It's not a pianist and a piano when Khatia plays. The two become ONE and together they make incredible music with feel and incredible power done with grace!!!! Khatia is brilliant and passionate! My goodness she is outstanding!!! Could watch her play for hours!!!
I've been playing piano, classically trained, for almost 50 years. I believe I have earned the right to have an opinion as to the "greatness" of a pianist. Khatia is an incredibly gifted and passionate pianist whose interpretation of Rach 2 is refreshing. People who criticize either do not truly know or understand music from the perspective of the pianist or they are just cruel and jealous of the talent others possess. Many people may think people are merely born with a gift. Yes it's true there MUST be a certain amount of raw, natural talent involved - this is obvious - but what people don't see are the thousands and thousands of hours one practices to achieve greatness. It's a discipline most are never willing or capable of achieving. So a word to "critics"....once you are honestly able to say you spent your childhood, teen years, and many adult years hovering over a keyboard of other musical instrument, playing until your hands hurt, wanting to stop yet can't stop because the passion that compels you to play exceeds any physical pain or social price you pay for missing out on many things..hen you can have a platform and a right to criticize a true musician. Until then, you need to be very careful. When one lays their hands on a musical instrument to play in front of others- they are actually laying their soul bare to show the world. It's a vulnerability few can ever understand and certainly something small minded people can not respect.
Speed is almost always a poetic necessity! You can never fault Khatia for that, unless having the technique of being able to play it is something she shouldn't have! There is a tiger in Khatia and it is something that is necessary to have to become a great pianist. Without it you are simply living to pacify everyone. Surely you can see the sense ! I am particularly amazed with how she plays La Campanela of Liszt. Both her and Valentina Lisitsa have the technique to play it with a blistering speed.
You are so right and express very well in words what is going on here. Musicians like this are like athletes in their discipline, dedication, and passion. The results such as this performance speak for itself.
Khatia gently walks out to the piano in a stunningly gorgeous dress. But that's just the beginning. She begins to play and you realize this is an otherworldly experience. It's surreal. At the conclusion, you're left saying, "WOW! What just happened?" Khatia, much gratitude to you for these incredible performances!!!
Rarely does it all come together like this. Fabulous orchestra, technical brilliance of the pianist not hiding her emotional immersion into the music, and the looming ghostly presence of that incredible genius, Sergei Rachmaninov. I've listened to this piece 100's of times over my 77 years, videos, recordings and in concert. As long as the human race can see and hear, this magnificient beauty will never die.
Right in the middle of the corona crisis which has made the world come to a stand still, Kathia Buniatishvili takes you into musical heaven and makes you forget the world outside. The way she is playing this Rachmaninov is of a beauty beyond imagination...
Khatia is a world treasure. She embodies passion, tenderness, joy, and pain. Her performances leave me speechless. This performance epitomizes the words, “life is struggle.” And follows with, “so, embrace the struggle.” Real beauty and happiness are found there.
I went to her concert in Kansas MO and it fulfilled my dreams. The performance was, course impeccable, an I got to meet her afterwards. She was, beautiful, and when I asked her for a selfy, she took my hand, held it to her face, and said of course. I told her she had made an old man happy. She smiled and held my hand closer to her face. Such talent and class. That was my brief encounter with this gifted beauty.
I can listen to Khatia Buniatshvili non-stop. Her interpretation and technique is second to none. We are blessed to have pianists of her calibre. Simply beautiful.
I am in tears... Rachmaninov's 2nd is one of the most emotional pieces ever written... and it is performed so magnificently and with so much passion!.. I am glad that in this world, humans like Khatia exist... And don't forget that she is very intelligent, a patriot, and drop-dead gorgeous!..
I don't care who you are - if this first movement doesn't move something behind your rib cage - YOU'RE A ROCK... I've listened to Rachmaninoff's own performance of his/this piano concerto - all three movements, being played in person at the turn of the last century (20th). I'm absolutely certain if he could rise from his grave he would, I believe, be in awe of how Khatia plays one of the most difficult pieces ever written for piano AND, I'm sure, congratulate one so adept. Others have played this piece and performed admirably - "I believe Martha Argarich" wouldn't attempt it ? Although I do believe Khatia plays with such perfect fluidity, such poetry, and passion that - if you can for just a moment set aside her alluring physical beauty, this piece is other worldly and I feel exists in the outer courts of heaven. I listen to this (1) Rachmaninoff performance frequently, the orchestras masterful interpretation and I don't (watch), as it's too distracting. What an inexpressible joy to hear this piece played over & over again...
I couldn’t add or expand on your comment only applaud your thoughts. There has been no one like her, thank goodness we live in this time and age where she is at our fingertips in our homes at the “ push of a button “. My father loved Rachmaninov, if he were alive today, he would be in Heaven 🎶🎶🎹🎹😇.
The focus of the comments is of course directed toward Khatia and the composition. I did a word search for the conductor Gianandrea Noseda and found only 2 comments out of 2,219; his performance has been sadly overlooked. I feel Noseda did a masterful job. The Rach 2 is, as are all the Rach piano concertos, a composition of extreme dynamics and passions, and, as such in need of a conductor who can manifest those energies up and down the spectrum in the performance. Noseda did just that in a manner which I have never seen before. Masterful work sir.
This is a performance that makes you forget about every other piano concerto in history! This is Rachmaninoff at his most focused, melodically/ thematically and emotionally, and this is the pianist born to deliver his vision. I am in tears.
Alexander Boot Writer, critic, polemicist Sex sells - all of us short The other day I listened to something or other on TH-cam, and a link to Chopin’s Fourth Ballade performed by the Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili came up. The link was accompanied by a close-up publicity photo of the musician: sloe bedroom eyes, sensual semi-open lips suggesting a delight that’s still illegal in Alabama, naked shoulders hinting at the similarly nude rest of her body regrettably out of shot… Let me see where my wife is… Good, she isn’t looking over my shoulder, so I can admit to you that the picture got me excited in ways one doesn’t normally associate with Chopin’s Fourth Ballade or for that matter any other classical composition this side of Wagner or perhaps Ravel’s Bolero. Searching for a more traditional musical rapture I clicked on the actual clip and alas found it anticlimactic, as it were. Khatia’s playing, though competent, is as undeniably so-what as her voluptuous figure undeniably isn’t. (Yes, I know the photograph I mentioned doesn’t show much of her figure apart from the luscious shoulders but, the prurient side of my nature piqued, I did a bit of a web crawl.) Just for the hell of it I looked at the publicity shots of other currently active female musicians, such as Yuja Wang, Joanna MacGregor, Nicola Bendetti, Alison Balsom (nicknamed ‘crumpet with a trumpet’, her promos more often suggest ‘a strumpet with a trumpet’ instead), Anne-Sophie Mutter and a few others. They didn’t disappoint the Peeping Tom lurking under my aging surface. Just about all the photographs showed the ladies in various stages of undress, in bed, lying in suggestive poses on top of the piano, playing in frocks (if any) open to the coccyx in the back and/or to the navel up front. This is one thing these musicians have in common. The other is that none of them is all that good at her day job and some, such as Wang, are truly awful. Yet this doesn’t really matter either to them or to the public or, most important, to those who form the public tastes by writing about music and musicians. Thus, for example, a tabloid pundit expressing his heartfelt regret that Nicola Benedetti “won’t be posing for the lads’ mags anytime soon. Pity, because she looks fit as a fiddle…” Geddit? She’s a violinist, which is to say fiddler - well, you do get it. “But Nicola doesn’t always take the bonniest photo,” continues the writer, “she’s beaky in pics sometimes, which is weird because in the flesh she’s an absolute knock-out. “The classical musician is wearing skinny jeans which show off her long legs. She’s also busty with a washboard flat tummy, tottering around 5ft 10in in her Dune platform wedges.” How well does she play the violin though? No one cares. Not even critics writing for our broadsheets, who don’t mind talking about musicians in terms normally reserved for pole dancers. Thus for instance runs a review of a piano recital at Queen Elizabeth Hall, one of London’s top concert venues: “She is the most photogenic of players: young, pretty, bare-footed; and, with her long dark hair and exquisite strapless dress of dazzling white, not only seemed to imply that sexuality itself can make you a profound musician, but was a perfect visual complement to the sleek monochrome of a concert grand… [but] there’s more to her than meets the eye.” The male reader is clearly expected to get a stiffie trying to imagine what that might be. To help his imagination along, the piece is accompanied by a photo of the young lady in question reclining on her instrument in a pre-coital position with an unmistakable ‘come and get it’ expression on her face. The ‘monochrome’ piano is actually bright-red, a colour usually found not in concert halls but in dens of iniquity. Nowhere does the review mention the fact obvious to anyone with any taste for musical performance: the girl is so bad that she should indeed be playing in a brothel, rather than on the concert platform. Can you, in the wildest flight of fancy, imagine a reviewer talking in such terms about sublime women artists of the past, such as Myra Hess, Maria Yudina, Maria Grinberg, Clara Haskil, Marcelle Meyer, Marguerite Long, Kathleen Ferrier? Can you see any of them allowing themselves to be photographed in the style of “lads’ mags”? I can’t, which raises the inevitable question: what exactly has changed in the last say 70 years? The short answer is, just about everything. Concert organisers and impresarios, who used to be in the business because they loved music first and wanted to make a living second, now care about nothing but money. Critics, who used to have discernment and taste, now have nothing but greed and lust for popularity. The public… well, don’t get me started on that. The circle is vicious: because tasteless ignoramuses use every available medium to build up musical nonentities, nonentities is all we get. And because the musical nonentities have no artistic qualities to write about, the writing nonentities have to concentrate on the more jutting attractions, using a vocabulary typically found in “lads’ mags”. The adage “sex sells” used to be applied first to B-movies, then to B-novels, and now to real music. From “sex sells” it’s but a short distance to “only sex sells”. This distance has already been travelled - and we are all being sold short.
The internet is a very, very - very strange place... This young lady is a gifted pianist and a beautiful woman. There is certainly nothing mediocre here. Brava, Khatia!
The dresses, the hair, the body movement, the gestures - these "extraneous" things are all about sensuousness and they complement her sensuous, luscious interpretation of the music. The way she tilts her head back, sways her neck, writhes her upper body backward and forward and side to side, her facial expressions; it is suggestive of the ecstasy of a lover's embrace. From what I have seen of her concerts (only on youtube, unfortunately!) she plays mainly the romantic composers; I expect it is no coincidence that their music is also very luscious and sensous. Some pianists aim to create their art solely through the sound their instrument makes, virtually excising the physical from the performance, except to the extent strictly necessary to produce the sound required, as if physicality might distract from the art. It seems to me that these "extraneous" things people focus on in Khatia's performance are not intended as a distraction from the performance: they are as much a part of her art as the sound coming out of the piano. Her interpretation of the music involves, for her, putting all of her physical self into the performance in order to enhance her artistic expression.
Stuttgarter Nachrichten Khatia Buniatishvili in der Liederhalle Die Femme fatale der Klassik in Stuttgart Von Ulrich Köppen 29. Februar 2016 - 11:00 Uhr Khatia Buniatishvili spielt im Mozartsaal der Liederhalle in Stuttgart die Rolle der Femme fatale. Bei dem Klavierabend wollen ihre Finger aber manchmal schneller als sie können. ........ Auf Effekte sind auch die Konzertauftritte von Khatia Buniatishvili angelegt. Allerdings: nur auf Effekte. Sie schreitet eindrucksvoll wie eine Hollywood-Diva aufs Podium - die berühmte Treppe fehlt. Ihr knallrotes, hautenges Kleid umspielt raffiniert die Füße. Bereits jetzt ist der Kontrast zum schwarzen Flügel maximal. Die Georgierin wird als Popstar gefeiert Geheimnisvoll verdeckt ihr schwarzes Haar das Gesicht. Schade. ... Ihre Fans feierten sie enthusiastisch mit Handyfotos und Blumensträußen. Fraglos ist die Georgierin ein Popstar. Aber irgendetwas muss sie missverstanden haben. Egal, was sie unter die behänden Finger nimmt, die manchmal schneller wollen, als sie können. Ihre Effekte beschränken sich überwiegend auf zwei musikalische Aggregatzustände. Der eine zäh und zerdehnt bei langsamen Stellen, Zuckerwatte-weich-süß deren Klangüberzug. Der andere hektisch bei schnellen Passagen, brutal dröhnend und ertränkt in der klebrigen Tonsoße eines übertriebenen Dauergebrauchs des rechten Pedals. Wo ist ihre frühere Kunst einer oszillierenden Farbpalette geblieben? Musikalische Missverständnisse, mangelhafte Marketingberatung, um einen Typ der Femme fatale der Klassik zu kreieren? Gewiss: Karajans Interpretationen haben immer mehr nach Karajan als nach Beethoven geklungen und Gould mehr nach Gould als nach Bach. Manchmal blitzt subtile Klangpoesie auf Natürlich darf es bei Mussorgsky krachen, darf einem bei Liszts Tempi Hören und Sehen vergehen und darf es bei Strawinsky unerbittlich hämmern. Und Beethoven, der im Konzert Flügel zertrümmerte, war sicher der erste Rocker der Musikgeschichte. Und Buniatishvili? Sie schlachtet die Kompositionen aus, entnimmt ein paar Bruchstücke und presst sie in ein Musikkorsett, das keinesfalls hoch expressive Gestalt zur Folge hat, sondern auf Dauer langweilt, da es kaum echte Abwechslungen oder Überraschungen enthält. Nur manchmal blitzt ihre subtile Klangpoesie auf, lässt sie eine Melodie berückend aufblühen und ergeben Kontraste einen Schockeffekt, der musikästhetisch nachvollziehbar wird. Zugaben von Debussy, Händel und Prokofjew.
Ich werde mich ein wenig gönnen, insgesamt das richtige Urteil Stuttgarter Nachrichten und Ulricha Keppena zu ergänzen... Nur vereinigen sich bei mir (aus irgendeinem Grunde) die majestätischen Ausgänge Kchatii durchaus nicht mit den Hollywoodfilmfestivals und der roten Bahn, und es ist mit teuerer öffentlicher Diva (wie in Russland jetzt es nennen, "der Mätresse") - die legalisierte Form der Prostitution einfach... Und ist unbedeutend, vor wem Kchatija prostitutiert - vor dem gewissen anonymen Sponsor oder vor dem ehrbarsten Publikum, das Ergebnis ein: sehr viel sind genügend äußerliche Effekte (auf Grund vom wirkungsvollen Äußeren und der herbeirufenden Sexualität) bei der fast vollen Abwesenheit der durchdachten Konzeption der Erfüllung nicht immer mächtig пианистической die "Basis" für solche Komponisten, wie Rachmaninow... Auf Grig und auf Schopin des Potentials Kchatii noch reichte nachlässig aus. Aber es ist - NICHT Rachmaninow - EINSTELLIG!
Aussie Bloke, Thanks for an intelligent response in the midst of a lot of idiocy. You summed it up very eloquently, that Khatia's physical attributes are an integral part of her performances, used to enhance the erotic energy inherent in the 19th century romantic repertoire she plays. Those who are offended by this are saying more about their own sexually repressed character disorder than anything intelligent about ;the performances.
Bob Nicholson thanks, indeed if we, the world's people could just sit together for a moment and appreciate what magic is available to us in this Universe. Billy
I always enjoy listening to and watching Khatia. In my mind, she's one of the great pianists of our time. I've never heard her play in a way that isn't riveting, gripping, and moving. She really is the perfect fusion between sound and feeling. As soon as the pandemic is over, and i feel comfortable going out again, Khatia is one the first pianists I want to hear live again - I actually don't care what it costs.
It is difficult to speak about this concerto N°2 for piano and orchestra fromS. Rachmaninoff. It is a concerto I have listened to all my life. Khatia is like a diamond shining and she plays the concerto in way, that my soul sings it with her, because it is with me. Thank you Khatia.
É verdade Elisabeth! Não há o que dizer , apenas ouvir, ver e rever a emoção que provoca em todos nós , o talento e a sensualidade da Khatia Buniatishvili, nesta maravilhosa obra de Serguei Rachmaninoff. Também, o sentimento e a energia , do Maestro e a sonoridade que nos traz a Orquestra!
You didn't just give me a concerto, you have given me a whole universe of music. I've found more subtle meanings that I could never feel and receive from all of the other pianists. It seems that every piano concerto you've performed inevitably transformed and transcended into another horizon, a grand and bold new world.
Alexander Boot Writer, critic, polemicist Sex sells - all of us short The other day I listened to something or other on TH-cam, and a link to Chopin’s Fourth Ballade performed by the Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili came up. The link was accompanied by a close-up publicity photo of the musician: sloe bedroom eyes, sensual semi-open lips suggesting a delight that’s still illegal in Alabama, naked shoulders hinting at the similarly nude rest of her body regrettably out of shot… Let me see where my wife is… Good, she isn’t looking over my shoulder, so I can admit to you that the picture got me excited in ways one doesn’t normally associate with Chopin’s Fourth Ballade or for that matter any other classical composition this side of Wagner or perhaps Ravel’s Bolero. Searching for a more traditional musical rapture I clicked on the actual clip and alas found it anticlimactic, as it were. Khatia’s playing, though competent, is as undeniably so-what as her voluptuous figure undeniably isn’t. (Yes, I know the photograph I mentioned doesn’t show much of her figure apart from the luscious shoulders but, the prurient side of my nature piqued, I did a bit of a web crawl.) Just for the hell of it I looked at the publicity shots of other currently active female musicians, such as Yuja Wang, Joanna MacGregor, Nicola Bendetti, Alison Balsom (nicknamed ‘crumpet with a trumpet’, her promos more often suggest ‘a strumpet with a trumpet’ instead), Anne-Sophie Mutter and a few others. They didn’t disappoint the Peeping Tom lurking under my aging surface. Just about all the photographs showed the ladies in various stages of undress, in bed, lying in suggestive poses on top of the piano, playing in frocks (if any) open to the coccyx in the back and/or to the navel up front. This is one thing these musicians have in common. The other is that none of them is all that good at her day job and some, such as Wang, are truly awful. Yet this doesn’t really matter either to them or to the public or, most important, to those who form the public tastes by writing about music and musicians. Thus, for example, a tabloid pundit expressing his heartfelt regret that Nicola Benedetti “won’t be posing for the lads’ mags anytime soon. Pity, because she looks fit as a fiddle…” Geddit? She’s a violinist, which is to say fiddler - well, you do get it. “But Nicola doesn’t always take the bonniest photo,” continues the writer, “she’s beaky in pics sometimes, which is weird because in the flesh she’s an absolute knock-out. “The classical musician is wearing skinny jeans which show off her long legs. She’s also busty with a washboard flat tummy, tottering around 5ft 10in in her Dune platform wedges.” How well does she play the violin though? No one cares. Not even critics writing for our broadsheets, who don’t mind talking about musicians in terms normally reserved for pole dancers. Thus for instance runs a review of a piano recital at Queen Elizabeth Hall, one of London’s top concert venues: “She is the most photogenic of players: young, pretty, bare-footed; and, with her long dark hair and exquisite strapless dress of dazzling white, not only seemed to imply that sexuality itself can make you a profound musician, but was a perfect visual complement to the sleek monochrome of a concert grand… [but] there’s more to her than meets the eye.” The male reader is clearly expected to get a stiffie trying to imagine what that might be. To help his imagination along, the piece is accompanied by a photo of the young lady in question reclining on her instrument in a pre-coital position with an unmistakable ‘come and get it’ expression on her face. The ‘monochrome’ piano is actually bright-red, a colour usually found not in concert halls but in dens of iniquity. Nowhere does the review mention the fact obvious to anyone with any taste for musical performance: the girl is so bad that she should indeed be playing in a brothel, rather than on the concert platform. Can you, in the wildest flight of fancy, imagine a reviewer talking in such terms about sublime women artists of the past, such as Myra Hess, Maria Yudina, Maria Grinberg, Clara Haskil, Marcelle Meyer, Marguerite Long, Kathleen Ferrier? Can you see any of them allowing themselves to be photographed in the style of “lads’ mags”? I can’t, which raises the inevitable question: what exactly has changed in the last say 70 years? The short answer is, just about everything. Concert organisers and impresarios, who used to be in the business because they loved music first and wanted to make a living second, now care about nothing but money. Critics, who used to have discernment and taste, now have nothing but greed and lust for popularity. The public… well, don’t get me started on that. The circle is vicious: because tasteless ignoramuses use every available medium to build up musical nonentities, nonentities is all we get. And because the musical nonentities have no artistic qualities to write about, the writing nonentities have to concentrate on the more jutting attractions, using a vocabulary typically found in “lads’ mags”. The adage “sex sells” used to be applied first to B-movies, then to B-novels, and now to real music. From “sex sells” it’s but a short distance to “only sex sells”. This distance has already been travelled - and we are all being sold short.
Of all the pieces I've heard in my life, this one is the most beautiful and moving. And of all the performances of this concerto, none have the sensuality and beauty of this one. None express the feelings the way that this beautiful performance does. I absolutely love how in sync Khatia and the conductor are. They have both captured the essence of this piece . This is the epitome of romance
My life has been music, especially the piano. In my many years of life I have never heard anyone play with such passion and Wonderful understanding of the music as Khatia. She brings my heart soaring and tears to my eyes. So much talent and passion. Bless her for sharing such beauty with us.
Alexander Boot Writer, critic, polemicist Sex sells - all of us short The other day I listened to something or other on TH-cam, and a link to Chopin’s Fourth Ballade performed by the Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili came up. The link was accompanied by a close-up publicity photo of the musician: sloe bedroom eyes, sensual semi-open lips suggesting a delight that’s still illegal in Alabama, naked shoulders hinting at the similarly nude rest of her body regrettably out of shot… Let me see where my wife is… Good, she isn’t looking over my shoulder, so I can admit to you that the picture got me excited in ways one doesn’t normally associate with Chopin’s Fourth Ballade or for that matter any other classical composition this side of Wagner or perhaps Ravel’s Bolero. Searching for a more traditional musical rapture I clicked on the actual clip and alas found it anticlimactic, as it were. Khatia’s playing, though competent, is as undeniably so-what as her voluptuous figure undeniably isn’t. (Yes, I know the photograph I mentioned doesn’t show much of her figure apart from the luscious shoulders but, the prurient side of my nature piqued, I did a bit of a web crawl.) Just for the hell of it I looked at the publicity shots of other currently active female musicians, such as Yuja Wang, Joanna MacGregor, Nicola Bendetti, Alison Balsom (nicknamed ‘crumpet with a trumpet’, her promos more often suggest ‘a strumpet with a trumpet’ instead), Anne-Sophie Mutter and a few others. They didn’t disappoint the Peeping Tom lurking under my aging surface. Just about all the photographs showed the ladies in various stages of undress, in bed, lying in suggestive poses on top of the piano, playing in frocks (if any) open to the coccyx in the back and/or to the navel up front. This is one thing these musicians have in common. The other is that none of them is all that good at her day job and some, such as Wang, are truly awful. Yet this doesn’t really matter either to them or to the public or, most important, to those who form the public tastes by writing about music and musicians. Thus, for example, a tabloid pundit expressing his heartfelt regret that Nicola Benedetti “won’t be posing for the lads’ mags anytime soon. Pity, because she looks fit as a fiddle…” Geddit? She’s a violinist, which is to say fiddler - well, you do get it. “But Nicola doesn’t always take the bonniest photo,” continues the writer, “she’s beaky in pics sometimes, which is weird because in the flesh she’s an absolute knock-out. “The classical musician is wearing skinny jeans which show off her long legs. She’s also busty with a washboard flat tummy, tottering around 5ft 10in in her Dune platform wedges.” How well does she play the violin though? No one cares. Not even critics writing for our broadsheets, who don’t mind talking about musicians in terms normally reserved for pole dancers. Thus for instance runs a review of a piano recital at Queen Elizabeth Hall, one of London’s top concert venues: “She is the most photogenic of players: young, pretty, bare-footed; and, with her long dark hair and exquisite strapless dress of dazzling white, not only seemed to imply that sexuality itself can make you a profound musician, but was a perfect visual complement to the sleek monochrome of a concert grand… [but] there’s more to her than meets the eye.” The male reader is clearly expected to get a stiffie trying to imagine what that might be. To help his imagination along, the piece is accompanied by a photo of the young lady in question reclining on her instrument in a pre-coital position with an unmistakable ‘come and get it’ expression on her face. The ‘monochrome’ piano is actually bright-red, a colour usually found not in concert halls but in dens of iniquity. Nowhere does the review mention the fact obvious to anyone with any taste for musical performance: the girl is so bad that she should indeed be playing in a brothel, rather than on the concert platform. Can you, in the wildest flight of fancy, imagine a reviewer talking in such terms about sublime women artists of the past, such as Myra Hess, Maria Yudina, Maria Grinberg, Clara Haskil, Marcelle Meyer, Marguerite Long, Kathleen Ferrier? Can you see any of them allowing themselves to be photographed in the style of “lads’ mags”? I can’t, which raises the inevitable question: what exactly has changed in the last say 70 years? The short answer is, just about everything. Concert organisers and impresarios, who used to be in the business because they loved music first and wanted to make a living second, now care about nothing but money. Critics, who used to have discernment and taste, now have nothing but greed and lust for popularity. The public… well, don’t get me started on that. The circle is vicious: because tasteless ignoramuses use every available medium to build up musical nonentities, nonentities is all we get. And because the musical nonentities have no artistic qualities to write about, the writing nonentities have to concentrate on the more jutting attractions, using a vocabulary typically found in “lads’ mags”. The adage “sex sells” used to be applied first to B-movies, then to B-novels, and now to real music. From “sex sells” it’s but a short distance to “only sex sells”. This distance has already been travelled - and we are all being sold short.
Do yourself a favour, and listen to Richter's playing of this. I believe the year was 1959 and the Warsaw was the orchestra. It's widely considered to be THE recording of this concerto. A good set of phones are recommended to hear every nuance in this masterpiece, as Richter undoubtedly plays this perfectly. It can found here on YT. Too bad it's only an audio piece. I would have loved to see him play it. Although Khatia is talented and technically proficient, her interpretation leaves much to be desired. Rests are missing, tempo is not fluid... in short, she never allowed the piece to open up and take the listener by the heart.
Thank you Khatia. Your performance is just sublime! You’re a French citizen since 2017, a gift of yourself to the French people. I am so proud to have you. Vous êtes magnifique et votre musique... Je n’ai pas des mots pour la décrire. Merci.
She is probably the best pianist I’ve heard in decades. I love her style she is sensational,beautiful and she feels that piano like nobody else,I can feel it too. Her music comes with a story always from the heart ❤️.
I am born in 1954, i am a Beatles fan... I learnd to Play piano in 5 class, butik i rather listen to beatmusic..therfore i drop out pianolessens.. I love the tunes.. and though i am being older.. this is HEAVEN... to hear,.... Love god music..
Much of the criticism of Khatia is simply silly, especially those who say she doesn't play things exactly they way they were written by the masters. Artists are supposed to interpret the music. Who is to say a great musician can't actually ADD something to the piece? The great composers probably would have loved talented artists interpreting their works in new ways as long as they were respectful of the original. Brava Khatia.
Ur right musicians can interpret the music however they want ON THE PREMISE OF COMPLETENESS AND RESPECT FOR THE COMPOSERS. Being able to play scores as written is the bottom line of a musician, beyond that you can then talk about musicality or whatever
@@steverichardson7971 Dude, you just killed Jazz musicians and Folk musicians, do you feel complete? It seems like being a musician is not about musicality, but playing like a MIDI. Being prescriptivist/elitist/eurocentrist/ is not respecting the composers.
Dan G lol ur just trolling. In this context it’s very clear that I’m talking about classical musicians. Playing like a MIDI is bad, but can’t even hit the right notes and rhythm? Worse. If ur gonna change the music go play jazz, like u said. Cuz classical music is about delivering the composer’s message in a touching way, essentially.
Hi Dude! THE TELEGRAPH 05.06.2014 By Ivan Hewett Comment Tales abound of the heroic pianists of old, who beat pianos into submission, and broke strings without even raising a forearm. Young Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili clearly wants to join that company. True, I didn’t actually see any keys flying or hear any strings snap. But by the end of the Three Dances from Stravinsky’s Petrouchka, one or two notes had acquired that worrying out-of-tune rasp that shows a piano is wilting under the strain. Buniatishvili’s blistering power went hand-in-hand with an astonishing steely-wristed technique, which was a boon in the Stravinsky, and in the mad dance of Ravel’s La Valse, and in Chopin’s B flat minor Scherzo. Under her hands these pieces took on a crazed, tumultuous quality. At the opposite pole was the spectral calm of Le Gibet, Ravel’s evocation of a corpse swinging from a gallows. I’ve never heard this piece played with such a threadbare sound, and at such a slow pace. In between came three Intermezzi by Brahms, which were so quiet and thin in sound it seemed as if they’d died and returned as ghosts. This was all very striking. But where was the musical sense in it all? When everything is pushed to extremes, all we’re left with is a series of shocks to the nervous system, which very soon wear off. I never thought the beginning of Chopin’s heroic and tragic Scherzo could sound trivial, but Buniatishvili somehow managed it. The piece began fast and then accelerated, skidding to a halt at the first cadence with cartoonish suddenness. Buniatishvili’s problem is that she gets intoxicated by her own virtuosity, and musical judgment goes out of the window. This isn’t to say an effect of intoxication isn’t appropriate at times. In fact in Ravel’s La Valse a sense of encroaching delirium is the essence of the piece. But we have to feel delirium pushing against a firm underlying waltz tempo, and in Buniatishvili’s performance that dance pulse barely registered. It was crazed from the start. All this exaggeration was sorely disappointing, because here and there moments of real sensitivity emerged. The delicacy of the very first piece, Ravel’s Ondine, promised something special. In Brahms’s deeply nostalgic B flat minor Intermezzo her sound took on a lovely entangled, cobwebby quality, clear and hazy all at once. But to really savour these little nuances one needs a basic trust in the performer. That, I’d long since lost.
@@kamran259 th-cam.com/video/kQYW_jqpycM/w-d-xo.html Well said, dear sir! I would like to hear from you, what does a great composer Schubert have to do with this fresh piece of meat swimming in this pool?
Tonight nov.2 2021 have gone comparing a dozen performances of Rach 2 . This one satisfies me the most , Khatia , the Orchestra , the sound Recording ( next , comes Yuja Wang's on mrOsomatsu channel ; then K.Zimerman on W.Mello ) . Hence , thanks everyone for the show , excellent ! Super ! Great !
Hey people, some of the comments are way to far over the top. Sure, she's sexy, beautiful, and to me, adorable. But she's all that not because she looks attractive, it's because her fingers and the keys draw you in. I'm 61, dying Army Vet, big rock fan, but when I listen to Rachmaninoff, and knowing Rachmaninoff's story, then I listen to the work in it's perfection, I cry. This Concerto is one of the most difficult to play, and mastered by so few. And when I watch Khatia, Yuga, or Martha hit the keys, it's the finest moments I willl ever know. And by the way, all of these FREE moments we get on TH-cam to hear her, are released by Khatia. She doesn't make a dime so you can find peace and solitude if not for just some brief moments. Sometimes when I listen, I think that when I finally pass on I will find immunity for my past indiscretions. (P.S., it is said that before this Concerto was composed, Rachmaninoff sold his soul to the devil and this, plus "The Theme" are solid proof. It is also said that perfection of this work be an artist is true absolution for their sins. Really, "no shit")
It's so interesting hearing Lang Lang's version and then Khatia...it's like listening to a different piece of music. I like the drama of Lang Lang, but he just can't play pianissimo from the soul, it is taught! Khatia plays with her soul, and her pianissimo is truly the most beautiful i've heard apart from Horowitz! I still think the timing of some of the dramatic sequences I have heard played better, but that is just comparing one pianist to another. Khatia is a genius, like any other that can play this piece with credibility. I would love to have heard Argerich play the No 2, because she combines drama and pianissimo beautifully. How lucky are we to have these geniuses, each interpreting slightly differently.
Arguerich n’a pas le génie de Kathia B. Il y a d’autres œuvres sur TH-cam qui sont jouées par les deux et Kathia B EST la musique. La première au monde à n’être pas jouer verticalement mais à ÊTRE le piano
Khatia plays with a softness like no other. You are on a journey with her. If you close your eyes, she is with you. We are fortunate to live in her time.
You said it well, and that possession is truly a God given gift. However I believe Khatia had to work to achieve her level of "possession". IE. through so much dedication and commitment! She deserves all the success she can get.
I enjoy listening to recordings of great musical pieces but there is nothing better than watching a live performance by a great orchestra, especially if Khatia is performing. She is truly stunning.
Kathia is just unbelievable! I have no idea how often I have watched this fantastic Piano Concerto No.2 from S. Rachmaninov. The music is just most beautyful!
Khatia is an elegant and greatly talented performer. The fusion she creates between herself and the piano lifts us at a superior level where there is only her music and us, her passionate listeners, who are caressed by her lovely, perfect music. Khatia is a real classy classical musician. Thank you, Khatia for sharing your musical talent with us! Gabriella
😊The passion of this interpretation is matched by the perfection of her presentation. In my humble opinion, she is the best pianist performing on earth.
A volcanic goddess of romanticism. Mere words will magnificently fail to describe her+conductor+orchestra’s performance and the deep dreamy brooding genius of Rachmaninoff. Excellent camera work too!
Hands down, the most beautiful performance of the Rachmaninov 2nd I have ever heard. Not to be missed. The nuances, tone and color of her performance were magic.
6 ปีที่แล้ว +7
I agree completely and also don't forget the magnificent performance from the orchestra together with a fantastic conductor. It wouldn't have been the same without them. Pure perfection this performance!
She's a monster at the piano. One of the greatest among the greatest of our generation. Rachmaninoff would have loved to be at this concert and witness this epic rendition. I am so glad to be alive at the same time you are Maestra, because you are indeed legendary Khatia❤
Besides excellente pianist Khatia is very charismatic, attentive and friendly with the conductor, the orchestra members and the public that honors; She does not act like a Superstar and for that all have almost '' worship '' for it!
LIMELIGHT by Greg Keane on April 29, 2016 (April 29, 2016) ★★☆☆☆ We’ve had “the next Callas”, “the next Sutherland”, “the next Wunderlich”, now, we’re hearing 28-year-old Georgian pianist, Khatia Buniatishvili touted as “the next Argerich”. Not on the strength of this CD, featuring works each of which exists in an orchestral guise (and in which I’d much rather hear all of them)! The Guardian critic unleashed as much bile on Buniatishvili's Wigmore Hall performance of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition as his feminist colleagues routinely do on signet ring-wearing, old Etonian Tory politicians who ride to hounds. Broadly, I’m forced to agree: the very opening of this recording is promisingly imaginative, with the Promenade played tentatively - as if the viewer is intimidated by art galleries (though The Promenade connective tissue convincingly becomes bolder as the performance progresses). The Old Castle is hypnotically, but interminably slow. This works, but Bydlo, the ox cart, sounds as though it’s lost a wheel. Other movements - like Baba Yaga (the Hut on Fowl’s Legs) - are dispatched in such a helter-skelter way that they become virtually meaningless. What should be a magical transition between Baba Yaga and the gravity and grandeur of The Great Gate of Kiev is completely botched and goes for nothing. The work just doesn’t make for a convincing whole. Even worse is Ravel’s La Valse: the sinuous rhythms and sinister glamour are completely absent. Ravel obviously intended it to be not only a mordant farewell to the waltz (where it becomes a dance of death) but to the entire Habsburg Zeitgeist that surrounded it and ended in a climactic cataclysm (Ravel succeeded in the depiction even more spectacularly than Mahler had a decade or two earlier). Buniatishvili plays the entire piece as if describing the Battle of the Somme. Similarly, the three pieces from Stravinsky’s Petrushka, which are thumped out with relentless brutality.
Эта поистине великая женщина-пианист поражает также умом, интеллектом, волей и заражает тем высоким наслаждением, которое испытывает при конгениальном исполнении сама!!!
Una interpretación increíblemente apasionada, es una pianista irreal. Me saco el sombrero mil veces ante su interpretación, gracias Kathia por devolver tanto deseo de vida.
I don´t know about music techniques and terminology. I see and feel passion, energy, beauty, compromise and sensitivity. I only can see a brilliant performance and a full concert hall clapping and cheering. This is enough for me. Thanks Khatia!
+Juan Pablo Valdivia Meyan Yes, they are asleep. Europeans are like that often when some performance of anything is very, very good. This lady has magic fingers and Rach 2PC is probably the most alive piece of music ever written as I see it.
MILANO 06.11.2014 6 novembre 2014 Per la Società del Quartetto si è esibita la pianista georgiana con pagine di Musorgskij, Chopin, Ravel e Stravinskij di Luca Chierici LA PIANISTA GEORGIANA Khatia Buniatishvili, classe 1987, si è esibita l’altro ieri sera per la Società del Quartetto e per la prima volta a Milano in un recital tutto suo, dedicato a pagine di Musorgskij, Chopin, Ravel e Stravinskij. Conoscevamo già il suo approccio alla tastiera grazie all’ascolto di numerosi “live” trasmessi dai satelliti di tutta Europa negli ultimi anni e alla sua partecipazione a una serata scaligera dello scorso anno, quando si era prodotta nel secondo concerto di Rachmaninov con Gianandrea Noseda, senza riscuotere particolari consensi. La Buniatishvili appartiene a quella razza di esecutori che conquistano un posto di spicco nei programmi concertistici (e nella graduatoria dei cachet) senza avere mai vinto un primo premio nei concorsi più prestigiosi o senza mai essere passata al vaglio di un esame critico almeno in base a una consistente produzione discografica. L’ascolto in sala avrebbe dunque dovuto chiarire quale fosse la vera natura di una solista che si presentava al pubblico milanese attraverso un programma di notevole difficoltà quanto piuttosto generico nell’impaginazione. Il pubblico, che non affollava certo la sala anche a causa di un nubifragio occorso giusto nel momento in cui ci si preparava a uscire di casa e ad affrontare il traffico cittadino per raggiungere il Conservatorio, ha tributato convinti applausi alla Buniatishvili al termine di ogni pezzo in programma, complice anche la particolare avvenenza della pianista, che sa vendere molto bene la propria immagine, come del resto fanno molti personaggi del mondo musicale odierno. Giudicata secondo gli standard, ossia in base alle qualità che un artista dovrebbe dimostrare di possedere partendo da una lettura corretta del testo, la Buniatishivili è assai deludente. Anzi, induce a pensare che la maggior parte del pubblico non abbia proprio idea di quali siano le garanzie minime che un esecutore deve essere in grado di assicurare una volta che si presenti in sala. Ciò che più disturba nella Buniatishvili è l’assoluto disprezzo per il segno, che viene stravolto solamente per soddisfare un proprio inspiegabile narcisismo e per coprire le proprie incapacità o la mancanza di studio adeguato. La Buniatishvili sembra non conoscere cosa sia il tactus, quali siano le richieste del compositore in termini di dinamica, di colore, di fraseggio e soprattutto si pone nei confronti dello spartito con un atteggiamento arrogante che la autorizza a praticare forti sconti sulla resa di quanto indicato sulla pagina e ad immergere ogni suono in un fastidioso alone di pedale. I Quadri di Musorgskij erano da questo punto di vista emblematici, con un inizio sottovoce, come se la Passeggiata fosse condotta in uno stato di sonnambulismo; uno Gnomus irriconoscibile, confuso, ritmicamente traballante; un Castello per il quale valeva quella famosa definizione coniata da un critico poco entusiasta e citata da Dallapiccola, secondo la quale il medesimo maniero… «non trovava acquirenti». Tutta la parte finale, da Baba Jaga alla trionfale conclusione era suonata con una approssimazione tale e con uno stravolgimento del senso musicale mai uditi prima d’ora. Gli stessi eccessi e le stesse perdite di controllo si notavano anche nel secondo scherzo di Chopin, nella versione per pianoforte solo de La valse di Ravel e soprattutto nello stravinskiano Petruška. Forse il pubblico odierno non sa quante vecchie e nuove generazioni di pianisti abbiano dedicato ore, giorni, mesi, anni a queste pagine, allo scopo di restituirne il messaggio attraverso esecuzioni rispettose del testo e di ciò che esso richiede in termini di analisi, di studio, di fatica. Il pianismo appariscente quanto poco preciso della Buniatishvili, non ci interessa punto, non fa avanzare di un centimetro la conoscenza della musica classica e non rispetta il lavoro e la dedizione di tanti colleghi che si dedicano seriamente, forse oggi troppo seriamente e ingenuamente, all’Arte.
Así es. Hay mucha gente por aquí que se pasa la vida (triste vida esa...) criticando, no dejándose llevar por las cosas bonitas, como este concienrto con esta gran pianista, que tiene la vida.
Stravinsky called Rachmaninoff 'an awesome man', and in the hands of a really exceptional artist, even a work as familiar and popular as Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto can disclose new wonders. this woman is a wonder
KHATIA ! Il faut aussi exprimer toute notre admiration pour la direction d'orchestre et les musiciens. Ils ont réalisé un chef d'oeuvre. C'est comme un avant-goût du Ciel ! un Magnificat exceptionnel. Quel bonheur !
thank you Khatia for bringing us such excellence, Rachmaninov and you lift the soul so much. This is my favorite performance of this lovely concerto. You have "it" all, a true shining star of mankind.
This is truly my girl crush. My mother and father both were able to play the piano, it is my favorite musical instrument. I took lessons but was unable to catch on, to my mother's dismay. She wanted me to master it so desperately, that is why I love this video so much, her passion and talent is overwhelming. You can feel ever key caressing your psyche ( I guess I spelled that correctly ). It amazes me how blessed and gifted some people are. God Bless
We are so very blessed to be living in a time such as this. Let's not forget that TH-cam makes this possible and I am so very appreciative to TH-cam. I'm grateful to Khatia's Mother for gifting the world with this lovely woman and to Michael Sogny for his gift of teaching the world's pianist. Most of all, I'm so proud of this lovely lady and her devotion to music. Thanks, Khatia !
I have a "long-play" very old with the Concerto # 2 of Rachmaninov performed by a Mexican pianist named Jesus Maria Samora, fabulous. Katia Buniatishvili managed to innovate and give a very special interpretation, magnificent. Rachmaninov's happy.
I feel sorry for the people that think they know too much, and can´t seat an enjoy a superb artist, because they are looking for mistakes in everything...I hope they are not as harsh with they´re own lives as they are with their comments about the greatness of Khatia...
i've recently become obsessed with this piano concerto and have been listening to various performances of it. Khatia as a performer is so very compelling that i could not stop watching the performance - and i mean it in the way that i was unable to take my eyes off her. i felt myself get lost in how much passion and love and subtlety and absolute artistry she put into this performance. there's something so intimate in the way she presented this piece, and i found myself in utter tears by the end of it. the last piece she played took my breath away.
Same here. This was a super performance but as always, my complaint is not enough time spent with camera on piano instead of wandering elsewhere. I am awed by those who can to this and want to see!
I have three recordings of it Van Cliburn, Vladamir Ashkenazi, and a third I can't find. All beautiful in their own right. Van Cliburn from the sixties.
Takes my breath away and brings tears from the depth of my soul. Khatia causes me to root for her as she plays and I feel her exhilaration. She brings forth a beautiful array of emotions that are shared by the orchestra members, the conductor and the audience. Magnificent!
I have watched this performance many times and every time I am left speechless. How can such sensuality, magnificence, brilliance and ease be combined with such genius? I feel like I've just been taken on a tour of the solar system. But PLEASE REMOVE THE IN-VIDEO ADS! THEY ARE THE MOST CRASS AND BRUTAL INTERRUPTION TO THE EXPERIENCE OF THIS VIDEO THAT HAS SOMETIMES SAVED MY SOUL FOR THE DAY. thank you!!!
I fall in love every time I hear Rach 2. The second movement is raw emotion. I love the piece and I love the way Khatia plays it. She is so into it... at 5:23 she looks at the orchestra as if to confirm that they are having as much fun as she. I love this!!!!
This artist makes me stop and shut out the rest of the world. She has such talent! I hope to hear her playing for many years to come. She is a real game changer. Thank you for infusing beauty back into the world.
Khatia what a huge privilege to be able to witness you perform! Had I been in that audience, I would have jumped up, and (hopefully) got everybody else to do so also. This deserves a standing ovation. Your encore piece made me cry...
If I were asked, which person in the world, which you consider one of the most talented and giving without insisting that you praise them for their work to blend all humanity through music, would you most like to meet, it would be Khatia unquestionably. Just watching how her fingers flow over the keys, seemingly effortlessly, and without the great jumps and leaps of other pianist. Her fingers practically become part of the keys and her speed is incredible and her presence overwhelming.
I have listened and never left a comment on Katia's performances. She is a brilliant pianist and her soul is through her fingertips. An inside and outside beauty and who could jealous of that?😘❤️✨️Plus years of training, how can anyone compare that to all other talented pianists? Enjoy all, is what I do.
Khatia is an incredible talent and she is such a gift to all those that are fortunate to hear her play. This woman is not timid at all, is aggressive with the piano and has total control of the piano and the music she is playing. When she is playing, I feel it comes from her heart, from her soul and every fiber of her body. She is playing wonderful music that we are all familiar with, but listen, watch her perform and the music sounds different and such a pleasure to witness it. She can play difficult cords at a speed that very few can match and most has to slow down. Khatia Buniatishvili is a world class pianist and can play anywhere in the world that she would choose. Fortunate for us, she will only get better. This is a very beautiful woman and I am sure she is intimidating to other women as I have heard comments. I am in love with her and her exceptional talent and she has improved my life.
I am a het cis woman, and I agree with you 100%! We are so fortunate to be living in the same time as this brilliant musician/ force of nature. Respect to her mother for nurturing both of her girls' musical gifts.
The way the pianist approacht the opening chords gave me the goosebumps. She understood what they were, down to her toes, and I am thankful for that, because most performers do not quite get it.
she is remarkable passionate and sensitive.. and courageous to be all of that and a woman.. its sad that she is criticised.. brava khatia i love your music .. dont stop
I've been a musician since I was 8. I'm 61 now and to hell with those critics that would rather hear themselves drone on than say anything useful. Sure Khatia is beautiful, but then so is the Steinway and its no less superb because of it. Would you rather they haul out grandmas upright from the farm? Khatia's passion, feel and superb talent are what counts in this art. Rarely have I heard a classical pianist express what they truly feel in dynamics from fff to ppp delicacy. If she doesn't convey that to you, I feel pity? BTW: I love the little Handel Menuet in G Minor number at the end.
I as a child heard the master Arthur Rubenstein play this amazing concerto. Khatia my favorite modern performer would have made Rachmaninoff proud. She is beautiful and plays to match.
I have heard this concerto in every version and pianist that have recorded it and even not recorded one. She is fantastically the best she make it alive and powerfully beautiful. The conductor gave its heart and the orchestra performed at their highest but she shined tremendously. The conductor knew that it was going to be a tough concert and make her the star. Bravo!
I had the great pleasure of sitting in the front row center seat to watch and listen to Khatia Buniatishvili play a concert at Koerner Hall in Toronto in December 2017. My wife and I sat amongst a number of elderly (we are both in our 60's) people who obviously were familiar enough with each other that, after the performance, they asked each other what they thought of the performance. One old curmudgeon, derisively remarked that he had to attend the concert even though he'd rather be somewhere else. I was shocked and dismayed at what he said. I'm not a musician, nor am I an expert regarding classical music, but I was in awe of her performance and captivated by her touch on the piano which made it come alive like I've never heard before in my life. Fortunately, all of the other people shrugged the critic off with both gestures and their own commentary which matched my thoughts that I had just witnessed greatness. It reminded me of the fact that no matter how great one is, they will always have critics. Khatia, if you are reading this, you were great!
Every time I hear Khatia, I hear something fresh and very appealing. It's hard to make Tchaikovsky 1 and Rachmaninov 2 sound new but she manages it. Anyone who hasn't heard her play the Tchaikovsky should seek it out here on TH-cam. The way she turns an elegant phrase, her freshness and originality of approach are there for all to see. It's as if she's never listened to either piece played by any other pianist and doesn't fall into the cliches of performance. She is an outstanding talent and such a prospect for the future. I adore the woman...!
What I find really interesting is how in the 1st mov she holds the damper pedal down quite a bit through changes in harmony that normally would create a mess of blurred sound yet somehow really works to enhance the drama. The sign of a true artist..pulling off the impossible. Notice how her upper torso glistens with sweat @ 10:21 If that isn't enough to make a guy pant through this emotionally-charged music then they're dead.
Just your last phrase corresponds to the truth more exhaustively! The woman it is really extremely attractive. But not as pianist: in playing there isn't enough thought, and feelings and emotions - are affected. In this performance there is no "the Russian soul" and "the infinite phrase" of Rachmaninov which is so well felt and reported by the Russian pianists. It is a pity that matchless 2y the Concert turned into some jabber, similar to the etude...)
WHAT'S SO DIFFERENT ABOUT HER IS SHE IS A STAR. HER PRESENTATION. HER MUSIC AS GOOD AS ANYONE'S BUT SHE WILL BE THE MOST FAMOUS AS SHE HAS THE PRESENCE. HER MOVES, GESTURES, LOOKS, BODY LANGUAGE, APPEARANCE, ....SHE IS PROMOTING HERSELF THAT WAY AND IT ALL SAYS "THIS IS A STAR."
![Yuja Wang: Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor Op. 18 [HD]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/NsqXCO0ADwM/mqdefault.jpg)
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 62 | คู่เอก "มงคลแก้ว vs อีที"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/q7QuSUtUN94/mqdefault.jpg)
It's not a pianist and a piano when Khatia plays. The two become ONE and together they make incredible music with feel and incredible power done with grace!!!! Khatia is brilliant and passionate! My goodness she is outstanding!!! Could watch her play for hours!!!
I do!!!
I've been playing piano, classically trained, for almost 50 years. I believe I have earned the right to have an opinion as to the "greatness" of a pianist. Khatia is an incredibly gifted and passionate pianist whose interpretation of Rach 2 is refreshing. People who criticize either do not truly know or understand music from the perspective of the pianist or they are just cruel and jealous of the talent others possess.
Many people may think people are merely born with a gift. Yes it's true there MUST be a certain amount of raw, natural talent involved - this is obvious - but what people don't see are the thousands and thousands of hours one practices to achieve greatness. It's a discipline most are never willing or capable of achieving. So a word to "critics"....once you are honestly able to say you spent your childhood, teen years, and many adult years hovering over a keyboard of other musical instrument, playing until your hands hurt, wanting to stop yet can't stop because the passion that compels you to play exceeds any physical pain or social price you pay for missing out on many things..hen you can have a platform and a right to criticize a true musician.
Until then, you need to be very careful. When one lays their hands on a musical instrument to play in front of others- they are actually laying their soul bare to show the world. It's a vulnerability few can ever understand and certainly something small minded people can not respect.
Thank you for your explained opinion. Hope Georges Cancan and likes read it and think well about their real motives
She is brillant : no argument about that: IMHO that the tempo is WAY TOO fast and that Sviatoslav Richter's interpretation is the best ever!
Speed is almost always a poetic necessity! You can never fault Khatia for that, unless having the technique of being able to play it is something she shouldn't have! There is a tiger in Khatia and it is something that is necessary to have to become a great pianist. Without it you are simply living to pacify everyone. Surely you can see the sense ! I am particularly amazed with how she plays La Campanela of Liszt. Both her and Valentina Lisitsa have the technique to play it with a blistering speed.
You are so right and express very well in words what is going on here. Musicians like this are like athletes in their discipline, dedication, and passion. The results such as this performance speak for itself.
Do you have any videos of Piano performances you might have done in the past?
Khatia gently walks out to the piano in a stunningly gorgeous dress. But that's just the beginning. She begins to play and you realize this is an otherworldly experience. It's surreal. At the conclusion, you're left saying, "WOW! What just happened?" Khatia, much gratitude to you for these incredible performances!!!
there are some spaces which could be improved. i would reccommend slower tempo in some parts of this rach2
@@peterectasy2957 qkkkdkfnfnfnflfkfkfkfkx. aauq6w7r7grt4373738391mgkgkgkgkfqasqqq
@@peterectasy2957these arent improvements, but preferences.
Rarely does it all come together like this. Fabulous orchestra, technical brilliance of the pianist not hiding her emotional immersion into the music, and the looming ghostly presence
of that incredible genius, Sergei Rachmaninov. I've listened to this piece 100's of times over my 77 years, videos, recordings and in concert. As long as the human race can see and hear, this magnificient beauty will never die.
❤🌹
😢😢
😅😅
Right in the middle of the corona crisis which has made the world come to a stand still, Kathia Buniatishvili takes you into musical heaven and makes you forget the world outside. The way she is playing this Rachmaninov is of a beauty beyond imagination...
Lol she's trash, try Richter
@@geert574 Bro chill out
Geert Matthys tf lmao
richter is my favorite performer of rach 2 but you just cant call khatia « trash »
Totally agreed with you!👍❤🌹
April of 2015. Not a corona-performance. and even no trash.
Khatia is a world treasure. She embodies passion, tenderness, joy, and pain. Her performances leave me speechless. This performance epitomizes the words, “life is struggle.” And follows with, “so, embrace the struggle.” Real beauty and happiness are found there.
she plays on -- with a broken fingernail on her left hand
Very true. She is a treasure.
I went to her concert in Kansas MO and it fulfilled my dreams. The performance was, course impeccable, an I got to meet her afterwards. She was, beautiful, and when I asked her for a selfy, she took my hand, held it to her face, and said of course. I told her she had made an old man happy. She smiled and held my hand closer to her face. Such talent and class. That was my brief encounter with this gifted beauty.
What a privilege 👏
Do you recall the piece that she played??
So sweet. What a lovely memory to cherish.
Generosity of soul and spirit from her. That says a lot.
Kivèteles tehetsèg, ès kedves, èrző lèlek. Valòban, igazi kincs
I can listen to Khatia Buniatshvili non-stop. Her interpretation and technique is second to none. We are blessed to have pianists of her calibre. Simply beautiful.
I am in tears... Rachmaninov's 2nd is one of the most emotional pieces ever written... and it is performed so magnificently and with so much passion!.. I am glad that in this world, humans like Khatia exist... And don't forget that she is very intelligent, a patriot, and drop-dead gorgeous!..
"Drop-dead gorgeous " seems almost an understatement
Her sister Gvantsa is Gvorgeous, Khatia is Khurvaceous, together they are Beautishviliful!
4 languages with virtual mother tongue fluency.
Uffff Srab en sus manos transforma el piano en algo sublime
Heavenly and I deeply emotional.
I don't care who you are - if this first movement doesn't move something behind your rib cage - YOU'RE A ROCK... I've listened to Rachmaninoff's own performance of his/this piano concerto - all three movements, being played in person at the turn of the last century (20th). I'm absolutely certain if he could rise from his grave he would, I believe, be in awe of how Khatia plays one of the most difficult pieces ever written for piano AND, I'm sure, congratulate one so adept. Others have played this piece and performed admirably - "I believe Martha Argarich" wouldn't attempt it ?
Although I do believe Khatia plays with such perfect fluidity, such poetry, and passion that - if you can for just a moment set aside her alluring physical beauty, this piece is other worldly and I feel exists in the outer courts of heaven. I listen to this (1) Rachmaninoff performance frequently, the orchestras masterful interpretation and I don't (watch), as it's too distracting. What an inexpressible joy to hear this piece played over & over again...
Yes, true indeed.
I couldn’t add or expand on your comment only applaud your thoughts. There has been no one like her, thank goodness we live in this time and age where she is at our fingertips in our homes at the “ push of a button “. My father loved Rachmaninov, if he were alive today, he would be in Heaven 🎶🎶🎹🎹😇.
It just can't get better than this performance. It brought me to tears. Khatia is fabulous!
The focus of the comments is of course directed toward Khatia and the composition. I did a word search for the conductor Gianandrea Noseda and found only 2 comments out of 2,219; his performance has been sadly overlooked. I feel Noseda did a masterful job. The Rach 2 is, as are all the Rach piano concertos, a composition of extreme dynamics and passions, and, as such in need of a conductor who can manifest those energies up and down the spectrum in the performance. Noseda did just that in a manner which I have never seen before. Masterful work sir.
This is a performance that makes you forget about every other piano concerto in history! This is Rachmaninoff at his most focused, melodically/ thematically and emotionally, and this is the pianist born to deliver his vision. I am in tears.
Alexander Boot
Writer, critic, polemicist
Sex sells - all of us short
The other day I listened to something or other on TH-cam, and a link to Chopin’s Fourth Ballade performed by the Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili came up.
The link was accompanied by a close-up publicity photo of the musician: sloe bedroom eyes, sensual semi-open lips suggesting a delight that’s still illegal in Alabama, naked shoulders hinting at the similarly nude rest of her body regrettably out of shot…
Let me see where my wife is… Good, she isn’t looking over my shoulder, so I can admit to you that the picture got me excited in ways one doesn’t normally associate with Chopin’s Fourth Ballade or for that matter any other classical composition this side of Wagner or perhaps Ravel’s Bolero.
Searching for a more traditional musical rapture I clicked on the actual clip and alas found it anticlimactic, as it were. Khatia’s playing, though competent, is as undeniably so-what as her voluptuous figure undeniably isn’t. (Yes, I know the photograph I mentioned doesn’t show much of her figure apart from the luscious shoulders but, the prurient side of my nature piqued, I did a bit of a web crawl.)
Just for the hell of it I looked at the publicity shots of other currently active female musicians, such as Yuja Wang, Joanna MacGregor, Nicola Bendetti, Alison Balsom (nicknamed ‘crumpet with a trumpet’, her promos more often suggest ‘a strumpet with a trumpet’ instead), Anne-Sophie Mutter and a few others.
They didn’t disappoint the Peeping Tom lurking under my aging surface. Just about all the photographs showed the ladies in various stages of undress, in bed, lying in suggestive poses on top of the piano, playing in frocks (if any) open to the coccyx in the back and/or to the navel up front.
This is one thing these musicians have in common. The other is that none of them is all that good at her day job and some, such as Wang, are truly awful. Yet this doesn’t really matter either to them or to the public or, most important, to those who form the public tastes by writing about music and musicians.
Thus, for example, a tabloid pundit expressing his heartfelt regret that Nicola Benedetti “won’t be posing for the lads’ mags anytime soon. Pity, because she looks fit as a fiddle…” Geddit? She’s a violinist, which is to say fiddler - well, you do get it.
“But Nicola doesn’t always take the bonniest photo,” continues the writer, “she’s beaky in pics sometimes, which is weird because in the flesh she’s an absolute knock-out.
“The classical musician is wearing skinny jeans which show off her long legs. She’s also busty with a washboard flat tummy, tottering around 5ft 10in in her Dune platform wedges.”
How well does she play the violin though? No one cares. Not even critics writing for our broadsheets, who don’t mind talking about musicians in terms normally reserved for pole dancers. Thus for instance runs a review of a piano recital at Queen Elizabeth Hall, one of London’s top concert venues:
“She is the most photogenic of players: young, pretty, bare-footed; and, with her long dark hair and exquisite strapless dress of dazzling white, not only seemed to imply that sexuality itself can make you a profound musician, but was a perfect visual complement to the sleek monochrome of a concert grand… [but] there’s more to her than meets the eye.”
The male reader is clearly expected to get a stiffie trying to imagine what that might be. To help his imagination along, the piece is accompanied by a photo of the young lady in question reclining on her instrument in a pre-coital position with an unmistakable ‘come and get it’ expression on her face. The ‘monochrome’ piano is actually bright-red, a colour usually found not in concert halls but in dens of iniquity.
Nowhere does the review mention the fact obvious to anyone with any taste for musical performance: the girl is so bad that she should indeed be playing in a brothel, rather than on the concert platform.
Can you, in the wildest flight of fancy, imagine a reviewer talking in such terms about sublime women artists of the past, such as Myra Hess, Maria Yudina, Maria Grinberg, Clara Haskil, Marcelle Meyer, Marguerite Long, Kathleen Ferrier? Can you see any of them allowing themselves to be photographed in the style of “lads’ mags”?
I can’t, which raises the inevitable question: what exactly has changed in the last say 70 years? The short answer is, just about everything. Concert organisers and impresarios, who used to be in the business because they loved music first and wanted to make a living second, now care about nothing but money. Critics, who used to have discernment and taste, now have nothing but greed and lust for popularity. The public… well, don’t get me started on that. The circle is vicious: because tasteless ignoramuses use every available medium to build up musical nonentities, nonentities is all we get. And because the musical nonentities have no artistic qualities to write about, the writing nonentities have to concentrate on the more jutting attractions, using a vocabulary typically found in “lads’ mags”. The adage “sex sells” used to be applied first to B-movies, then to B-novels, and now to real music. From “sex sells” it’s but a short distance to “only sex sells”. This distance has already been travelled - and we are all being sold short.
As am I.
Lucky you!!
well spoken
The internet is a very, very - very strange place... This young lady is a gifted pianist and a beautiful woman. There is certainly nothing mediocre here. Brava, Khatia!
+Gentry Music The internet is a checkpoint for swarming demons - it draws jerks and negativity like excrement draws flies.
jerks like you? there are two kind of... well haha.
Gentry Music They are just jealous. She is beautiful talented and gifted
Too beautifull, thats why, some people are not ready receive such beauty, so they deny it by finding faults
Is it strange to say I have an irresistible urge to bite that bloody broken fingernail off her index finger at 8:24?
The dresses, the hair, the body movement, the gestures - these "extraneous" things are all about sensuousness and they complement her sensuous, luscious interpretation of the music. The way she tilts her head back, sways her neck, writhes her upper body backward and forward and side to side, her facial expressions; it is suggestive of the ecstasy of a lover's embrace.
From what I have seen of her concerts (only on youtube, unfortunately!) she plays mainly the romantic composers; I expect it is no coincidence that their music is also very luscious and sensous.
Some pianists aim to create their art solely through the sound their instrument makes, virtually excising the physical from the performance, except to the extent strictly necessary to produce the sound required, as if physicality might distract from the art.
It seems to me that these "extraneous" things people focus on in Khatia's performance are not intended as a distraction from the performance: they are as much a part of her art as the sound coming out of the piano. Her interpretation of the music involves, for her, putting all of her physical self into the performance in order to enhance her artistic expression.
Perfect! '… the glow of her skin', I would add. Just that.
Stuttgarter Nachrichten Khatia Buniatishvili in der Liederhalle
Die Femme fatale der Klassik in Stuttgart
Von Ulrich Köppen 29. Februar 2016 - 11:00 Uhr
Khatia Buniatishvili spielt im Mozartsaal der Liederhalle in Stuttgart die Rolle der Femme fatale. Bei dem Klavierabend wollen ihre Finger aber manchmal schneller als sie können. ........
Auf Effekte sind auch die Konzertauftritte von Khatia Buniatishvili angelegt. Allerdings: nur auf Effekte. Sie schreitet eindrucksvoll wie eine Hollywood-Diva aufs Podium - die berühmte Treppe fehlt. Ihr knallrotes, hautenges Kleid umspielt raffiniert die Füße. Bereits jetzt ist der Kontrast zum schwarzen Flügel maximal.
Die Georgierin wird als Popstar gefeiert
Geheimnisvoll verdeckt ihr schwarzes Haar das Gesicht. Schade. ... Ihre Fans feierten sie enthusiastisch mit Handyfotos und Blumensträußen. Fraglos ist die Georgierin ein Popstar.
Aber irgendetwas muss sie missverstanden haben. Egal, was sie unter die behänden Finger nimmt, die manchmal schneller wollen, als sie können. Ihre Effekte beschränken sich überwiegend auf zwei musikalische Aggregatzustände. Der eine zäh und zerdehnt bei langsamen Stellen, Zuckerwatte-weich-süß deren Klangüberzug. Der andere hektisch bei schnellen Passagen, brutal dröhnend und ertränkt in der klebrigen Tonsoße eines übertriebenen Dauergebrauchs des rechten Pedals. Wo ist ihre frühere Kunst einer oszillierenden Farbpalette geblieben? Musikalische Missverständnisse, mangelhafte Marketingberatung, um einen Typ der Femme fatale der Klassik zu kreieren? Gewiss: Karajans Interpretationen haben immer mehr nach Karajan als nach Beethoven geklungen und Gould mehr nach Gould als nach Bach.
Manchmal blitzt subtile Klangpoesie auf
Natürlich darf es bei Mussorgsky krachen, darf einem bei Liszts Tempi Hören und Sehen vergehen und darf es bei Strawinsky unerbittlich hämmern. Und Beethoven, der im Konzert Flügel zertrümmerte, war sicher der erste Rocker der Musikgeschichte. Und Buniatishvili? Sie schlachtet die Kompositionen aus, entnimmt ein paar Bruchstücke und presst sie in ein Musikkorsett, das keinesfalls hoch expressive Gestalt zur Folge hat, sondern auf Dauer langweilt, da es kaum echte Abwechslungen oder Überraschungen enthält. Nur manchmal blitzt ihre subtile Klangpoesie auf, lässt sie eine Melodie berückend aufblühen und ergeben Kontraste einen Schockeffekt, der musikästhetisch nachvollziehbar wird. Zugaben von Debussy, Händel und Prokofjew.
Ich werde mich ein wenig gönnen, insgesamt das richtige Urteil Stuttgarter Nachrichten und Ulricha Keppena zu ergänzen...
Nur vereinigen sich bei mir (aus irgendeinem Grunde) die majestätischen Ausgänge Kchatii durchaus nicht mit den Hollywoodfilmfestivals und der roten Bahn, und es ist mit teuerer öffentlicher Diva (wie in Russland jetzt es nennen, "der Mätresse") - die legalisierte Form der Prostitution einfach...
Und ist unbedeutend, vor wem Kchatija prostitutiert - vor dem gewissen anonymen Sponsor oder vor dem ehrbarsten Publikum, das Ergebnis ein: sehr viel sind genügend äußerliche Effekte (auf Grund vom wirkungsvollen Äußeren und der herbeirufenden Sexualität) bei der fast vollen Abwesenheit der durchdachten Konzeption der Erfüllung nicht immer mächtig пианистической die "Basis" für solche Komponisten, wie Rachmaninow... Auf Grig und auf Schopin des Potentials Kchatii noch reichte nachlässig aus. Aber es ist - NICHT Rachmaninow - EINSTELLIG!
Aussie Bloke, Thanks for an intelligent response in the midst of a lot of idiocy. You summed it up very eloquently, that Khatia's physical attributes are an integral part of her performances, used to enhance the erotic energy inherent in the 19th century romantic repertoire she plays. Those who are offended by this are saying more about their own sexually repressed character disorder than anything intelligent about ;the performances.
@@mariodisarli1022 My! You most certainly like the ‘sound’ of your own voice and views…….
Thanks to my mom and dad for playing this music in our house when I was a boy. Thanks to Khatia for keeping this music alive!
😂❤❤❤❤❤😂😂😮😮😮😊😊😊
She is one of the indisputable Glories of our Age and we are lucky to have her.
IF ONLY THE WORLD COULD STOP AND LISTEN TO SUCH GREAT MUSIC
realmente o mundo seria outro Sr.Bob!!!!
I did! :)
Yes the music, but not the music making...she needs to mature...this is sloppy, undisciplined, willful pianism by someone who should, know better.
Bob Nicholson thanks, indeed if we, the world's people could just sit together for a moment and appreciate what magic is available to us in this Universe. Billy
@@IMAWriterRobJ Times achanging maybe too fast.
One of the most beautiful things I’ve seen and heard, tears in my eyes !!!
10 minute standing ovation....wow....and she deserves every clap 👏
I always enjoy listening to and watching Khatia. In my mind, she's one of the great pianists of our time. I've never heard her play in a way that isn't riveting, gripping, and moving. She really is the perfect fusion between sound and feeling. As soon as the pandemic is over, and i feel comfortable going out again, Khatia is one the first pianists I want to hear live again - I actually don't care what it costs.
It is difficult to speak about this concerto N°2 for piano and orchestra fromS. Rachmaninoff. It is a concerto I have listened to all my life. Khatia is like a diamond shining and she plays the concerto in way, that my soul sings it with her, because it is with me. Thank you Khatia.
wonderful words….
Yes yes yes. Can not stop listening.
Derek Sprezak She is a great big Diamond.
É verdade Elisabeth!
Não há o que dizer , apenas ouvir, ver e rever a emoção que provoca em todos nós , o talento e a sensualidade da Khatia Buniatishvili, nesta maravilhosa obra de Serguei Rachmaninoff.
Também, o sentimento e a energia , do Maestro e a sonoridade que nos traz a Orquestra!
Very beautiful comments.
You didn't just give me a concerto, you have given me a whole universe of music. I've found more subtle meanings that I could never feel and receive from all of the other pianists. It seems that every piano concerto you've performed inevitably transformed and transcended into another horizon, a grand and bold new world.
Alexander Boot
Writer, critic, polemicist
Sex sells - all of us short
The other day I listened to something or other on TH-cam, and a link to Chopin’s Fourth Ballade performed by the Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili came up.
The link was accompanied by a close-up publicity photo of the musician: sloe bedroom eyes, sensual semi-open lips suggesting a delight that’s still illegal in Alabama, naked shoulders hinting at the similarly nude rest of her body regrettably out of shot…
Let me see where my wife is… Good, she isn’t looking over my shoulder, so I can admit to you that the picture got me excited in ways one doesn’t normally associate with Chopin’s Fourth Ballade or for that matter any other classical composition this side of Wagner or perhaps Ravel’s Bolero.
Searching for a more traditional musical rapture I clicked on the actual clip and alas found it anticlimactic, as it were. Khatia’s playing, though competent, is as undeniably so-what as her voluptuous figure undeniably isn’t. (Yes, I know the photograph I mentioned doesn’t show much of her figure apart from the luscious shoulders but, the prurient side of my nature piqued, I did a bit of a web crawl.)
Just for the hell of it I looked at the publicity shots of other currently active female musicians, such as Yuja Wang, Joanna MacGregor, Nicola Bendetti, Alison Balsom (nicknamed ‘crumpet with a trumpet’, her promos more often suggest ‘a strumpet with a trumpet’ instead), Anne-Sophie Mutter and a few others.
They didn’t disappoint the Peeping Tom lurking under my aging surface. Just about all the photographs showed the ladies in various stages of undress, in bed, lying in suggestive poses on top of the piano, playing in frocks (if any) open to the coccyx in the back and/or to the navel up front.
This is one thing these musicians have in common. The other is that none of them is all that good at her day job and some, such as Wang, are truly awful. Yet this doesn’t really matter either to them or to the public or, most important, to those who form the public tastes by writing about music and musicians.
Thus, for example, a tabloid pundit expressing his heartfelt regret that Nicola Benedetti “won’t be posing for the lads’ mags anytime soon. Pity, because she looks fit as a fiddle…” Geddit? She’s a violinist, which is to say fiddler - well, you do get it.
“But Nicola doesn’t always take the bonniest photo,” continues the writer, “she’s beaky in pics sometimes, which is weird because in the flesh she’s an absolute knock-out.
“The classical musician is wearing skinny jeans which show off her long legs. She’s also busty with a washboard flat tummy, tottering around 5ft 10in in her Dune platform wedges.”
How well does she play the violin though? No one cares. Not even critics writing for our broadsheets, who don’t mind talking about musicians in terms normally reserved for pole dancers. Thus for instance runs a review of a piano recital at Queen Elizabeth Hall, one of London’s top concert venues:
“She is the most photogenic of players: young, pretty, bare-footed; and, with her long dark hair and exquisite strapless dress of dazzling white, not only seemed to imply that sexuality itself can make you a profound musician, but was a perfect visual complement to the sleek monochrome of a concert grand… [but] there’s more to her than meets the eye.”
The male reader is clearly expected to get a stiffie trying to imagine what that might be. To help his imagination along, the piece is accompanied by a photo of the young lady in question reclining on her instrument in a pre-coital position with an unmistakable ‘come and get it’ expression on her face. The ‘monochrome’ piano is actually bright-red, a colour usually found not in concert halls but in dens of iniquity.
Nowhere does the review mention the fact obvious to anyone with any taste for musical performance: the girl is so bad that she should indeed be playing in a brothel, rather than on the concert platform.
Can you, in the wildest flight of fancy, imagine a reviewer talking in such terms about sublime women artists of the past, such as Myra Hess, Maria Yudina, Maria Grinberg, Clara Haskil, Marcelle Meyer, Marguerite Long, Kathleen Ferrier? Can you see any of them allowing themselves to be photographed in the style of “lads’ mags”?
I can’t, which raises the inevitable question: what exactly has changed in the last say 70 years? The short answer is, just about everything. Concert organisers and impresarios, who used to be in the business because they loved music first and wanted to make a living second, now care about nothing but money. Critics, who used to have discernment and taste, now have nothing but greed and lust for popularity. The public… well, don’t get me started on that. The circle is vicious: because tasteless ignoramuses use every available medium to build up musical nonentities, nonentities is all we get. And because the musical nonentities have no artistic qualities to write about, the writing nonentities have to concentrate on the more jutting attractions, using a vocabulary typically found in “lads’ mags”. The adage “sex sells” used to be applied first to B-movies, then to B-novels, and now to real music. From “sex sells” it’s but a short distance to “only sex sells”. This distance has already been travelled - and we are all being sold short.
"L😮88
So well said...
Of all the pieces I've heard in my life, this one is the most beautiful and moving. And of all the performances of this concerto, none have the sensuality and beauty of this one. None express the feelings the way that this beautiful performance does. I absolutely love how in sync Khatia and the conductor are. They have both captured the essence of this piece . This is the epitome of romance
My life has been music, especially the piano. In my many years of life I have never heard anyone play with such passion and Wonderful understanding of the music as Khatia. She brings my heart soaring and tears to my eyes. So much talent and passion. Bless her for sharing such beauty with us.
Please check out Anna Fedorova playing the same Concerto!
Alexander Boot
Writer, critic, polemicist
Sex sells - all of us short
The other day I listened to something or other on TH-cam, and a link to Chopin’s Fourth Ballade performed by the Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili came up.
The link was accompanied by a close-up publicity photo of the musician: sloe bedroom eyes, sensual semi-open lips suggesting a delight that’s still illegal in Alabama, naked shoulders hinting at the similarly nude rest of her body regrettably out of shot…
Let me see where my wife is… Good, she isn’t looking over my shoulder, so I can admit to you that the picture got me excited in ways one doesn’t normally associate with Chopin’s Fourth Ballade or for that matter any other classical composition this side of Wagner or perhaps Ravel’s Bolero.
Searching for a more traditional musical rapture I clicked on the actual clip and alas found it anticlimactic, as it were. Khatia’s playing, though competent, is as undeniably so-what as her voluptuous figure undeniably isn’t. (Yes, I know the photograph I mentioned doesn’t show much of her figure apart from the luscious shoulders but, the prurient side of my nature piqued, I did a bit of a web crawl.)
Just for the hell of it I looked at the publicity shots of other currently active female musicians, such as Yuja Wang, Joanna MacGregor, Nicola Bendetti, Alison Balsom (nicknamed ‘crumpet with a trumpet’, her promos more often suggest ‘a strumpet with a trumpet’ instead), Anne-Sophie Mutter and a few others.
They didn’t disappoint the Peeping Tom lurking under my aging surface. Just about all the photographs showed the ladies in various stages of undress, in bed, lying in suggestive poses on top of the piano, playing in frocks (if any) open to the coccyx in the back and/or to the navel up front.
This is one thing these musicians have in common. The other is that none of them is all that good at her day job and some, such as Wang, are truly awful. Yet this doesn’t really matter either to them or to the public or, most important, to those who form the public tastes by writing about music and musicians.
Thus, for example, a tabloid pundit expressing his heartfelt regret that Nicola Benedetti “won’t be posing for the lads’ mags anytime soon. Pity, because she looks fit as a fiddle…” Geddit? She’s a violinist, which is to say fiddler - well, you do get it.
“But Nicola doesn’t always take the bonniest photo,” continues the writer, “she’s beaky in pics sometimes, which is weird because in the flesh she’s an absolute knock-out.
“The classical musician is wearing skinny jeans which show off her long legs. She’s also busty with a washboard flat tummy, tottering around 5ft 10in in her Dune platform wedges.”
How well does she play the violin though? No one cares. Not even critics writing for our broadsheets, who don’t mind talking about musicians in terms normally reserved for pole dancers. Thus for instance runs a review of a piano recital at Queen Elizabeth Hall, one of London’s top concert venues:
“She is the most photogenic of players: young, pretty, bare-footed; and, with her long dark hair and exquisite strapless dress of dazzling white, not only seemed to imply that sexuality itself can make you a profound musician, but was a perfect visual complement to the sleek monochrome of a concert grand… [but] there’s more to her than meets the eye.”
The male reader is clearly expected to get a stiffie trying to imagine what that might be. To help his imagination along, the piece is accompanied by a photo of the young lady in question reclining on her instrument in a pre-coital position with an unmistakable ‘come and get it’ expression on her face. The ‘monochrome’ piano is actually bright-red, a colour usually found not in concert halls but in dens of iniquity.
Nowhere does the review mention the fact obvious to anyone with any taste for musical performance: the girl is so bad that she should indeed be playing in a brothel, rather than on the concert platform.
Can you, in the wildest flight of fancy, imagine a reviewer talking in such terms about sublime women artists of the past, such as Myra Hess, Maria Yudina, Maria Grinberg, Clara Haskil, Marcelle Meyer, Marguerite Long, Kathleen Ferrier? Can you see any of them allowing themselves to be photographed in the style of “lads’ mags”?
I can’t, which raises the inevitable question: what exactly has changed in the last say 70 years? The short answer is, just about everything. Concert organisers and impresarios, who used to be in the business because they loved music first and wanted to make a living second, now care about nothing but money. Critics, who used to have discernment and taste, now have nothing but greed and lust for popularity. The public… well, don’t get me started on that. The circle is vicious: because tasteless ignoramuses use every available medium to build up musical nonentities, nonentities is all we get. And because the musical nonentities have no artistic qualities to write about, the writing nonentities have to concentrate on the more jutting attractions, using a vocabulary typically found in “lads’ mags”. The adage “sex sells” used to be applied first to B-movies, then to B-novels, and now to real music. From “sex sells” it’s but a short distance to “only sex sells”. This distance has already been travelled - and we are all being sold short.
Do yourself a favour, and listen to Richter's playing of this. I believe the year was 1959 and the Warsaw was the orchestra. It's widely considered to be THE recording of this concerto. A good set of phones are recommended to hear every nuance in this masterpiece, as Richter undoubtedly plays this perfectly. It can found here on YT. Too bad it's only an audio piece. I would have loved to see him play it.
Although Khatia is talented and technically proficient, her interpretation leaves much to be desired. Rests are missing, tempo is not fluid... in short, she never allowed the piece to open up and take the listener by the heart.
Thank you Khatia.
Your performance is just sublime!
You’re a French citizen since 2017, a gift of yourself to the French people.
I am so proud to have you.
Vous êtes magnifique et votre musique...
Je n’ai pas des mots pour la décrire.
Merci.
Elle est incroyable
Let's not forget the amazing effort of the conductor who did the job so well...
She is probably the best pianist I’ve heard in decades. I love her style she is sensational,beautiful and she feels that piano like nobody else,I can feel it too. Her music comes with a story always from the heart ❤️.
I am born in 1954, i am a Beatles fan... I learnd to Play piano in 5 class, butik i rather listen to beatmusic..therfore i drop out pianolessens.. I love the tunes.. and though i am being older.. this is HEAVEN... to hear,.... Love god music..
Much of the criticism of Khatia is simply silly, especially those who say she doesn't play things exactly they way they were written by the masters. Artists are supposed to interpret the music. Who is to say a great musician can't actually ADD something to the piece? The great composers probably would have loved talented artists interpreting their works in new ways as long as they were respectful of the original. Brava Khatia.
Sean Dudas Right Liszt added to Shubert And Rachmaninoff to Pagininni and Horowitz to Chopin Lyszt-Schubert and many others.
Ur right musicians can interpret the music however they want ON THE PREMISE OF COMPLETENESS AND RESPECT FOR THE COMPOSERS. Being able to play scores as written is the bottom line of a musician, beyond that you can then talk about musicality or whatever
@@steverichardson7971 Dude, you just killed Jazz musicians and Folk musicians, do you feel complete? It seems like being a musician is not about musicality, but playing like a MIDI. Being prescriptivist/elitist/eurocentrist/ is not respecting the composers.
Dan G lol ur just trolling. In this context it’s very clear that I’m talking about classical musicians. Playing like a MIDI is bad, but can’t even hit the right notes and rhythm? Worse. If ur gonna change the music go play jazz, like u said. Cuz classical music is about delivering the composer’s message in a touching way, essentially.
@@dang5874 Point...her brilliant interpretation of everything shes plays is golden and deep
At 87 I am overjoyed that I may see and listen to the Angels like her and perhaps pass by her in heaven. Don Bowling, in California.
Hi California!
ALEXANDER BOOT Author, critic, polemicist Blogs
Hi Dude!
THE TELEGRAPH 05.06.2014 By Ivan Hewett
Comment Tales abound of the heroic pianists of old, who beat
pianos into submission, and broke strings without even raising a
forearm. Young Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili clearly wants to
join that company. True, I didn’t actually see any keys flying or hear
any strings snap. But by the end of the Three Dances from Stravinsky’s
Petrouchka, one or two notes had acquired that worrying out-of-tune rasp
that shows a piano is wilting under the strain. Buniatishvili’s
blistering power went hand-in-hand with an astonishing steely-wristed
technique, which was a boon in the Stravinsky, and in the mad dance of
Ravel’s La Valse, and in Chopin’s B flat minor Scherzo. Under her hands
these pieces took on a crazed, tumultuous quality. At the opposite pole
was the spectral calm of Le Gibet, Ravel’s evocation of a corpse
swinging from a gallows. I’ve never heard this piece played with such a
threadbare sound, and at such a slow pace. In between came three
Intermezzi by Brahms, which were so quiet and thin in sound it seemed as
if they’d died and returned as ghosts. This was all very striking. But
where was the musical sense in it all? When everything is pushed to
extremes, all we’re left with is a series of shocks to the nervous
system, which very soon wear off. I never thought the beginning of
Chopin’s heroic and tragic Scherzo could sound trivial, but
Buniatishvili somehow managed it. The piece began fast and then
accelerated, skidding to a halt at the first cadence with cartoonish
suddenness. Buniatishvili’s problem is that she gets intoxicated by her
own virtuosity, and musical judgment goes out of the window. This isn’t
to say an effect of intoxication isn’t appropriate at times. In fact in
Ravel’s La Valse a sense of encroaching delirium is the essence of the
piece. But we have to feel delirium pushing against a firm underlying
waltz tempo, and in Buniatishvili’s performance that dance pulse barely
registered. It was crazed from the start. All this exaggeration was
sorely disappointing, because here and there moments of real sensitivity
emerged. The delicacy of the very first piece, Ravel’s Ondine, promised
something special. In Brahms’s deeply nostalgic B flat minor Intermezzo
her sound took on a lovely entangled, cobwebby quality, clear and hazy
all at once. But to really savour these little nuances one needs a basic
trust in the performer. That, I’d long since lost.
What Don said! Superb.
Дональд, надеюсь вы в порядке. Мне стало грустно от ваших слов. Живите долго
@@kamran259 th-cam.com/video/kQYW_jqpycM/w-d-xo.html Well said, dear sir! I would like to hear from you, what does a great composer Schubert have to do with this fresh piece of meat swimming in this pool?
Pure romance and grace is the way I describe her performance. She is in a zone, and extension of the piano she is playing. Exquisite!
Tonight nov.2 2021 have gone comparing a dozen performances of Rach 2 . This one satisfies me the most , Khatia , the Orchestra , the sound Recording ( next , comes Yuja Wang's on mrOsomatsu channel ; then K.Zimerman on W.Mello ) . Hence , thanks everyone for the show , excellent ! Super ! Great !
I suggest you see "Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2, Evgeny Kissin HD "
Катя великая, генивльная, уникальная! Достояние всего человечества!
Словами невозможно описать силу ее волшебного исполнения!!!
Браво! Спасибо!
Hey people, some of the comments are way to far over the top. Sure, she's sexy, beautiful, and to me, adorable. But she's all that not because she looks attractive, it's because her fingers and the keys draw you in. I'm 61, dying Army Vet, big rock fan, but when I listen to Rachmaninoff, and knowing Rachmaninoff's story, then I listen to the work in it's perfection, I cry. This Concerto is one of the most difficult to play, and mastered by so few. And when I watch Khatia, Yuga, or Martha hit the keys, it's the finest moments I willl ever know. And by the way, all of these FREE moments we get on TH-cam to hear her, are released by Khatia. She doesn't make a dime so you can find peace and solitude if not for just some brief moments. Sometimes when I listen, I think that when I finally pass on I will find immunity for my past indiscretions.
(P.S., it is said that before this Concerto was composed, Rachmaninoff sold his soul to the devil and this, plus "The Theme" are solid proof. It is also said that perfection of this work be an artist is true absolution for their sins. Really, "no shit")
I adore Khatia's passionate performances... The total indulgence is wonderful to behold.. Thank you, thank you! 👏
This piece is actually mandatory in some degree programs!
It's so interesting hearing Lang Lang's version and then Khatia...it's like listening to a different piece of music. I like the drama of Lang Lang, but he just can't play pianissimo from the soul, it is taught! Khatia plays with her soul, and her pianissimo is truly the most beautiful i've heard apart from Horowitz! I still think the timing of some of the dramatic sequences I have heard played better, but that is just comparing one pianist to another. Khatia is a genius, like any other that can play this piece with credibility. I would love to have heard Argerich play the No 2, because she combines drama and pianissimo beautifully. How lucky are we to have these geniuses, each interpreting slightly differently.
Arguerich n’a pas le génie de Kathia B. Il y a d’autres œuvres sur TH-cam qui sont jouées par les deux et Kathia B EST la musique. La première au monde à n’être pas jouer verticalement mais à ÊTRE le piano
Khatia plays with a softness like no other. You are on a journey with her. If you close your eyes, she is with you. We are fortunate to live in her time.
@@mariannexxxx7710 argerich > khatia
Arguably the most beloved piano concerto of all time, such a spectacular performance!
The way she feels the music is just moving to me. Love how immersed and flowing she is. She almost seems possessed by it 👌
Carly George right 😢
You said it well, and that possession is truly a God given gift. However I believe Khatia had to work to achieve her level of "possession". IE. through so much dedication and commitment! She deserves all the success she can get.
I am from Russia. Every time when I am hearing wondefull Katia I am happy, truely happy. Bravissimo.
I enjoy listening to recordings of great musical pieces but there is nothing better than watching a live performance by a great orchestra, especially if Khatia is performing. She is truly stunning.
Kathia is just unbelievable! I have no idea how often I have watched this fantastic Piano Concerto No.2 from S. Rachmaninov. The music is just most beautyful!
Romanticism will never die for those who were born with it!
Khatia is an elegant and greatly talented performer. The fusion she creates between herself and the piano lifts us at a superior level where there is only her music and us, her passionate listeners, who are caressed by her lovely, perfect music. Khatia is a real classy classical musician. Thank you, Khatia for sharing your musical talent with us! Gabriella
Khatia: even my cat is mesmerized.....along with me......I'm rendered speechless from SA
😊The passion of this interpretation is matched by the perfection of her presentation. In my humble opinion, she is the best pianist performing on earth.
A volcanic goddess of romanticism. Mere words will magnificently fail to describe her+conductor+orchestra’s performance and the deep dreamy brooding genius of Rachmaninoff. Excellent camera work too!
SHE IS THE BEST!!!
Hands down, the most beautiful performance of the Rachmaninov 2nd I have ever heard. Not to be missed. The nuances, tone and color of her performance were magic.
I agree completely and also don't forget the magnificent performance from the orchestra together with a fantastic conductor. It wouldn't have been the same without them. Pure perfection this performance!
No way near Rubinstein’s.
We are so fortunate to be able to see and hear such a fabulous talent. Bravo miss K.
She's a monster at the piano. One of the greatest among the greatest of our generation. Rachmaninoff would have loved to be at this concert and witness this epic rendition. I am so glad to be alive at the same time you are Maestra, because you are indeed legendary Khatia❤
Khatia is simply magnificent - I’m glad to be alive to hear her interpretations.
This absolutely is the most spectacularly romantic performance I believe any of us have yet ever seen, thank you, it is perfect
Besides excellente pianist Khatia is very charismatic, attentive and friendly with the conductor, the orchestra members and the public that honors; She does not act like a Superstar and for that all have almost '' worship '' for it!
Arktos500 not to mention she's gorgeous and talented.
Read what I wrote in russian, David Er...
Arktos500 c’est beau...c’est touchant ...tout l’ amour du monde est là sous vos doigts Khatia et dans ce chant d’😘❤️Amour de Rachmaninov...
LIMELIGHT by Greg Keane on April 29, 2016 (April 29, 2016)
★★☆☆☆
We’ve had “the next Callas”, “the next Sutherland”, “the next Wunderlich”, now, we’re hearing 28-year-old Georgian pianist, Khatia Buniatishvili touted as “the next Argerich”. Not on the strength of this CD, featuring works each of which exists in an orchestral guise (and in which I’d much rather hear all of them)!
The Guardian critic unleashed as much bile on Buniatishvili's Wigmore Hall performance of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition as his feminist colleagues routinely do on signet ring-wearing, old Etonian Tory politicians who ride to hounds. Broadly, I’m forced to agree: the very opening of this recording is promisingly imaginative, with the Promenade played tentatively - as if the viewer is intimidated by art galleries (though The Promenade connective tissue convincingly becomes bolder as the performance progresses). The Old Castle is hypnotically, but interminably slow. This works, but Bydlo, the ox cart, sounds as though it’s lost a wheel. Other movements - like Baba Yaga (the Hut on Fowl’s Legs) - are dispatched in such a helter-skelter way that they become virtually meaningless. What should be a magical transition between Baba Yaga and the gravity and grandeur of The Great Gate of Kiev is completely botched and goes for nothing. The work just doesn’t make for a convincing whole.
Even worse is Ravel’s La Valse: the sinuous rhythms and sinister glamour are completely absent. Ravel obviously intended it to be not only a mordant farewell to the waltz (where it becomes a dance of death) but to the entire Habsburg Zeitgeist that surrounded it and ended in a climactic cataclysm (Ravel succeeded in the depiction even more spectacularly than Mahler had a decade or two earlier). Buniatishvili plays the entire piece as if describing the Battle of the Somme. Similarly, the three pieces from Stravinsky’s Petrushka, which are thumped out with relentless brutality.
I agree completely @Arkos500 with you ! On top of all she is a lovely person !
Эта поистине великая женщина-пианист поражает также умом, интеллектом, волей и заражает тем высоким наслаждением, которое испытывает при конгениальном исполнении сама!!!
Una interpretación increíblemente apasionada, es una pianista irreal. Me saco el sombrero mil veces ante su interpretación, gracias Kathia por devolver tanto deseo de vida.
Besides her superb playing, I love her gestures. She manages to add not only grace, but more character and expression to those by the conductor!
one of the best pianists I´ve ever heard .Besides its profesionalism , her beauty.
Je ne me lasse pas d'écouter ces concertos si bien interprétés par Khatia . Bravo à vous Khatia
Браво!!! Великолепный концерт!! Спасибо...
...there really isnt too much left to describe the magnificence of her performances.....really.....1000 BRAVOS!!!!!
I don´t know about music techniques and terminology. I see and feel passion, energy, beauty, compromise and sensitivity. I only can see a brilliant performance and a full concert hall clapping and cheering. This is enough for me. Thanks Khatia!
+Juan Pablo Valdivia Meyan I agree totaly
+Juan Pablo Valdivia Meyan Couldn't have said it better. Thank you.
+Juan Pablo Valdivia Meyan Yes, they are asleep. Europeans are like that often when some performance of anything is very, very good. This lady has magic fingers and Rach 2PC is probably the most alive piece of music ever written as I see it.
MILANO 06.11.2014 6 novembre 2014 Per la Società del Quartetto si è esibita la pianista georgiana con pagine di Musorgskij, Chopin, Ravel e Stravinskij di Luca Chierici LA PIANISTA GEORGIANA Khatia Buniatishvili, classe 1987, si è esibita l’altro ieri sera per la Società del Quartetto e per la prima volta a Milano in un recital tutto suo, dedicato a pagine di Musorgskij, Chopin, Ravel e Stravinskij. Conoscevamo già il suo approccio alla tastiera grazie all’ascolto di numerosi “live” trasmessi dai satelliti di tutta Europa negli ultimi anni e alla sua partecipazione a una serata scaligera dello scorso anno, quando si era prodotta nel secondo concerto di Rachmaninov con Gianandrea Noseda, senza riscuotere particolari consensi. La Buniatishvili appartiene a quella razza di esecutori che conquistano un posto di spicco nei programmi concertistici (e nella graduatoria dei cachet) senza avere mai vinto un primo premio nei concorsi più prestigiosi o senza mai essere passata al vaglio di un esame critico almeno in base a una consistente produzione discografica. L’ascolto in sala avrebbe dunque dovuto chiarire quale fosse la vera natura di una solista che si presentava al pubblico milanese attraverso un programma di notevole difficoltà quanto piuttosto generico nell’impaginazione. Il pubblico, che non affollava certo la sala anche a causa di un nubifragio occorso giusto nel momento in cui ci si preparava a uscire di casa e ad affrontare il traffico cittadino per raggiungere il Conservatorio, ha tributato convinti applausi alla Buniatishvili al termine di ogni pezzo in programma, complice anche la particolare avvenenza della pianista, che sa vendere molto bene la propria immagine, come del resto fanno molti personaggi del mondo musicale odierno. Giudicata secondo gli standard, ossia in base alle qualità che un artista dovrebbe dimostrare di possedere partendo da una lettura corretta del testo, la Buniatishivili è assai deludente. Anzi, induce a pensare che la maggior parte del pubblico non abbia proprio idea di quali siano le garanzie minime che un esecutore deve essere in grado di assicurare una volta che si presenti in sala. Ciò che più disturba nella Buniatishvili è l’assoluto disprezzo per il segno, che viene stravolto solamente per soddisfare un proprio inspiegabile narcisismo e per coprire le proprie incapacità o la mancanza di studio adeguato. La Buniatishvili sembra non conoscere cosa sia il tactus, quali siano le richieste del compositore in termini di dinamica, di colore, di fraseggio e soprattutto si pone nei confronti dello spartito con un atteggiamento arrogante che la autorizza a praticare forti sconti sulla resa di quanto indicato sulla pagina e ad immergere ogni suono in un fastidioso alone di pedale. I Quadri di Musorgskij erano da questo punto di vista emblematici, con un inizio sottovoce, come se la Passeggiata fosse condotta in uno stato di sonnambulismo; uno Gnomus irriconoscibile, confuso, ritmicamente traballante; un Castello per il quale valeva quella famosa definizione coniata da un critico poco entusiasta e citata da Dallapiccola, secondo la quale il medesimo maniero… «non trovava acquirenti». Tutta la parte finale, da Baba Jaga alla trionfale conclusione era suonata con una approssimazione tale e con uno stravolgimento del senso musicale mai uditi prima d’ora. Gli stessi eccessi e le stesse perdite di controllo si notavano anche nel secondo scherzo di Chopin, nella versione per pianoforte solo de La valse di Ravel e soprattutto nello stravinskiano Petruška. Forse il pubblico odierno non sa quante vecchie e nuove generazioni di pianisti abbiano dedicato ore, giorni, mesi, anni a queste pagine, allo scopo di restituirne il messaggio attraverso esecuzioni rispettose del testo e di ciò che esso richiede in termini di analisi, di studio, di fatica. Il pianismo appariscente quanto poco preciso della Buniatishvili, non ci interessa punto, non fa avanzare di un centimetro la conoscenza della musica classica e non rispetta il lavoro e la dedizione di tanti colleghi che si dedicano seriamente, forse oggi troppo seriamente e ingenuamente, all’Arte.
Así es. Hay mucha gente por aquí que se pasa la vida (triste vida esa...) criticando, no dejándose llevar por las cosas bonitas, como este concienrto con esta gran pianista, que tiene la vida.
Stravinsky called Rachmaninoff 'an awesome man', and in the hands of a really exceptional artist, even a work as familiar and popular as Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto can disclose new wonders. this woman is a wonder
KHATIA ! Il faut aussi exprimer toute notre admiration pour la direction d'orchestre et les musiciens. Ils ont réalisé un chef d'oeuvre. C'est comme un avant-goût du Ciel ! un Magnificat exceptionnel. Quel bonheur !
The magician in her, make the music she plays eternally alive with love and hope.
A blessing!
thank you Khatia for bringing us such excellence, Rachmaninov and you lift the soul so much. This is my favorite performance
of this lovely concerto. You have "it" all, a true shining star of mankind.
This is truly my girl crush. My mother and father both were able to play the piano, it is my favorite musical instrument. I took lessons but was unable to catch on, to my mother's dismay. She wanted me to master it so desperately, that is why I love this video so much, her passion and talent is overwhelming. You can feel ever key caressing your psyche ( I guess I spelled that correctly ). It amazes me how blessed and gifted some people are. God Bless
We are so very blessed to be living in a time such as this. Let's not forget that TH-cam makes this possible and I am so very appreciative to TH-cam. I'm grateful to Khatia's Mother for gifting the world with this lovely woman and to Michael Sogny for his gift of teaching the world's pianist. Most of all, I'm so proud of this lovely lady and her devotion to music. Thanks, Khatia !
Le plus grand concerto de tous les temps absolument Grandiose et si émouvant !!! Buniatishvili Magnifique
I have a "long-play" very old with the Concerto # 2 of Rachmaninov performed by a Mexican pianist named Jesus Maria Samora, fabulous. Katia Buniatishvili managed to innovate and give a very special interpretation, magnificent. Rachmaninov's happy.
EVERYBODY CALM DOWN! Just close your eyes, open your ears and let this heavenly music utterly transcend you.
A rare talent and beauty! Bravo Khatia!
What perfection. Poetry at its finest. Khatia is a master and is one with her instrument.
The most beautiful piece of piano music ever
A pianist who arouses passions of all kinds. No doubt she will be one of the greatest pianists.
She is the music! it is her world, we just get to appreciate it ,,,wow
She already IS!
I think she is one of the greatest now. I've been a musician all my life and I can find no fault in her playing.
❤🌹
I was there in Turin and it was a great experience.
Lucky man !
Oh man... the musicality of her performances gives me chills every time. It's insane what she can do with a piano. Well done Khatia!
Khatia plays like in a trance here. Close your eyes and listen. You will be transported too. To another spiritual and inexplicable World.
khatia my dear we all Georgians proud of you
И мы, в Азербайджане, ее любим и ценим не меньше
Oh sure you may
Add Australians to !!!
Best regards from Norway❤🌹🙌
Of course
I feel sorry for the people that think they know too much, and can´t seat an enjoy a superb artist, because they are looking for mistakes in everything...I hope they are not as harsh with they´re own lives as they are with their comments about the greatness of Khatia...
.... No doubt they are perfect in every respect and never never make a mistake!
👏👏👏👏👏👏
westbender 820 She is the best I know at making me feel the music.
@Max M it seems you feel guilty of being distracted by her look. "oh nooo, women are so privileged, they take my opportunities 😭"
i've recently become obsessed with this piano concerto and have been listening to various performances of it. Khatia as a performer is so very compelling that i could not stop watching the performance - and i mean it in the way that i was unable to take my eyes off her. i felt myself get lost in how much passion and love and subtlety and absolute artistry she put into this performance. there's something so intimate in the way she presented this piece, and i found myself in utter tears by the end of it. the last piece she played took my breath away.
Same here. This was a super performance but as always, my complaint is not enough time spent with camera on piano instead of wandering elsewhere. I am awed by those who can to this and want to see!
I have three recordings of it
Van Cliburn, Vladamir Ashkenazi, and a third I can't find. All beautiful in their own right.
Van Cliburn from the sixties.
Takes my breath away and brings tears from the depth of my soul. Khatia causes me to root for her as she plays and I feel her exhilaration. She brings forth a beautiful array of emotions that are shared by the orchestra members, the conductor and the audience. Magnificent!
Yes, she is incredible. The last piece is Handel's beautiful and almost modern "Menuet in G Minor"
Thank you, for sharing the title of her last piece 😊 it was so beautiful 😊
I have watched this performance many times and every time I am left speechless. How can such sensuality, magnificence, brilliance and ease be combined with such genius? I feel like I've just been taken on a tour of the solar system. But PLEASE REMOVE THE IN-VIDEO ADS! THEY ARE THE MOST CRASS AND BRUTAL INTERRUPTION TO THE EXPERIENCE OF THIS VIDEO THAT HAS SOMETIMES SAVED MY SOUL FOR THE DAY. thank you!!!
Just sign up for TH-cam premium and never see another add!
She is outstanding and is a wonderful talent.
I fall in love every time I hear Rach 2. The second movement is raw emotion. I love the piece and I love the way Khatia plays it. She is so into it... at 5:23 she looks at the orchestra as if to confirm that they are having as much fun as she. I love this!!!!
I also love the smile she gives the conductor at his cue, “Yep, on it !”
I think Khatia Buniatishvili is the most famous pianist of our century and truly the depth of the interpretations are unparalleled.
This artist makes me stop and shut out the rest of the world. She has such talent! I hope to hear her playing for many years to come. She is a real game changer. Thank you for infusing beauty back into the world.
Khatia what a huge privilege to be able to witness you perform! Had I been in that audience, I would have jumped up, and (hopefully) got everybody else to do so also. This deserves a standing ovation. Your encore piece made me cry...
do you know what the name of the encore piece is? thank you
@@stansiegel6925 Yes, it's the Handel Menuet from the Suite in G minor, HWV 439
. My pleasure.
I believe there were five encores, and well-deserved.
Same 😢❤
If I were asked, which person in the world, which you consider one of the most talented and giving without insisting that you praise them for their work to blend all humanity through music, would you most like to meet, it would be Khatia unquestionably. Just watching how her fingers flow over the keys, seemingly effortlessly, and without the great jumps and leaps of other pianist. Her fingers practically become part of the keys and her speed is incredible and her presence overwhelming.
I have listened and never left a comment on Katia's performances.
She is a brilliant pianist and her soul is through her fingertips. An inside and outside beauty and who could jealous of that?😘❤️✨️Plus years of training, how can anyone compare that to all other talented pianists?
Enjoy all, is what I do.
Khatia is an incredible talent and she is such a gift to all those that are fortunate to hear her play. This woman is not timid at all, is aggressive with the piano and has total control of the piano and the music she is playing. When she is playing, I feel it comes from her heart, from her soul and every fiber of her body. She is playing wonderful music that we are all familiar with, but listen, watch her perform and the music sounds different and such a pleasure to witness it. She can play difficult cords at a speed that very few can match and most has to slow down. Khatia Buniatishvili is a world class pianist and can play anywhere in the world that she would choose. Fortunate for us, she will only get better. This is a very beautiful woman and I am sure she is intimidating to other women as I have heard comments. I am in love with her and her exceptional talent and she has improved my life.
I am a het cis woman, and I agree with you 100%! We are so fortunate to be living in the same time as this brilliant musician/ force of nature. Respect to her mother for nurturing both of her girls' musical gifts.
Mahler
Her sister Gvantsa is equally beautiful and almost as great a pianist as Khatia herself.
Amazing pianist,indeed!👍❤🌹
The way the pianist approacht the opening chords gave me the goosebumps. She understood what they were, down to her toes, and I am thankful for that, because most performers do not quite get it.
Amazing, incredible, wonderful; one of the best I've ever seen at the piano. She truly is a Master in the way that she commands the instrument!!!
Dear Khatia, your music has taken us to a place of beauty, joy, and tears.
Brilliant!!! What a beautiful performance. Thank you Khatia
1st mov. 00:41
2nd mov. 11:35
3rd mov. 22:23
Encore - Handel Minuet in G minor 37:31
Thank you so very much!
Thank you! Was just looking for someone to tell me which piece was the one she played at the encore.
Johann
Thanks a lot for the info about the Handel Minuet!
This is much appreciated! 👍 👍
You sir, deserve a medal
Merci bien
she is remarkable passionate and sensitive.. and courageous to be all of that and a woman.. its sad that she is criticised..
brava khatia i love your music .. dont stop
I've been a musician since I was 8. I'm 61 now and to hell with those critics that would rather hear themselves drone on than say anything useful. Sure Khatia is beautiful, but then so is the Steinway and its no less superb because of it. Would you rather they haul out grandmas upright from the farm? Khatia's passion, feel and superb talent are what counts in this art. Rarely have I heard a classical pianist express what they truly feel in dynamics from fff to ppp delicacy. If she doesn't convey that to you, I feel pity? BTW: I love the little Handel Menuet in G Minor number at the end.
I as a child heard the master Arthur Rubenstein play this amazing concerto. Khatia my favorite modern performer would have made Rachmaninoff proud. She is beautiful and plays to match.
I have heard this concerto in every version and pianist that have recorded it and even not recorded one. She is fantastically the best she make it alive and powerfully beautiful. The conductor gave its heart and the orchestra performed at their highest but she shined tremendously. The conductor knew that it was going to be a tough concert and make her the star. Bravo!
It does not get better than this. This is enough to heal any wound.
I had the great pleasure of sitting in the front row center seat to watch and listen to Khatia Buniatishvili play a concert at Koerner Hall in Toronto in December 2017. My wife and I sat amongst a number of elderly (we are both in our 60's) people who obviously were familiar enough with each other that, after the performance, they asked each other what they thought of the performance. One old curmudgeon, derisively remarked that he had to attend the concert even though he'd rather be somewhere else. I was shocked and dismayed at what he said. I'm not a musician, nor am I an expert regarding classical music, but I was in awe of her performance and captivated by her touch on the piano which made it come alive like I've never heard before in my life. Fortunately, all of the other people shrugged the critic off with both gestures and their own commentary which matched my thoughts that I had just witnessed greatness. It reminded me of the fact that no matter how great one is, they will always have critics. Khatia, if you are reading this, you were great!
Every time I hear Khatia, I hear something fresh and very appealing. It's hard to make Tchaikovsky 1 and Rachmaninov 2 sound new but she manages it. Anyone who hasn't heard her play the Tchaikovsky should seek it out here on TH-cam. The way she turns an elegant phrase, her freshness and originality of approach are there for all to see. It's as if she's never listened to either piece played by any other pianist and doesn't fall into the cliches of performance. She is an outstanding talent and such a prospect for the future. I adore the woman...!
What I find really interesting is how in the 1st mov she holds the damper pedal down quite a bit through changes in harmony that normally would create a mess of blurred sound yet somehow really works to enhance the drama. The sign of a true artist..pulling off the impossible. Notice how her upper torso glistens with sweat @ 10:21 If that isn't enough to make a guy pant through this emotionally-charged music then they're dead.
I think the conductor wins the sweating contest! :)
Just for standing next to her, I'd guess.
ComposerInUK M
At
Just your last phrase corresponds to the truth more exhaustively! The woman it is really extremely attractive. But not as pianist: in playing there isn't enough thought, and feelings and emotions - are affected. In this performance there is no "the Russian soul" and "the infinite phrase" of Rachmaninov which is so well felt and reported by the Russian pianists. It is a pity that matchless 2y the Concert turned into some jabber, similar to the etude...)
Second movement, exquisite! Perfect balance with orchestra. Excellent tempo, dynamics, expression throughout. Conductor is great!
Gianandrea Noseda conducts this with fire too. He drives the orchestra to keep up with Miss Buniatishvili. Impressive in all dimensions.
That she plays so wonderfully and with that orchestra behind her was a gift and pleasure to hear. ❣️🎶😎
WHAT'S SO DIFFERENT ABOUT HER IS SHE IS A STAR. HER PRESENTATION. HER MUSIC AS GOOD AS ANYONE'S BUT SHE WILL BE THE MOST FAMOUS AS SHE HAS THE PRESENCE. HER MOVES, GESTURES, LOOKS, BODY LANGUAGE, APPEARANCE, ....SHE IS PROMOTING HERSELF THAT WAY AND IT ALL SAYS "THIS IS A STAR."
yes, you said it all. and she has it all. a true star of mankind.