Krystian Zimerman
 

I read an interview with him on the tube today. I'd not heard of him before but he seems to be a bit of a big-wig pianist by all accounts - and very eccentric in his attitude to just about everything. Apparantly he hates recording stuff and finds most pianos he's asked to use for concerts to be 'sick'. He also thinks 'technique' is a total joke and questions whether Beethoven was deaf at all. I'm totally fascinated by him now. Anyone know his stuff?

Apparantly those in the UK can hear him perform Bach's Partita No.2 in C minor, BWV 826; Beethoven's Sonata in C minor, Op.111; Brahms' Klavierstucke, Op.19 and Szymanowski's Variations on a Polish Theme, Op.10 in three UK performances at the end of this month, starting at The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester on 23rd May, then The Anvil, Basingstoke on 25th May and finally at the Royal Festival Hall in London on 27th May.











Edit: Some Links:
http://www.harrisonparrott.com/artis...n_Zimerman.asp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9tMFnKIij4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR7eUSFsn28
Would like to hear some of his own stuff but can't find any.

He's alright, innie? I didn't realise he wrote his own stuff. Most master musicians' own stuff isn't really up there, in my experience. Still, fair play for being a mental lad.

A stone's throw from my house, but alas I don't have £25 to spare at he moment.

I've got that second youtube link playing in the background at the moment. Personally I can't tell the difference between him and other pianists. I bought a CD of Beethoven's Hammerklavier, played by Mitsuko Uchida after reading a review somewhere but again, I wasn't able to tell her from any other version. It sounds like after a point, it's only the most tutored ears that can tell the exceptional pianists from the merely ace.

Anyway, here she is tickling the ivories:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KTC7Xv85pE0

And here she is talking about and playing some Schoenberg. I love it when experts start talking about stuff:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=PmWRttCo7lo

Edit: I take it back about liking experts talk about stuff. Well I usually do, but having finished watching that last clip, she sounds like a total nightmare.

I think it helps if you hear them playing a piece you know tremendously well. For instance this or this or this. Heifetz's version I love, but he played it entirely differently in later life to how he did as a youngish man. The latter is a fair example of someone playing very 'straight' baroque, whereas the former two play in a slightly more personal style.

Uchida's wonderful - I like that there's a whacking great clunker in the opening bars of this.

That was a really interesting comparison and even though i wasn't really familiar with the piece it definitely worked.

Can't honestly say I noticed the 'wacking great clunker' in the Uchida clip. I have to say. :o

It's interesting noticing how many of these clips originate from Japan. They seem to be well into their classical music over there.

You'll know this one. Karajan's version I prefer, although he can only ever really get the grinding bits right. He always twats up slow movements. What a Nazi prick.