Yep. For all my reservations about his current CDs I’m super hyped. I’ve wanted to hear him since I was 15, and as you know it’s the 6th time I have tickets for him. I have no idea how I’ll react however!
Nor do I know how I feel about the Kreisleriana substitution. I didn’t like his 2000/2001 performances at all, while I liked his 2010/2011 Humoreske quite a bit - so good in that sense - but on the other hand I would really have liked to hear him have another go at Kreisleriana now almost 20 years later.
I really don’t mind. I think it’s good they’re attacking these things at this age. I would have been much more concerned if all he did was playing Mozart sonatas.
I don’t mind the music either, as long as the program isn’t built around them. The Volodos variations aren’t Kunst der Fuge - but they don’t need to be - and they’re not Mereaux either. They’re fun, exciting and impressive when played well. For the Rhapsody I would rather have heard the original however, or Horowitz’s version. But if he wants to play this go ahead. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Well, the audience seems to have a different opinion about that.
It’s not the music, what counts here, but the execution of it.
You should only ignite a firework if you have enough rockets to launch.
His tech is very impressive, and his readings brilliant, but what really got me excited wasn’t how well he played but how advanced his playing is. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anything like it from such a young pianist (even if I’d rate Grosvenor as a still more impressive talent from a purely pianistic point of view at the same age - pozz).
We’ll see, he’s only a teenager and there are plenty of ways things can still go astray, but if he’s playing like this at 17 I can’t wait to hear what he’s doing at 27. I’ve heard the entire concert now, and it’s really one of the finest piano recitals I’ve heard anyone give in recent years. That it comes from a 17 yo kid who as far as I know was unknown in piano circles earlier is pretty remarkable. And of course very exciting.
