Natan Brand plays Schumann's Kreisleriana live in 1983

A 1983 concert performance of Schumann's Kreisleriana by the fiery Israeli-American pianist Natan Brand. Brand's enormous yet rich tone, expansive phrasing, devil-may-care emotional expressiveness, and richly textured voicing bring out the varied and challenging complexities in this work.

[@jackatherton0111]

Great surges of interwoven lines amid heartbreaking intimacy. One of the great Kreislerianas, at least the equal of Hofmann and Horowitz. For another great performance from a legend who thankfully lived much longer than Natan Brand did, find the posting of Konstantin Igumnov. And thanks so much for this.

[@lucas__machado]

Powerful, rich, individual yet natural. Pianism at its finest

[@ADGO]

I always return to this performance. It's my favourite Kreisleriana by one of my favourite pianists. The sheer emotional and dynamic range here -- just incredible. The Palexa set was one of my true treasures in the noughties. Thanks for keeping this up.

[@EdwarddeVere1550]

This is the closest to Alfred Cortot in spiritual penetration and insight capturing the Florestan and Eusebius elements.

[@guadalajara4848]

Fantastic : polyphony not only of lines, but of textures, of moods

[@atlantargh]

Summer of 1974, when my regular teacher was not available, I had a few lessons with NB at his apt on the east side. I recall he showed me his collection of Rubinstein LPs, whom he was a great admirer of. A couple more lessons in 1978, I believe, when he was married and living closer to Greenwich Village. Very nice person. Saddened when he passed.

[@marikosato9526]

I think of Natan every time I played the piano. He still sits right next to me. I can not thank Natan enough for giving me the intense joy of playing the piano. Natan lives forever!!

[@krystianbelliere]

Wonderful, passionate playing. Came across this almost by accident. A pianist of whom I'd never heard.

[@magbag70]

After being bewitched by the Horowitz's studio recording of the 60s, i was worried i could hardly find other interesting recording. I'm happy to see that it is possible. This interpretation is indeed important and interesting. I prefer the ghostly ending of VH's recording but there are very nice ideas and vocings in Brand's playing that makes this live very exciting.

[@pianomasters3752]

Kreisleriana, Op. 16

[@pianomaly9]

The most individual Kreisleriana I've ever heard, and we can see below that it has provoked both rapturous admiration and flat-out rejection, similar to what one gets with Ervin Nyiregyhazi. Brand has brought to the foreground many of the "voices" that inhabited Schumann's inner world, that get relegated to an anonymous background in many performances, as fine as the roll call of names going back to the Golden Age and later, that have left us renditions of this enigmatic work.

[@pianomasters3752]

A unique singing tone, a masterful counterpoint and what a sense of continuity ! He really was a great musician, it seems incomprehensible to me that this recordings has so few views...

[@joseagustincandisano6153]

Thank you for sharing so many unknown treasures!!!!

[@garfreed]

I rarely get emotional listening to music, but Brand's playing is truly over the top!!

[@Sofronichrist]

Natan Brand was a truly great interpreter of Schumann, and his symphonic etudes attest to this as well as these Kreisleriana. Thank you very much for rediscovering the recordings of this great forgotten pianist.

[@charleso8341]

I am moved listening to him tell a story with his very hands, and the themes given to him by

[@fredwanger9337]

What a great joy to learn of this magnificent musician who, like others in his rarefied sphere, left us far too early. It's as if he were channelling Schumann.

[@user-le8bg9dn9l]

Новое и прекрасное, я не знала этого пианиста. Большое спасибо за предоставленную возможность услышать это чудо

[@aggervej]

Can't believe I never ran into this till now. I thought the 60s Horowitz version was the one and only; but this has some of the same beauty, coherency, and ideas in a different way. He makes the piano sing. Makes me wonder how the mind of the creator of this fantastic music was? There must have been many moments of real silence and time for deep thoughts by then...

[@guadalajara4848]

When I hear this, I hear death, and youth, and sun