playing the same ones. It needs to be a very personal selection that suits the moment or how the artist feels that season. I become suspect of whether that is happening when everyone is playing the same one.

On a side note, I wonder how many of these pianists have actually seen the opera Carmen.

[kuckorama]

@MrStrav81 That's an excellent point and I stand more than a little corrected. It would be wonderful if they chose pieces that have some deeper personal meaning in their life; I just wonder if the Carmen variations are possibly that piece. I know I would be pretty damned proud if I could pull it off properly. However, if I were going to choose encores of my own, I'd start with Liszt's Valse oubille no. 1 (played at my friends wedding), a Chopin mazurka and maybe something by Scarlatti.

[KearneyPiano]

@kuckorama when playing an encore you want to give the audience sweets, not another course!

[kuckorama]

@KearneyPiano That's funny! Gotta make sure the guests are still awake by then, too.

[TheF1PinkVoltaDream]

well, in her defense, shes playing on a yamaha so not even horowitz could play it as good there. But then again, she just nailed the pedal to the floor in this performance for some reason...

[demosj]

So there is the proof that there are very real problems musically with this performance, which is strange given that this is a not-very-profound showpiece. And technically it's not too hard either, there's a few amateur vids on youtube. The difficulty lies in matching the effects Horowitz layered in the piece. There are good aspects to the performance, but for everything she gets right, she misses something else.

Try Volodos or Kuleshov. They don't really succeed either, but come closer.

[demosj]

2:38 - ouch, rushing

2:44 - very impressive

3:15 - where's the gradual crescendo?

3:24 - barely held it with the alternating right hand chord and left hand octave, pedal's nailed to the floor

3:32 - the ascending left hand octaves aren't brought out.

and she has a bad habit of abbreviating phrases like at 2:59, but that's excusable due to the spontaneity of a live performance.

[flicfan416]

@demosj Wow, nice job, you just picked apart an interpretation of arguably of the most difficult transcriptions by a 17 year old. You're acting like she's Martha freaking Argerich. Cut her a break!

[demosj]

Musically this falls short. Firstly, the transcription itself is botched. The additions are either pointless or sound simply like wrong notes. Overriding problems are the general tone and over-pedaling.

1:15 - no staccato in left hand, refer to the wonderful effect in 1974 Ann Arbor performance by Horowitz

1:45 - ugly, ponderous

2:02 - typing?

2:13 - wonderful, though not as powerful as Horowitz

2:19 - left hand melody too subdued, though she does it right in 1:18

[MadMadMadTom]

Criticize her all you want. It is hardly fair to say she is not as good as Horowitz. That is like saying someone doing 100m in 10s can't run very fast, because Usain Bolt does it in 9.58. I wish I could play as well as her!

[demosj]

@MadMadMadTom That's not a critique, it's a very reasonable truth. There's maybe a handful of super-virtuosi in the league of Hofmann and Michelangeli comparable to Horowitz. Claire is talented yes, but you have to be more than simply talented to rank with them.

She is much further than two seconds away from Horowitz, by your track analogy. You need only compare the first few bars of their performances. Try two minutes, if not more.

[killingppl]

Everyone tries to copy the master but no one can come close to the passion he had HOROWITZ YOU ARE THE BEST!

[allthenamesrtook]

its not about how she looks its how she plays and she plays perfectly

[jrhau530]

真是太棒了 !

[katchum]

Who here thinks she used too much pedal?

[sal50811]

such small hands...

[gouloum2222]

@sal50811 no she doesn't have small hands.

[electronicjo1]

yuja all the way

[hotbebimauz]

dont say shes yuja..you cant compare her to yuja.. thats a little bit overrated.

[hotbebimauz]

she isnt very beautiful and her playing is technically good but theres no musicality

[gouloum2222]

@hotbebimauz "she isn't very beautiful " ==> totally out of point

[hotbebimauz]

cuz they all say shes soooooooooo beautoful -.-

[pathetiqueous]

@hotbebimauz so where's the video of you playing this to compare? where exactly do you miss musicality in this performance?

[kongkiakeng]

so cute

[mlkoln]

to the comment of Eztoez:

Don't compare a mature artist (like Horrowitz) with a littke girl!

Of course, Horowitz's Carmen is outstanding - you can't compare his interpretation of the fantasia with the playing of anybody else.

For such a young woman this interpretation is really great.

[Shyrk]

best performance besides the one of horowitz himself

[EC1M]

Claire may be following the steps of Yuja...

[Eztoez]

Excellent performance but lacks the sort of tone and dynamics that I've only heard Horowitz perform

[lokopiano]

Would you explain that

"but lacks the sort of tone and dynamics"

??????

It sounds like tarzan doing "Sky" on Mars.

lokopiano.

[BrentAudi]

Give her a break! She is playing a Yamaha!

Brent

[mlkoln]

And I'm missing the prokofiew toccata played by huangci - that was really outstanding, the most exciting and - in my opion - the best interpretation for lightyears before and after Claire Huangci. It's a pitty that this was deleted!

Let's wait only a few years and have a look on her again.

In my opinion she is a really great artist!

[stacykym]

that is unreal talent

i am utterly shocked.

shes incredible!

[mlkoln]

> i am utterly shocked.

> she's incredible!

So listen to her interpretation of the Toccata op.11 from Prokofiev!

That's really great - played by a youngster born in 1990.

... and forget such "pianists" like Kissin ... >:->

[davidweiner23]

unbelievable technique!

[wing19831228]

good performance.....

[mgsong1]

amazing

[VeraMalinina]

This pianist shows an outstanding effort and professionalism, but art is a higher thing than craftsmanship. Watch Evgeny Kissin play the same piece and you would have to be deaf not to see the difference: the presence of soul.

[vocalpianist]

she is still very very young ;) that could still present itself

[suremate]

oh please, could you be any more pretentious? this is just an encore, not the slow movement of hammerklavier.

[Oahusea]

VeraMalinina: I absolutely agree.

[ji94552]

Claire is 16. If you heard Kissin when he was 16, you would have said the same thing for him.

This girl is amazing.

[lokopiano]

This girl ( i think not any more, becuase she is around 18).

I think she is superior to Kissin , at leats under my poitn of view for many resons. On e of them is the technical side. She is perfect. Kissin has a weird technique, and actually his playing is blurry.

lokoppiano.

[VeraMalinina]

This pianist shows an outstanding effort and professionalism, but art is a higher thing than craftsmanship. Watch Evgeny Kissin play the same piece and you would have to be deaf not to see the difference: the presence of soul.

[loveebara]

why does she not use steinway?

[jsteeber]

Her playing is superior. The piano is fine. Can these be seen in any way as liabilities? Or is YouTube a forum for frustred might-have-beens who bitterly view another's success as a tragedy for themselves?

[fartlestucks]

Dear666,*1:pinists may play Yamahaha Bcos it's cheaper,very reliable technically &also HamaYa pushes young artits with incentives,prizes,etc.Nothing wrong there but you hear the mediocre result.*2:Heard HorrorBits YEARS B4 seeing him,always found him TRULY "unique".*3:Still havn'turd LLang in pubelick and hardly on dics,*4:nothing against Claire who has undouted talent,i don't kno if she's arrogant,she seems v nice girl.Just tryd put in perspectiv relativ values.Good listening!

[z666z666z]

Dear fartestucks,, I listen her in Hamamatsu festival where she gets the 2nd prize.

It´s depends.

Some special made modles form Yamaha are superb. I dont say exactly this one.

Stenway doesn´t take care any more of pisnists.

Many pianists evne great feel so disappointed and already change to Yamaha.

As simple as that.

Fazioli should do this . Fazioli is the best and most wonderful piano on earth.

666

[z666z666z]

Uhmmmm good advice Psyco......

666

[jsteeber]

Concert Yamaha's are actually rarer and more expensive. The artist program offers support, not incentive prizes. It's a fine piano and a fine program, and Claire is one of its best young artists now.

[fartlestucks]

Just went bak to HorrorHit's own version, Carnagie Hell, for a cure. Needed to hear color,passion,drama&wit again,& the explosion of apple-whores at the end. Did anyone notits how nobody in Claire's very worthy rending, seemed to kno it had funish, and the apple-whores was very hesitant? I don't mean to be unkind about a talented girl but most of you seem so easily duzzle by speed&efficiency.That HamaYa is a disgrace.

[z666z666z]

fartlestucks...you belong to the people who need acting to considered a performance superior.You are completely wrong. Color and passion you must to feel with your ears and not be confused with movements.You are maybe so accostumned to "Watch" autobiographical pianists, like lang lang and all that brunch of jerks. Or probably you belong to the group of mediocres who were after her in Hamamatsu piano class and you hate her becuase she is little arrogant?

But her playing is just superior.

666

[fartlestucks]

Very flat,lacking electricity,maybe not entirely her fault.Who cd ever get real music from a yamahahaha? Brittle brilliance,no richness or color, in cape a bull of singing..but tit never goes wrong..whap a titty...........!

[z666z666z]

fartlestucks..you should go deep and know why many pisnists ...even famous ones are going to Yamaha...........make some investigation instead to be a troll against Claire. I know the answer why (Yamaha)........ but just did your job...and find yourself the answer.

Everything in this world has a reason to be.

666

[zongorarichter]

Hello.

Is somebody the moderator of this link?

Please make know it, becuause i would like to send him (her) a very important private post.

Thanks in advance.

zongorarichter

[naniga66]

because she is the Yamaha artist so she can only use yamaha in the concert

[ytpiano7]

Are you sure? I didn´t know that.

Anyway i played some of the superlatives old yAmahas series "L2". and the action , sound, etc. are very close to the Stenway. Is like to compare the Lexus 400 with the Mercedes 500. Are very close. but the Mercedes always is superior.

ytpiano7

[frateramadeus]

True naniga6,

Yesterday at Hamamatsu piano Acdemy and competition were Claire won the 2nd place, and the 1st one was a terrible pianist ..........well thatñs the real liife in competitions............She is really Yamaha artist, And it will happen with a lot of artists who are tired of the bad service Stenway give to a his engaged artists.

frateramadeus

[ytpiano7]

What´s that: Yamaha ?..Kawai?...Come on ..those brands have a wonderful models which sonud great, but not as a Hamburg Stenway or a Fazioli..by now maybe the greatest piano on earth.

ytpiano7

[ytpiano7]

Great pianist

[jockolong]

does she looks like a gay? what's your point?

[johnayumi]

whys she gay?

[johnayumi]

i like yuja s version way better!!

[ytpiano7]

taste is personal and individual.çyuja Wnag version is really veru good. But since the very objetive and professional point of view, this version is superior and more complete specially concerning to the use of dynaminc range.

ytpiano7

[frateramadeus]

Come on ......Yuja plays very well.

But this girl is superior.

frateramadeus

[badkid73]

You can certainly tell the technical differences. One pianist is has much more efficient and perfect technique than the other.

[flowerofsilver]

shame such magnificence has to be played on a yamaha.

[jockolong]

what's wrong w/ yamaha?

[gerodiasr]

i prefer kawai

[strider881]

brilliant

[Liszt31]

Wow un esecuzione dal vivo così perfetta!!!!

Bravissima!!!!!

[AllUserNamesTaken111]

looks like yuja's got competition

[K43TOC]

That is an absolutely horrible piano. I can't stand Yamahas you can't get any emotion out of them. Her performance is truly fabulous.  She should become a Steinway artist. Yamaha sucks!

[jockolong]

why?

[thailp136]

I think she'll even sound absolutely amazing on a Casio....pffftt!!!!

[vocalpianist]

I want to go see this girl!!

[ytpiano7]

"This girl" could be considered right now one of the bigest living pianists. She is just amazing

ytpiano7

[vocalpianist]

Claire Huangci... next great pianist of the century? I can't wait to see what she accomplishes in the future.