Did you think the responses were negative? I think he’s awesome, ninja said one CD is pretty good, and Christian doesn’t really know him. Those are positive overall. IMO he’s far more interesting than 8 or 9 / 10 of the pianists you’ve seen in the past few months 
Okay, I’ll go.
I don’t know him either.
It’s a concept recital - 3 pianos from different eras:
Schubert - Wanderer fantaisie, D 760 (Alois Graf pianoforte)
Chopin - 12 études, op. 10 (Érard pianoforte)
Liszt - Réminiscences de Don Juan (Érard pianoforte)
Stravinski - Three movements from Petruchka
(modern Steinway piano)
Their site is not very user friendly so might have to reserve by phone tomorrow.
ah I think you mentioned that recital in another thread. I don’t know man, are you keen on hearing the different pianos? I like it when he plays a modern Steinway 
I was hoping he’d still be touring with the Debussy Preludes.
Not really, I hate fortepianos actually.
But I like to give as many pianists a chance to make the roster as possible.
The best seat the site is giving me is front row in the right block.
Actually, this is the only option it’s giving me.
Yeah I’m with you in not liking fortepianos and I can’t even hear a harpsichord. Damn I totally recommend him, but this concert setup…
The Erard feels a little… wasn’t it those things Liszt used to reduce to a pile of splinters with the Don Juan?
The issue I have with period instruments (other than they’re plain and simply inferior to modern ones) is that I don’t think you can take a 200 year old instrument and expect it to sound today as it did back then, renovations notwithstanding. It would be cool to hear a really good pianist play something of Chopin’s or Liszt’s on a period instrument, but for there to be any point with it I think you’d have to build a new one according to principles of the time.
Yes, exactly which led Clara to dub him the “smasher of pianos”.
The only period instruments that sound good are ones made after the cast-iron frames were introduced.
There were a ton of fortepianos at my music school because the head of keyboard (my teacher) was a fortepianist.
In the hall, you couldn’t hear them at all.
Brew, PLEASE go to listen Melnikov! I had long time wish to hear THIS repertoire which is on his site for some years, but I’ve never find it. I really love Melniklv’s playing.
Actually, here in Zagreb we have one fortepiano concert cycle, so maybe I will try to do something to bring him here. My friend who is leading it also loves him.
Yeah, I’m gonna go just need to work out how to book the ticket.
It’s only 20 euros anyway, that’s gonna be the price of a pint of beer in a couple of years!
You are a legend! Thanks 
In the end the site keep giving me worse and worse seats, I finally settled on second row in the right block.
I will assume that there will be something better which I will take when the concert’s about to start.
well this is funny. I got a message on YT from a woman who works for a French ‘music supervision’ company called Explosante Fixe. For a new feature film by Julien Landais (The Aspern Papers), he wants to use excerpts of the Pogorelich Liszt Dante bootleg that I made in Rotterdam in 2014. I just granted permission, and now they’re trying to get the same from Ivo. I’ll be interested if Ivo grants it. I don’t know jack about this director but I will try to see the film when it comes out next year
That’s very interesting. I hope they’ll be able to dig up some new footage from the previous century too.
Incidentally, I might be in the wrong thread, but this piano discussion…
I’ve never enjoyed “historic” instruments other than for their curiosity value and have also never heard a piano I think surpasses a modern Steinway. But. Before lunch here I had this playing in the background: youtube.com/watch?v=XwBhxholF5M and really, I think Schiff has a point. I don’t have any particular opinion about the performance, but this piano is just too sharp, strident for the music. I would actually have enjoyed this much more on the more mellow tone of a Bösendorfer for instance.
Yeah well the pessimist in me is feeling that now they’ve contacted Ivo’s agent, he’ll decline permission and will then realise there are too many bootlegs on YT and will start random-striking, resulting in my account being shutdown from 3 strikes and my dream of being YT’s biggest star ending 
So which piano comp & year has offered the greatest competition? Tchaikovsky '78 was great
Laureates
I Prize – Mikhail Pletnev (USSR)
II Prize – Pascal Devoyon (France), Andre Laplante (Canada)
III Prize – Nikolay Demidenko (USSR), Evgeny Ryvkin (USSR)
IV Prize – Terence Jadd (Great Britain), Boris Petrov (USSR)
V Prize – Christian Blackshow (Great Britain)
VI Prize – Naum Grubert (USSR)
1974 too. Tatiana Ryumina was in that one, just missed the top 6.
Laureates
I Prize – Andrey Gavrilov (USSR)
II Prize – Stanislav Igolinsky (USSR), Myung Van Chung (USA)
III Prize – Yury Egorov (USSR)
IV Prize – Eteri Andjaparidze (USSR), Andrash Shiff (Hungary)
V Prize – Dmitry Alexeev (USSR)
VI Prize – David Lively (USA), Brigite Angerere (France)
Queen Elisabeth comp has offered some great ones.
Well what immediately springs to mind is that 2010 Chopin. I’ve already expressed my skyhigh admiration for what Bozhanov did there, which I really think opened up a new chapter in piano playing, but even if you found him too alien you also had Trifonov, Avdeeva, Geniusas, Wunderer, Kultyshev, Tyson and a whole host of people I’ve never heard of either before or since who just walked in there and played beautifully. I at least can’t think of another competition where so many pianists have played at such a high level, and as in the Tchai-78 with a genius standing in the middle of them for good measure.
The only other I can think of is the 1978 Tchai as well, with at the very least four extraordinary pianists in the lineup (even if Demidenko was too young - I don’t know how he played there, but I haven’t enjoyed anything I’ve heard with him from that early in his career). As regrettable as it turned out for Laplante and Judd however I think Pletnev did deserve the victory. As did Gavrilov in 1974, who was at his very best right off the bat.
Didn’t Melodiya release a set with Schiff’s part in the 1974 Tchaikovsky competition btw? Has anyone heard it?
Yeah 2 CDs, I haven’t heard it
That is a mighty strong lineup at the 2010 Chopin Comp.
Have you heard Laplante’s '78 WC recital?
1956 QE comp was strong
Vladimir Ashkenazy
John Browning
Andrzej Czajkowski
Cécile Ousset
Lazar Berman
Haha, that repertoire is just unbelievable for Schiff. I have to get that here over Christmas, even though I can’t imagine I would enjoy him in those composers - or from that time. Even in “his” rep the earliest recording I’ve heard with him that I like is from 1984.
No, from memory at least the only vids I have from the 1978 are with Pletnev and Judd. Melodiya and Analekta have released parts of Laplante’s stages as well, but not the WC as far as I know (if he gave one? I mean, he didn’t win?).
The QE 1956 indeed looks daunting too. I guess another is the Tchaikovsky with Ogdon and Ashkenazy from whichever year that was. I think Virsaladze competed then as well.