Greg Anderson plays Ligeti Etude 13: "The Devil's Staircase"

[@lamywater]

There's something interesting about the way the music is notated in terms of numbers. This is etude No. 13 which is pretty obvious, but every bar is divided into three sections (notated with dashed bar lines). Each of these sections is six beats. So every full bar has 666 embedded into it. Some fun numerical references going on.

[@SaloniS]

TheaOchiMati It's a conspiracy

[@WombieFerguson]

I feel like Ligeti is the only composer who can pull off something like this without coming off as a try-hard lol

Not at all.... There is even more symbolism than he mentioned... ;)

[@Mozart0230]

@ really tell us about it

[@preblalar8798]

Only if you concider every other eightnote as a beat. Like if you're counting 6/8 time 2+2+2, even if the music goes 3+3. Devils staircase goes 2232223--=--2. Then you get 655 655 655 655 655 655 655 655 655 564 564 etc.

[@Bobmiddle]

I love the wonderful contrast here between the informality of the artist and the seriousness with which he must approach Ligeti and the Steinway.

[@marktoth3412]

I always revisit this video. When I first saw this I was in the early stages of learning the piano- now I am old and mature enough to tackle this piece I believe. Thank you for inspiring me all those years back with this great video!

[@helciocampos4346]

This is the most astonishing performance of this piece I have listen! Amazing control, amazing interpretation, amazing everything! Two thumbs + two big toes up!

[@fisherroastedpeanut]

Perfect acoustics - sharp, sour and metallic - Notes resonate and blend into each other without a second of breath, as it should be.

[@eliotlee7567]

I think this is truly the most beautiful piece I've heard in a long time. What a genius amd Greg is a master performer!

[@KenNickels]

That was a very enjoyable trip. Bravo!

[@bluenetmarketing]

This is so unbelievably incredible. Goosebumps the whole time. A realistic descent into hell if there ever was one.

[@SeekTheTruth205]

Oh, there is one, but God made a way to not go there, instead have eternal life through *faith* in Jesus Christ and his finished crosswork at Calvary. Christ paid the wages of sin on Calvary's cross where God was in Christ imputing the world's sin to his only perfect son who became our sacrifice and by himself shed his own blood. He was buried putting sin away and rose from the dead. All who believe in Christ and what he alone accomplished by his grace are then justified, made complete in him, we are joined to Christ and given a decree of his righteousness and sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. We become by his work a new creature, a member of the body of Christ. 2Corintians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Your faith or belief in this good news our Apostle Paul calls "my gospel" gives you access to the grace gift that happened long before you were born. 1Corintians 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, 👉how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

[@karilamervo5343]

@@SeekTheTruth205 Some more Biblical propaganda, please?

[@MrLandale]

​@@karilamervo5343 I thought the same. I wish people could believe in each other instead of gods. Religions build walls between people, we need bridges!

[@karilamervo5343]

@@MrLandale thank you for input.

[@spick1923]

Yea, people can actually be kind to each other without needing to resort to a religion based on brain washing, war, culture cleansing, and dogma. Many of us have chosen to evolve beyond the mental aptitudes of homogenized cattle. I pity your narrow field of view... Can you think about anything without invoking what a group of 'men' said 2000 years ago? Who gives a shit if jesus mum was fucked by a ghost?

[@andersonroe]

Thanks! After a year of comments about the tempo, I thought I'd throw my two cents in the pile: Ligeti provides two specific indications of tempo in the score: a metronome marking (dotted whole note = 30), and the piece's total duration (5'16"). I'm not one to argue complete faithfulness to the score, but Ligeti's definitely on my side here. I like hearing and feeling the rhythms with some resistance anyway!

[@bluenetmarketing]

I think the devil himself would agree with you, Greg. It is perfectly and hauntingly played.

[@SaltpeterTaffy]

This is my favorite performance of the piece and the tempo is a BIG part of why.

[@Cksjah1234]

This is art. Just amazing

[@SIiv3r]

Ligeti ist just stunning. Good playing!

[@MartinHatchuel]

The Devils Staircase looks EXACTLY like this. Awesome

[@FrankenBosey]

Superb performance of a short work from a collection of some of the most important piano material in music history. Thank you, Mr. Anderson, for bringing this to the public.

[@mmKALLL]

And ten years later, you are still making fantastic videos with magnificent music!

[@andersonroe]

And yes, while editing, I aimed for something that would make viewers a bit dizzy... you are climbing the devil's staircase after all.

[@marosigy]

I'm coming back and back again to Greg's great performance of this splendid piano piece... It's a pitty there is no CD made yet.

[@daniel15671]

Great angles with the video. I like the piece taken at this tempo, as well, as opposed to the mad dash to which it is usually subjected. Here, the climaxes are more effective, and the contours sound like real melodic material, instead of "just" passage work.

[@zimnaya]

Phenomenal playing: what technique and what terror and excitement! This is the first time I have heard this piece of Ligeti. Absolutely extraordinary. Magnificent playing. Thank you so much.

[@ghostwriter11]

"I try to get out, and they pull me back in." Brilliant piece. Brilliant performance. Brilliant vid. Thanks!

[@Learn2burn]

this might be one of the greatest musical inspirations that I've ever had.

[@zenchopin]

The best interpretation I've ever heard

[@funkacelloik]

Looks like he's playing that in a church. What a great place to play "The Devil's Staircase." This guy is AWESOME.

[@thepianodude]

Incredible playing coupled with incredible videography. Thank you, Greg Anderson!

[@blaineselkirk9946]

Fantastic piece! Fantastic performance!

[@richardmerriam7044]

I played that once...ended up in the state hospital.

[@bluenetmarketing]

There is mere music, and then there is Gyorgy Ligeti.

[@bokazsombor]

Great choice, excellent performance! Interesting comments (I do not know why people listen to it if they do not like it and then say something that is not correct.) Congratulations! Looking forward to hearing more Ligeti from you.

[@andersonroe]

Close - the climax actually has eight fortes (ffffffff)! On top of that - there are three accents stacked on top of every note. Wild, huh?!

[@JANPressPub]

Spectacular performance of one of my favorite composers, and possibly one of my new favorite pieces. Great job.

[@eugenstar81]

Very good performance. Thank you so much. With great respect

[@henrahmagix]

Wow. I would never have listened to this all the way through and liked it without the superb introduction! Well done Greg!!!

[@cesarcamba1]

What a feat of concentration (and physicality! I love it when he has to shift his position on the stool), mesmerising.

[@davebeeboss]

Fantastic rhythmic drive and just the right feeling in this. Wonderful, and a bit scary!

[@exlibrismarilyn]

Exciting and unreal. Love it. Just purchased the cd. Great sound quality, thanks for posting! The video shots are perfect for the piece.

[@maestroanth]

Lol, I loved the beginning. The outfit was fitting for this type of performance....it's not Chopin for god sake. Greg, you inspired me to learn this piece. I have never played too many 20th century works other than my own. This is my favorite youtube video. That and the water walk thing, lol.

[@bitiar]

Greg, this is a great interpretation of Ligeti' etude 13. As a matter of fact, was the first time I heard it, about 1 year ago (just decided now to coment...) I'm a great ligeti's fan, and this came to enlarge my "fanness" a lot. GreatGreg!

[@JMdCProductions]

Imagine... you're the 2011 Santa CLara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps! Altough im a cavies fan i cant wait for this!

[@srdavis37]

Incredible! The video editing was just as awesome as the performance! Well done Mr. Anderson!

[@jefffineberg]

This is a tremendous performance, in addition to some of the cool video edits...very nice!!! I'm inspired :)

[@JPoo9009]

Can't wait to see Vanguard perform this! It's gonna be tight. Possibly even better than last year.

[@abath07]

Marvelous performance and direction of photography.

[@licricardososa]

You are wonderful player! This works makes me crazy. And the images are very good, too. Tha rythm, colors, the record of your gestures. I like it very much. Thank you (Ricardo, from Argentina)

[@pageljazz]

Well played, Mr. Anderson. Well played. I mean, literally. You played well.

[@calremmel]

It took going through the Hindemith clarinet sonata to open up the 20th century for me. I was lucky to be guided through by an experienced musician, and afterward I felt like I'd been punched in the gut by the sheer concentration of emotion. My mind had been completely blown: THIS was what passion sounded like. It was like someone had distilled pain and the anguish of resignation into an audible form and then shot it directly into my nerves.

[@dariustimmer]

Nice video edit, superb playing, good piece. Very nicely done!

[@daniel15671]

Tremendously exciting! Beautiful playing. Thanks for posting this.

[@JureGorucan]

I once got arrested and handcuffed by the police because of this etude... Not in the mood to explain the details, but, true story.

[@МуродТанжихолов]

Are you in the mood now? Sounds really interesting

[@chazinko]

Great intro, music, playing and video - loved everything. You go, boy!

[@benji389]

fantastic playing! and loved the way you presented the video. thanks, man.

[@MarkHatlestad]

I love Ligeti... my favorite contemporary composer.

[@bgpiper]

That was probably the coolest piano performance video I have ever seen.

[@mrsahonima]

Wonderful piece, masterfully executed. Terrific camera work. Bravi!!

[@axesbowledaslove]

Riveting performance, Greg. I loved it!

[@NicholasMirth]

I really enjoyed your playing. What a piece! I've always like Ligeti but never heard this one.

[@godhatesglobes]

that was gorgeous, I've never heard of Ligeti

[@bluenetmarketing]

2001 A Space Odyssey uses a lot of Ligeti.

[@sarahekiefer]

THIS IS MADDNESS! AMAZING MADDNESS!

[@PepperWilliams_songcovers]

I never tire of hearing this piece! EXCELLENT!!!

[@grantoldblueeagle]

It reminds me of a frank Zappa piece can't wait for Santa Clara Vanguard,s version and the percussion charts and warmups that'll go with this show . They're going to smash this up .

[@MisterGoofy]

This interpretation is EPIC

[@africola5270]

crazy... 16 years

[@ShawnSlapsDaBass]

This is exactly what I have been trying to tell people for months. THANK YOU!

[@pianolounge]

very nice!

[@Ericstlaurent]

beautiful performance, nice video editing too ! Loved it

[@lvb1770]

pedrobutelli, I think the beginning is what makes the rest even cooler!It is something know one else is doing. We need more artists like this man! He is breaking the mold.

[@andersonroe]

Yes, it is a church! The video is actually the antithesis to my "Sheep May Safely Graze" video.

[@TopherJC4]

This is amazing. One of my favorites!

[@HunterBelkiran]

it's interesting that this piece puts you on edge in the best possible way

[@sorabji1]

Great performance, I like your pacing and control! Unrelenting, delirious. By the way, was this recorded at St. Andrew's Mahtomedi? I performed an organ concert there once - one of the best organs in the midwest. I wish I could arrange this etude for the organ - just won't do the piece justice, it's a piano work through and through! Anyway, thank you for posting your excellent performance.

[@bwhahrhr]

I could talk all day long about what I loved about the music and the way you played it, but what I loved even more is the approach you seem to take. Maybe I am wrong but to me bringing music I love/like in a format that people can understand it, who do not neccesarily like such music, and "live" through is superb in my opinion. Thank you very much for both (: (and "ignoring" negative comments as well is another great thing you have shown here) ;)

[@menancyandsam]

I enjoyed this performance, thanks for sharing.

[@solhagen00]

WOW!!!!I m impressed,it s amazing how powerful you play..thanks..

[@eduardopola1]

Great performance! Everything was right, tempo, color, etc. And good video as well.

[@cantanteporsiempre]

I love this video and this studio, your version is very interesting. Congratultions.

[@Anders039]

I love the clip. A powerful performance.

[@miguelrausch]

Ligeti rules!! Best composer of the XX century. The performance is impressive. Long live to the iMove, which allows all of us to do great stuff with a simple camera and a simple computer!!

[@andersonroe]

Aw come on! You're exactly the type of commenter Liz and I show little respect for in our "Moonlight Comments" video. This is the first video I ever made, and I had a good time experimenting with my humble video equipment. I had no idea however many hundreds of thousands of people would ultimately watch the video someday; if I did, sure, I probably would have taken more care in producing the final product, but it doesn't matter enough to me to fix it. Enjoy what you can and ignore the rest.

[@estellasujin3568]

it makes me so thrilled...

[@petermintunmusic]

It's a superb performance and a compelling video.

[@44moka44]

You are simply amazing!!!

[@guitarplayerfactorychannel]

Dissonance and energy I have not heard or enjoyed since Liszt. This work and performance is stunning.

[@calremmel]

After that experience, I went back to the composers I hadn't been able to enjoy and found much more in them, and now 20th century music holds a special place in my music collection. Admittedly, Stockhausen and Pierre Boulez still give me a lot of trouble, I don't get those yet.

[@NoferTrunions]

Greg, Really liked it. But you must share some comments on what is involved in memorizing something like this.

[@sinjis75]

while you're at it Greg, tell us how to get to Carnegie Hall...

[@VisceraEyes91]

Ahhhh those overtones at the end!! :o :o Ligeti was a genius.

[@stonward]

Wot a piece of work! Amazing!

[@TheDavid2222]

What an amazing piece, and performance! This music is nice and disturbed and aggressive, and it doesn't appologize for it. Awesome.

[@p712ynj0kl]

i listened to this while reading house of leaves and it fit really well in one of the scenes !! so much so that i freaked OUT!!!

[@peterbringenhoes]

Great energetic and emotional performance. Most astonishing is the creative visualation of this difficult piece:good work and good thinking! Like Anderson and Roe anyway,real music lovers in the best sense of the word.

[@vlane]

I love romantics... love harmony in music.. order, sentimentalism.. But our time is not of order, we do not seek a romantic idealism, we see decadence and chaos around us. So there is a bond between our time, fellings and music.

[@mkiozipangbuu]

What a powerful piece, and good execution. Well done!

[@MrInterestingthings]

tHIS IS FABULOUS PLAYING . One can hear the entrance of each crazy voice .Precise attacks and the insistent drive and calculated scaling of dynnamics is very smart.Best of all itsounds spontaneous like a crater opening wider and wider .Ligeti is always fabulous - esp . in his piano music .someone (maybe me ) should try the same polyrhytms accents of etude one on violin in double and triple stops . We need to hear more contemporary solo string music . Ligeti and Sessions,Britten and others have given us much!

[@KeyPoulanMusic]

It was nice to meet you tonight in San Jose! We will keep in touch to see if our tours cross paths this summer. We would like you to experience this ridiculous performance activity of ours first hand. ~Key Poulan

[@LazyTranslator]

Just fucking amazing! The editing is cool too, really heightens the drama of the music. Ligeti's music terrifies me like no other!

[@PianoScoreVids]

You're playing very good! This piece is really really interesting and very 'nice' to hear ;)

[@rtifishul]

This is incredible. Great stuff, man.

[@gotshrimp33]

I can't wait to see SCV play this!!

[@Zerrith]

Cool/original song. Great composer and great pianist.

[@stronzo5785]

gnanderson, that was gnarly!! (sorry, couldn't resist) As a percussionist, I've always loved Ligeti and am beginning to transcribe for vibe/marimba...this one should be played on a vibraphone...thx for the inspiration!!!

[@qivory]

Wicked!!! Video is also extreemly well done. Interesting you chose to perform such a piece in what looks to be a church.

[@JazzKeyboardist1]

Dazzling and sinister. The ws journal had a Legeti article last week.

[@Eupho9]

Vanguard!! This combined with Paul Rennick is gonna be amazing