Beethoven sonatas meet Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier | Piano recital with Kit Armstrong

[@kereldeman2989]

This is amazing. This guy travels between completely different worlds and he understands them all..

[@staffanolofsson8201]

Something odd happens when I listen once again to this. Or is it perhaps something very natural and easy to explain? I become more and more fond of this recital. Is it because of the B:s, Bach and Beethoven? No, not only. I accept this type of playing, and dont tend to judge it as I did the first time I heard it. I relax and just listen. And this is very good music for relaxing, still with your mind focused. More and more I accept Kits playing, even if I earlier thought he was too respectful to the music. No, that is blown away, now I just listen and enjoy. Peculiar as it seems I am now just floating on this wonderful music. Digging Kit Armstrongs playing. (And no, I have not smoked a joint or something like that, never have!)

[@WavPlayCreativ]

Just listened to his concert of Goldberg Variation, so much emotion and playfulness that I enjoyed every moment!

[@notaire2]

Lyrisch, detailliert, warmherzig und vor allem wunderschön!

[@pianobern69]

Sie finden immer die passendste Beschreibung, egal wo man Sie findet hier auf KZbin! Toller Geschmack!

[@autumnleaves2766]

Young genius plays works by two geniuses of earlier times. In Britain we have Alma Deutscher, now aged 18 and composing since the age of five. She now lives in Vienna with her parents and sister and became the youngest person since Mozart to conduct the premiere of their own opera. America has Kit Armstrong, remarkable to learn that he was speaking aged just nine months old. That Alfred Brendel has mentored him since the age of thirteen is a sign of something special. What a huge programme he undertook here. The performance of the opus 109 sonata in the second half was just immense. I read once that Beethoven had mastered the 48 Preludes and Fugues by the age of 12, which is incredible. Beethoven was a great improviser and there would even be improvisation duels with other pianists, it would be lovely if that could tradition could be revived. I play jazz piano by ear and love to improvise on the American songbook, as well as other pieces from other genres. I make up a few pieces too. It is great fun and there are limitless possibilities. I started doing this quite early in life but never passed any piano exams and gave up formal lessons quickly. Ability to improvise does appear to be something you are born with, many brilliant classical pianists simply cannot do it. Kit Armstrong is very impressive here, I will try to hear him live at some point. He must have an IQ so high that it is not measurable. Remarkable, as were Bach and Beethoven and Brendel too with his ability to write fluently in German, English and French. Thanks for posting this here for us all to enjoy.

[@DWClassicalMusic]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us and the community!

[@staffanolofsson8201]

Interesting. Thank you for writing! Kit is today 31, not a young genius anymore. Personally I am a little bit against worshipping young geniuses, even if I understand why people are charmed by them. But you are right, many classical pianists lack the ability to play jazz without sheet music. If Kit can play jazz I dont know. Surely he can play Bach and Beethoven.

[@staffanolofsson8201]

@@ciararespect4296 Quite understandable, jazz is improvisation, and some jazz pianists cannot read notes.

[@staffanolofsson8201]

@@ciararespect4296 Yes, Debargue is one of few. He really can handle jazz! Best wishes to you.

[@staffanolofsson8201]

@@ciararespect4296 Kristina Miller is new to me, and yes, she can play jazz! Thank you for the tip!

[@RollaArtis]

Brilliant pianist, brilliant guy...

[@vavilovasvetlana9044]

Kit Armstrong is amazingly talented pianist and his playing captivates with musical magic!

[@bradgriffith8297]

This is the third time I’ve enjoyed this recital. Once live (stream) and twice OnDemand. Kit Armstrong is my favorite pianist.

[@codertopics343]

Sehr schön und feinfühlig gespielt. Wunderschöne Musik am Sonntag.

[@kelvinsmallwood6315]

Excellent performance.

[@jeffreywise4807]

Bloody GORGEOUS concert! Thank you.

[@DWClassicalMusic]

We're glad you liked it!

[@charlesopels9676]

Wonderful in Every Aspect!

[@cotofluixalgodon6761]

Moltes gràcies per compartir aquest magnífic concert, i el pianita Kit Armstrong ha estat genial.

[@neilcochran7719]

Excellent acoustics and camera work, especially in an unusually shaped concert hall.

[@glaucoma888]

This is not a concert hall

[@jeffsmith1798]

Love the No 30 sonata culmination! It develops so much from Bach: the beautiful chorale theme of the third movement, the fugue variation, the preludium like structure of the first movement…Beautiful.

[@kelliekhoong1320]

😊😊😊

[@staffanolofsson8201]

You are absolutely right. No 30 is played wonderful and has some of its roots in Bach. The kontrapunkt reaches all the way to Beethoven.

[@henrithellier7684]

BRAVO KIT ! Comme toujours... vous nous faites chaud au coeur à vous entendre...C´es toujours avec plaisir que l´on vous voit sourire... MERCI KIT... On attend vos autre prestations délicieuses....Bonne route !!!

[@rravvia]

Kit is pretty special.

[@beatetoyka9281]

We really loved listening to this thoughtful and enticing programme! Vielen Dank, Deutsche Welle, dass Sie uns dieses wunderbare Konzert in einem einzigartigen Raum voller Kindheitserinnerungen zugänglich gemacht haben. So etwas hat es noch nie gegeben und wir hoffen, es wird es noch oft geben. Sie haben einen neuen Akzent gesetzt.!

[@DWClassicalMusic]

We are very glad that you enjoyed the concert so much! All the best :)

[@emanuelherreradomene9894]

Desde España. Excelente interpretación. Grandiosa.

[@gianmarcolori2745]

Lieber Kit, so wie du aussiehst ( so cute) hast du gespielt! Von den Göttern geküsst! ❤ herzlichst Gianmarco 🤗

[@DRFelGood]

Bravo 👏 👏👏👏👏

[@katrinat.3032]

Hello from Philadelphia

[@MorganHayes_Composer.Pianist]

i'm accustomed to the prelude from the Bflat book 2 as being much faster/ motoric in feel. This thoughtful approach works very well though.

[@mudgebauer]

Its about time you made a new video. All you other videos are 3 year sold. It would be nice if you spoke in english too.

[@darth_hansel4466]

Händel as encore, how wonderful :)

[@staffanolofsson8201]

As I have seen Alfred Brendel, when he retired from official conserts, had Kit as his special protégé and was his piano teacher. Not a bad master, and not a bad pupil either.

[@pianobern69]

A few corrections for the description (wonderful video regardless!!) 00:40:28 This is BWV849 from Book 1, not BWV873 01:33:56 Equally, this should be BWV858 instead of BWV882 from Book 2 01:37:35 should be the timestamp for the Prelude in F-Sharp Minor

[@DWClassicalMusic]

Thank you for this tip! Unfortunately, we can no longer correct the two incorrect titles on the video. But we have added two subtitles with the correct information. Best regards Your team from DW Classical Music

[@staffanolofsson8201]

And "The Tempest" III Allegretto at 34:27, not 24:27

[@Aharon1928]

Great performer ! Great Instrument !!

[@MM-111]

@DW Classical Music Kommt auch Kapitel in der Videobeschreibung dazu ?

[@joseevocalist]

magnifique

[@Schleiermacher1000]

Splendid! A pleasure! How did Handel get into the program? Thanks for this video.

[@pianobern69]

07:18 B-A-C-H motif in reverse in the bass voice

[@enriquesanchez2001]

♥♥♥♥

[@Anna-fk1pk]

Bravissimo! (24:27) ? Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31/2 ‘The Tempest’, III. Allegretto STP Veuillez le corriger au (34.24)

[@leonardocosta2845]

That's cowardice! Three geniuses in a single dose. Let there be a heart with so much emotion. Congratulations DW.

[@tokyodo555]

I'm aware that Kit was born and raised in the US and went to school in the UK and France. But how did he learn to speak Deutsch? I'm a Japanese (most of my lifetime in the US) so I don't know the level of his Deutsch ability, but I could tell he was managing to speak Deutsch in front of the local people there, which I'm so touch, not just his brilliant performance.

[@zzausel]

I speak German better than most other Germans, and so does Kit.

[@neilford99]

Kit's a prodigy. A bit of a real life Sheldon Cooper who had a parallel career as a mathematician and musician. I gather he can learn new languages in the time most of us take to master a bach prelude and fugue.

[@staffanolofsson8201]

@@neilford99 Agreed. I have studied german for four years and the only thing I can say is: "Am Brunnen vor dem Tore da steht ein Lindenbaum, Ich träumt in seinem Schatten so manchen süßen Traum". But it is a good beginning!

[@John-boy]

I have been learning German through Duolingo for a few years and I could understand his speech perfectly, mainly due to his clear pronunciation and Good delivery, and the use of common words, just as his playing is so clean and clear. I’ll be watching this many times in future.

[@loveispatient0808]

What are the four languages?

[@Artariastein]

Ein Großereignis! Aber warum findet es in einem Zirkus statt?🤔

[@jaggerman19]

Zirkus ? Das ist der ehemalige Plenarsaal des Bundestags.

[@zzausel]

Es ärgert mich, dass der Musikbetrieb zusammenarbeitet mit dem politischen Showgeschäft. Netrebko zB darf nur auftreten, wenn sie sich zu Putin äußert. Die hohe Kunst befreit einen nicht von diesen Fesseln.

[@staffanolofsson8201]

Respectful playing with a nice feeling, but sometimes perhaps too respectful? Anyway I like this recital very much.

[@staffanolofsson8201]

And specially his Beethoven Piano Sonata nr 30 at 1:44:06, there I can feel his genius.

[@jamespeyton7312]

Wonderful performance-what is that awful noise around 10:45?

[@seheyt]

No particular noise stands out. There's some audience coughing in subsequent seconds. So perhaps the timestamp is off, or there was something on your end

[@seheyt]

By contrast at 34:44 there IS a terrible noise - which is caused by the pedal being kicked down too aggressively

[@glaucoma888]

Could some please translate into English his opening statement?

[@hape3862]

He spoke of the concert not being a "concert program" in the conventional sense, since it contained only works that one would have played at home alone or with a few friends. Beethoven himself inspired him in the selection of works by quoting that he often played Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier just for himself throughout his life. Kit Armstrong thus invites us to experience this vision of intimate music production and simultaneous consumption in a meditative environment.

[@DWClassicalMusic]

@@hape3862 Thank you for sharing the translation with the community!

[@katrinat.3032]

This looks like a U.N. Meeting room

[@asaf8921]

What kind of place is that?

[@Artariastein]

The concert will take place in the Bonner Plenarsaal on 10 September 2023.

[@asaf8921]

@@Artariastein so it's built for the political meetings or something?

[@Artariastein]

yes @@asaf8921

[@hape3862]

Before the fall of the Iron Curtain, it was the seat of the West German parliament. (And Bonn was the federal capital).

[@asaf8921]

@@hape3862 but why did they choose a place like that, not a concert hall. there must be an explanation.

[@thegreatestst-onkomatsujyoko]

If he play a chember, he will be a pianist&a chemberist! Hidon,List,Chellnie,Sareli,Bethoveen Emperor,VIVARDI,Beillini,Richard,Craiderman ,Bach Chaconne,The bell S.Rafmaninov&St.Sans#3 ,he also play best efforts with Belrinphillharmonie with DVD making&Kid's decorations texts on those music , on dreams,how?

[@karenistalking5774]

What is his real name?

[@kju666]

What do you mean? His name is Kit Amstrong.

[@williamwu7829]

1:33:50 i think not worse than gleen gloud

[@kmjofpdrey]

Mr. Armstrong please have that mole on your pinkie checked out.

[@ricardoarguello2486]

With respect, this is neither Bach nor Beethoven . It sounds fragmentary , like the pieces of a giant puzzle forcibly put together. I could endure going beyond the Tempest sonata. Listen instead to this sonata played Alexandra Dovgan, an 11 year-old Russian child prodigy.

[@drc4168]

with respect, who made you judge and jury? If you have nothing nice to say, keep quiet!

[@Workingman-u7s]

With respect, he has the rights to express his opinion. Armstrong's great playing and rendition notwithstanding, not everybody is going to like his rendition of the pieces.@@drc4168

[@AndersenMozart]

American from China plays Bach. The result is 🥴.. Crazy world! 🤯

[@bakhtiyorallaberganov1632]

beethoven many not good pedaling

[@Erik83474]

Is this a concert or a scientific congress? Kit Armstrong approach is much too cerebral. And no legato at all. Moreover, his play is all but flawless, especially in the 3rd movement.

[@seheyt]

That's a weird assessment. There's way more legato than usually accepted in Bach. 3rd movement of what piece? And yes, he's certainly prioritizing musical message over safety, this is not a studio recording and has imperfections that are associated with live performance.

[@flexinaus9931]

Sadly the Piano sounds really bad!🙃 Either the sound was recorded badly or the voicing of the grand piano is just shitty for this location.

[@SammyLoock]

or something very wrong with your hearing.

[@flexinaus9931]

or just a connoisseur of pianos and sound in general :)@@SammyLoock

[@drc4168]

exactly @@SammyLoock

[@user-ji3rp8kz9s]

Is he not Yuchien Lin?

[@staffanolofsson8201]

A well tuned Steinway can never sound bad. And this is well tuned. Perhaps you should check up your speakers or your headphone? I think this piano and this location fits well together. I am myself listening in Sennheiser headphones. Good luck!

[@PFunk-vf1nh]

Die Klavier spielende Person spielt guten, aber keinen außergewöhnlichen Bach. Außergewöhnlich ist jedoch sein/ihr Sprachduktus. Ich wusste anfänglich nicht das Gender der Person. Mann, Frau, Trans-irgendwas? Und das dürfte wohl auch der letztlich ausschlagebende Aspekt gewesen sein, ausgerechnet diesen Menschen ausgewählt zu haben. Aber so sehr man auch versucht, den Menschen durch Berieselung und Indoktrination nach der Utopie zu formen, es wird auch diesmal scheitern. Der woke (vulgo: "grüne") Totalitarismus wird genauso scheitern wie zuvor der nationalsozialistische und der kommunistische Totalitarismus.

[@staffanolofsson8201]

He is a man. How odd of you to even question this. And all the other you say is quatch.

[@thaddeusdubois6209]

Pretty terrible playing especially the Beethoven. His tempi are all over the place and accents where they shouldn’t be and accents aren’t done where they should be. Plus heavy handed in places not warranted and vice versa. Poorly played Beethoven in general. Bach wasn’t much better. Way too romantic playing for the Bach. Bach isn’t Rachmaninov….

[@DWClassicalMusic]

Thanks for sharing your opinion with us! As with everything in life, not all interpretations will be to our liking.

[@drc4168]

I wonder @@DWClassicalMusic why people take such time and trouble to write such negative things? @thaddeusdubois6209 - can YOU play this music? Do YOU dare to put yourself out there taking on such incredibly difficult artworks? If you read Kenneth Hamilton's book., you'll realise that the mechanistic "literal" interpretations are a product of OUR time, and not the composers' own. Beethoven and Bach would have been played in exactly this way by the golden era pianists; think of Reinecke who plays Mozart like it is Rachmaninoff. Keep your judgements and opinions positive, or keep quiet. Kit is bold and unique!

[@drc4168]

@@micaelat3734 I'm sure neither the pianist nor we care about your nit picking!