+Leonardo Rojas It is totally pimp. A glissando is a slide up a series of notes. You know how you can plink one finger down on a piano note and just pull it up the keyboard with your arm/wrist? He does that but in an octave form; two notes, octave apart, and he slides them up the keyboard, simultaneously. It requires amazing dexterity and precision to keep the two tones in sync without flubbing it up. It's basically proof that Hamelin's technique is on another level than that of normal humans.
From 8:40 to 11:40 is Hamelin's cadenza. To have a cadenza at this point has become the new "norm". Hamelin has already set the bar impossibly high. You ROCKED it, man !
This is the greatest feat of pianistic art ever. The cadenza is such a gift of creativity, effort and achievement. Both the piano and the house should explode upon the last note.
fish and banana a technically brilliant sometimes improvised solo passage toward the close of a concerto. This was Hamelin's own unique addition to the piece starting at 8:25
The cadenza and the original piece are absolutely not consistent for me. I doubt if Mr Hamelin really likes this rhapsody. (Sometimes he uses too much rubato.) Anyway, it is obvious that he is a fantastic piano player.
Mark Mc Donald it is written down actually, if you search up the cadenza with sheet music you will find a video with this same exact video playing with the score following along
Liszt indicated before the coda 'Cadenza ad libitum', so it is perfectly acceptable to show off you skills there if you think the original is not difficult. :)
@@antonygonzalez1672 The phrase "ad libitum" means "if you desire" (or "if one desires" in the formal tenses). The word "libitum" is not really related to "liberty" meaning freedom, but rather "libido" meaning "want or need for which meaningful and fruitful prowess exists" (this definition is of my own devising, but it usually refers to sex drive, lol). In my interpretation, it means: "You've just spent the last 9 minutes of your life performing (and the last 9+ years learning the skills, techniques, and nuances of) this piece, so now it's your turn to give something back. Show me what you've got!!!" But literally it means "add something here but only if you want to". But we all know that @Peter Rabitt is right... it was a dare!
Joonwoo, thank you for the information! The English translation of "cadenza ad libitum" is "flourish, if you want to". So the Japanese text appears to let people know why Hamelin isn't sticking the sheet music. Very useful indeed!
By far and away my favourite performance of this piece. Not as fast in some places as others, but only because Hamelin plays it at a pace he feels is musically correct (he's right, by the way!) and not due to any technical barrier (see the last three minutes for proof of this). Quite simply magnificent, and great fun to boot!
I will say that "he's right, by the way!" defeats the entire point of it being the way that "he feels is musically correct" because that means that it's not the way he feels is musically correct, it means that's the way that is correct. You can interpret music in many different ways, and you will find interpretations that you prefer over others. But I also agree that this is one of my favourite interpretations of the piece (I'm not quite good enough at piano myself to say which is my favourite as I am still missing some of the ability to notice all of the nuance)
@@pranksterhive302 I just went and listened to it, I quite like the tone he brings with the way he plays. However I personally prefer some of the speeds Hamelin plays it at. Thank you for reccomending another recording.
6:07 I feel like many pianists just don’t care at all about this part, they play it real fast and the real, catchy melody just disappears. This is exactly why I love Hamelins’ version the best, aside from the cadenza
And this is why this guy rises above the others. He understands things on a level deeper than the notes. He gets the sense of it and his playing is an act of creation as much as recreation that can act as an extension of the original work, not just something from his own mind. Extraordinary!
This piece has been heard for decades in movies, Bugs Bunny cartoons, TV commercials, and has become so commonplace that one can forget just how beautiful it really is when played by an artist like Marc-Andrė Hamelin. He’s spectacular!
@@kuuderepiano2988 I noticed that too. At this point, I almost want to chalk it up to tradition, but it still seems weird. Good news: It only took me a few seconds to get over it as I got lost in the music, lol. Absolutely beautiful.
The best version of Hungarian rhapsody I’ve ever heard, and seen, every part of this mans routine was amazing, I love how his arms and hands are completely sovereign, he’s so smooth!!!!
Those octaves at the end are insanely fast. How is this even humanly possible? I've seen fast octave players before but this just takes the cake completely.
I think what’s really extraordinary about this recording, is I haven’t heard one audience member cough. All joking aside this really is one of the best interpretations of this piece I have ever heard, really enjoyed listening to it ❤
@@orsemcore Not really, since I have watched this and onther countless pieces for the beauty of it... I was actually trying to play an octave glissando when i remembered about Hamelin's cadenza and came here to watch it again... I actually appreciate (classical) music to a level that helps me quite literally to keep myself alive so...
It's inspired by alkan the best pianist to ever live. Liszt once said that alkan had the best technique he had ever seen but chose to live life as a recluse.
I think it is pretty clear that there are few if any pianists alive who can rival Hamelin technically. He may not give the most profound interpretations but he is certainly subtle in a Michelangeli sort of way, and his musical genius far surpasses almost any of his contemporaries. I think his playing resembles how Liszt himself likely would have played, he just looks like he's toying with the piano!
By default, anyone who actually plays the entire piece is so much better. Lang Lang plays a crude truncated version. While this particular version is somewhat more improvised than typical, it is lovely to listen to an shows true musicality.
While I can respect interpretations such as that which we heard from Horowitz, I can affirm as a musician who is working on this piece (and cadenza) right now, that this is the most difficult, longest, and by far most musical cadenza ever performed for this piece. Liszt had his own set of cadenzas that were beautiful in their own little ways but none compare to this modern time machine of a show off. Hamelin takes listeners through a history of music with more technical classical/baroque exercises as observed after his grand re-introduction of the main theme. Ensuing, he moves to a more romantic style, that would have definitely been approved by Liszt himself, with glissandos on white keys, glissandos on black keys, even multiple glissandos at once with the same hand! And might I add, with perfectly smooth execution. Along with all of this, he adds a bit of modern jazz intertwined within the entire thing, most notably at the beginning of his cadenza. This piece is a classic, but Hamelin’s very original cadenza invites players to test their skills, play with a new, more exposed interpretation, and ultimately have fun with the piece. At the conclusion of his cadenza, Hamelin mimics a pattern seen throughout the entire piece, and some of the other Hungarian Rhapsodies, by restating a main theme but in a diminished chord, and finishes off with Liszt’s own theme and ending, in the original key. Overall, no other interpretation of this piece (other than Horowitz’s) comes close to competing. With that being said, Horowitz’s interpretation is very interesting. I like it, and find it exceedingly original. However, for me it quite honestly ruins the piece. He makes it “Horowitz’s Hungarian Rhapsody (with a side of Liszt)”. I still have outstanding respect for Horowitz, he is among the greatest pianists there ever was, but Hamelin is also up there with other big names like Valentina Lisitsa and Daniil Trifonov.
I suggest you listen to Cziffra's recordings of this, especially the one he made in the early 70s. th-cam.com/video/fnChH3cFPnY/w-d-xo.html&start_radio=1
I agree. Hamelin is one of those weird folk where I don't particularly prefer his interpretations for most of the "staples" of piano anthology. But in cases like this, or other supremely virtuosic shit, he's extremely hard to beat. He's like a slugger in baseball. He's either going to strike out or hit a home run. In this case he hit a grand fucking slam. Nobody is ever going to beat this cadenza.
My son (autistic with one ear) has near perfect pitch, can identify any note. Walked in Hollywood Pianos in Santa Ana CA and found a key out of tune in less than five minutes. He records instruments, one note at a time, on his iPhone, which he then brings into FL Studio on the PC to tune and expand into a full 88-key range. He then applies that “sound font” to a MIDI file, such as this piece, so that this now sounds like it was played on that particular instrument. For example, he sampled a 100-year-old piano in Oatman, AZ, along the original Route 66. Decaying in the desert sun and with most keys not working or out of tune, it comes to life again when that sound font is applied to this MIDI file. It sounds beautiful. His next mission is to record all the notes of a pipe organ once he has access to one. He’s a shy one, won’t share his work. I’m trying to convince him to put these up on YT to show what he does. All self-taught, no instruction. They’re wonderful to listen to. I’ll see what he can do with this one. 😊
@@nathanyang9188 they're saying that because they saw Yang is Nathan's last name, which is associated with the Asian race, so they're poking at Nathan based off of that assumption.
This removed all doubt. Hamelin is the best pianist that ever lived!!!!! Just my opinion. No disrespect to the others. I have been humbled. Nothing more to say.
His improvisation is so beautiful and interesting. I have never heard such an interesting thematic blend as he gives here. He makes this piece seem like a brand new invention. Just so poetic.
For me Hamelin has to be one of the best modern pianists. I was trying to re-find this video recently and on countless "best modern pianists" lists I couldn't find Hamelin which is insane to me. He is ABSOLUTELY up there with the greats.
Jack White The alternating octaves are the easiest thing in the rhapsody(and in this cadenza)... purely mechanical. There are things far worse and finger-twisting.
***** Fast octaves (and chords and arpeggios) just come naturally for me... but I don't have perfect technique overall, just because I have a very good (nothing is perfect) technique in a couple of areas such as octaves. Every pianist is different.
I keep coming back to this terrifyingly amazing genius of this cadenza that is more technically challenging than the original piece itself. ❤ Hamelin's technique is zen like and insanely perfect. It is impossible to overly praise this.
He actually read the sheet music and did what you're supposed to do with ad lib cadenza's: improvise and/or make your own. Classical musicians have become lazy and the art of improvisation is dying, with pianists playing the suggested cadenzas, or just skipping them entirely. I hope a new trend starts and people begin to improvise and show some actually creative input again. It frustrated the hell out of me when I was getting my undergrad, and I worshiped those that could improvise like demi-gods. Hamelin is on a whole other level, as he is also a very skilled composer and arranger...a true musician!
@@evifnoskcaj well, first of all, you have to admit that what actually killed improvisation were the composers themselves. People started writing very intricate and complicated piano music that first of all took quite some time and a bit of extreme skill to perform well and secondly, raised the bar of how piano music should sound that audiences simply preferred well written, intricate and virtuosic pieces that could never actually be improvised to that level. In other words, written music became more important that improvised music because the level of written music far outclassed the normal human ability to improvise music. Also, consider that before a student became a virtuoso player, they had several hundreds of music they had to go through and fully master first. The time taken to master these pieces only meant that there was little time to practice improvising stuff. Thirdly, people want to actually hear the great composers and not the thoughts of the pianist in front of them. This is a real problem. So whilst I sympathize with your frustration, I also understand why classical music became stuck in between the pages.
11:35 The cadenza alone (8:27) would make anyone freeze in astonishment from his supernatural talent, but this is yet another display why no one will ever hold a candle to his talent. He almost makes a mockery out of what Liszt composed. MARC-ANDRE HAMELIN IS THE KING OF PIANO, HANDS DOWN!!!
Agreed. Hamelin is unmatched in his capabilities on the piano. Many other pianists do amazing things on the piano, but ONLY Hamelin can do such things at such an astonishing virtuosic level AND make it look easy (for him).
@Gary Allen People like to consider Liszt as a god. This is because people are naive. He made many errors, left notes out, and seldom played the piece the same. He would not have qualified for any competition round 2 today. Read books that were written 100 years ago.
What an amazing performance! Hamelin is playing a truly monster piano piece and he looks so relaxed like he's having a drink at a cocktail party. Bravo!
Mind-blowing! Now let me augment that old pun: On a "Claudy" day, I got into my "Van" and went "Chopin" but I forgot my "Liszt" so I had to go "Bach". I just couldn't "Handel" the stress. LOL!
He makes it look so easy. His lack of facial expression is almost remarkable, as he keeps a relatively straight face for most of the song and seems to be fairly content. I applaud him for this. With the amount of emotion this song has, it can’t be easy to maintain a profession like appearance. Might I add that this performance topped Valentina Lisitsa’s just because of the octave glissando :)
Godlike. But to be fair: I`ve seen him several times live and stood next to him : HIS HANDS ARE AS BIG AS BREAKFAST PLATES!!! Im sure he reachs c1 to f2 or g2 :D His hands + his brain which tell the hands what they have to do = made for piano :D If you have significant smaller hands, you cant reach this with 200 years of practice :D
I talked about the advantage of his physics that someone can have or not have, Tell me how you increase your span with practicing to f2 or g2 if you have significant smaller hands?
I am in awe ! He is playing at Princeton University Concert Series in Richardson Hall in NJ on Thursday Apr 4th, 2019 playing Hayden, Shostakovich & Schubert if you're interested
![Hamelin plays Liszt - Un Sospiro [HIGH QUALITY]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zSHwX2O7j2w/mqdefault.jpg)
![[TH] VCT Masters Shanghai Swiss Stage DAY 5 // FPX vs TH | FUT vs LEV](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/r61uDZTmu44/mqdefault.jpg)
That cadenza is one of the most flawlessly virtuosic things I've ever seen
+Niraj Suresh I'm surprised his hands didn't just fall off!
....and that the piano didn't combust!!
Stunning. He absolutely conquers this piece.
Super
Ayyyyy Niraj! It's Alex from Honeywell haha. Hope you're doing good man
2:11 - 2:17 talk about a perfect crescendo!
Wow
Ikr
Gênio
He pushes his glasses back at the start of the cadenza. as if to say, "Here we go". lol
Hell yeah he does. I'm not a big fan of posturing or machismo... but if it ever were deserved... Mr. Hamelin.
Please put your tray tables into the upright and locked position and prepare for landing, cross check and all call ...lol.
‘bout to pwn some n00bz
no one asked
Visions of Eloise mischievously running amok at the Plaza chased by an Orange Bumkin in a suit and Russian red tie...sing sing singing all the way...
He looks like Franz Shubert.
reencarnación(?)
Franz Peter Schubert was just 5 foot tall!
He is
@@catherinekelly532 Every inch packed with musical genius.
He really quite does, but I guess Schubert didnt have these technical piano skills. No front against his musical genius.
The slickest octave glissando @ 11:17
Dan Araki OMFG. CAN'T BELIEVE IT.
Lol, this cannot even be true...
Im also think that im imagining things
+Leonardo Rojas It is totally pimp. A glissando is a slide up a series of notes. You know how you can plink one finger down on a piano note and just pull it up the keyboard with your arm/wrist? He does that but in an octave form; two notes, octave apart, and he slides them up the keyboard, simultaneously. It requires amazing dexterity and precision to keep the two tones in sync without flubbing it up. It's basically proof that Hamelin's technique is on another level than that of normal humans.
So baller.
From 8:40 to 11:40 is Hamelin's cadenza. To have a cadenza at this point has become the new "norm". Hamelin has already set the bar impossibly high. You ROCKED it, man !
Yeah like hamelin bro do you want liszt to come out his grave and outdo you. I don't see any pianist topping this.
Hamelin is a mad man in the positive way
@@p-y8210 ☝🏾
@@adrianopiano5551 OUTSTANDINGGGGGGGGGGG!!!
It's like he's just having fun... It doesn't take any efford to him D: it's just unbelievable.
This is the greatest feat of pianistic art ever. The cadenza is such a gift of creativity, effort and achievement. Both the piano and the house should explode upon the last note.
🎹🎶☝🏾
His Cadenza was genius! What a beast.
What is a Cadenza and where did he play it ?
fish and banana a technically brilliant sometimes improvised solo passage toward the close of a concerto. This was Hamelin's own unique addition to the piece starting at 8:25
Really genious... But I must confess no cadenza can beat Paolo Marzocchi for Hungarian Rhapsody!
The cadenza and the original piece are absolutely not consistent for me. I doubt if Mr Hamelin really likes this rhapsody. (Sometimes he uses too much rubato.) Anyway, it is obvious that he is a fantastic piano player.
Absolutely. Much more daring than the piece otself.
Is this guy even a human?!?! I've heard many interpretations of this rhapsody but holy potato......this is true perfection!
11:34 I’ve never seen anybody play octaves so fast!
Yuja Wang Flight Of The Bumble Bee.
@@lewismartiniello9441 this is much faster than flight of the bumblebee
Horowitz in the finale of Tchaikovsky’s first piano concerto
dan2194 doesnt compare
Liszt, the octave god
11:40 I counted at least 30 fingers.
30,000,000*
31 if you count his.....never mind.
@gordon stevens r/woooosh
What are fingers? Lol
😂
The cadenza, not human lol. I'd love to see it written down. Fantastic, bravisimo
Mark Mc Donald it is written down actually, if you search up the cadenza with sheet music you will find a video with this same exact video playing with the score following along
WARNING.......IT IS SCARY.
Incredible and I love how he throws in some Alkan references in his cadenza. Liszt would approve!
I think there was just a touch of his Circus Galop in there too ;-)
Bryan Ho Fuck Alkan.
darren motise ?
Who was Alkan?
A composer.
6:13 - First ever footage of God breaking a sweat, evidence that these pieces are difficult even for divine beings
Yeah.
Holy Knabe! Heavens to Boesenforfer!!
Lol
Liszt indicated before the coda 'Cadenza ad libitum', so it is perfectly acceptable to show off you skills there if you think the original is not difficult. :)
Even encouraged!
What is ad libitum ? And was that an improv from him or scripted from before
@@antonygonzalez1672 The phrase "ad libitum" means "if you desire" (or "if one desires" in the formal tenses). The word "libitum" is not really related to "liberty" meaning freedom, but rather "libido" meaning "want or need for which meaningful and fruitful prowess exists" (this definition is of my own devising, but it usually refers to sex drive, lol). In my interpretation, it means: "You've just spent the last 9 minutes of your life performing (and the last 9+ years learning the skills, techniques, and nuances of) this piece, so now it's your turn to give something back. Show me what you've got!!!"
But literally it means "add something here but only if you want to". But we all know that @Peter Rabitt is right... it was a dare!
Sun Tzu srry just saw this but thank you
Bryan Shepard thank you and to out do liszt takes huge balls tbh lol
I have fun each time I watch this. This is exactly how I would play it - - - if I did not have feet stuck to my arms instead of hands.
Each time I rewatch this performance, I scroll through the comments and see yours and start laughing! hahaha still funny after the 100th time :D
Metaphorically?
Still funny dude, keep it up!
sfkcbf Just play with your feet then, metaphorically of course.
@@vetlerradio how is it funny...
That cadenza though... speechless!
Luke Faulkner! It's an honor to meet you! I dabble in composing a bit as well and Liszt was my best friend!
8:25 greatest anime moments of all time
Anni W. ? that wasn't funny
@@orsemcore he adjusted his glasses before a major "battle"
@@nsq2487 not funny no one laughed...
@@orsemcore what the bloody hell is wrong with you mate
@@orsemcore I did
8:29 That Japanese words mean "Cadenza made by himself(Hamelin) "
thanks a lot
@Gary Allen no it's cadenza by Rachmaninoff, the comment poster is fucking stupid
@@inparis7888 its not actually rachmaninoffs cadenza
itamar levy it’s not rach’s... where did you get that idea from?
Joonwoo, thank you for the information! The English translation of "cadenza ad libitum" is "flourish, if you want to". So the Japanese text appears to let people know why Hamelin isn't sticking the sheet music. Very useful indeed!
By far and away my favourite performance of this piece. Not as fast in some places as others, but only because Hamelin plays it at a pace he feels is musically correct (he's right, by the way!) and not due to any technical barrier (see the last three minutes for proof of this). Quite simply magnificent, and great fun to boot!
Simon Ashmead my favorite of this piece is alexy grynyuk
I will say that "he's right, by the way!" defeats the entire point of it being the way that "he feels is musically correct" because that means that it's not the way he feels is musically correct, it means that's the way that is correct. You can interpret music in many different ways, and you will find interpretations that you prefer over others.
But I also agree that this is one of my favourite interpretations of the piece (I'm not quite good enough at piano myself to say which is my favourite as I am still missing some of the ability to notice all of the nuance)
@@pranksterhive302 I just went and listened to it, I quite like the tone he brings with the way he plays. However I personally prefer some of the speeds Hamelin plays it at. Thank you for reccomending another recording.
Much better than the robotic Lisitsa
6:07 I feel like many pianists just don’t care at all about this part, they play it real fast and the real, catchy melody just disappears. This is exactly why I love Hamelins’ version the best, aside from the cadenza
And this is why this guy rises above the others. He understands things on a level deeper than the notes. He gets the sense of it and his playing is an act of creation as much as recreation that can act as an extension of the original work, not just something from his own mind. Extraordinary!
This piece has been heard for decades in movies, Bugs Bunny cartoons, TV commercials, and has become so commonplace that one can forget just how beautiful it really is when played by an artist like Marc-Andrė Hamelin. He’s spectacular!
Does the video glitch on the first note drive anyone else crazy? Otherwise, great upload, thanks!
Says high quality video but misses the first note!
Same goes for Valentina perfomance video. It glitches in the first note, and I have no clue why
@@kuuderepiano2988 I noticed that too. At this point, I almost want to chalk it up to tradition, but it still seems weird. Good news: It only took me a few seconds to get over it as I got lost in the music, lol. Absolutely beautiful.
@@sabinrawr Agreed.
yes lol
The best version of Hungarian rhapsody I’ve ever heard, and seen, every part of this mans routine was amazing, I love how his arms and hands are completely sovereign, he’s so smooth!!!!
He's crazy genius! He complicates what is already difficult!
One of the absolutely best piano performances ever!!!
Absolutely correct 💯
@@temitopefaleti7053 not true
I can watch this a thousand times over and it will still amaze me every time!
God, that Steinway sounds absolutely AMAZING. Hamelin's no slouch either!
Those octaves at the end are insanely fast. How is this even humanly possible? I've seen fast octave players before but this just takes the cake completely.
He was like...performing a glissando in 9th's....fucking insane.
Schrøender The entire cadenza is impressive regardless.
I think what’s really extraordinary about this recording, is I haven’t heard one audience member cough. All joking aside this really is one of the best interpretations of this piece I have ever heard, really enjoyed listening to it ❤
My grandpa used to play this in his den while my sisters and I danced. He passed away this year and the music makes me smile☺
Who else is just here for that octave glissando?
no, i am here for the whole thing?
@geniusimprovisor in the cadenza. 11:16
Me haahahahahah
@@leon_krk well then you do not appreciate music to its fullest form.
@@orsemcore Not really, since I have watched this and onther countless pieces for the beauty of it... I was actually trying to play an octave glissando when i remembered about Hamelin's cadenza and came here to watch it again... I actually appreciate (classical) music to a level that helps me quite literally to keep myself alive so...
The Hamelin Cadenza is truly a masterpiece
11:15 one of those synthesia "IMPOSSIBLE TO PLAY" videos.
11:38 that's some super sonic shit
what happens if Jerry kept forcing Tom to play the ending more
The huge problem is you just called this piece a "song".
In fact, this is a progressive instrumental piece, in short - a progrock song for piano and a genius virtuoso.
Hamelin's cadenza is so beautifully chaotic and violent. I wonder if he was working through some stuff? Lol
It's inspired by alkan the best pianist to ever live. Liszt once said that alkan had the best technique he had ever seen but chose to live life as a recluse.
I think it is pretty clear that there are few if any pianists alive who can rival Hamelin technically. He may not give the most profound interpretations but he is certainly subtle in a Michelangeli sort of way, and his musical genius far surpasses almost any of his contemporaries. I think his playing resembles how Liszt himself likely would have played, he just looks like he's toying with the piano!
I would sell my soul to the devil just to be able to walk in some random hotel bar and throw this down.
wouldn't anyone
go practice 40 hrs a day
That's pretty much what it costs.
@@schell9726 There are only 24 hours in a day.
@@mastermindpower1639 huh nice one, unless.......
I just heard Lang Langs interpretation and seriously, this guy is so much better.
By default, anyone who actually plays the entire piece is so much better. Lang Lang plays a crude truncated version. While this particular version is somewhat more improvised than typical, it is lovely to listen to an shows true musicality.
+nunya biznez Lang Lang plays Horowitz's version.
Lang Lang is a genius with nothing interesting to say
Lang Lang lack emotion and depth in his music. Rather sad really
Hamelin gives Lang Lang a freaking schooling in how to use power properly
While I can respect interpretations such as that which we heard from Horowitz, I can affirm as a musician who is working on this piece (and cadenza) right now, that this is the most difficult, longest, and by far most musical cadenza ever performed for this piece. Liszt had his own set of cadenzas that were beautiful in their own little ways but none compare to this modern time machine of a show off. Hamelin takes listeners through a history of music with more technical classical/baroque exercises as observed after his grand re-introduction of the main theme. Ensuing, he moves to a more romantic style, that would have definitely been approved by Liszt himself, with glissandos on white keys, glissandos on black keys, even multiple glissandos at once with the same hand! And might I add, with perfectly smooth execution. Along with all of this, he adds a bit of modern jazz intertwined within the entire thing, most notably at the beginning of his cadenza. This piece is a classic, but Hamelin’s very original cadenza invites players to test their skills, play with a new, more exposed interpretation, and ultimately have fun with the piece. At the conclusion of his cadenza, Hamelin mimics a pattern seen throughout the entire piece, and some of the other Hungarian Rhapsodies, by restating a main theme but in a diminished chord, and finishes off with Liszt’s own theme and ending, in the original key. Overall, no other interpretation of this piece (other than Horowitz’s) comes close to competing. With that being said, Horowitz’s interpretation is very interesting. I like it, and find it exceedingly original. However, for me it quite honestly ruins the piece. He makes it “Horowitz’s Hungarian Rhapsody (with a side of Liszt)”. I still have outstanding respect for Horowitz, he is among the greatest pianists there ever was, but Hamelin is also up there with other big names like Valentina Lisitsa and Daniil Trifonov.
Definitely true; I had the score of the cadenza recently signed by MAH himself; a wonderful piece.
Hamelin is by far the greatest pianist of our time. Really..? Doesn’t do anything for me.
Have you heard Lisitsa's Heroic Polonaise? ... I'm sorry to say it but it's an awful rendition
I suggest you listen to Cziffra's recordings of this, especially the one he made in the early 70s. th-cam.com/video/fnChH3cFPnY/w-d-xo.html&start_radio=1
I agree. Hamelin is one of those weird folk where I don't particularly prefer his interpretations for most of the "staples" of piano anthology. But in cases like this, or other supremely virtuosic shit, he's extremely hard to beat. He's like a slugger in baseball. He's either going to strike out or hit a home run. In this case he hit a grand fucking slam. Nobody is ever going to beat this cadenza.
just another day at the office.
chidlers9
9:53 the right hand melody sounds so good here.
This is the most insane/impossible take on HR#2 I've ever heard. It's fabulous, extraordinary, wonderful, etc....! Love it very much XOXO
This is, and was, always my favourite interpretation of this piece. Hamelin is a technical legend.
Great Performance.
and...
HARDEST cadenza ever.
8:26 pushes glasses back on.. BOSS MODE
My son (autistic with one ear) has near perfect pitch, can identify any note. Walked in Hollywood Pianos in Santa Ana CA and found a key out of tune in less than five minutes.
He records instruments, one note at a time, on his iPhone, which he then brings into FL Studio on the PC to tune and expand into a full 88-key range. He then applies that “sound font” to a MIDI file, such as this piece, so that this now sounds like it was played on that particular instrument. For example, he sampled a 100-year-old piano in Oatman, AZ, along the original Route 66. Decaying in the desert sun and with most keys not working or out of tune, it comes to life again when that sound font is applied to this MIDI file. It sounds beautiful. His next mission is to record all the notes of a pipe organ once he has access to one.
He’s a shy one, won’t share his work. I’m trying to convince him to put these up on YT to show what he does. All self-taught, no instruction. They’re wonderful to listen to. I’ll see what he can do with this one. 😊
Hamelin - Hm = Alien
Aelin
@@ludwigvanbeethoven5176 Hello!
Haha lok
@@ludwigvanbeethoven5176 oh yeah
I keep thinking of the "Tom and Jerry" episode that was animated to this piece... :) Memories...
+
+Kevin Afton Well apparently you don't... but the 7 people who thumbed up my comment do...
Cheers,
+Kevin Afton Probably. After all misery enjoys company.
Cheers,
+Kevin Afton What the fuck? Lol
+thebrainnugget Careful... If you talk to him your intellect might go up?! :P
5:22 he’s literally putting in 0.01% effort what the hell how
He has huge hands, making it easier for wrist rotation. Wrist rotation is key, and having larger hands makes that easier.
Muscle memory and lots of practice
Nathan Yang you’d know
@@TheElectricCheeseProductions22 ?
@@nathanyang9188 they're saying that because they saw Yang is Nathan's last name, which is associated with the Asian race, so they're poking at Nathan based off of that assumption.
This removed all doubt. Hamelin is the best pianist that ever lived!!!!! Just my opinion. No disrespect to the others. I have been humbled. Nothing more to say.
Janet Smith agreed
Well liszt and alkan would like to have a word with you
Janet Smith he’s still playing a piece Liszt composed.
@@TheElectricCheeseProductions22 and made it better ;)
@@p-y8210 if Liszt and Alkan could be resurrected to their peak, I'd still bet my whole house Hamelin here is better.
My kids and I were literally squealing with joy while watching this amazing performance!!! It is one of my son’s favorite classical songs:)
I've seriously never seen a performer play an octave glissando before what the hell how did he even--
His improvisation is so beautiful and interesting. I have never heard such an interesting thematic blend as he gives here. He makes this piece seem like a brand new invention. Just so poetic.
How do you know if the cadenza is improvised? And I agree his take is amazing
I appreciate the cadenza's ability to summarize what Liszt would sound like if he were around today. It's a nice touch.
For me Hamelin has to be one of the best modern pianists. I was trying to re-find this video recently and on countless "best modern pianists" lists I couldn't find Hamelin which is insane to me. He is ABSOLUTELY up there with the greats.
Totally agree ☺️😁😀
11:35 Wtf how can that be possible???
Jack White The alternating octaves are the easiest thing in the rhapsody(and in this cadenza)... purely mechanical. There are things far worse and finger-twisting.
***** Fast octaves (and chords and arpeggios) just come naturally for me... but I don't have perfect technique overall, just because I have a very good (nothing is perfect) technique in a couple of areas such as octaves. Every pianist is different.
It's not. It's CGI. I think. No?
+Sven-Sander Šestakov Yeah, but... at that speed? I don't think I've ever seen faster.
Buffoon1980 I
Absolutely fantastic bravo Mr Hamelin
I never can get enough of this particular performance. It blows my mind and moves my soul. I need to find this audio to purchase.
That cadenza is pure pianistic witchcraft.
me not knowing what a cadenza is
hamelin: *yes*
? that wasn't funny
danklad yet it got more like then you do braincells? If you don’t like something you don’t have to be a dick about it
@@royalerevenge6210 Ok, but just don't cry. That's sad.
William Andrés I’ll try it’s just he really really really hurt my feelings 😞😂😂
@@royalerevenge6210 안녕
I keep coming back to this terrifyingly amazing genius of this cadenza that is more technically challenging than the original piece itself. ❤ Hamelin's technique is zen like and insanely perfect. It is impossible to overly praise this.
Impressive. No words on that last section!
Take that Lang Lang.
+TheCommidor Thank you! ..Someone finally said that :)
yes Hamlin plays with sensitivity - Lang Lang hammers it out
Don't compare Hamelin with Lang Lang
This guy is a robot...Lang Lang is a human being ;)
I think they are both wonderful
THIS IS THE PERFECT VERSION!!!!!! I LOVE IT
Absolutely
YES! I was looking for this for ages, hands down best version on youtube
Beautiful, clean and soo expressive!! What more could you ask for?!
Hamelin's cadenza takes up 1/3 of the entire performance. Jeezuz
This cadenza is the longest one that I've ever listened to!
Note the sweat! Such intensity, this guy is a champ.
so light in the slower passages and the speed of these octaves is insane
the best cadenza I've ever listened
What must've possessed Hamelin to write that cadenza?
Alkan's spirit
I believe before composers started writing cadenzas for performers, it was the performer's duty to write out their own cadenzas.
He actually read the sheet music and did what you're supposed to do with ad lib cadenza's: improvise and/or make your own. Classical musicians have become lazy and the art of improvisation is dying, with pianists playing the suggested cadenzas, or just skipping them entirely. I hope a new trend starts and people begin to improvise and show some actually creative input again. It frustrated the hell out of me when I was getting my undergrad, and I worshiped those that could improvise like demi-gods. Hamelin is on a whole other level, as he is also a very skilled composer and arranger...a true musician!
@@pjbpiano I blame lazy teachers, sheet music publishers, and the general decay of music and music education. Lets hope it comes roaring back!
@@evifnoskcaj well, first of all, you have to admit that what actually killed improvisation were the composers themselves. People started writing very intricate and complicated piano music that first of all took quite some time and a bit of extreme skill to perform well and secondly, raised the bar of how piano music should sound that audiences simply preferred well written, intricate and virtuosic pieces that could never actually be improvised to that level. In other words, written music became more important that improvised music because the level of written music far outclassed the normal human ability to improvise music.
Also, consider that before a student became a virtuoso player, they had several hundreds of music they had to go through and fully master first. The time taken to master these pieces only meant that there was little time to practice improvising stuff.
Thirdly, people want to actually hear the great composers and not the thoughts of the pianist in front of them. This is a real problem. So whilst I sympathize with your frustration, I also understand why classical music became stuck in between the pages.
11:35 The cadenza alone (8:27) would make anyone freeze in astonishment from his supernatural talent, but this is yet another display why no one will ever hold a candle to his talent. He almost makes a mockery out of what Liszt composed. MARC-ANDRE HAMELIN IS THE KING OF PIANO, HANDS DOWN!!!
Agreed. Hamelin is unmatched in his capabilities on the piano. Many other pianists do amazing things on the piano, but ONLY Hamelin can do such things at such an astonishing virtuosic level AND make it look easy (for him).
I'd invent time travel just to get Hamelin and Liszt to play each other
Patrick Whiting Not a good idea. Liszt was a beast that would eat Ham(elin) for snack.
@Gary Allen People like to consider Liszt as a god. This is because people are naive. He made many errors, left notes out, and seldom played the piece the same. He would not have qualified for any competition round 2 today. Read books that were written 100 years ago.
LOVE that his cadenza recalls the opening, in manners unexpected.
best version of this ever! and the cadenza in the end is amazing!
5:30
I LOST MY PHONE
I LOST MY PHONE
I LOST MY PHONE
I LOST MY PHONE
Sajad Bagheri why😭😭😭😭😂
now I can’t unhear it
@@binadattebayo2122 sameeeeee
I was thinking more of a circus than a moment of anguish.
Davis Robinson no the way the keys sound it sounds like “I lost my phone”
Marc-Andre Hamelin is the man.
Out of all the Hungarian rhap no. 2's floating around out there on TH-cam, this is the one I always come to
Absolutely stunning. So beautiful and flawless technique
8:20
*oh boy, here we go..*
*adjusts glasses*
Hamelin & Volodos....the top 2 technicians in the world.
Badass cadenza.
What an amazing performance! Hamelin is playing a truly monster piano piece and he looks so relaxed like he's having a drink at a cocktail party. Bravo!
this guy is amazing, just look at the way he cooks the spaghet. Hot dam!
The SAJE Literally laughing out loud at this!!!
Mind-blowing! Now let me augment that old pun:
On a "Claudy" day, I got into my "Van" and went "Chopin" but I forgot my "Liszt" so I had to go "Bach". I just couldn't "Handel" the stress. LOL!
You couldn't Handel the stress because a Wolf gang attacked you...
Wha-
That was really great. What an incredible piece.
Perfect interpretation and wonderful final cadenza!
This cadenza can't be called genious anymore. At this level, it is only diabolic.
10:13 It sounds like Circus Galop so much hahaha (yes I know he composed it)
Mark S yes it sounds like it a lot
Sounds like Alkan as well
Lua Bleah kind of
Yes maestro, very nice, l love this interpretation. Bravo!
When he calmly stood up at the end, I was expecting his arms to drop off.
He makes it look so easy. His lack of facial expression is almost remarkable, as he keeps a relatively straight face for most of the song and seems to be fairly content. I applaud him for this. With the amount of emotion this song has, it can’t be easy to maintain a profession like appearance. Might I add that this performance topped Valentina Lisitsa’s just because of the octave glissando :)
LISTZ will be proud of this guy. He composed a killer Cadenza worthy of Listz's approval.
Totally agree ☺️💯
This is my current favorite rendition of the work. Love his epic cadenza.
I always come back to this performance. Just ..... wow.
Don't blame you :)
Godlike.
But to be fair: I`ve seen him several times live and stood next to him : HIS HANDS ARE AS BIG AS BREAKFAST PLATES!!!
Im sure he reachs c1 to f2 or g2 :D His hands + his brain which tell the hands what they have to do = made for piano :D
If you have significant smaller hands, you cant reach this with 200 years of practice :D
Keep telling yourself that, even if it is complete nonsense.
I talked about the advantage of his physics that someone can have or not have,
Tell me how you increase your span with practicing to f2 or g2 if you have significant smaller hands?
gerdokurt
Why do you need to be able to reach from c1 to f2/g2?
123eldest
I dont say that you need it ????
__advantage, not must have.
stfu weird boy, there is something wrong with you.
gerdokurt
"If you have significant smaller hands, you cant reach this with 200 years of practice" - therefore you're saying you need it.
I am in awe ! He is playing at Princeton University Concert Series in Richardson Hall in NJ on Thursday Apr 4th, 2019 playing Hayden, Shostakovich & Schubert if you're interested
How much are tickets?
Absolutely incredible. Perfection
Absolute badass.