Stravinsky - Etudes, Op. 7 - Jon Nakamatsu

[NOSEhow2LIV]

Maybe the piano&recorded sound don't help him,but even if they were ok,i'd still find this impossibly mechanical,stiff,clumsy and lacking all sense of fantasy. These marvelous pieces need more than hastily pressed down notes.

[millmari28]

Jon is so talented and a wonderful human being. He was our house guest when he appeared in Corvallis with clarinetist Jon Manasse in the Chamber Music Corvallis concert series in 2010. This concert was extremely popular with our audience. We also saw him in a recital in San Francisco in May of 2011.

[ProPIanoOriginal]

Mr. Nakamatsu is rare for so many reasons: he is a gentleman; he is refined; he is educated; he is humble; he is understated; he is curious; he seeks excellence; he is responsive and reliable; he is nurtured from a rich cultural past that did not include elitist institutions and teachers. He is simply a grand and dignified nobleman of the piano.... one whom I love dearly and respect totally.

[Galactu5]

Perhaps the reason someone gave it thumbs down is due to the compression artifacts. It's in 360p and so the fidelity is garbled and warbles at points.

[Pianist46]

I love how the uploader says he plays "some Stravsinsky etudes here". Makes it sound like a daily exercise, which is funny, because for Jon, it probably is.

[luvscookies999]

im so scared on tuesday 8 feb he's doing a concert and a fundraiser for my school and im in the choir!!!!!! :(

[stamstuff]

sounds cool! and by the way, i saw something really good. listen to both parts of this this guy, this music is flawless. search for "freakollo" in the search tab.

[56aviatordude]

The music swells with passion.

[SpaceMel00]

6 people do not have an ear for classical goodness. I am an old highschool friend of Jon's and not only is he talented, he's a really nice guy.

[liv4sk8boarding]

hes playing in my city soon!

[Roner101]

my chem teacher is married to this guy o.O

[OldRabit]

Absolutely fantastic!

[blueslystone]

No conservatory background even...I bet there were a lot of pissed Curtis and Juilliard grads at that competition.

[euch27]

*****

[mrmolinodelahoz]

Nakamatsu is yet another brilliant genius of music in our midst. I am always surprised at the talent which there is in the world today. This man deserves all the lauds he can receive. Bravo

[OniyukiRyuken]

Nakamatsu is the final word in awesome, no conservatory background, just pure dankness

[sergiomusico11]

his playing of the op. 7 no.4 was really amazing!!!

[mrmolinodelahoz]

Reminds me of the best of Rachmaninoff but not really Scriabin.

I don´t hear the Stravinsky signture anywhere.

[sergiomusico11]

I can hear the firebird in the op. 7 no. 4

[ghostwriter11]

Get this guy a tailor, pronto. His cuffs are comical.

[hawkandpanther]

Brilliant

listen to the bass line in the second etude presented here

He has a calm demeanor and is in control without being cold

stunning

musical

delicious

[Mwahohoho]

I just saw him last night. He was really great. He pratically flew over the keys

[Belamus]

how jon nakamatsu won the van cliburn still mystifies me. we was competing in a very strong field full of professionals, and in my opinion, he was one of the weakest competitors. this is of course hardly surprising, since before his medal at the van cliburn, he was essentially an amateur pianist. his performances of the schumann carnaval and these etudes only raise more questions in my mind. well, i guess i've made enough people mad with this comment. of course, people are free to disagree.

[S4sando]

its not like the van cliburn transforms people in to the space age pianists.... he obviously knows what the hell he is doing.

I think he is a great pianist.

[3cplantin]

Yes, people are free to disagree -- apparently the consensus of the panel of prominent world-class pianist judges was that Nakamatsu did indeed deserve the gold medal. And that's what counts for this competition. As for his amateur status: he may have been active in another profession, yes, but he was certainly professionally trained.

[hawkandpanther]

I am not "mad" as you would say to those who would disagree with you but a teacher who has taught for many years and has sent students on to the finer schools all over the world chose Nakamatsu from the very beginning That said, the jury is looking at an individual over 16 days or so recitals, new piece, chamber, concerto and then more recitals and concerti! The jury has an insight into the performer and his/her mindset BTW they could care less about the "degrees" just passion!

[teoakinyel]

whos recording of these etudes and schumanns carnival do you like

[beautaillefer]

i cant believe people argue about this. Jon is a great player and if people cant hear the music behind this then they need to really start listening...stravinsky is the best of best...ahaha if you dont like this then DO NOT EVEN THINK OF ALLAN HOLDSWORTH hahaha... common people... music is meant for enjoyment if you dont like stravinsky try some country music yeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaa

[xixgyangxix]

my orchestra toured with him! :D

[kadjrare]

pyo?

d(-_-)b

[stephenn77]

john nakamatsu is amazing and what a brilliant technician at the piano. these pieces are growing on me after several repeat listens. i love the second one for sheer display and i've heard a couple other people on here playing these. contrary to what i've read, i think he does understand these pieces. and no doubt, i'm sure they are incredibly difficult! music like this takes awhile to digest, but you must also understand the composer's intentions and inspirations!

[weenosu]

the "music" in these etudes is not worth the effort. this does nothing for me. i also can't believe that anyone walked away from this concert thinking "wow, those piano works moved me".

[plathhs]

" i also can't believe that anyone walked away from this concert thinking 'wow, those piano works moved me'."

I'm quite sure that's what people call narrow-mindedness.

[weenosu]

i'm quite sure your remark is what people call "presumptuous" and "a jump to conclusions". i am very sure that i am extremely open minded. i was open enough to listen to this recording, and i still can't believe why anyone would walk away thinking that the music had some value. maybe you can educate me and open my mind a bit - what is great about these pieces?

[plathhs]

I'm sorry if it wasn't clear that I meant the scentence, not you as a person. I don't even know you, so of course I can't tell whether you're open-minded or not.

I couldn't care less if you don't like these etudes, music is a matter of taste, after all.

But that sentence of yours had nothing to do with musical taste, and I find it quite odd that you cannot accept that other people might not think exactly the same way as you do. That's all, I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear enough.

[weenosu]

that's fine. i agree, not everyone will think the way i do, and i prefer it that way. the questions are: (1) what is valuable about these pieces? and (2) what is the point of playing them? please answer if possible. my whole point is that they are difficult, but i don't heat the music behind these notes. what is it all about?

[sTaCkYjO]

well, i guess these etudes aren't what might be considered beautiful music by most people. i think it's more of a technical thing, because thats what etudes are, finger exercises. to me, they sound pretty cool.

so to (1) i'm not sure. they're just difficult pieces. someone else might have to give a better answer. (2) its good finger dexterity practice. the etudes show lots of technique and some good dynamics, too.

[plathhs]

I'm glad we agree then.

1) What I find valuable is just the fact that I like them.

2) Etude literally means 'study', so part of the point is practice, I guess. But what I really like about music is that it doesn't always need to have a point. I just enjoy listening.

Of course, that's just my opinion.

[felix235711131719]

The problem with this recording, and probably the reason why weenosu didn't really like it, is that the performer presented a very dry performance that had almost no sense of rhythm. The best thing about this piece is its 4-against-6 waltz rhythm, and Mr. Nakamatsu wasn't able to handle it properly. He should have played it faster, as well.

[TheCrazyHairPianist]

I just heard him play Rach 3 last night and it was phenomenal. Absolutely breathtaking.

[delayedreactioncobra]

I just saw him perform one of Sergei Rachmaninoff's concertos today. His playing is really quite breathtaking.

[strawberrylulu]

He is amazing. It's hard to believe he didn't even go to music academy or major in music in college. He was a German teacher in high school when he entered the competition. This truly shows what a natural talent he is. AMAZING...

[aldebussy]

AMAZING PLAYING! No pretences. Very precise. Amazing, artistic pedaling!

Crisp and sharp! Just as the etudes are probably intended to be played.

[psycogo]

He plays like Rachmaninov! *Much appreciated, even if others claim he's too harsh*

[calcmandan]

I saw him perform Beethoven's Piano Concerto #2 with the SF Symphony a few years ago. When I discovered that a cliburn winner was going to perform, I just had to go. Having practiced and performed this piece in my youth, I'd have to say his interpretation was clean, fresh, and exact. I really enjoyed his performance and it was quite worth the drive. Funny how he finds the time to practice piano at his level while he teaches elementary school.

[GeorgeMaxwellDuPre]

While he TAUGHT-- past tense. I wonder if he took his teaching job seriously.

[thinkpad20]

What makes you think he didn't?

[GeorgeMaxwellDuPre]

I'm just wondering if it was hard to balance the two careers and whether one suffered.

[thinkpad20]

From what I read, he quit his job as a teacher as soon as he went pro; so you could say he never balanced the two.

[wildejag]

Jon is a very charismatic speaker and performer. He's playing what the public needs to hear because its 20th century and it sounds about right to the ear now. He's an excellent ambassodor. More people need to attend these kinds of concerts and patronize this artist. I think I might have to work on some Stravinsky, say Danse russe...I wish! Viva the Amateur!!

[jmealonso]

i actually find his approach quite heavy. it needs to be lighter and slightly quicker

[nar568]

oh yeah...he really doesn't understand these pieces...there's no emoticion...

[caderat]

agreed... I think he DOES understand these pieces!

[sTaCkYjO]

hes great. i really like his touch cuz its very light and sounds clean.

[TheDanceOfMaternity]

How well known is Jon Nakamatsu in the world of concert Pianists? He lives in the Bay Area (San Francisco/San Jose) and spent 2 weeks with my mediocre youth orchestra on tour in Europe. Great guy, but I'm not so sure why he would want to do that.

[jinfiesto]

He's one of the major international concert artists around today. He's a nice guy for sure.

[bobbydigital80]

omg I love this performance. I bought the cd of this concert about 7 years ago. It's cool to see it being performed.

[HeidiHo2001]

Sloppy and Nakamatsu have never gone together. He was a neat kid and has grown into a terrific fellow! Way to go Jon!

[slobone]

Very sloppy.

[maestroanth]

how can u say its sloppy

[maestroanth]

wait, i know! jealousy lmfao!

[slobone]

OK I'm going to partially retract that remark. There are numerous inaccuracies in the right hand octaves in the first etude, but the second one is firmly under control. Considering it's a live performance he deserves to be cut a little slack. And his interpretation of these rarely heard pieces is well worth hearing.

[Beyondward]

well noted. i love perfection!

[Jafuet]

agreed...i think he doesnt understand this piece

[Jafuet]

or maybe I

[Jafuet]

one of us definitely

[Jarvinia]

He is sooooooooooo great! And he has such a great personality!

[stupidbrohaha]

I read an article about him in readers digest...imagine, he didnt even study in a conservatory and still he won, all his competitors did...But he did have a personal trainer..

[nfahring]

marvelous!

[lovepiano21]

FANTASTIC! What a gifted pianist. I love his style!

[colincomposer]

Erupticascious

[datruzepp]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA DA 2ND SHEEYAT iz da APHRO et. REZPEC

[ejasiewicz]

Beautiful. And what a great, articulate touch, too.

[fliszt1886]

My favorite Cliburn's competition winner !!!

[maddpianist]

I actually had a master class with this guy once. Nice guy...obviously very technically skilled, but I disagree with many of his interpretation views. He's incredibly relaxed at the piano...too much so I think. His playing often lacks fire and intensity. Some stuff like this, though, I like. His Saint-Saens Second was really good, too.

[jre58591]

wow, does he have a recording of SS 2 available? or did you see him play this live?

[maddpianist]

I saw it live last summer when he performed with the Britt Institute in Ashland, Oregon. He told me that he learned it in college, though, so it's been in his repertoire for a while. Odds are that there's a recording of it.

[xFirebird925x]

@maddpianist i had a masterclass with him too!!! :D he was the nicest among all our teachers lol

[emtube]

Evanescent!

[elflass]

awesomeness!