- da TRIF
- da GENIE
0 voters
Both zumwhat cunttoverzial peniztz but extremely popular. Who haz bettah tech? Bettah recz? Iz their fame dezerved?
I’d say I prefer Trif’s best playing.
Da real queztion iz… 
- Robin Williamz
- Will Zmith
0 voters
I honestly think Trifonov is the greater talent, but Kissin has grown and matured in to a respectable artist. And you all already know my hate/love relationship with both.
I picked EK, but maybe mostly since I have ~35 years’ worth of recs to look back at with him and only ~10 with Trif. Also, 28 vs 48. Trifonov is still a kid musically speaking. He’ll either end up homeless or president.
I can think of lots of great kissin recs if you like that playing style, but what of the trif even fo you compare output at same age???
They are few, but I think Trifonov has done some dazzling performances. I remember a Rach Chopin Vars, his Tchaikovsky program, and the two compositions of his own I youtubed last month. Several more I at least think are “very good”, the Chopin Preludes for instance.
Kissin I don’t like at all when young. In the 80s and early 90s he normally sounds like he’s trying to remember a nursery rhyme he’s learnt, and from the late 90s onwards his tone borders on the grotesque. I think several of his studio recordings are good though, his remarkable Prokofiev Etude, and I like his 1995 Brahms/Paganinis for the mechanical display. Maybe something more from around that time, I think the mid 90s is a good goldilocks zone for the young Kissin. But artistically I think he didn’t found himself until only 8 years ago or so. “Like” is the wrong word, but every program he’s done after 2012 has at least been personal and interesting - and with several things of high artistic merit, by my assessment.
Kissin’s tone seems super bangy to me. If I desensitize myself to this, even recs I thought we’re garbage are pretty alright. Recently went back to EK Chopin preludes (which I hated) and realized this is a unique and risky modern extension of macho brute force American / Russian Chopin tradition and there was some deliberate artistic choices happening there. Trif I feel like takes points of view that aren’t well considered because he’s bouncing around all over the place learning too much stuff and maybe not taking risks exactly outside of rep absorbtion and program length, even though I like trifs playing style more.
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Da TRIF inzane management is making him fulfill pretty much every available top level engagement
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Kissin’s RCA Preludes is actually my favourite complete set, if maybe partly for nostalgic reasons. It was the first recording I bought of them.
Trifonov’s set isn’t as spot on, but the playing is more sophisticated. That’s one of my main criticisms with Kissin, until relatively modern times he didn’t seem to know more about piano playing than a young child - even if he of course was highly drilled both musically and mechanically. I wish they would have taken him away from Kantor and allowed him to study with more of the talent that was in Moscow.
Kantor really doesn’t come across particularly well in my eyes. Demidenko studied with her as well, and the performances I’ve heard from his student days are awful - and with more or less the same deficiencies as those of the young Kissin.
I agree with this. Curious what would have happened if kissin had a Neuhaus type that was like, play some Debussy and ravel during formative years young mofo… Rather than warhorses only route…
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Tiz no queztion! Da new Aladdin was horrendouz in every way!
Exzept dere is a zequel cummah zo clearly Iz wrong…
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That sort of stuff was not really in fashion when he broke through
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Will da Aladdin hav all hiz limbz intact in diz zequel?
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I always felt she was leeching off da Kissin family.
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Ahahaha da zequel vil be titled
Revenge of da GENIE 
n it vil begin wiz aladdin dyin in a drone ztrike 
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I kan c it. Even da magical flying carpet iznt immune to da Trumpz coroner viruz
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I have seen Trifonov live twice. First time he played Kreisleriana, Petrouchka and assorted Shosty preludes and fugues. He played Medtner as an encore. Second time he played Scriabin etudes op. 42, sonata no. 9, Beethoven op. 110 and Prokofiev sonata no. 8.
The Petrouchka was all over the place. And the Beethoven was not focused at all. However, the rest was really really good. So I don’t know, I think he has it all, but maybe the few poorly played pieces are a result of a lack of focus. He clearly is extremely talented
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