Berezovsky plays Liszt - Mephisto Waltz No. 1

pf: Boris Berezovsky
Live from 29th Festival International de Piano de La Roque d'Anthéron, 17th August 2009.

[@ukdavepianoman]

Incredible performance. Staggering technique, speed and accuracy. But most important of all, an expressive and emotional performance. Best performance I've heard.

[@pjm5660]

The amazing thing is to realize that Liszt could play and compose this in the middle of the 19th century when pretty much only he could play it. now we have wonderful pianists like Berezovsky who are able to bring this incredible music to live performances all over the world.

[@umegghju]

E Thalberg, Chopin, Alkan? Solo per citare Parigi/la Francia.

[@amcity-nu7vs]

@@umegghjuils étaient forts en art, les français, à l’époque.

[@JNieves1986]

back in school i used to live and breath this piece hoping someday i could play it.. Berezovsky just inspired me all over again

[@izzyvilens9559]

Nice

[@katttttt]

And have you played it ;)

[@5stringofFernandoSor]

That was so lovely. Such expression on his face- as if he's listening for the piano to tell him which keys to hit next. This guy is now one of my favorites.

[@izzyvilens9559]

Cool

[@camilledelorme3853]

Some comments disgust me. It's a live performance on stage. You should see his face. I just want to see people who wrote these comments play a piece like that, in the same conditions of temperature, stress ... So please shut up and enjoy this ''anormal performance'' ... that is the respect

[@alsatiancousin2905]

Absolutely right, and it does not add to anyone's "cool" with youtube being alive even if they say they never read commentary or watch their own videos. In regards to your comment I must say mistakes are a unique part of any live performance, and they make the experience UNIQUE. I'm sure any professional artist whips themselves over mistakes but one is a perfectionist at a level to achieve. There is no lip sync here, no Madonna concert, no bullshit, this is the real deal and he is the best pianist ever. IMHO!

[@alvexok5523]

Yeah, I know. Anyone knocking this guy is just ignorant anyway. He's a remarkably talented pianist, and he's doing something which most people, including the ones insulting him, can only dream of doing. There's nothing wrong with how he looks, he's simply seen putting in alot of effort, which it definitely takes to play a piece like this the way he played it. And he's sweating because he's sitting under hot lights while working hard. And the way he played this piece is amazing and sounded fabulous

[@villaporfin17]

You should see Trifonov playing the “transcendental studios” from Listz and see how he is sweating and drops falling down. Nobody says nothing while the interpretation is perfect . Please be polite

[@user-lf8lf3ft3x]

bravo sehr schön.¨!!!!!!!!!!

[@MatteoRamonArevalos]

Incredible pianist, amazing musician!

[@KenWangpiano]

Most interesting interpretation I've ever heard! Awesome.

[@rocioaguilera3613]

I think all of you are so much more pianists than Berezovsky, and will perform this difficult masterpiece in a better way

[@phillach5181]

thats stupid. Doesnt have to play better than him to criticise his playing

[@amxmachine]

watching his hands puts me in amazement what they are capable of. in this vast universe, in our little corner of reality, we can make things that only we understand. feats of time and energy that no computer or machine can reproduce with such subtle variation. my mind is blown...

[@CAaronD.]

Insane :/ This piece is so hard I laugh nervously just hearing it due to the sheer difficulty :/

[@carbideblue]

If you disliked it, let's hear yours.... LIVE! Of course, there is always this and that, that so and so does better, especially in the studio. And while it's good to know what we like and who is our favorite, to do better than Boris, in front of a hall full of people, represents a whole other dimension.

[@elmodeadinside2760]

Here this is a reply to your comment, you should be triggered right?

[@cayetanomelerocerban5256]

7unb

[@GarguzGilva]

Such an insane piece! It is flabbergasting when you see someone playing it live. It seems rather impossible to move your hands at that speed.

[@Piacevole]

What I like about Boris is that I don´t always like him. Sometimes I adore him. Sometimes he provokes me. That´s the beauty.

[@alvexok5523]

Amazing performance. I love this piece. And it really gets to the best part in this video at around 6:03

[@vishwa6127]

No I think the best part is 6:38

[@viggos.n.5864]

100% agree

[@catherinesciarra7131]

BRAVO!!! This was magnificent!! I truly enjoyed listening to Berezovsky's piano expertise. It touched my inner soul.

[@thomasthompson6378]

He plays this much less fluidly, much less "romantically," than I'm used to. But I very much like his approach, which is quite daring because it makes his playing more exposed and mistakes stand out a bit more than they would otherwise. Still, what an astonishing performance! Really quite something.

[@nikolauswilliams3124]

I think there is a misconception that Romantic style performance is somehow "fluid"/"flowy", if you listened to recording of performance done by the late romantics like Rachmaninov, their style of performance is pretty aggressive and often noticably fast than their sheet music suggests. So in general I'd say that to have Romantic performance would be a very overt, aggressive, and passionate one, especially for a piece like this. Now I do understand you probably just meant "romantic" rather than "Romantic" but i just thought i'd make the distinction anyway

[@lemonsgrasses]

every pianist who plays Liszt's Mephisto Waltzes has an expression of panic as they play.

[@jackcurley1591]

Probably because it's so incredibly difficult?... lol. Most pianists tend to express themselves a certain way when they are playing a difficult passage of music in a piece. If you look closely you'll start recognizing patterns.

[@lemonsgrasses]

I was indeed commenting on the difficulty, I just find it amusing. Most pianists just get a look of intense concentration in the trickier areas, but Liszt inspires some truly beautiful facial expressions ^_^

[@jackcurley1591]

Indeed! My teacher, when he plays Liszt, or anything difficult for that matter, tends to tuck his chin into his neck, making it appear he has a double chin. On top of this he is also making the "deer caught in the headlight" look of fear! It's rather amusing.

[@avantikaroy5146]

Check out valentina's version. She was as relaxed and cool as a cucumber. That woman is a goddess.

[@cislak5669]

trifonov

[@paulostroff99]

A gorgeous piano piece beautifully played.

[@Theframes418]

His hands...They mirror the feverishness of the piece and by the end of the piece it seems like they have been possessed themselves. Brilliant in both technique and in bodily expression.

[@Transition333]

James Yan Yes, I noticed it, too, but could not express it as well as you did. Very good!

[@annarosebelanger]

i just don't understand how is it possible

[@MuriMorello]

+Anna-Rose Bélanger 20 years of playin, last 10, 10 hours a day? :)

[@francescotavaglione5271]

Nah,I learned this piece in 8 months pretty good(i do a couple of errors) by practising 1 hour a day

[@MuriMorello]

Francesco Tavaglione link?

[@elmodeadinside2760]

It's not

[@edwardlam1095]

russian piano training! course every single day + talent

[@alexxseeman]

Brillant playing! Thanks for uploading

[@brandonhwang1027]

I love this piece so so much

[@PIANOpartner]

Liszt the master of technique. this work of his is amazing with fast tempo and different melodies

[@izzyvilens9559]

This is a long it’s so long wow you are amazing

[@Nanotechxe123]

He made it look very easy...

[@sigalig]

I wouldn't say easy...but I get what you mean. I swear the most impressive parts of the song he nailed, while other simpler sections he messed up on. This guy is a beast, no doubt about that.

[@user-tg7ii4ft4f]

sigalig I think messed up is a strong word

[@brunella971]

@@sigalig 1qqqq++qq++

[@JramLisztfan]

@@user-tg7ii4ft4f “messed up” for berezovsky standards is playing a single wrong note lmao

[@theowinckel]

@@user-tg7ii4ft4f he completely messed up the octave leaps

[@antoniowu6587]

Boris the best!!

[@user-bw4tw5ye6x]

wow amazing i like it

[@MasterAzunai]

I doubt liszt was this good. Absolutely flawless technique. FLAWLESS!! And what an amazing rendition! 1000/10

[@ciararespect4296]

Probably better

[@coiladdict]

If you think this is flawless, then watching Liszt play would probably give you a heart attack.

[@Ash1nerTV]

This has sooo many mistakes though? Flawless has a real meaning you know

[@beenthereonce]

Bravo!

[@sunnypark8915]

the best mephisto waltz

[@alvexok5523]

Yes, Berezovsky is an extremely talented pianist. And, I love this piece. I love Liszt's piano works

[@hadrieneverard8121]

André laplante's is good too and in a far better sound quality

[@fryderykfranciszekchopin5716]

Dimitry Shishkin performance is pretty good too

[@ralfsteinhage1310]

No the best is [André Laplante]

[@ralfsteinhage1310]

@@hadrieneverard8121.......Yes best Quality !!!!

[@micheldvorsky]

Staccato touch from 5:20-5:50 is really brilliant.

[@ea863]

Wow

[@xombiesftw]

I don't really understand how people claim he doesn't play passionately, I believe he plays very passionately, and if anyone were to ever claim that I didn't play a piece passionately, I would be upset. Putting all that time and effort into learning and playing a piece; you can't help but be emotionally involved in whatever it is that you are playing.

[@gixelz]

9 years late, but i agree. hope this last decade has treated you well.

[@Orchidoclastie]

Un de mes plus beaux cds!!

[@gcaee]

the best interpretation !!

[@flicfan416]

he gives a wonderful jazzy feel to the beginning. i love his interpretations

[@amber40494]

Hes also a jazz musician. I think he improvises every night at some nightclub

[@izzyvilens9559]

It’s amazing

[@lesliehuff4777]

how he plays ,reminds me when i was younger, great job my friend!

[@saxangel45]

El mejor sin dudarlo, the best

[@MichaelKaykov]

The CLASSIC!

[@roby087654]

BEST PERFORMANCE!!!!!

[@Cardstacker]

Whoa, I have a bit of experience in fast play and still find this impossibly hard... well done Amazing Berezovsky.

[@RediForKing]

I think he probably has the best technique of all pianists today. He some kind of super virtuoso.

[@angelicamiranda2732]

The best !!!!

[@konstancapiano]

incredible performance...

[@artemvsprime]

It’s a triumph!

[@rekdinhopoetico]

GREAT!

[@Blazingkeys]

Why are we arguing about Jazz vs. Classical? I'm a Classical musician turned Jazz musician, and I'm in the process of learning this song right now. Both are so broad, unique, and enjoyable that a simple comparison of which is better is just silly.

[@jonblablabla1014]

Wow.

[@vivacecilia]

The best teacher for the piano

[@kesmarn]

A wonderful performance of a difficult piece before an audience that actually knows how to listen.

[@TomPField]

quite clearly one of the best things ever.

[@carmen6169]

Mexico. Alta dificultad. 🤚🤚. 💐☑️ 🎹. Exelente. 😅.

[@damumo]

Awesome.

[@Solomonik1973]

Great Pianist!!

[@Imagine727]

Brilliance

[@JMillerBayRidge]

there is no one better..

[@komomo]

Oh,very powerful!

[@hassansoliman970]

So characteristic of Berezovsky! Very "different" or "odd" but really brilliant! He sure knows how to produce a really "crisp" sound, doesn't rely heavily on pedals, actually barely uses them, also very interestingly "odd" phrasing.

[@mylove0922]

Good~~~!!

[@izzyvilens9559]

Very good

[@niemandniets9010]

7:41 oops, need to be one octave lower lol

[@ukdavepianoman]

Haha you noticed that too. Well his left hand is so quick, he was able to recover!

[@alvexok5523]

I didn't even notice. His playing is so good and it's such a minor unnoticeable slip, that it really doesn't matter

[@hadrieneverard8121]

Allen Richards yes finally someone who understands that classical music rehearsals isn't just about playing perfectly all the notes

[@Transition333]

niemand niets Gads, great catch!!

[@zigmyzaglife]

내가 일곱 살 때 마스터 한 곡인데, 다시 들으니 추억 돋네....

[@PfJun]

네??

[@loveclassic413]

열일곱이 아니라요??

[@nimisha6584]

진짜요?!?

[@PhoenixS4444]

ehehehe At 8:58 he looks at his hand and he's like : "seriously ? you didn't have a lot of things to do..."

[@Patryk429]

Very Very Beautiful Hardest Music I Love I Gave Paw Up Greetings

[@alexxseeman]

Unglaublich !

[@soumiaghechami]

Nodame cantabile brought me here:D

[@thegreatapologist]

WHO DISLIKED THIS PIECE OF PURE EPIC!?

[@RediForKing]

@Laudan08 I know. Hamelin is definately a supervirtuoso too. But Hamelin is more like a robot. He just plays all notes correctly without single mistakes, which I really like. But I think Berezovsky has more passion when he's playing.

[@user-dw7xw8vh1h]

Великолепно!

[@yokobyeol6255]

ΑΝΤΕ ΓΕΙΑ!!!!!!!!

[@mkeysou812]

Big Boris certainly pushed himself to the limit with this one. His speed is incredible! Certainly a risky performance

[@user-bp7rp1em4m]

These things are dangerous to play

[@saeheehwang9376]

Great! He drawing picture by way of play the piano.

[@RXCN]

What a badass

[@triplem3827]

I always find the transition from the first third into the slow waltz section at 2:30 to 2:55 to be so incredibly hard to play. its like the first section gets me all riled up and i dont the slow section romantically enough.

[@liszt17]

I realli like the first part...it"s awesome:P

[@marathomy]

:-) Wow!

[@TanTzuKuang]

is there a studio recording for this piece by him on iTunes ? This is just beautiful best rendition!

[@pannie1000]

Genius

[@rocherpr_piano-classic]

I found an amazing live by a young japanese (Shunta Morimoto PTNA 2018 version). He has the same rythm, a bit more clearer and regular, more intense. So I understand and I also like the live of berezovsky, more dynamique than rubinstein for instance

[@VikramShankarMusic]

@EnviedCure776 So true! Nuages Gris = Malice Through the Looking Glass! I usually equate Nuages Gris to a subdued Funeral Fog or Blashyrkh actually. And Trauervorspiel und Trauermarsch is totally classical black metal as well :P

[@ramirezvelazquez7285]

Молоток Березовский! Ничего плохого не могу сказать! Красавец!

[@user-jo6nm6ku8h]

쩐다...

[@cattleman6420012000]

Amazingly well played.

[@evifnoskcaj]

Then you would absolutely LOVE the pianists of "Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli" and "Art Tatum". They are legendary for their incredibly motionless technique and producing some of the best sounds to ever come out of the piano. The first time I heard both pianists, I laughed at how perfect they were and then laughed even more at how stupid perfect their technique is! They're incredibly and you should definitely check them out.

[@othesemo]

@2hyeok It's short for Mephistopheles, who's a devil who feature's prominently in Marlowe's version of Faust.

[@abcedmond]

@6:37 Very impressive... i love this..

[@jiggedy123]

@maxdesp I, too, thought that Berezovsky is channeling Liszt directly when he plays LIszt, any Liszt piece, but especially these concert pieces like the 1st Mephisto Waltz.

[@musicpiano14]

@1steadman1 you are welcome, I very respect Alexey's playing

[@kowalityjesus]

2:52 "damn, how am I going to deal with this badass modulation?"

[@ruthsalgado6775]

2:52

[@ryanzarmbinski7446]

Incredible performance! I just have one question, though: how did they get the sound so dry?!

[@amber40494]

Isn't la Roque outside?

[@playingmusiconmars]

Liszt actually nailed Mephistopheles' character with this piece. Most people interpret him as an embodiment of evil and sin while actually he's just an asshole that tricks people for fun. Maybe not a very pleasant person but by no means evil, the playfulness of some passages here reflects this perfectly.

[@Liszt31]

Una delle migliori interpretazioni del Mephisto no.1 assieme a quella di Ayako Uehara

[@PeterJohnston]

@twooffour It's a fantastic performance... but I'm not sure if she goes against the composers remarking. It does start allegro, and then in the later section - does say poco a poco accelerando until it gets to Presto. However, you gotta admit - she seems to bring a phenomenal life to each piece she plays.

[@thecouchonfire]

@karazh i'm referring to the "if u can play it u can, if not practice.." part of your comment, because according this statement, playing it shittily is exactly the same as playing it well. and by the way, ARCT is in CANADA. not america.

[@cciencin]

Thank you, Master of The Obvious.

[@ludwigvanbeethoven926]

best

[@YevgenyMorozov]

Does anyone notice that he is not playing the right notes in the first key change section, where 4 flats appear? He seems to repeat the first four measures twice in the same octave as opposed to moving an octave up as my music says... Am I wrong?

[@JohnEBPiano]

Mephistopheles is the 7th prince of hell, not the devil himself. The scene of the piece, as described by Liszt, is that Mephistopheles and Faust are walking along and they come across a wedding. Mep. snatches a fiddle from one of the musicians and begins playing a seductive tune, while Faust dances with one of the maidens. The sound of the fiddle gets fainter as Faust and his maiden dance further into the woods.