Evgeny Kissin plays Brahms-op.118 intermezzos 1,2

[@ursulaspianostudio]

This is absolutely the playing of a genius! I truly appreciate his ability to teach as he plays. He has made his interpretation clear and beautiful. I love how he brought out the melody in the middle section.

[@Wolf37152]

This wonderful performance/interpretation of Brahms' masterwork delivers me to a new and better place. Thank you Herr Brahms and Evgeny Kissin. We are in debt.

[@donnapionke6581]

love his interpretation. Beautiful.

[@hobokenpete]

118 #2 is perhaps the most beautiful piece of music ever written

[@curtisjones3484]

I totally agree! I've actually heard that animal trainers have used this to calm their animals, even lions and tigers.

[@garfreed]

What about Schumann's posthumous variation V from the Symphonic etudes? kzbin.info/www/bejne/rH6tiYSCYrWsaLs

[@MrFunxy]

Brahms' Intermezzo in A Major is such a beautiful piece i rarely feel this particular attatchment when i just stop and listen and reflect Brahms will never be forgotten

[@cpanati]

Kissin gets it perfectly. His is my favorite interpretation. Best dynamics, best coloration. He both feels the music, and understands it, perfectly.

[@photo161]

Kissin gets very deep into this the most introspective and personal of Brahms. Very beautiful...

[@innerenergysedona]

played from the heart, with real feeling and not just perfect mechanics. the pain, the crying out of the soul at love and loss are expressed here. listen to your soul and your music will reflect the depth found there.

[@amidunet]

oh my god this second made me so cry ... I'm currently trying to play this piece, but how is it possible to play like that ... usually the part between 5:32 and 6:03doesn't give me goosebumps but here it did, this guy is not human ... at 6:04 personally when I listen to him I don't care about all what is surrounding me, this pianist has the power to keep the audience attention as no one else ... perfect rendition for the second one

[@agentferf]

Many would say this is played too slow here but I think it's perfect. This song, and this performance in particular, ended up affecting my life deeply. Thanks to all involved in this video.

[@lyubakurteva]

music of brahms ... who was this man, who created such pieces? what kind of man can create so deep, emotional, sincere works of art? i would like to know men like him :) thank u, brahms and thank u kissin :) and thank u music. love

[@yiyiku]

i like your choice of words about this piece - introspection, love, self understanding, intimacy, generosity - thank you

[@honoratamusica]

Intermezzo no.2 - 2:02

[@Pianos85]

i can hear all the great pianists play the 118 No 2, but there is an organizing introspection, a love, a self-understanding that Kissin brings to this Verbier program. I frankly cherish it. I am forever grateful to have this clip on KZbin. Kissin gets it just right, I think. slow, yes, but he has nothing he needs to prove here by taking it faster. he lets it breathe, savoring the discoveries he makes and sharing them with intimacy and generosity. Yea, this just does it for me more each time.

[@zinniamilburn2980]

I love BRAHMS pieces so touching and expressive.

[@xxh3llfir3xx]

i love how the ending of the 1st intermezzo ties into the second one. so beautiful.

[@gabrielmeruelo3158]

This interpretation of Brahms intermezzos op. 118, no.1 & 2 is, in my humble opinion, one of the two best I have heard, the other one being Glenn Gould's. Gabe Meruelo.

[@lefinlay]

Arthur Jussen’s, despite his age, is also very good

[@curtisjones3484]

Have you had the pleasure of listening to Radu Lupu's version? It's hauntingly beautiful, and generally perceived as another one of the absolute best interpretations of this sacred gem!

[@matteopagliari]

OMG! Nr. 2 is simply marvellous... Thank you EK.

[@Auriga37]

I love this.

[@TheAppasionata]

Shows that Kissin can be more than just a virtuosic pianist, he can also be a greatly artistic one as well.

[@pianogirl98]

What a wonderful performance!

[@jackarcher7495]

I can't tell you if this is too fast, or too slow, or if he holds his hands the right way, and frankly don't care. All I know is that this is beautiful, and greatly moving.

[@optimusito]

Kissin is son full of emotions... a miracle.

[@MrSamrenfou]

Many pianist playing the second part too fast. That performance is beautiful

[@1954surya]

Mit Abstand die beste Interpretation des 2. Intermezzos. Grossartig, wie Kissin alle Register zieht.

[@lilibetp]

#2 is my favorite piece of music in the world.

[@IBRAHIMpianist]

Perfect performance! Deep feeling...

[@andongiordano1896]

I played it in high school! I'd say it's not just a piece, it's a friend, companion, something I can give my concerns and lay the stress down with.. Blessed to have been introduced to play it.

[@FutureAbe]

there is something very special about this music

[@magicalfirstkiss]

there's something extremely faithful to brahms' spirit in his playing, here- nothing you could see on a score or pick out of personal preference. and there is very little labored about the broad manner kissin holds it all together and moves it all forward. really very admirable

[@lyudmilapetrova6394]

Brahms' music is very sensual and expressive indeed...So,Evgeny feels his very romantic style almost perfect. May be №2 is a little bit Rubato,but generally his interpretation is very close to mine...I feel similarly...I dare notice that this masterpiece should be played in free manner...And so plays Kissin.Strong emotions are hardly controlled...and this music is extreemly emotional,sentimental...WONDERFUL performance!

[@rspurdue]

Beautiful

[@heathergrey_]

playing the second part! its so beautiful :')

[@endy1121]

Excellent💕✨

[@MissGirlieGirlco]

So beautiful..

[@matthewuy3186]

The ending of the first intermezzo sounds like such an odd way to end a piece, but listening to the second one it only makes sense.

[@AminataBurton]

this is like perfect to me

[@Kurdyukov87pianist]

Он один на миллион!!! Просто нереально играет!!!

[@Pianos85]

Kissin has found a depth and maturity here and while it sometimes may come across to some as more stolid than poetic, i think it is exceptionally exposed for him. he has GROWN so much over his career. Bravo. The more well-known and beloved a piece, the harder it is to reveal what is new and fresh. He did that.

[@hyejinmok]

always when i hear this i want to be a pianist and not a cellist !! love this!!!

[@luzluna2213]

Gracias!

[@Alexberryscarylovee]

@BlazeKenny yes he always wears the same white clothes but he wore black once (I think)

[@kanekokazuko7034]

素晴らしい。やっぱりキーシン大好きです。彼のピアノに出会えて幸せです。有り難うございます。

[@garfreed]

Wonderful!

[@789armstrong]

Another masterful performance by a true keyboard giant.

[@GiorgioSeverini]

ia love very much music of brahms

[@MicrobeObliteratorMo]

At 4:45, heartbreaks.

[@irenenaselli2429]

Los claroscuros de la paleta de Brahms iluminados por un pianista genial.. Una interpretación bellísima.

[@punkpoetry]

Over the top

[@seeuncho3547]

i"m crying.....

[@norahdealmeida5847]

Brahms' Intermezzo op. 118 No. 2. is a little gem. And Kissin plays it with great refinement.

[@Marcooljerk]

Wonderfully emotionally charged rendetion! This has been one of my fav pieces for a very long time, and rarely have I heard it played "right". If I have any criticism at all, it would be concerning sacrificing the lush inner harmonies for the sake of the melody. I missed the minor/major flips ...f#minor/f major... simply due to his concentration on the tune, and had it not been for that, damn near "right"...

[@MsMicellist]

you know, I'm not used to hearing no. 2 quite that slow, but his emphasis on the harmonic structure seems deliberate. This one helped with my form & analysis homework because he really brings out the motifs. Academics aside though, I just like how his interpretation is different but it still works so well. Pretty cool. :)

[@singmeanythingx]

it's a bit too slow for my taste; but i LOVE what he did at the 6-minute mark. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. i love how he distinguished between the voices there. amazing. UH-maze-ing. :D

[@GeorgeMaxwellDuPre]

I agree. Aren't these the later Brahms works? The pensive ones, introspective ones. But the problem we don't know for sure, as it depends upon how and where it fits in the overall architecture of his programme.

[@zeeweirdeye]

intermezzo in A no 2 starts at 2:03

[@davidgray2]

The recording here on youtube of Gould is sharper also, suggesting that it maybe spe up?

[@GlynGlynn]

This is the first pianist I've found on KZbin who is playing No.2 at a truly Andante speed. The sound is a little bright for this piece. Perhaps he should have used Una Corda.

[@bubffm]

Brahms has written exactly where he wants una corde to be used and where not. Kissin duly obliged.

[@GlynGlynn]

+bubffm Brahms was playing a piano of HIS day, not the enormous sonority of present-day Steinways. I am merely putting forward a suggestion which COULD make the performance even better!!

[@asdfasdf-gm5uk]

@@GlynGlynn If you use una corda it eats the sound. Sound is much ritcher and has better quality without una corda.

[@amirmotahari6186]

@@asdfasdf-gm5uk well sorry his sound does not seem that rich to me, and then you have the sound of Lupu and Lars Vogt, or Bolet, that is rich, he is banging most of the time.

[@Oblomov18]

You are right

[@answnstn92]

gooooood

[@bcbrecht]

don't want this to end ....

[@sidneyorr8494]

Kissin and Glenn Gould nailed the Brahms vertical harmonic scheme...and, Rubinstein+Perahia as well, though in a more subtle manner, all completely in touch with the Brahms Zeitgeist in a manner elusive for many attempting these pieces, although otherwise possessed of formidable technical/muscular skills...storytelling is elusive for the majority of even professional pianists...they often never become Musicians...

[@electrocompany]

Have you looked for the resent pogorelich version?

[@mreverbel]

I suggest giving a chance to Emanuel Ax's performance. His Brahms is miraculous.

[@orannisthedestroyer]

Oh my God...please stop criticising this man as he is a fabulous pianist. Critics are people who can't do the real thing, and so make their living bitching about other people's artistry.

[@angeloravera324]

Painfully beautiful !!!!!

[@BlazingSpud]

@ihategopwithpassion I would say that music lights up the world, and science lights up our hearts.

[@tipse17]

herrliche interpretation - dazu spielt kissin auch die immanente polyphonie in homophonen abschnitten - best!!!!

[@yiyiku]

to tablelamp1963: Yeah I realised that the comments aren't nested either. By the way I agree with other aspects of your comments too, about this version being a little coarse and contrived etc. your observation about his fingers though top the funniest comments on youtube!

[@Poempoe]

AAAHHH!!!!! FORTISSIMO EVERYWHERE!!!! :S

[@watutman]

yep

[@FrancescoRonzio]

I don't think so, the time indication is "Andante teneramente"!!!

[@colin_rose]

#2 is taken at a perfect tempo. if you want to hear over-slow, self-indulgent wallowing listen to pogorelich's version.

[@Rakelight]

♡♡♡

[@zzzzzzzzzz202]

@SordidGuy well it's quite apparent who did not watch this video :(

[@siwei6125]

This piece is so damn god difficult

[@shuttervox]

I tried to listen to the music without listening to the sound, and then I tried to watch the sunset without watching the light, and then I realized neither of those things make sense.

[@kaffleraffe]

I have to get used to his own interpretation of the second one. I'm also playing it, he sometimes doesn't care about some dynamical orders in the notes... But it's also cool this way... Don't want to judge which version is better...

[@lefinlay]

Music being art, you are free to take your own liberties 😉

[@leobenezneto]

I like Kissin, but i think the second part a bit slow. Radu Lupu best captured the essence of this magnificent work of Brahms.

[@edwardadams5226]

the best. this too harsh.

[@alskndlaskndal]

Agreed! I'm so attached to Lupu's version that nothing else sounds right. To me this feels showy, overly exaggerated.

[@robinsievers2756]

I would disagree strongly, it seems much too fast too me. I believe Pogorelich performed Intermezzo No. 2 better in 2010 with the 14 minute version

[@galliumarsenide]

mm, very nice. however, i played both of those pieces myself and there are just some parts that i wished he had played a little bit more a tempo (especially #2), or with more dynamic expression (volume.. might be a recording-issue though).

[@wizer25]

Thu Tonic, where are you?

[@daheelee9028]

Wow 이런

[@jimkeller3868]

nope...I didn't cry 4:11

[@Alexberryscarylovee]

@sdorr I agree. But who's LL?

[@justinneversleep]

well, within the 6 intermezzos, it is there are so many other better classical music than that, but one can't deny that #2 is a melodic piece :]

[@yiyiku]

your comments about his fingers are too funny!

[@Tader321]

best part 6:03

[@warina87]

I really think that the second piece should be really in more tempo, like he does in 6:05.. there it sounds like Brahms.. :) I play them too and i LOVE op.118 and of course Brahms! :)

[@WinsomeAllegretto]

His interpretation of no 2 is very emotional and heartfelt, but personally I prefer it a little faster. It seems a little labored at this tempo.

[@yhsenbeilove2091]

Dance, Brahms

[@guilhermemaldonadobaia1097]

i like the n 2 very slow, but its cansative to hear, toghether with n 1. i think he wants to show the contrast between intermezzo1 and 2. Lugansky did it with a good feeling and a litte bit more faster ...

[@zeruwang4057]

Beautiful skin, sorrow soul

[@robinsievers2756]

Yall don't understand, Kissin is taking Intermezzo 2 way too fast. go listen to Pogorelich's 14 minute version of JUST Intermezzo No. 2 and you will understand. Intermezzo No. 2 in like 6 minutes is just way too fast

[@nininha219]

Brahms is God

[@Scissors8311]

Ok, but that's your personal opinion. What do you like about it?

[@Asaph437]

No 2 needed waay more movement at the B section. His A section was good, although because it's live, some of the timing is off a bit. Oh, and I can play this song. Not necessarily as well, but just because I'm criticizing doesn't make me incapable of playing piano. Nobody is going to agree that somebody does it perfect, so don't get mad at people for not liking the interpretation of the piece.

[@photo161]

Op 118 is simply too fussy. Look for the performance by Radu Lupu here on KZbin to hear how much more beautifully it can be played

[@curtisjones3484]

I totally agree with you. It doesn't get any better than Lupu's interpretation. If classical music is played in heaven, Lupu's version would be no.1 on the playlist!

[@pianoOBBSESED]

I find Pollini a VERY GREAT pianist

[@alanhodge8200]

wunder bar piano-ist crazy as bedbug

[@ГульсумУмбеталиева-ф5о]

ПИАНИСТ ОТ БОГА !!!!!!!!

[@EricandSylvannaMeade]

It's a matter of musicality and personal interpretation. Very expressive. I agree with Kevin Mc tho… lines/phrasing a little… pointy/not round enough, right? But very nice!! My respects!