Franz Liszt: Mephisto Waltz No. 1 | Khatia Buniatishvili (Verbier 2011)

Pure piano virtuosity: Khatia Buniatishvili plays Mephisto Waltz No. 1 (S. 514) by Franz Liszt. The concert took place at the Verbier Festival on July 26. 2011.
Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886), who was himself a great piano virtuoso, composed several top-class bravura pieces for piano, including the four Mephisto Waltzes. The Mephisto Waltz No. 1 (1856 - 61) is the most famous of the four piano waltzes and remains one of the most frequently performed virtuoso pieces by the Austro-Hungarian composer.
The first Mephisto waltz is subtitled ‚Der Tanz in der Dorfschenke‘ (The Dance in the Village Inn) and is a typical example of program music. However, the literary template for the program around the Mephisto figure does not come from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's famous Faust tragedy but from the verse epic "Faust. Ein Gedicht" by the Austrian writer Nikolaus Lenau (1802 - 1850). In the episode The Dance, Faust and Mephisto enter a village tavern. There Mephisto grabs a musician's violin, tunes the instrument and plays a wild dance on it - while Faust disappears into the forest with a harlot. Franz Liszt transfers this scene to his piano waltz in rich detail. At the beginning, you can hear the violin's voices as empty fifths, then the infernal dance and finally the song of a nightingale in the forest. The following musically condensed passage has even been interpreted as the first time a sexual act was set directly to music.
Liszt dedicated the Mephisto Waltz to his famous piano pupil Karl Tausig and later rewrote it to create an orchestral version. Nevertheless, the virtuoso piano piece has remained a concert favourite. Khatia Buniatishvili plays the Mephisto Waltz No. 1 full of drama and sensuality - earning much applause and cheers.
As a child, pianist Khatia Buniatishvili, born in 1987 in Tblisi, Georgia, was considered a wunderkind. She began to play the piano at the age of three and gave her first concert with the Tblisi concert orchestra at the age of six. International performances followed when she was ten. In 2008, she gave her US debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Since then, Buniatishvili has been regularly invited to many high-profile festivals and has given concerts in the world’s most renowned concert halls, for instance at Vienna’s Musikverein, at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and at the Berlin Philharmonic. She has won the highly respected Echo Classic Award twice.
The Verbier Festival is one of the most prestigious classical music events in the world. The quality of the participating artists as well as the originality of the programs have established the festival as a highlight of the music season. It takes place for two weeks in late July and early August in the mountain resort of Verbier, in Switzerland.
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#KhatiaBuniatishvili #FranzLiszt #MephistoWaltz

[@cindylynch4502]

Once I started watching her, I couldn't stop. It's been ALL day. Magnificent!

[@Mipuko]

Écouter la musique tout en vous voyant jouer est un spectacle complet et merveilleux : mes oreilles y participent aussi bien que mes yeux. Merci.

[@user-fw8ps8qb1u]

Как же щедро бывает одарён один человек! Шикарная внешность, блестящие музыкальные способности, высокая одухотворёность, ощущаемая в каждрм звуке! Как поразительно.. .

[@alsenwulf]

Genial ! Ich spiele über 60 Jahre Klavier, aber dabei kann ich mich nur flach auf den Boden legen .... und rühre nie wieder eine Taste an 😌 😍

[@irenepolesel2849]

Me pasa igual toque piano 60 y 30 no se nada sigo con tareas, de piano Solo puede oir, Y disfruto!!0

[@patriciagraham2287]

She can play the piano!! Brilliant!! WOW such magic fingers!

[@DWClassicalMusic]

She can indeed! Make sure to check our other videos featuring Khatia Buniatishvili too :)

[@mariodiaz2042]

Me atrevería a comparar su sensibilidad artística y su motricidad fina a Vladimir Horowitz. Magistral!.

[@loving-everyone-equally]

She's a very close second to Lang Lang playing Liszt's Réminiscences de Don Juan (on themes from Mozart's Don Giovanni)

[@SorrowfulHallow]

My new favorite pianist, ive been watching nonstop!

[@jwmj2897]

Loved it!! Bravo!

[@SacredCampaign]

Lizst, himself the greatest pianist of his day, would be blown away!

[@pborgia1]

Liszt please

[@petertrueteller8043]

Not at all, this is mess.

[@richardvolpe7664]

@@petertrueteller8043 Good for you! I knew there'd have to be at least ONE viewer who'd see this for what it is. My compliments.

[@helgedonath1524]

absolut genial! das reicht weit ins 20. jahrhundert hinein. was für ein temperament und wenn ich an gründgens mephisto denke muss ich eingestehen, er hat ihn fantastisch portraitiert!

[@marcietorrence5361]

Khatia is talented and stylish too. I want her CD, because I am addicted to the Mephisto Waltz. I love her spirited version !

[@SilvioNobre]

Maravilhosa, deusa, perfeita, magnífica!

[@royjuancamaney2693]

Ainda mais, Gostei DEMAIS.

[@vannigio27]

Mamma mia, che brava.

[@user-gx8xj5yl4v]

Какое исполнение, какая техника! Браво!

[@carlosvizia2357]

Khatia, talento, gracia, elegancia!. Nacida el 21-06-1987, tres días antes que el gran Leo Messi, Khatia es la Messi del piano!!!.

[@chipwaterman5759]

Very nicely done powerful meaningful 👌☺

[@docbogus6128]

Incredible.

[@thomgeo8073]

FANTASTIC ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@peterpan6334]

Such a divinely poetic spirit with Mephistophelian nerve

[@roberthuber5589]

Magnifique 👿

[@jd4evr2001]

She is ONE in TEN billion ♥

[@arthurartur9382]

of couese

[@TheKittenonthekeys]

Khatia, you are the best!

[@DWClassicalMusic]

She really is!

[@royjuancamaney2693]

Da acordo, Insieme a yuja Wang

[@irapuateixeira7195]

Maravilhosa interpretação! 4:11

[@gsten2116]

How many people on the planet can play this? 3? 4?. My God she is brilliant.

[@neilkilleen3911]

Well tens of thousands I reckon

[@FurTh3r]

a lot, it's not impossible as a piece, but sure really hard ye : )

[@glenngouldification]

87 if you want a number

[@0lgawise]

Listen to Sultanov

[@baroquegeek]

I love her so much. Technique is brilliant but some sections are messy. Take your time we know you can play at the speed of light but some sections need you to take time. I love love love this woman.

[@user-vf8vr4mb3g]

Непостижимо ...ибо великолепно . Благодарю .

[@finnjacobsen684]

Hard to believe what I just saw and heard.

[@FFB39]

Absolutamente brillante

[@claudioparrella183]

Un uso dei tempi non convenzionale ma il risultato è magnifico

[@oswaldolauritoesilva3097]

Simplesmente , a melhor pianista da atualidade ,ao meu ver !!!!!

[@philippearnon692]

Khatia est tellement extraordinaire qu'elle arrive à nous faire croire que Méphisto lui-même peut souffrir, avoir de la sensibilité jusqu'à aller partager la souffrance qu'il a infligé auparavant aux humains. Oh ! Merci Khatia.

[@rbgaming3638]

On dirait limite que c’est Franz Liszt qui joue !

[@williamcorcoran8842]

If a tear doth not well up in the peepers then thou not human.

[@ericbouchard3745]

Holy frick, that is fast.

[@luizgonzaga9231]

Grandiosa interprete como sempre

[@scottishfold9276]

There are some parts that a bit rushing but still magnificent technique there. This piece is hella difficult with that kind of speed!

[@petraweise6494]

Nein, da bevorzuge ich das wunderbar von Khatja gespielte Ständchen von Schubert/Liszt.

[@rotatoe]

Great performance but im saddened to see the tempo cause some sections to be pretty choppy and inaccurate. better than I could ever do so who am i to judge...

[@j.d.miller4203]

No, you are a listener who knows what he hears. You have a right to judge. I agree with you! It's fast playing, but it doesn't sound like the 'Dance of the Devil.'

[@user-gu8qo7sm1j]

Halleluya praise the Lord. Thanks a lot for your magical playlist

[@DWClassicalMusic]

Glad you enjoyed it! 😊

[@lucasmetzler]

😍♥️😍♥️😍♥️😍♥️😍🇧🇷

[@shiralikerim1781]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@MeL-Chu1991]

Она очень много и упорно трудилась а теперь показывает выдающийся результат!!!мой Вам поклон Катя)или оно по другому переводится на русский язык?!)

[@ninololadze828]

perevodit ne nado! ee zvat Chatia i izvolte tak i nazivat

[@MeL-Chu1991]

@@ninololadze828 договорились 🤝

[@lijuaboykins4576]

It seems like she rushing it.. I like her but sometimes the same pieces she plays compared to yuja wang there's a major difference in rhythm and the music part.. She more focused on speed and trying to play fast and perfect

[@marcietorrence5361]

Haha haha, "rushing it". The fastest Waltz in history, I hope that was humor?

[@naydaespinozamunoz4069]

Endiablado de dificil de interpretar ,solo los grandes lo logran ...Bravooo por ella

[@bolhommeable]

I didn't know it was a competition of speed with that piece.

[@cambodennis]

Yeah, the tempo is a little too fast. I think she needs to let it breathe.

[@neilkilleen3911]

Indeed. She does the music no favours like this

[@gabrielbrewster4806]

I think its about showing off

[@Froniwo]

Now you know.

[@karsilama]

Please, would somebody tell me who arrange that sheet? I have a Busoni’s arrange and it's very different. Thank you 🙏🏻 all

[@DWClassicalMusic]

Dear Jesus Colavita, We assume that the original version by Franz Liszt will be played here. Busoni arranged the piece later. Your team of DW Classical Music

[@richardvolpe7664]

Anyone who saw her shocking video of Prokofiev's "Precipitato" won't be surprised by what she dishes out here. An absolute riot! As I may have said elsewhere, she must have an unshakable conviction that fast tempos, even when exaggerated to monstrous degrees, are a sure-fire guarantee of impressing the audience. Never mind that, in the process, all musical felicities are flung out the window in a devil-may-care fashion. Her general approach here, and I'm trying to be kind, can be best described as hysterical, mindless, and, what REALLY counts, decidedly unmusical. Sections that were meant to sound tense or dramatic come off as sounding downright silly, even comical. I don't have any idea whom she studied with over the years, but there had to be someone who encouraged this sort of perverse pseudo-virtuosic way of playing. Or, just as possible, she may have somehow developed it from her own inner self. As I quipped in a previous post (her "Precipitato" performance - - if you haven't seen it, look it up; it'll take only about 75 seconds of your time), the only nice thing about her presentation here is - - you guessed it - - her dress.

[@DWClassicalMusic]

Thanks for sharing your viewpoint on the performance.

[@polixeniagraf2636]

😘👏👏👏💐

[@nickk8416]

Incredible technical facility. Fingers of steel with the best of them. Horowitz, Bolet, Cziffra, Pletnev Y. Wang etc. Horowitz used to call it "Box Office". As fun as it was, I prefer a little slower and more lyrical playing.

[@dwacheopus]

7:02 oh gosh her thumb on her right hand slipped over. I know that painful feeling and the panick after it

[@Luke-McMahon]

good spot

[@tibetatakan]

7:18 how

[@headbandbybrianlundeen3132]

Ok

[@ci4xo0]

4:26

[@heikkimesterton]

If I see right Buniatishvili plays cromatic scales with fingering 12121231212123. That's intresting, it might be faster than 1231212123

[@DragosDomnara]

7:17

[@claudiojosejacintho3237]

Linda

[@petertrueteller8043]

I am sorry but is she pernamently sitting on left pedal? Sounds like it.

[@prokastinatore]

She has to become matured.....It's not only about showing up hard studied piano skills but moreover about the spirits of the devil..... I recommand also listening to maestro Andrei Gavrilov ( gold-medal winner 1974, Intern. Tschaikowsky-Competiition Moscow 1974) after Vladimir Ashkenazy who won it before.. Gavrilov performed Prokofiev: "suggestion diabolique". And that's only my recomantdation while rehearsing.

[@hanshoning9529]

真心覺得二胡的聲線，更能表達出東方的愛情觀，嬌羞而含蓄。 第一次聽時，總覺得二胡在高音上表現不如小提琴！小提琴高音真的宇宙無敵，尖銳而鮮明(這也反應出西方哲學重視個性的突出)。大家仔細聽，孫凰老師的高音處理，故意弱化了高音的尖銳性，聽起來非常含糊！這真的是血淋淋東方愛情性格啊，嬌嗔而害羞。 Beantwoorden

[@DWClassicalMusic]

Thank you for your comment. If possible, please comment in English next time so that more people can follow the discussion. All the best!

[@user-fw6vs6pk8l]

7:25 Ig it should be more clear but ok

[@ferube4171]

casi que se lo ve al mismisimo mefistofeles bailando sobre la teclas

[@Petya119]

Ultimate Goddess ...I attentend She Live ×2 Aaaahhh...

[@FurTh3r]

I mean, sure... speed.. ok, but it makes no sense played like this, plus there are more wrong notes than right ones xD Still impressive in some ways I guess

[@georgebrummel1280]

Venus at piano, Khatia

[@mariamchaduneli9325]

შესანიშნავი, უნიჭიერესი.

[@diegoregina5105]

She is a beautiful woman. I don't know maybe i have to listen some more time to this interpretation, but the music flows away in such a speed way. There are beautiful details in this masterwork missing...your technique is amazing but it's not matter to be the best technician all over the world...that is also music..in the last 2 or 3 minutes everything passes like a Ferrari along a formula 1 circuit...so i return to my dearest Vladimir Horowitz and Gyorgyi Cziffra to be completely satisfied.. My 2 cents anyway...

[@zztzz010]

The new speed records worldwide

[@royjuancamaney2693]

Supersonica

[@davidransbottom8314]

Is that good? NO!!!

[@davidransbottom8314]

A pure rush job in parts.

[@davidransbottom8314]

Thank you, for whoever posted the thumbs up, I could have said a lot more.

[@neilkilleen3911]

@@davidransbottom8314 go for it. I agree. She’s so talented and just wastes that talent with messes like this

[@davidransbottom8314]

@@neilkilleen3911 Thanks, by the way, and if your interested, Please check out the videos of Yulianna Avdeeva, who in my opinion is a far better Pianist. Her Liszt is tremendous, again, in my opinion.

[@neilkilleen3911]

@@davidransbottom8314 yeah she is awesome, and has given so much to the community through her Thursday livestreams

[@davidransbottom8314]

@@neilkilleen3911 Exactly!

[@cambodennis]

Her technique is astonishing, but I don't care for this interpretation. This piece has some beautiful lyrical moments that just don't work at this tempo.

[@alexmirandarodrigues4345]

I agree with you. Incredible techinique, but don't worth lyrical and melodical aspects of the preceptores.

[@mayratorresmusic]

Mi dispiace dirlo ma è la peggiore versione che io abbia mai ascoltato , questa pianista non ha idea di cos'è musicalità , senso, interpretazione etc etc disastro

[@ArgoBeats]

nah... too fast and not that clean

[@letsbrawl945]

Do you know how insanely hard it is to play at that tempo? And clean doesn’t always mean that there are no wrong notes. Go watch Twoset’s video about the best piano performances where a pianists gives her thoughts about this.

[@ArgoBeats]

@@letsbrawl945 I do know how hard is to play at that speed, but these days everything seems about speed: to play an instrument doesn't mean to play it quickly, it means to convey emotions. This - and many other aspects - differs real Masters of the past with young pianists of these days, only a few of them are really really good at playing piano.

[@letsbrawl945]

@@ArgoBeats I am definitely aware that not everything is about speed, but I'm only talking about this spesific piece now. She's proabably showing a lot of emtion but that's just pretty hard to tell with this piece (spesifically the part where she starts playing fast, ofcourse there are parts in this piece were emotion is important)

[@laslasman564]

Needs more work...baseline harmonies not brought out in many instances ...sounds mushed in too many places....lost the music line im afraid...so many of these so called virtuosi putting out these pieces not playing from on high...your just better playing a simple piice to greater effect...

[@lennyboern]

zudem viele falsche und nicht vorhandene Töne...es geht viel verloren bei ihrem Temperament...

[@0lgawise]

Много педали, нет целостности, иногда мимо нот. Люди, слушайте Султанова

[@DWClassicalMusic]

Thank you for your comment. If possible, please comment in English next time so that more people can follow the discussion. All the best!

[@zoltan5200]

Nem èrtek a zenèhez, ìgy csak az èrzèseimre tàmaszkodhatom : csodàlatos volt. Szerintem, kivèteles tehetsèg, nagy ember, ès művèsz. Liszt Ferenc kritikája èrdekelne, nagyon. Ő , a szerző, zongoravirtuòz, csak ő tudhatná, hogyan kellene előadni-àtèlni , a művét. A kritikáknàl, nem àrtana figyelembe venni, hogy a Művèsznő -ad absurdum- nő. Ebből adòdòan, az èletben sok mindent, a zenèt is màskèpp láthatja, èrtelmezheti-èlheti meg,ès àt. Ès, még nem is beszèltünk, a művèszet szabadsàgàròl

[@DWClassicalMusic]

Thank you for your comment. If possible, please comment in English next time so that more people can follow the discussion. All the best!

[@zoltan5200]

Szàmomra, Khatia Buniatisvili, vagy Sinèad O'Connor, Whitney Houston, Lady Diana Spencer èlete, ès/vagy művèszete-tettei/k/ nem kèpezhetik vita tàrgyàt sosem. Sem magyarul, sem , màs nyelven.

[@user-jwill]

How do they remember all those notes? 🤣

[@royjuancamaney2693]

Musical memory. Years to years of studi, natural talent

[@ldece627]

Just like you would be able to memorize a text of 10 000 words if you took your time and practiced enough. The accumulated knowledge of music these professional musicians have is like being a perfect linguist. There are plenty of factors that make memorizing these notes easier than you think. A long run of let's say 80 notes could be constructed in a very clear way based on a single chord. You only need to master the keyboard and comprehend how the composer wrote the run and it'll be a run you will never forget how to play despite the 80 individual notes. It'll also be easy to remember. Your brain will know where to place your fingers based on the single knowledge of a chord, and that in a couple of milliseconds.

[@philippearnon692]

Encore moi, désolé ! Cette femme, je vous le dis, je vous le crie, c'est Dieu. Merci alors mon Dieu de venir parmi nous par les mains merveilleuse de Khatia !

[@DWClassicalMusic]

Thank you for your comment. If possible, please comment in English next time so that more people can follow the discussion. All the best!

[@marthahollier6747]

нет.. технично, но мелко...

[@Xanadu2025]

Too fast

[@petera5067]

also die meisten töne sind richtig 🤣... und aus den falschen könnte man nen neuen mephisto schreiben 🙄

[@fgeissler]

Too much Dionysian energy in some parts. A pity, she deconstructs music into a shimmering, whirring sound!

[@mehdiadlany]

It's just too fast. The musicality and the daredevilry of Mephisto aren't crystallized in this performance. It feels like she wants to finish the task at hand prestissimo possible. It really sucks when Liszt's works become vehicles of circus virtuosity.

[@bobanbu]

what are some of the best renditions, more nuanced, that you could recommend - thanks!

[@user-xx6hb7lm4k]

ЗАВИСТЬ - плохое чувство, которое сжирает человеческую сущность !!Избавьтесь от неё и вы почувствуете себя счастливым человеком !Катя -- великий музыкант , она творит вместе с композиторами !!Рахманинов и КАТЯ -- ОКЕАН МУЗЫКИ ПОТРЯСАЮЩИХ ЭМОЦИЙ И ЧУВСТВ !!!ЭТО ВЕЛИКИЕ КОМПОЗИТОР И ПИАНИСТКА- ИНТЕРПРЕТАТОР ПЛАНЕТАРНОГО МАСШТАБА , КОТОРЫЕ ПРИНОСЯТ МИРУ ОГРОМНОЕ ДУХОВНОЕ НАСЛАЖДЕНИЕ НАВЕКИ ВСЕМ ЖИТЕЛЯМ ЗЕМЛИ !!!

[@mehdiadlany]

@@bobanbu Listen to Claire-Marie Le Guay (from her recording Joies de l'âme). The cleanest rendition ever. Passion but with a sense of control.

[@davidransbottom8314]

Exactly! well said..

[@ivanaraque]

Ashkenazy, Richter, and I haven't seen it, but I think Horowitz could've made miracles with this (a miracle for the devil, that is) @@bobanbu

[@orenji_nini9482]

She absolutely destroyed this piece, what a shame of interpretation! She could be a master at piano technique, but this thing she did, was awful... speed just... obliterated musicality 0/10

[@user-ld5hu9ev6c]

Ощущение, будто говном с ложки покормили..... Не меня - аудиторию....

[@yusouph2002]

Ну я бы не стал так грубо выражаться, но в целом согласен) Темп очень загнанный, из-за этого много лиричных моментов упущено. Да и по технике не особо чисто сыграно

[@sebastiangruben8633]

ridiculous

[@jorgebuscaglia8009]

A veces el exceso de virtuosismo hace perder el sentido de la obra.

[@user-rz2vs1cz6l]

Нелепо, без смысла.Разочаровала.

[@user-pv6rt1mu9m]

Ужас. Не слушает ни одной паузы. Темпы не соответствуют качеству. За Листа обидно.

[@jcsmith3702]

No...too fast and not musical. When you play Liszt, you need to be able to hide the virtuosity, otherwise listeners miss the musical content. But it's very hard to do this. Yes, Yuja often succeeds at this, but not always.

[@AnotherediS]

Yes - I couldn’t appreciate her performances of this piece until I was more familiar with it, after listening to it at a more sane tempo… but goddamn man the skill required to jump octaves at that speed really is incredible

[@0lgawise]

Sultanov

[@mechedrei3036]

I have seen highschool students play Mephisto with more emotion and less mistakes. Losing tempo or accuracy in the name of musicality is ok, i can see that she wants both but she kinda fails…

[@neilkilleen3911]

she frustrates me so much! she has magnificent technique and musical sensibility when she wants it and some of what she does is glorious. but so often, she plays at ridiculous speeds that just throws all that away. In this performance there are places where she simply cannot hold it together with reasonable precision and accuracy because of the excess tempo. Worse, she does the music no favours with these silly tempos.

[@famousatmidnight15]

Dude it’s Liszt, it’s always played at a frenetic pace. School up.

[@neilkilleen3911]

@@famousatmidnight15 total nonsense

[@zoltan5200]

Nagy szerencse, hogy vagy nekünk! Jobban ismered Liszt èrzèseit, mint , egy , jött-ment zongorista, ès felvilàgosìtasz minket. Köszönöm! 😂

[@user-cw6np7zr7z]

Faster does not mean better. What a dreadful performance.

[@maratgubaidullin7788]

The worst interpretation I ever heard...

[@maksymnevdakha]

4:53