Benjamin Britten - Violin Concerto, Op. 15 - 1st mvmt

[bertrameckle]

It s a very nice piece.Thank you.

[jdebruynviolin]

I understand why some people don't like the piece... it's a bit of an acquired taste. I think it's wonderful, though!

[GuaranteeCleaning]

I've loved your rock covers, and just stumbled upon this...

My man... you have got to be one of the greatest violinists alive.

Thank you for sharing your incredible gift.

[dfillingham]

Good technique, and an excellent ear. Who was you teacher? I hear some Russian light fast bowing, with perhaps some French showmanship and bravura. How old are you? Who are your favorite violinists?

[Xxchocoholic2]

That was very FANTASTIC Love it so much! That was a damn hard piece!

[fbelangerart]

WoW ! Yep, you are Very good indeed !

[ShlttyBill]

Everyone, having listened to this, now has their head tilted to the side just a little bit. Yeah you do. Don't lie.

[walshamite]

I live near BB's old home, & sang in various of his choral works way back. Eric, your fiddle playing is spot on ( vastly better than mine), lovely technique. Extremely fine playing by both of you. Those testy harmonics at the end, amazingly deft. So beautifully recorded too; much kudos to your expert audio person. You're fortunate, having such a strong pianist alongside. I must go listen to your other clips - I enjoy so many genres. Great that you tackle everything going :) What violin is that?

[JulianClumbsEar]

siiiick .

how old are you? (:

[amazinglazedonut]

Hi Eric, the violin you're playing here sounds phenomenal! It's got exactly the tonal characteristics I'm looking for, especially the high registers on the G string. Could you tell me what violin you're playing here? Hopefully not a strad or one of the uber-expensive modern violins!

[dikaraster]

Very very difficult!

[dikaraster]

Great!

[KadysWellies]

Stunning - you are a fantastic player ^^

[davehshs]

It's true that this music indeed has emotion. Some of us, however, don't like a lot of the emotions being expressed. Many of the dissonant passages express a kind of stressed-out despair. Just as it takes musical awareness to recognize the creativity of this music, it takes emotional self-awareness to recognize the emotion being conveyed.

[JDX45]

You deserver a stradivarious!

[scutariredi]

congratulations!good work!

[DarkColossus13]

Wow. You're really good. Enjoyed the song. I play violin myself but I;m just starting, hope I can play clean and well-sounding like that one day. What was this for? Are you taking music in College. ARCT? Professional?

[frenchxtoastx87]

uk where i can get the sheet music at?

[JiangxenPeter]

@frenchxtoastx87 Try Fuller Music (UK specialist in String Music) fullermusic. co. uk

[yuehchopin]

sehr nett

[opalmermaid]

giocoso e intenso..capace di trascinarti su un altro pianeta..facendoti dimenticare la coscienza della gioia e del dolore..ti senti solo respirare rimanendo in stasi,a mezz'aria per qualche secondo per poi essere trascinato di nuovo su o giù come un granello di sabbia nel vento.

[walshamite]

Wonderful stuff, I really enjoyed it! I'll look at Eric's other parts. The occasional hint of a note fracture high on the E was, I think, the characteristic of the instrument (mine does it too; it ain't from Cremona).

I felt (unlike JiangxenPeter above) that the soloist's exposure due to piano accompaniment, made it rather special. "Nowhere to hide", if you like. Ms. Morgovskaya gave great support, very tenderly rendering her part too.

[TheSaxyBandGeek]

Michael Yiochalas fails at life :P Sorry, but the greatest music takes real effort to appreciate. All the most important things in life take hard work to obtain. But if you have that kind of Hedonistic attitude towards music, you might as well go on obsessing over Brittney Spears and Eminem like the majority of our society :(

[Superclarinetmorman1]

Amen AMEN!

[JiangxenPeter]

I heard this work some 30 years ago, and loved it, though at the time I hated modern classical music. It's one of those which converted me. One needs to listen intently with a different ear than that for the one-dimension tonal music of the last few centuries. That said, the soloist is wonderful here, but I do think it would sound far more interesting with an orchestra. You just don't get the sense of "colour" from a piano accompaniment, in a modern composition of such complexity and beauty.

[khbgkh]

@JiangxenPeter tonal music is not one dimensional. thats just plain ignorant.

[JiangxenPeter]

@khbgkh You've missed my point entirely! Just let it be!

[thejugglenaut91]

after a short while of listening to modern music i took a listen to atonal music. At first I didn't like it but I knew that I really could, and by the end of one suite I was getting goosebumps! I think like anything it requires a good composer like britten etc and there can also be bad works, probably even more so.

[christopher242424]

It is one of the most beautiful pieces ever composed. And the video poves it perfectly. Marvellous.

[biglewhill]

i love it.

[andyl666]

Yeah, Benjamin Britten is rubbish compared to Yngwie Malmsteen. Lol

[kmal16]

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Although on a more serious note, Yngwie is very classically trained from what I hear. You can tell by how fluid his arpeggios are. Perhaps, Benjamin Britten was his teacher. ha ha ha

[thejugglenaut91]

he was not! Absolutely not...

[kmal16]

ha ha ha ha ha, I can't believe you made such a statement. But there's nothing better than good humor. Well while you're at it, I think Lil Wayne takes the winning position in terms of composition, texture, melodic content, and rhythmic structure.

[theawesomeviolinist]

First time listening to this song, and I LOVE it!

[MIchaelYiochalas]

Well,everything is possible,but I strongly believe that with music there should be "love at first sound".What's the point of trying to like something?I mean,the first time I heard fuges of Bach,although I did not understand a thing I really loved the music.

[andyl666]

"although I did not understand a thing"

... some things never change

[MIchaelYiochalas]

Well,fortunately this changed!

[khbgkh]

@MIchaelYiochalas Because when confronted with well performed music that you don't like, there is a good chance you just don't understand it. This type of music has so much emotional depth. Along with its constant hidden meanings and political message, it ends up being quite the experience.

[MIchaelYiochalas]

Very good playing but what an awful composition!I hate modern composers...And,please,don't tell me to write a better one if I can.Enough with this stupidity.

[shooboobaby]

I agree with Michael. You play beautifully, but that does not make the composition itself beautiful. I'm a huge fan of yours, this just wasn't one of my favorite choices of yours.

[JiangxenPeter]

Michael, I felt the same once, but now find modern classical music (not all of course, but that which srguably extends the romantic tradition) thrilling & exciting because of the richness of new sounds that composers like Brahms couldn't hear in their minds). Please listen to Walton's Violin Concerto (on youtube). If you don't get love at first hearing, then maybe modern classical music is not for you. Ttry also Barber's Violin Concerto (first 2 mvts are exceptionally beautiful).

[khbgkh]

@JiangxenPeter It wasn't that composers like Brahms couldn't hear the sounds. It was that it was unspeakable to use such "bad" sounds.

[JiangxenPeter]

@khbgkh The language that Britten and other 20th century composers used is not the same as that of Monodic Period leading to it. It's a bit like asking Shakespeare to write in the language of Harold Pinter or Tom Stoppard. Britten's language is different to (and evolved from) that of his own teacher Frank Bridge. These are facts, not opinions. One simply cannot compare mutual anachronisms.

[fiddlepino]

Dang!

Your harmonics are so perfect!

[KillerD1017]

You are an amazing violinist, and the rich sound of your violin compliments your oustanding playing very nicely. Well done!

[Vickimer]

AMAZING!!

[42LightYears]

enter britains got talent dude!!! XD

[KidsCanRock]

watching you play makes me think that you are so sweet. you are brilliant!

[Wisu]

Qué bonito... cuánto tiempo tienes tocando?

just english? that was so nice, how long you've been playing?

Un abrazo de parte de una violinista principiante buscando modelos jaja muy bueno, keep up the good work. Saludos!

[Maurizia10]

Woooow... is very beautiful! thank you thank you for your videos.....they make me feel fly!!

[xsugarbombBOOMx]

crazy shifting :O

[psychodelicious85]

Yes. But everybody can 'learn how to play an instrument'.. but not everyone can convince the public about his own feelings. And He could. I don't play violin but I know a bit about music. The Guy feels it and it is great. Please - show us more.

[hultajos]

wow, i enjoyed your playing, much better then the covers - i need to say, though they were fun too,

congratulations, a fantastic performance ;-)

[psychodelicious85]

It is not 'the skill'. It is.. the heart. You're great Mate.

[lululatsch]

it's both!

[Sanan781]

Amazing skill~~~~!

Thanks for your great performance

[ageshero]

I often ponder how you do not smile during such beautiful music. perhaps the shear focus and determination, or the fact that its more of a grim, or a sad song.

[CocoJelly92]

I don't smile either when I play my music. I think it's because of the concentration and determination.

The only times I do smile is after finally getting some part right after failing to do so and practicing over and over until I get it right.

[ageshero]

God Bless YOU! you rock on sir, and keep rockin it.

[theultimatejuicebox]

Fantastic! Woooww, you have some serious talent.

[Actresspt]

It's amazing that you have so many comments and views on your Cold Play, The Killers Red Hot Chilly Peppers, My Chemical Romance and Snow Patrol covers, but this Benjamin Britten set is much harder and requires much more skill, and yet only a few people commented it.

But let me tell you, you are brilliant! You rule! Loved it!

[scooterkelly12]

its amazing that u memorized it i wounder how long have you been playin???

[dropsoffaith]

I am a huge fan of Britten and I had no idea that he had written a concerto. I am going to have to learn this piece now, no thanks to you. You performed it fantastically.

Rock on playa.

[Katieact]

Hi,

Great you're a star...missed seeing you in Florida, maybe next time.

Katie Malloy

[grommitpalace]

dude this is pretty awesome!

[inbetweenzzz]

i love you!

[Saoclex]

As I've said before, I play violin as well (only for 2 years though), and I have to say that all those shifts would get me. This is definatly a difficult piece, but you played it very well. Play on!

[LawBLin]

very nice dude

[oneofakind2012]

How long have you been playing??

I've been playing the violin for like 8 years, so I was wondering how long you'd been playing. Like, if you started as a child, say 6 years old...?

Btw great job :)

[1287grandsire]

I know this concerto fairly well, recently played in the orchestra accompanying soloist Lorraine McAslan. I really like your tone and feeling. This is such a difficult piece, really well done. When can we expect the third movement to be posted? :-)

[dappa77]

she teaches my friend!

[thestacyandloryshow]

Good job! You're really talented.

[kakiller3]

HOW OLD ARE YOU!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

[carloslaran]

i would say this piece is on the difficulty level of sibelius or something along those lines like tchaikovsky and what not. perhaps it appears to have much more intricacy because of the rhythms and harmony.the walton and elgar r definately harder than the britten. however bottom line is theyre all hard and u gotta have chops to play them all.

[fiddlinmatt]

Many may feel that this piece is too superficial, superfulous (probably wrong spelling) or generally pointless. everyone has their own opinion, and mine is that this is a striking work of character and beauty. Sure it may take some getting used to, and it does sound better with an orchestra, but Britten managed, just like he always did, to achieve something unique and powerful. And oh yeah, this is definitely in the top 10 of hardest violin concertos. Kudos to the soloist on an excellent job!

[fiddlinmatt]

Very clean, beautiful and refined. Please post more of these types of challenging and under-represented works.

[ellegin88]

is that a moennig violin?

[lovesGenet]

Wow .I want to like Britten but so often i dont. Berg,Strav,sibelius,shostakov,­Prokofiev.I even find much much of the schoenberg to be about something. This one just seems to have repeated rhtms.I guess ill have to listen over a few times. No wonder this concerto is ignored .

[fiddlinmatt]

It's definitely different with orchestra, check out the vid with Zimmerman.

[payette]

I just went to see the Toronto Symphony Orchestra play this piece with Janine Jensen (who was FLAWLESS)

You really did a fantastic job. I'm sure if you had an orchestra behind you instead of a piano it'd have a great effect.

Bravo!

[shlomzion]

Superb. This is considered one of the most difficult violin concertos to play.

[fiddlinmatt]

with good reason, I'm looking at the music right now for kicks, it's an absolute nightmare. Tchaikovsky, paganini, you name it, pales in comparison, (maybe some ernst or wieniawski compares, maybe.)

He does a very fine job though.

[miiicihieililie]

IM UR BIGGEST FAN EVER!!!

[carloslaran]

very good! where do u study?