Alexei Sultanov - Beethoven Appassionata (Excerpt)

[LauraMorgan1905]

Именно такой Бетховен - буря и натиск. И гениальный пианист с ярчайшей внутренней энергетикой. КАК НЕСПРАВЕДЛИВ МИР...

[Eichenwald144]

He was of course the most tremendous, elemental talent. But this is pretty bloody awful, sorry to say..

[berlinzerberus]

Hypertrophy!

Ein trauriges Beispiel, wie man den letzten Satz der 'Appassionata' zu Tode reiten kann: gewalttätig statt emotional, sportiv statt künstlerisch, mechanistisch statt musikalisch, das Klavier schamlos attackierend statt es gewinnend zu umwerben. Es ist mir mit einem Wort unbegreiflich, dass solch ein 'Pianist' überhaupt in die Endrunde eines so berühmten Klavierwettbewerbs vordringen kann.

[BrentAudi]

I think this is terrible!

So many mistakes.

Banging!



[calledelbeso]

.... ma non troppo...

[PhilPhilUSA]

he had and has an ability to take ones very breath away, a genius, completely.

[1Janny1]

Jeeper! This was still 2 years BEFORE he won the Cliburn Comp. That makes him 16 or 17 depending on the month. Pretty amazing.

[j4sc3]

WOW!

[ninaorf]

Гениальная игра! Султанов - выдающееся явление в фортепианной музыке!!!!!!!

[ninaorf]

Султанов - величайший пианист современности!!!! Он гений фортепиано!!!!!

[ninaorf]

Султанов-гений фортепиано!!!!

[ninaorf]

Султанов -гений!!! А ещё - чистыйисветлый поэтому ТАК играл!!!

[zurzica51]

R.I.P.

[majornewb]

it sounds very rushed, maybe he's trying to capture beethoven's rage, but it feels very rushed. i prefer soloman or arrau's interpretation

[poplife123]

this is exactly how i imagine it should be played...chaos...tension....ma­dness...not let up...dantes inferno....consuming everything.....no one gets out alive

[axelman145]

he must be thinking AHH MY HANDS!!! :D

[dokuroXD15263]

exelent video

[musicpiano14]

He plays it with broken finger if Im not wrong. How he could overcome pain, I don't know. He was very strong spiritually.

[musicioso]

@musicpiano14

what do yo mean broken finger? like REALLY BROKEN?

[oyajiken]

so young

[Elecen]

Does anyone have the first two parts of this performance? Or even better all the three parts on CD (mp3 's fine too) quality? Please let me know.

[sergeidave]

A true genius!! R.I.P.

[xbluee]

this guy is amazing!!!

[Elecen]

This man suffered a most tragic fate! May I suggest you read his bio :)

[barismertpeker]

Well, this is not Beethoven...

[pcobl]

Huh?

[barismertpeker]

I mean the interpretation. :)

[Elecen]

The interpretation is stunning! Music is not about score performance (computers do that now :P).

His passion on this performance is breath taking :)

[callenishss]

exactly.

this is like chopin-liszt-brahms

[flies101]

Martha Argerich doesn't make Chopin sound "chopiny" enough (in my opinion, I am Polish) but that doesn't matter because her artistry made her so great. She plays everything in her own style. I don't see why this doesn't apply here as well. Sultanov was undoubtedly a great artist and interpreted things his own way . Everyone who doesn't realize that is simply in denial. He would have no doubt been the next Argerich or Horowitz had he lived..

[FunOfPianeet]

mistakes are not the matter. I see your point. This interpretation does not express the atmosphere of this piece as Beethoven.

but, very interesting and exciting.

[Elecen]

Unless you're some centuries old, you can't tell how Beethoven was performing it :p

Yes, the score doesn't indicate it the way it is performed, but then, the score was official, and as far as I know Beethoven did LOVE his head ;)

[Zebeldarebel]

I agree, I think he gets a little carried away, and it takes away from the performance.

[jermanyificationify]

@barismertpeker He's in tour at heavens!

[Elecen]

@barismertpeker

This is the most passionate performance of Appassionata ever! It just leaves me speechless!

And by the way, Appassionata means passion!

[cross147]

@barismertpeker of course it's not Beethoven...It's Sultanov

[Elecen]

You can only notice the mistakes if you can't feel it.... the performance is to say the least breath taking!!!! Instead of trying to critic try to 'beat' him :P

[aLLeLurrVe3]

Alexei Sultanov suffered seven strokes. My teacher, who knew him, said that he was an absolute legend, and I agree.

[Ihi92]

tooooo many mistakes to make it sound good

[bcbdaggtrf75]

leave him alone, he's dead!

[foreveredwardlover]

wonder how the poor thing died.......

[krispy432]

Look up his story if you have a chance some time. It's very, very tragic. He suffered a series of strokes I believe that left his musical mind intact but rendered him physically incapable of playing. It must have been torturous.

[Definidramin]

I see a lots of you, guys, arguing and writing bad things about this genius pianist. He won the van Cliburn competition when he was 19 years old... and now he is dead ( if you don't know) He played more then 80 recital all over the world. None of you, I am pretty sure never did it and never will do it.

Rest in Peace Alexei.

We will never forget you...

[IQ40000]

What you're doing is judging a pianist by the number of competitions and recitals he had done. So? Stanislav Bunin won the International Chopin competition in Warsaw at 19 too. I'm not saying this guy should be discredited, winning a competition at an early age is very challenging, but not impossible. What do you mean by "none of us can do it?" Not everyone wants to be a pianist. This guy's interpretation is fine, but not deep in terms of musicality. For ex, he forgets the crescendos at 0:35.

[Scott1916]

your screen name should read IQ 20-20. Who the hell are you to judge someone with this level of talent? You probably could not play the first chord of this piece properly.

[framaulo]

Only 16?

:-o

[Cartoonsbystan]

Flair.

[cruzer988]

Only 16 at the time. What an amazing talent. Died WAY too young!!

[noekiyu]

Good stuff. IT takes an enormous amount of practice to get this . But at the end he tried to play it extra fast and had many mistakes.

[Cheeto717]

i actually like it. anyone know if he placed?

[love2beitalian]

I am studying this Sonata and will be performing it in December. As far as the speed is concerned, it does not go this fast because the music score indicates that it is, "Allegro m non troppo". So it shouldn't go that fast. As far the end is concerned, it can almost go to that speed..However in some parts he put too much pedal, and should have been more careful regarding cleanliness in the piece. I like his passion though.

RIP ALEX.....OVERALL Good job.

[foxyfaefife]

This is very impressive for the sheer speed, but there's a hell of a lot of mistakes at the same time. Not unforgivable though.

[OorvakanSar]

Seriously I cannot get over this, I've seen this video like a hundred times since I saw it a year ago. The way he plays, it just makes you feel something you've never felt before.

[Verityseo]

Me, too! actually his playing does that to me all the time. by the way, sorry, I mistakenly clicked thumb down but i meant thums up. how can i fix it? :p

[ltsieanb]

It is not very impressive except speed. He plays very fast with some mistakes and does not speed up in coda (from allegro ma non troppo to presto) because he played too fast in allegro ma non troppo. Richter also played very fast in allegro ma non troppo but he played faster at coda to make climax. Listen greater Beethoven players -- Backhaus, Gilels, Kempff, Schnabel, etc. They all respected the instruction "presto" in the score and built up climax to the end.

[englishplayer40]

quite right. This performance was astounding for speed and power but the music does not demand that ALL the time with no variety or shading, in particular he completely misses the character of the 2nd theme which is melancholic and yearning.

[YGDEd]

hes gonna pee his pants

[wildejagdlover]

o my,, im crying,, he's sooooo wonderful

[broniashmonia]

awesome

[maxi937]

How did he get away with so many wrong notes?! Wonderful, however!

[BachFong11]

Everyone misses notes, but this performance is the best last seconds of the Appassionata I've ever heard. Every note, yes, even when its fast, is clear and heard. There's so much fire and energy to this.

[ca707070]

RUSSIAN GUY #1 !!!

RIP !!!

[ca707070]

russia #1 !!!

[svensdascha]

it is not a race

[gooberboog]

i agree, way too fast with way too many mistakes

[leebruce1988]

wonderful

[Shumeshi]

Is there a recording of the whole thing somewhere?

[jammer4876]

PianoCritic, impeccable? Come on.  I defy you to find any recording anywhere with as sloppy descending arpeggios at the end as this. (Hint: in 59 years of listening to many performances, I've never heard one close to this bad in that section) Impassioned? Yes. Worthwhile? Yes. But not impeccable by any means.

[pianochick1]

AMAZING!!!

[OorvakanSar]

This guy is insane good.

[Emlomor]

Complètement allumé, le petit ;)

[nico22059]

One of the greatest interpretations of this piece I´ve heard (or at least of this part)... True passion

[Margotbear]

amazing so much fire 5*'s

[marcelmombeekeigen]

what a talent!!!!! and he had to leave us... what a shame...

[nico22059]

One time that I agree with you... if he was still alive, he would be a true legend... this appassionata is just great, his playing is trully "appassionato"

[ZioStronzo]

This is surely an OUTSTANDING performance. There's fire, there's heat, there's colour, there is passion. even though the tempo is a bit sped up and sometimes the left hand should be played less heavily, this doesn't affect the whole performance which stands out like an explosion of a volcano. BRAVO!!!

[feynfan]

no, he is not with us anymore. only his playing is here.

[volodya2]

sultanov was a genius...

he died toooooooo young!! :( :(

[billyguns2]

YES, YES, YES! Finally a pianist who plays with spontaneity, fire, passion, and wild abandon! THAT IS WHAT THIS PIECE IS ABOUT! Is Sultanov no longer with us?

[seahyimin]

1969-2005

[maxi937]

I totally agree! This pianist is exciting! Does Rubenstein or Horowitz excite in this way? No they don't. Why, because they are not gifted musicians. I've seen loads of clips on youtube of them, and I'm sorry, I'm not impressed. Van Cliburn was a great pianist too.

[ytpiano7]

Uhmmm i suggest you if you don´t know much about music, avoid comparisons of that kind. How you can compare this uncomplete pianist with those two great ?

ytpiano7

[Shumeshi]

Horowitz doesn't excite?!!! Not gifted? Um.. Uh. aaaa... Ok dude, I'll just give your comment a "-1" and mark as spam...

[Emlomor]

Rubinstein and Horowitz, "not gifted musicians" ? LOL

[nico22059]

actually they´re trully gifted, what I think is that you know nothing... listen to horowitz playing polonaise op. 44, and rubinstein playing heroique polonaise

[cdpiano27]

I notice something. It seems like the 1986 Tchaikovsky Competition was better attended, the audience and judges more excited, the best people really winning with the politics getting less in the way than now. If you look at the clips of the 2007 Tchaikovsky everyone seems bored, players are good but not exciting, and tons of politics in the violin section this year.

[LesMusiqueEtDanse]

I agree with Piano Critic. People do watch these videos with envy.

He's superb!

[pjf2272]

He must've been dreadfully nervous.

[Zerkalo4u]

wow!

[Zerkalo4u]

really excellent....i think his control is pretty good, please don`t forget this piece is called "apassionata"!! he is a real ingenious musician, contemporory pianists should take a lesson from him...

[cdpiano27]

This is exactly what Beethoven wanted. Of course, not toned down for Tchaikovsky Competition. But this is exactly the composers intent!! So, Bravo!!!

[LVB1770]

cdpiano27, No one can say that this is exactly what Beethoven wanted. That is a ridiculous statement. If you wish to know what Beethoven wanted read his letters and Carl Czerny's book on the proper performance of Beethoven's works for the piano. Please stop assuming things!

[PianoCriticsKiller]

What an OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE! People PAY to hear this piano genius; therefore, those who complain are just sitting on YouTube drooling over the fact that you wish you were in his shoes: Performing LIVE! Doing what he LOVES and getting PAID for it! And being famous too.

[IIllIIllIIIlIIIllIlI]

WoW! and he's hott too!

awesome!

[NightcrawlerG]

I thought it was excellent. I like his interpretation.

[egrosz]

He lost control...to much...But only 16 he was here..

A miracle!!What a hard work to be pianist!!

[petie32]

Never sacrifice musicianship or technique for velocity.

[1124755]

he is just trying to showoff.Many mistakes, and the dynamics are lost in so many passages

[PianoCriticsKiller]

1124755 - SHOWING OFF? That's what performers do, moron! They show off or share their musical talents with the audience for their enjoyment! You are just JEALOUS because we WISH you can even play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star! LOL!

[1124755]

An exciting performance, but way too fast. It is Allegro Non Troppo ><... Not controled

[PianoCriticsKiller]

1124755 - You are so mean-spirited and jealous! Where is your SLOWER version of this difficult piece. Did you hear the audience ROAR? That's because they KNOW an OUTSTANDING performance when they hear it; unlike yourself.

[piotrbo91]

Excellent interpretation, many emotions, the best i have ever heard.

[celleo89]

Genius...one who will be sorely missed by those who loved great music.

[LVB1770]

He one 1st price in one of the Van Cliburn competitions.

He does get a bit too excited here.

[voolare]

I think this is what Beethoven wanted from that finale!

But if you play that way, a bit out of control, in a competion, you will never win, unless Martha Argerich stands up for you and says "this is a genius" (Warsaw 1980 about Pogorelich)

[PianoCriticsKiller]

voolare - BEETHOVEN would stand up and say, "This is a genius!"

He was AWESOME! And you just can't handle it because of envy. He's also a prince.

[martinpil]

it is beethoven though, not Liszt-beethoven! That's what the jury members were thinking I guess.

[PianoCriticsKiller]

martinpil - Can we hear you play it more like Beethoven? We'd LOVE it hear you. Please. Post your vid so we can also judge YOU.

[aiuhepdos]

sounded to out of control to me

[sergeysax]

He controled everything.. This is the music.

[PianoCriticsKiller]

aiuhepdos - That's because you are ignorant of classical music. It was impeccable!

[ininchansichlich]

recitals(dot)alexeisultanov(do­t}ru

[omarfarahat]

Thanks! what a treasure!

[ChatlaninUef]

And these idiots in the jury... They closed the way for him both times he played there (in 86 and 98), but he was the best of them all!

[Nissor]

Please more Sulatov videos

[ChatlaninUef]

I think its here where he played with broken hand.

But, genius...

[elroy1047]

Thanks for sharing this video-I attended the Cliburn when Sultanov won-truly amazing person, who really 'lived' during his short life. Get the book 'The Ivory Trade'-It tells of the politics involved in the Cliburn Competetion-a real eye opener!

[pcobl]

I was really moved when I read the story of his life and ailments. I was even more shocked when he passed. Such a great talent and we didn't get to hear more of his playing. I'm glad that I got a chance to hear him play Rach 2 when I was at Interlochen some time ago. Thanks for dropping the note and for relaying the book on the Van Cliburn Competition.

[tomato527]

Soooooo Fortunate to be able to watch such valuable and historical moment! BRAVO to Sultanov! BRAVO to a person who decided to let us share! Thanks a million!

[dnephi]

it is Presto Feroce or something like that, isn't? This is the coda.

[Fiori21]

Priceless!!!

[YusukeMurakami]

This is truly invaluable! Thanks for sharing.

[cchopinn]

This is terrible.Beethoven marks the movement Allegro MA NON TROPPO.This is ignored as are all the dynamic markings (a lot of it is marked piano) with hairpin dynamics giving the music a real tingle factor and tension> This is all lost on this pianist. I am lost as to why the audience applauded so enthusiastically. Perhaps they were all members of his family!

[jefftam1234]

the mvt marks Allergro ma non troppo, does it mean it's all the way to the end? After the repeat, Beethoven marked 'PRESTO'. Sultanov plays this part as much as Beethoven would have intended.

If u only know how to play a piece with the tempo stated in the beginning of the piece, why don't u play your beloved Chopin Winter Etude all LENTO style?

Sultanov is a true artist and this is one of the true gem that could be attained. Get your pea-size-brain-induced-opinion off this video.

[maxi937]

Your just jealous. He makes this piece sound exciting, fiery! He's brilliant!