Earl Wild plays his own Fantasy on the themes of opera Gershwin Porgy and Bess

Recorded in 1989 year.

[@tristanhmusic]

0:00 Introduction 2:00 Summertime 4:56 Oh, I Can't Sit down 6:36 My Man's Gone Now 9:59 I Got Plenty O' Nuttin' 12:40 Buzzard Song 14:45 It Ain't Necessarily So 18:44 Bess, You Is My Woman Now 22:15 There's a Boat dat's Leavin' Soon 25:55 Oh Lawd, I'm On My Way

[@Dylonely42]

Thank you.

[@cynic150]

Over 30 thousand views and only 366 likes!? The reason must be that this is so rich and complex that the majority of listeners cannot follow the musical ideas which rain down upon them like a cataract. Well, I am rather shocked more people do not understand and like this. Of course, I am a pianist and have been listening and playing for 60 years. The other thing is that you do need to know the Gershwin original. Some might think it too rich, but I Iove it. 'Fantastic' is the best word to describe this. Bravo, Earl!

[@arjunshukla496]

I completely agree with you on this. Not only this, but a lot of other works by Earl are quite underrated. A lot of people might have forgotten about him, but there will always be someone left appreciating this virtuoso performance and this great pianist, who even outshines Horowitz at times.

[@kennethdower7425]

Its musical complexity is fantastic. The interweaving and interpolation of various melodies probably sounds mostly like decoration to many listeners.

[@musimedmusi8736]

Couldn’t agree with you more

[@DefaultName-qd6rj]

I have discovered this transcriptions and learning them. Definitely very challenging to learn and memorize all the notes, but worth trying. Wild really does well with Gershwin’s. Gorgeous!!

[@MikeN275]

How wonderful! Everytime I think I might get a dull regurgitation of a Gershwin tune Wild pulls another rabbit out of his hat.

[@petermintunmusic]

This is such a fantastic tour de force. You can tell he loves the music very much, and he has arranged it with great respect to the composer. I'm sure George Gershwin would have been proud to hear this performance. After searching the Internet, I found that Mr. Wild's web site offers a published transcription of this "Grande Fantasy." Only $35, plus postage and handling!

[@timmaurer6040]

I had the pleasure of cutting his silver locks as a student at OSU

[@789armstrong]

There are also several Concert Etudes after Gershwin's music which are superb.

[@indigo5601]

a steal @ 35 bux for such a huge treasure!

[@claudioanthon2354]

agreed. @@789armstrong

[@fflambeauutube]

Maybe the greatest American pianist, who was also a gifted composer. A true virtuoso on the piano who had few peers.

[@kimsahl8555]

Cliburn is the greatest USA pianist ever.

[@janetsmith2600]

Ronnie Moore He and Levant had the closest relationship (musically) with Gershwin IMO.

[@JoseVallejo01]

Kk k

[@liedersanger1]

@@janetsmith2600 “He” being Wild?

[@kennethdower7425]

@@kimsahl8555 Wrong. There's no such thing as "the greatest", but thanks for playing.

[@stevehinnenkamp5625]

Enthralling! Maestro Wild takes us on fantastic excursion of pianist virtuosity but never gets so flamboyant as to lose touch with the compositional emotive force of the original masterpiece. Thank you for this powerful performance.

[@thomase13]

Well said!

[@carmenflamenca2011]

One of the greates pianistas of the 20th century

[@BroadwayG]

Ever hear his playing of "The Mephisto Waltz?" I studied it copiously when preparing for my piano exams. Sources tell us he was an amazing sight reading too. So gifted. Love this guy.

[@GERSHWINGAL7]

Magnificent....the world needs more players like Mr. Wild.

[@NOSEhow2LIV]

Vintage EARLy music!!We also get the rather crunchy Baldwin sound which he favored, but here it's really suitable.The Earl always had a composer's viewpoint to what he was playing and for this PorgyFantasy it's hard to imagine better;truly brilliant ideas for each number, played to the hilt.Admittedly it's quite long,especially with close-up Baldwin crunching on for nearly half an hour,but the witty touches give relief;just love the"Tristan"at 25.45!

[@scj6693]

NOSEhow2LIV i like your pun

[@cynic150]

Hmm. So this was written by a dog. Or a nose?

[@cynic150]

Flashy? Yes. But brilliant! I enjoyed this more the second time of hearing.

[@dorothypugh2614]

Great bright and showy sound that conveys the Gershwin spirit!

[@originaltommy]

Wow, I can't believe it took me this long to discover this! It's terrific! And Earl's playing is, well, what words? When I was a tiny boy in the 70s, my parents used to stuff my stocking every Christmas with cassette tapes. No, I wasn't like the other kids (save for wanting Star Wars figurines)...because I got cassette tapes! Many of them were piano works by numerous composers played by Abbey Simon and of course, the amazing Earl Wild. Great memories, great artists.

[@jamesdolimpio5313]

Virtuosity beyond compare!

[@jamesdolimpio4076]

just discovered this wonder..ordered the transcript.There is no one better.Ever.

[@adlfm]

First two measures of the prelude of Tristan und Isolde quoted at 25:39. YAY!

[@andrewkohler3707]

I suspect that George Gershwin was channeling Tristan und Isolde when he wrote that plaintive English horn solo (foreshadowing the death of Jake) at the beginning of Act II Scene 3 of Porgy and Bess.

[@originaltommy]

BRILLIANT!!!

[@michaelcoolen8716]

David Dubal once commented, to Wild's face, that he ranked him with Hofmann, Rachmaninoff, and Horowitz in the pantheon of great pianists of the 20th century. Horowitz once said that Wild had better technique than he, Horowitz.

[@watutman]

That tune from 19:00 to about 27:00 is addictive, beautiful.

[@PastukhSkota]

Gershwin's 'Bess, you is my woman now' Such a fabulous Modern Opera Fantasy! Mr. Wild is gem.

[@helenlinpiano]

amazing!!

[@robertkeithkennedy]

awestruck.

[@beenthereonce]

Wow!

[@karelhusarek8906]

SUPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@musimedmusi8736]

A masterpiece of pianistic arrangement in the manner of Liszts’s fantasies and transcriptions of operas. It’s a great repertoire piece. Virgin territory: Rhapsody in Blue is overplayed, but hardly anyone plays this Fantasy. Very pianistic and so much fun to play. Porgy and Bess was, after all, Gershwin’s Magnum Opus, really his greatest achievement. What a joy to be able to embrace it as a whole with one’s two hands.

[@Dylonely42]

25:40 Wagner’s Tristan

[@MrPianomonster]

14:12 Время, вперёд! )

[@SDreznin]

Look at Gershwin's Piano Concerto, 1st mov., development for Время, вперёд! )

[@Dylonely42]

I absolutely love this piano solo fantasy, surely my favorite on the opera. I am sure that G. Gershwin would have loved it as well !

[@Vladislav2595]

I have it - I downloaded it free of charge.

[@Dylonely42]

- How good do you want your melodies to be ? Gershwin : Yes

[@josephmarcello7481]

Brilliant yes, but excessive as well, full of Rachmaninoff like spaghetti when they should be stillness and transparency. But every pianist longs to do his arpeggios as flashily as possible, and mr. Wilds are particularly brilliant. I love seventy-five to eighty percent of thiscreation, but with a skillful paring knife, the Creator could have done it complete Justice and spared our brains and nervous systems needless onslaught

[@DefaultName-qd6rj]

😂🤣

[@MyPianoRarities]

The transcriptions of songs by Rachmaninov are also legendary!

[@Dylonely42]

Which songs ?

[@ksholomitsky]

​@@Dylonely42he ment the romances

[@Dylonely42]

@@ksholomitsky a

[@Dylonely42]

Insane.

[@chenchangpo]

5:22 flintstone

[@RaptorT1V]

в стиле Николая Капустина

[@Dylonely42]

@@RaptorT1VKapustin was born the year Gershwin died… so Kapustin was inspired by him.

[@RaptorT1V]

@@Dylonely42 Wrong conclusion. _So Gershwin was reborn in Kapustin's body_

[@Dylonely42]

@@RaptorT1V Wrong too. Gershwin’s music is beyond Kapustin’s music. They have both different styles, although they both used jazz and blues in their compositions.

[@RaptorT1V]

@@Dylonely42 Yeah, tell me Gershwin's music is cooler than Kapustin's music, dude. Actually, that was a joke, what I wrote. But what you wrote seems to be some serious bullshit.