From a 2005 recital in Mexico City. This exact performance became my new "Islamey" standard. I already had one from Boris on CD; this one surpasses it in both musicality, spontaneity, and brilliance.
Berezovsky owns this piece. His slow section is highly expressive without being overly sentimental. His technique, clarity and accuracy are staggering. Well deserved of a standing ovation.
To paraphrase the Thalberg/Liszt piano duel: "Mr. Berezovsky in this performance is the greatest pianist in the world. Mr. Simon Barere, in his performance, is the _only_ pianist." th-cam.com/video/z4aO7RYij2I/w-d-xo.html
I recently listened to the 1992 Carnegie Hall recital piece of Ivo Pogorelich..and his rendition is a Mt Everest of virtuosity and diamond brilliance. Just listened to it today 01/21/2024 and then came across Berezovsky performance. They are both v irtuoso renditions from interstellar space, meaning that both pianists are supreme divine virtuosos in artistic and musical expression.
Lang Lang played it faster but he used the piece merely to demonstrate his undoubted technical prowess. Berezovsky plays with such heart, fervour and phenomenal accuracy. His is the performance by which all other concert pianists should be measured
Did you listen to the recording Lang Lang played at 18 yrs old... compared to this it is a joke, so please share with us which Lang Lang recording you are referencing?
This performance and Berezovsky’s 2002 performance of Mazeppa are what, for me, transformed piano lessons into a lifelong obsession with classical music (back when I was 13). Will always come back to this video (still the non plus ultra for Islamey)!
In my humble opinion, this is piano playing of the highest order. This is one of the most technically challenging of piano pieces, yet, I don't find myself listening to the "technique" of this pianist, but his "musicality", and for me, this is a wanderful interpretation, BRAVO.
I can't believe what I hear. Thats so unbeliveable brilliant. I heard many versions of this piece but this one is absolutely the best. What is actually weird because i've never heard about this pianist before.
This performance is one of the most technically detailed renditions I've ever heard of this piece. From the absolute togetherness of the double notes, chords and 8ves, to the eveness of voicing and sound, I think some people on here are underestimating what makes a technically good performance. He also achieves nice colors.
I've listen to many recordings, included Pletnev. So far, Berezovsky is the most precise, exciting, dynamic, musical intepretation I've heard from Balakirev's Islamey.
I just emailed it to her. It’ll be interesting to hear how she liked it. In her recitals she introduced it as “the most difficult piece ever written.” I must concur!
The way he "points" the top note of the chord at 3:24 has always delighted me. Well done, gamblin' man. Also the tremendous accent on the B-double-flat at 0:30. And the wonderful change of color with the change in harmony just after 1:03. Nothing is marked in the score at that point, he just knows to do it. Bravo.
Haha, that is one very notable thing about Berezovsky. He plays recitals packed with ridiculously difficult pieces, and always finishes strong, never losing power. Even if some of his playing is very questionable, his stamina is INCREDIBLE.
I'm tired after watching that. Not because the song was relaxing, but just thinking about how exhausting that level of focus and precision must be. Fantastic.
Night Angel I have played through the first two pages and if you play it slowly, it's actually quite comfortable.... which is good. Some pieces are hard to play at speed because of all the weird twists and turns but this one is mostly hard because of all the discordant arpeggios and stuff... still gonna take a while for me to learn haha
I realized from a sudden stop in the sound in the middle of the song that this is where my favorite recording came from! It's the one I discovered this song with, and I always listen to it on a video with the sheet music so I can "follow along" (even at my best, I can only half follow what's going on!). I just wanted this time to see someone's hands moving, and this time I just happened to find the source! This is my new favorite performance video of this song!
This is perhaps the most difficult and technically challenging piano piece ever composed. Boris just nails this with a technical artistry that is beyond belief. He plays this in just over 7 1/2 minutes, while other pianists are well over 8 minutes. That may or may not mean anything but it can be indicative of the marvelous technique that he employs. Simply the best played for this particular piece.
There's a pianist called David Bob who plays it in under 5 minutes. And he plays 99.6% accurately, and includes EVERY DYNAMIC CHeck out David Bob if you wanna here FAST
Unbelievable!! All from memory and even dynamically he is a master wizard at what he does. I think the bell choir would be more than over come with this challenge. Thanks for sharing your talent.
Oh, this was great. I have heard this piece played wonderfully by others, but the difference in their bodily strength is amazing. Whereas they played, shall we say, like coloraturas, this man was a dramatic, yet all were perfect. Well, this was enjoyable.
Thanks a lot ! I have not heard "Islamey" for 30 years, and here, such a beautifull performance! And shame on me, because I live in Mexico (Guadalajara) and new nothing about rhis perfornance
What an amazing song. I (highschool student) recently told asked my conductor if he was able to play this song, he has a doctorate in piano performance. He told me he never tried, but that he can play Scarbo by Ravel who was influenced by this song. I bet that many people who enjoyed this will enjoy that as well!
Wow. Berezovsky is really amazing. He makes everyting seem so easy technically. It's like he doesn't have to concentrate on technique at all, he can just think about the music. Yet he plays so well! Pulling it off with so little pedal...
+Abel Lifschutz Actually, the A at 0:30 is not a mistake, its in the score (written as B-double flat). And yes, it looks like we are missing two bars, which I think were cut out from the video for any reason.
It's because of the sonority of the intervals explored by the composer: thirds, fifths and sixths. Traditional Italian music has a lof of those, arabic traditional music too.
It's incredible how great pianists haven't any kind of stress in their fingers, hands, wrists, arms despite they have to play so much notes and so fast. Relax is the secret of technique.
"The piece is so well played that is barely detracts from the overall performance". I agree with you that the well-played aspect does detract from the overall performance SOMEWHAT
Berezovsky owns this piece. His slow section is highly expressive without being overly sentimental. His technique, clarity and accuracy are staggering. Well deserved of a standing ovation.
ukpianoman2015 totally agree with you
Totally agree with you
I’m still clapping
To paraphrase the Thalberg/Liszt piano duel: "Mr. Berezovsky in this performance is the greatest pianist in the world. Mr. Simon Barere, in his performance, is the _only_ pianist."
th-cam.com/video/z4aO7RYij2I/w-d-xo.html
I like the islamey
0:52 the man who says "whoa" after berezovsky is done playing that measure is my spirit animal
XD
how did you even hear that
This comment needs more likes
@@ryushev2000 because I had the same reaction. It was incredible
Maybe he Isa a pianist also. Pianists know how difficult is that passage
I recently listened to the 1992 Carnegie Hall recital piece of Ivo Pogorelich..and his rendition is a Mt Everest of virtuosity and diamond brilliance. Just listened to it today 01/21/2024 and then came across Berezovsky performance. They are both v irtuoso renditions from interstellar space, meaning that both pianists are supreme divine virtuosos in artistic and musical expression.
I feel like this is Berezovsky's signature piece. Whenever I think of Islamey I think of Berezovsky and vice versa.
OMG I follow you at instagram, your name there is “Dellios Lukas” omg
Unless there’s someone else that is interested in piano and is called Dellios Lukas
@@fredericchopin7332 It's me 😅
exactly the same here!
Lang Lang played it faster but he used the piece merely
to demonstrate his undoubted technical prowess. Berezovsky plays with such heart, fervour and phenomenal accuracy. His is the performance by which all other concert pianists should be measured
Lang Lang is high-caliber trash, a turd wrapped in crepe paper.
Did you listen to the recording Lang Lang played at 18 yrs old... compared to this it is a joke, so please share with us which Lang Lang recording you are referencing?
This performance and Berezovsky’s 2002 performance of Mazeppa are what, for me, transformed piano lessons into a lifelong obsession with classical music (back when I was 13). Will always come back to this video (still the non plus ultra for Islamey)!
In my humble opinion, this is piano playing of the highest order. This is one of the most technically challenging of piano pieces, yet, I don't find myself listening to the "technique" of this pianist, but his "musicality", and for me, this is a wanderful interpretation, BRAVO.
This is one of those pieces were you cannot say "In his hands, it seems easy", but rather "He shows brilliantly just how difficult it is".
I see!
I can't believe what I hear. Thats so unbeliveable brilliant. I heard many versions of this piece but this one is absolutely the best.
What is actually weird because i've never heard about this pianist before.
You should go listen to his 12 Liszt etudes
Come on, this guy didn't even graduate from the conservatory and had no diploma...
@@sesk3613 that doesn't matter. He has proved his excellence in the field of piano.
@@sesk3613 doesnt that make his entire journey more impressive....
Cziffra has a stunning recording which I think is the cleanest of all
Amazing: clear and expressive
The very best perfomance I've ever heard, and it was alive. He turns this virtuosistic piece into real music. BRAVO!
This performance is one of the most technically detailed renditions I've ever heard of this piece. From the absolute togetherness of the double notes, chords and 8ves, to the eveness of voicing and sound, I think some people on here are underestimating what makes a technically good performance. He also achieves nice colors.
Haha
Sweaty man goes bong
@@yonatanmoritz ☠☠☠
@@yonatanmoritz $$
I've listen to many recordings, included Pletnev. So far, Berezovsky is the most precise, exciting, dynamic, musical intepretation I've heard from Balakirev's Islamey.
I don't agree with you
I think pletnev is the best 🎉🎉🎉
Благодарю за прекрасный вечер! ❤❤❤Дай Бог здоровья обожаемому Борису Вадимовичу Березовскому! ❤❤❤
I've listened to TONS of islamey performances here on yt, but this one, this PARTICULAR one takes the cake.
A comment on the Simon Barere version brought me here. My first time seeing this rendition. Thanks for sharing.
優れたピアニストは、この曲をただ難しい曲ではなく、魅力的な技巧と音で作られたものだと実感させてくれるようですね。素晴らしい！！
1:48
I love how he fastly goes to the second part cause otherwise the audience would think its over
I have a dear friend who is a concert pianist who truly excels at this ridiculously difficult piece. I’m happy to find this version here.
I just emailed it to her. It’ll be interesting to hear how she liked it. In her recitals she introduced it as “the most difficult piece ever written.” I must concur!
The way he "points" the top note of the chord at 3:24 has always delighted me. Well done, gamblin' man.
Also the tremendous accent on the B-double-flat at 0:30.
And the wonderful change of color with the change in harmony just after 1:03. Nothing is marked in the score at that point, he just knows to do it. Bravo.
trying to understand the pure talent, time, and dedication to create a song like this could bring tears to ones eyes.
Took one month for Balakirev to compose this song.
Gavin Baker
That's insane. Thanks for sharing that info.
luthervaughn1 it is not a song!
He knows exactly what he is doing, not a single note played by chance. He must have played this since childhood...perfect!
Out of this world. Played from the heart.
breathtaking interpretation.
This is beyond excellent. The cleanest Islamey I've ever heard. The guy's technique is astonishing.
And yet if you read some of the comments here, you will find that he is simply not good enough
Perfect. I cried.
Heard at least 10 versions of Islamey so far. Not one even close to Berezovsky's rendition. Great respect!
Haha, that is one very notable thing about Berezovsky. He plays recitals packed with ridiculously difficult pieces, and always finishes strong, never losing power. Even if some of his playing is very questionable, his stamina is INCREDIBLE.
What makes his playing questionable? Sorry, guitar and drum player here
@@jordanhedington2421 don’t expect a response from a 12 year old comment
@@AmbikaSukla but you did
@@jordanhedington2421 no I responded to your comment.
Замечательно !!! Это можно слушать много, много раз и каждый раз с большим удовольствием.
This pianist is a virtuoso monster 😇 !!
at the beginning (and throughout the piece), he plays SO precisely- there are no wasted movements! incredible!
Great video- This is the best version of the piece! Thank you for posting.
I'm tired after watching that. Not because the song was relaxing, but just thinking about how exhausting that level of focus and precision must be. Fantastic.
Most musical performance of Islamey on TH-cam. Technically amazing as well. Yes a few slips and speeding up in places but my god the phrasing!
Yes, I was most perturbed when he speeded up. And don't get me started on the slips
Incredible...flawless...perfect!!! :) Truly amazing!
What a tempo!!! Absolutely Brillant!!
This is insane. I'm gonna start learning it today! Wish me luck!
+Natalya Plays Piano Are you still alive? I'm struggling with just Chopin's Winter Wind. Can't imagine the pain from this.
Night Angel I have played through the first two pages and if you play it slowly, it's actually quite comfortable.... which is good. Some pieces are hard to play at speed because of all the weird twists and turns but this one is mostly hard because of all the discordant arpeggios and stuff... still gonna take a while for me to learn haha
+Natalya Plays Piano well? Did you finish learning it yet?
Dont try at full speed
You will end up like Scriabin
Wait, you didnt hear?
Scriabin broke his hand from this piece!
Night Angel For me the Chopin's piece is harder.
1:49 Berezovsky must have learned the lesson that if he played the fermata some ignorant audience would definitely think the piece was over.
Pogorelich taught the lesson to him
I realized from a sudden stop in the sound in the middle of the song that this is where my favorite recording came from! It's the one I discovered this song with, and I always listen to it on a video with the sheet music so I can "follow along" (even at my best, I can only half follow what's going on!). I just wanted this time to see someone's hands moving, and this time I just happened to find the source! This is my new favorite performance video of this song!
Incredible fantastic brilliant genious!!
This is perhaps the most difficult and technically challenging piano piece ever composed. Boris just nails this with a technical artistry that is beyond belief. He plays this in just over 7 1/2 minutes, while other pianists are well over 8 minutes. That may or may not mean anything but it can be indicative of the marvelous technique that he employs. Simply the best played for this particular piece.
There's a pianist called David Bob who plays it in under 5 minutes. And he plays 99.6% accurately, and includes EVERY DYNAMIC
CHeck out David Bob if you wanna here FAST
Fantastic, adorable and perfect performance !
this performance is unreal. best islamey i've ever heard...soo sick
Unbelievable!! All from memory and even dynamically he is a master wizard at what he does. I think the bell choir would be more than over come with this challenge. Thanks for sharing your talent.
I love this man's interpretation,brilliant piece
This is quite mental. I love it
Best favorit Pianist
Пожалуй это лучшее исполнение из всех что я слышал.Просто блестяще !! Спасибо и БРАВО !!!
thanks so much for this precious video. amazing
Stupendous playing !
La primera fila son solo pianistas expertos aplaudiendo a un mas que experto, lo loco es que tiene una fineza, un touché, maravilloso.
That 'metallic' quality does not often work well in piano performances but here it is superb!
The Through the Fire and Flames of the piano!!! Nice work
🤣🤣🤣
This is one of the pieces that I would not even try a note
Oh, this was great. I have heard this piece played wonderfully by others, but the difference in their bodily strength is amazing. Whereas they played, shall we say, like coloraturas, this man was a dramatic, yet all were perfect. Well, this was enjoyable.
Thanks a lot ! I have not heard "Islamey" for 30 years, and here, such a beautifull performance! And shame on me, because I live in Mexico (Guadalajara) and new nothing about rhis perfornance
What an amazing song. I (highschool student) recently told asked my conductor if he was able to play this song, he has a doctorate in piano performance. He told me he never tried, but that he can play Scarbo by Ravel who was influenced by this song. I bet that many people who enjoyed this will enjoy that as well!
Scary good
This is just how I like to play it, too.
wow...there's no word! iv been listening to this for the last 2 hours!!!!
This is so fantastic I cannot explain how happy I am right now.
oulala ! this guy is amazing !! hihi ! this piece is like drinking 3 coffee....so much energy that you almost get overwhelmed and tired !
Wow. Berezovsky is really amazing. He makes everyting seem so easy technically. It's like he doesn't have to concentrate on technique at all, he can just think about the music. Yet he plays so well! Pulling it off with so little pedal...
Напоминает мне азербайджанскую танцевальную музыку + казахскую...Эпизод в конце несколько выходит из контекста Конечно блестящая композиция
What a legend Berezovsky
Perfect, brilliant, bravo!
+Abel Lifschutz Actually, the A at 0:30 is not a mistake, its in the score (written as B-double flat). And yes, it looks like we are missing two bars, which I think were cut out from the video for any reason.
Carl gaming channel and vlogs sad fuck
@Carl gaming channel and vlogs no one cares about your comment, fuck off, kid.
Amazing
Berezovsky at his best. So strange that this may be called "Oriental Fantasy" ... sounds like an Italian tarantella to me. Anyone?
It's because of the sonority of the intervals explored by the composer: thirds, fifths and sixths. Traditional Italian music has a lof of those, arabic traditional music too.
Awesome performance. ..,
I will play it in a local piano competition tomorrow as age 15!
Upload the vid!!!!
@@raymondmartin5187 May I will ;)
such amazing articulation! brilliant
I can't believe it - it's possible to play this piece in that way!
Superb! TY medpiano for posting.
do u people wanna know why Berezovsky is the best?......look this video its a live performance.....just one chance to play it!!!!!!
Looks like I spoke too soon! Thanks very much, they all sound wonderful
This is hardly pointless. And even it were mere virtuosity there is still something extraordinary to appreciate.
Considering that Balakirev wrote this to play himself, he must have been one hell of a pianist!
..and a hell of a composer, this piece makes me happy.
"Actually he never mastered it himself. During his life time, only Liszt and Nikolai Rubinstein feel secure to play it in public."
Zh Xiao You must mean Anton Rubinstein!
Nikolai Rubinstein, a Russian pianist, conductor and composer, was the younger brother of Anton Rubinstein
Liszt considered the piece to be too easy, because he could play the piece full tempo from the sheet.
Strepitoso! ❤
man! god damn god damn it's the first time I hear this. what a pice. what a pianist. surpasses most pianists I hva heard.
Bravissimo !!!Fantastica!!!
It's incredible how great pianists haven't any kind of stress in their fingers, hands, wrists, arms despite they have to play so much notes and so fast. Relax is the secret of technique.
Quite
To me, this piece is the definition of passion.
@lostinidlewonder This is the best rendition of the piece I have ever heard!
WOW!! very good!! I like this piece♥
Wonderful !
Amazing.
SIMPLY THE BEST!!!
this is the greatest pianist of this century so underrated!
Watching this makes my brain melt.
Stunning!
I can play this with my eyes closes and with one hand...
oh wait!
I just woke up! :)
hauahauaha
awesome playing
Ah fair enough ;)
The piece is so well played that it barely detracts from the overall performance!
"The piece is so well played that is barely detracts from the overall performance". I agree with you that the well-played aspect does detract from the overall performance SOMEWHAT
凄すぎる……✨私が聴いてきたイスラメイの中で1番好きな感じかも！
Beautiful!
Мощно, колоритно, легко!
this guy is just awesome!!!
Best Islamey Ever! :D
Thank you, Boris Berezovsky.
I feel like this music which exists in order that he may perform : )