Nikolai Medtner - Piano Concerto No.3 (Op.60)

[@LukeFaulkner]

20:00 That melody is exquisite.

[@nourytime9804]

Cool seeing you here :)

[@maxgamesst1]

Wow what genius. Here is a cool thematic connection: The sweet sentimental theme at 20:00 (A strange third theme in the middle of the development of the third "movement") is the same as the Maestoso Festivo coda theme at the end! (29:25) Medtner talked about how important music was as a festival in his book, and I think that ending this piece which was finished at the beginning of the end of WWII, has a lot meaning to have such a festival even in such a dire time.

[@KapellmeisterBach]

Can you tell me the name of his book? I would like to learn more about his life and philosophy, but so far I have not found any concrete information

[@vaclavmiller8032]

@@KapellmeisterBach I assume it's "The Muse and the Fashion". I've read it but don't remember that exact line. A good (albeit very conservative) treatise on musical aesthetics by a master of the craft.

[@KapellmeisterBach]

​@@vaclavmiller8032thank you so much😃😃

[@johng830]

Yes indeed this music is pure in many ways. It is Medtner at his highest point of creativity.

[@lingnguyen2623]

The most beautiful melody ever.

[@teodorb.p.composer]

One of the best piano concertos, honestly, I like this concerto more than any of Rachmaninoff piano concertos! And that final coda is the best moment in music ever, it's just so astonishing!

[@davidxpopescu]

After listening to this concerto 6 times in a day, couldn't even sleep that night it is so paraphenomenal... 😮

[@emilyhutjes]

Thank you, what a wonderful Composer Mr. Medtner was ! 🌷🌷🌷(Holland-eu)

[@marcdekeyser1021]

This after all the best version of Medtner's piano concerto nr 3, of course with Michael Ponti. A beauty and Medtner's best piano concerto!

[@harryandruschak2843]

Thank you for uploading all three Medtner's piano concertos. I have spent a relaxing Sunday Evening listening to all three in a row.

[@gill.henryshaw7673]

Recently introduced to Medtner, wow what I have been missing!

[@MrCrazyAlligator]

Absolutely beautiful.

[@zanexiao4488]

This piece is absolutely gorgeous and should be brought into the concert hall more. I wish I could use it for a piano competition in the future. We have way too much Rachmaninoff, Chopin and Mozart. Not that they're not good, its just classical music shouldn't be limited to them. The concertos of the likes of Wiklund, Field, Dussek, etc should be attempted by more pianists.

[@yetanotherpianist4449]

YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!!!

[@theriskengineer4307]

Lovely music ...lovely ...lovely ... Thank you ...

[@WilliamWalker-ey7qf]

Hugely underappreciated musical genius.

[@plto4ka71]

Beautiful music.

[@globalc3849]

This is such a vibrant performance. Ponti is also brilliant in Eugene D’Albert concerto in E. As for other performances of this concerto check out Nikolai Demidenko and Tozer. Both are high level and contain fantastic pianism. At the next Van Cliburn would you rather hear another tired version of Rach 2nd or Medtner’s 3rd???

[@darrylschultz9395]

Combine 'em-lets have a tired version of the Medtner!

[@fulviopolce9785]

Wonderful! .Great performance of Ponti,as well as the big recording. Thanks for upload.

[@edgarreitz7067]

I can‘t decide whether this or Medtners Quintet is the best piece of all time. The Quintet has more depth, More detail, is More intimate, magical, great as a great form combining and Linking everything together, but: that tranquillo romantic theme of 3rd movevent is so without any words and the coda is like the end of the world leading into that final festive dance, celebrating everything that was and will be, well …

[@boxedinboxedout]

I love this!

[@kurtwehrmeister5684]

Medtner supposedly struggled to, and hated to, write for the orchestra. But I think that the final movement of this, especially, is equal to any of the four of Maestro Rachmaninov.

[@sama.4471]

This is simply the greatest work of music ever written - yes I said it. I've probably listened to it hundreds of times and each subsequent time I'm still awed by the genius of Medtner and overcome by the sheer emotion he put into this music. A shame that so few recognize his greatness

[@stephanjwilliams]

It is certainly a good contender for the greatest piece of instrumental music ever. Although, because the human voice is the greatest instrument, I think that some choral work would have to be the greatest piece of music ever, strictly speaking. I'm not sure which choral work that is, just speculating. Rachmaninov's All-Night Vigil is a good candidate.

[@connorrichardson368]

@@stephanjwilliams Mahler 2 is another good candidate

[@sama.4471]

Fair enough! Thank you for even replying to my insanely hyperbolic statement but I was most likely reacting to the completely overwhelming feelings I get when I hear Medtner 3. I really need to revisit the Rachmaninov work you mentioned

[@stephanjwilliams]

@@sama.4471 Oh, I feel the same way about this concerto, and I think it is truly one of the great accomplishments of Western music. Along with Beethoven 4, it's my favorite piano concerto. Also, yeah, Rachmaninov's choral works are divine, especially the Vigil. It's too bad Medtner didn't write any choral works. His songs are amazing, however.

[@johng830]

yes it is kind of fast at some points but when it comes to its finest points it is unmistakrnly beautiful. Medtner understood people would fail in its interpretation. Even Medtner would agree he exceeded himself here.

[@marcalexandrefontenay9801]

Le plus abouti des 3 , le 3 e de Medtner brille par son envolé et sa richesse sonore servi par une interprétation hors pair de Ponti . On aimerait qu’il apparaisse au programme des concerts !

[@jeanjacqueskasel2607]

sensational!!! wow

[@s1earle]

One listens to Medtner's own recording of this work and gets the distinct impression that either Medtner's technique was inferior to this work, or he was too aged at the time of recording - the impressions of a younger man are always welcome: No I do not think Ponti plays it too fast and the harshness in tone seems to come from the recording engineers...This can be corrected by good playback machine - If anything several others play much too slowly and miss the great dynamics, brisk tunes and lilt of this nice concerto.

[@andantino5558]

4:09 wow

[@Classic336]

Haha! Tristan chord at 29:23! Orchestra plays F-B and D#-G#!

[@Classic336]

+toothless toe It just reminded me the Tristan chord.

[@Classic336]

No, the chord appears in a work of Beethoven, too, for example, but with different note spelling. But it is commonly known as the Tristan chord, and I laughed because I was able to recognize it without watching the score.

[@Classic336]

+toothless toe Yes. I meant that it is the same acoustically.

[@juanmaschoclan7994]

toothless toe he said that when he listened that part he heard tristan, as also happened to me, thats it

[@twilbry7807]

27:53

[@AlfredSchmidt-qq9em]

I strongly recommend Scriabin's Piano Concerto (performed by Trifonov) to anyone who wants to hear a very fine late romantic piano concerto.

[@johng830]

What's up with the ads interfering with this work of beauty

[@뚜두뚜두팬보이]

youtube just keeps getting worse...

[@owengette8089]

15:14 29:25

[@brynbstn]

Ponti's performance is expressive but unimaginative - the approach is declarative and extroverted, much as how you would play Beethoven - - this does not fit for Medtner, who is going for a more subtle dream-like atmosphere - - see Geoffrey Tozer (spotify) for the most insightful/artistic interpretation I've heard. Nice to see the score - - thank you for posting.

[@rachman1noff]

Funny, I found the same thing with Ponti's complete Scriabin. Very meh.

[@billmarrufo]

Even though I am fond to Tozer´s versions of No. 1 and 2, I like this one better. It is more exciting and dramatic. Ponto also plays it in a more "Rachmaninovian" way, as I think it should be. IMO.

[@adhemarcoyote]

I think one of pieces the most difficult to play

[@SEkSkapela]

+Adhemarcoyote SamgF You think well. Unfortunately.

[@kuang-licheng402]

nice

[@GovernerOfBurningHam]

around 4:00 it reminds me of Sonata tragica

[@SCRIABINIST]

19:19 Scriabin

[@adrianobersano7466]

1:46

[@AKhosrobeik]

how can one make such Sheet-Audio-Videos ?

[@SpaghettiToaster]

You screenshot each page of the score and manually synchronize them with the audio track in a video editing program.

[@D.Oktipu]

27:50

[@lucylovesgary]

Beautiful concerto - all of Medtner's are but Ponti plays this one too fast. Listen to Demidenko play it - masterful to say the least and FULL of color! Ponti's tone is always too harsh making everything sound silver and sterile..............IMO

[@helgeevju]

Ponti crams it into 30 minutes while Demidenko uses 35.5! The latter's extra 5 minutes make all the difference, in addition to the expressivity and richer color palette. Medtner was not one for bravura display although his works are very difficult to play.

[@PieInTheSky9]

Yes, I feel this way about just about any Ponti recording.

[@SpaghettiToaster]

Stefano Papone Who let you out of the asylum?

[@michaeltt3232]

Stefano Papone has

[@Xyriak]

19:34

[@kurtwehrmeister5684]

(Well, maybe not the Third.) :)

[@AlfredSchmidt-qq9em]

I am amazed by all the hyperbole from certain commentators. Medtner was certainly an accomplished compositional craftsman, but genius? No. There are no memorable passages in this, the way there are in the other great piano concertos. There are no melodies comparable to what one finds in other late romantic concertos, and that stay in the mind. It is a typical late romantic mish-mash of melody and phrasing, most of it forgettable. Imho it is inferior to Glazunov or Raff, to say nothing of Sainte-Saens or Stanford's second.

[@aardigrade]

"Memorable melodies" is not the only, or even best, metric to define genius. He was most certainly genius.

[@stefanbernhard2710]

I'll agree that it's disjointed and in need of a second or even 3rd draft, but I do think it has many admirable qualities. Some spectacular moments

[@Whatismusic123]

this is not music

[@Jqh73o]

@Whatismusic123 Why not?

[@yuk_notkim7658]

Ofc, it has to be none other from an idiot who doesn't know anything about Medtner's genius