It is absolutely shamful that there wasn't a single word that got to me about Andre Watts' death in 2023. He was an icon, underrated without a doubt! RIP, piano legend!
I was privileged to hear him in my youth in Chicago, must have been late '60's and it was my first time hearing the Liszt Sonata - and still the best! I am Swedish but got the news through Mark Ainley's Piano files, which I follow. To give you some perspective - when our great and internationally acknowledged soprano Elisabeth Söderström died inn 2009, there was not a single notice in Swedish newspapers. My daughter was in her first year as a student at the Univ. of Edinburgh and the Scotsman did a 2-page spread on her career and legacy. I am ashamed that my fellow Swedes did not make note of the passing of this great artist. I understand that you are disappointed.
I feel the same way as many of you do. André Watts was to me what some actors and pop stars are to others, yet there was this added dimension of a shared love for classical piano and pursuit of playing. Of course, I was not on his level of mastery, but I did earn a graduate degree in piano performance. It was that degree that pushed me past being a starstruck admirer of Watts to actually seeking out a face to face meeting with him to discuss the Brahms piano concerti. That face to face occurred in 1981, along with several other encounters over the next 25+ years. I was able to take a group of my piano students to meet and talk with him in 2006. André's kindness and generosity with his time on those occasions will always remain with me, along with that immense talent, musicality, and intelligence. That starstruck teenager may have always lurked somewhere in me, but I will always be grateful for the opportunity to get to know André Watts a little. I still mourn his passing. There will never be another like him.
Continuing tribute to Andre Watts via YT (RIP). Just a vigorous performance of Chopin's No. 2 P.S! Even tho the sound is not the greatest, it's just a wonderful listen.
I remember watching this recital live on TV. Amazing then. Amazing now. I wish I could find the entire concert. Parts of it, such as this, are on RUclips, but it would be wonderful to see and hear the whole performance without interruption.
I remember watching this live as well. Beethoven's "Moonlight" was one of the featured pieces. I remember discussing the "heaviness"of the 3rd movement with my piano teacher at the time. This was the apparent general consensus on that movement alone. But the concert in its entirety, was terrific, awe-inspiring. I believe Schubert was also featured, but not certain.
@@3YZ-TS191 There was some Scarlatti in the beginning and the Gershwin Preludes later in the program. If I remember correctly, Chopin’s Revolutionary Etude was one of the encores.
@trevorb8333 I have the entire performance on VHS tape. I recorded it live on CH 13 in NYC. It was interesting to hear Andre and the host Andre Previn talk about the piece Andre would play. At intermission, Andre would sit down with Previn and drink tea and smoke a cigar while they were talking.
I recorded it then on VHS that included all the conversations with Andre Previn. Mr Previn talked about Andre Watts playing the Don Juan Fantasy by Franz Liszt. Previn said he never heard anything as electrifying than Watts’ rendition of that Fantasy. This man was one of the reasons I became a pianist myself.
@@3YZ-TS191no he played 2 scallati sonatas, Beethoven’s moonlight, Chopin sonata, Debussy beautiful pieces, Gershwin, Liszt and McDowell. Absolutely electrifying. He brought each piece to LIGHT and with drama like no other
you prolly dont give a damn but does any of you know of a trick to get back into an instagram account?? I was dumb lost my login password. I appreciate any assistance you can offer me
@Ayaan Callan thanks for your reply. I found the site on google and im in the hacking process atm. Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
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Remembering Andre Watts (1946-2023). This is by far, the best rendition of this masterpiece: technically and musically. I heard V. Horowitz’s superb rendition of this sonata in the White House, but Mr. Watts took the cake here. Mr. Watts passed on last Tuesday, July 11, at age 77. He will be remembered as one of the best pianists of all times. Back in the 1980s, and 1990s, Mr. Watts had very few rivals, but the world of pianists has increased exponentially for the last 27 years. True, a new generation of young pianists, such as Marc Andre Hamelin, Evgeny Kissin, Arcadi Volodos, among other luminaries, would eventually eclipse the once quasi-unrivaled performances of Andre Watts. Today the Asians, taking the scenes by storms, are believed to be among the best pianists ever. Yuchan Lim, the winner of the Van Cliburn Competition 2023, is now rivaling even Vladimir Horowitz’ rendition of the Third Piano Concerto for Orchestra by Sergie Rachmaninoff. With the advent of RUclips, it seems possible that a new generation of pianists could outperform the old masters. In other words, pianists (China, South Corea) have been increasing at a rate only surpassed by baseball players in America.
NOBODY HAS OR EVER SHALL ECLIPSE THE IMMORTAL ANDRE WATTS. BUT OBVIOUSLY THERE HAVE BEEN, ARE AND SHALL BE THOSE WHO ARE HIS EQUAL. 🌠"COMPARISON IS THE THIEF OF JOY."🌠 Theodore Roosevelt
"This is by far, the best rendition of this masterpiece: technically and musically." Apparently, you've never listened to the '60s and '70s rendition of this piece by Artur Rubinstein, who still stands, by general consensus, as the quintessential Chopin interpreter, and from whom Watts and the world at large borrowed their approach to Chopin. I suggest you give it a listen --- again, if necessary. Also, you speak of "the Asians" as possibly being "among the best 'pianists' ever." How do you qualify this: by their naked virtuosity, by their interpretive skills, by their understanding of the pieces they play? Many Asian performers most certainly possess the first characteristic, as seen in Lang Lang. Others demonstrate this and great interpretive prowess, as with Yuja Wang. Still others, perhaps also like Wang, but definitely like Mitsuko Uchida, possess all three; and she is a rarity among pianists, Asian or otherwise. I believe that before we pass the torch to Asia, we should closely revisit what the old masters "said" with their music, and from there make a comparable analysis. For, at the height of their prowess, the masters of old were NOT nearly as concerned with technical renderings or exactness (i.e., virtuosity) as they were in their younger years (and as Kissin still seems to be), but with communicating ideas to their listeners, to themselves and to the masters who gave us the music, and to their concepts of the divine. This is what I hear in the old and middle masters that I do not readily hear in today's rising virtuosos. And time, along with our continued critical listening, will either establish their legacy as true inheritors of the art --- the art in its entirety --- or as mere a mere reflection (albeit a brilliant one!) of a bygone era.
@@3YZ-TS191 I agree with all that you’ve said, but with one exception. I’ve listened to most of Rubinstein’s older Chopin recordings and still own some on vinyl. I find his Chopin to be “pretty,” but that’s about it. I get bored with his interpretations very quickly.
@kevinm6790 Very interesting. Thanks for sharing your point of view. I sincerely appreciate the variance of opinion. Now, when you say his "older" recordings, are you referring to the 40s and 50s recordings? Because I find the 60s and 70s recordings superior to his earlier ones. But even his 40s and 50s Chopin recordings show a notqble departure from those of other artists before him (Rachmaninov, Hoffman, etc.), whose Chopin, interestingly, Rubinstein considered too flowery or "dreamy." The "prettiness" you referenced is what I consider his romanticism, highly admired by even the "heavy hitters" of his day, like Serkin, Gilels, Michelangeli, and Horowitz. Well, at minimum, anyway, he set the tone for modern-day interpretations of Chopin.
Marc-Andre Hamelin is great on recordings BUT live, he’s not as intense as his recordings. I love Hamelin but I’ve seen him live at least 4 times. He lacks the intensity that I require. He plays this sonata too but it’s missing the drama
Very very well done I am glad I found this wonderful pianist...and he really nails it one of best I have heard..Also great piece of music Chopin is genius.
Have been a fan since he was just a kid, 16! A star from the beginning. Now he’s gray, as am I, but he’s still wonderful. Think. Did God have to give us music? Everything good comes from our loving Father and maker. Beyond our imagination!! So, where did the CRAP originate? It had a beginning-and will have an END! Promised.
Am now 86, would not have missed a bit of it and still look forward to tomorrow. Sorry that our magnificent Andre has passed--but we have UTube! Thx for asking. . .
Wonderful details here and the phrasing 's timings make this very different . He 's not afraid of rubato or even changing tempi. That era did and it makes no sense to play Chopin like many perfect technicians do today almost metronomically . Here this Italian pianist n this and you'll never forget it. It's her I'll remember not Rachmaninoff's famous recording. Watt's Brahms must be heroically muscular here his scherzo knock down the walls here ! Did he ever record Brahms 2?
One of the greats. RIP Andre.
He IS every note
RIP Andre. You were one of the greatest pianists. I saw this live on PBS channel 13 in NYC.
It is absolutely shamful that there wasn't a single word that got to me about Andre Watts' death in 2023. He was an icon, underrated without a doubt! RIP, piano legend!
I agree. It was shocking to me that the New York Times didn't do an obituary.
@Nodalema Should have been front-page news!
I was privileged to hear him in my youth in Chicago, must have been late '60's and it was my first time hearing the Liszt Sonata - and still the best! I am Swedish but got the news through Mark Ainley's Piano files, which I follow. To give you some perspective - when our great and internationally acknowledged soprano Elisabeth Söderström died inn 2009, there was not a single notice in Swedish newspapers. My daughter was in her first year as a student at the Univ. of Edinburgh and the Scotsman did a 2-page spread on her career and legacy. I am ashamed that my fellow Swedes did not make note of the passing of this great artist. I understand that you are disappointed.
@Nodalema they did one eventually.
I feel the same way as many of you do. André Watts was to me what some actors and pop stars are to others, yet there was this added dimension of a shared love for classical piano and pursuit of playing. Of course, I was not on his level of mastery, but I did earn a graduate degree in piano performance. It was that degree that pushed me past being a starstruck admirer of Watts to actually seeking out a face to face meeting with him to discuss the Brahms piano concerti. That face to face occurred in 1981, along with several other encounters over the next 25+ years. I was able to take a group of my piano students to meet and talk with him in 2006. André's kindness and generosity with his time on those occasions will always remain with me, along with that immense talent, musicality, and intelligence. That starstruck teenager may have always lurked somewhere in me, but I will always be grateful for the opportunity to get to know André Watts a little. I still mourn his passing. There will never be another like him.
Such a wonderful and heartfelt rendition of this great sonata!
Continuing tribute to Andre Watts via YT (RIP). Just a vigorous performance of Chopin's No. 2 P.S! Even tho the sound is not the greatest, it's just a wonderful listen.
God gave Andre Watts such a great mind and beautiful hands!!
His hands are really beautiful
I remember watching this recital live on TV. Amazing then. Amazing now. I wish I could find the entire concert. Parts of it, such as this, are on RUclips, but it would be wonderful to see and hear the whole performance without interruption.
I remember watching this live as well. Beethoven's "Moonlight" was one of the featured pieces. I remember discussing the "heaviness"of the 3rd movement with my piano teacher at the time. This was the apparent general consensus on that movement alone. But the concert in its entirety, was terrific, awe-inspiring. I believe Schubert was also featured, but not certain.
@@3YZ-TS191 There was some Scarlatti in the beginning and the Gershwin Preludes later in the program. If I remember correctly, Chopin’s Revolutionary Etude was one of the encores.
@trevorb8333 I have the entire performance on VHS tape. I recorded it live on CH 13 in NYC. It was interesting to hear Andre and the host Andre Previn talk about the piece Andre would play. At intermission, Andre would sit down with Previn and drink tea and smoke a cigar while they were talking.
I recorded it then on VHS that included all the conversations with Andre Previn. Mr Previn talked about Andre Watts playing the Don Juan Fantasy by Franz Liszt. Previn said he never heard anything as electrifying than Watts’ rendition of that Fantasy. This man was one of the reasons I became a pianist myself.
@@3YZ-TS191no he played 2 scallati sonatas, Beethoven’s moonlight, Chopin sonata, Debussy beautiful pieces, Gershwin, Liszt and McDowell. Absolutely electrifying. He brought each piece to LIGHT and with drama like no other
Nadie otro como André Watts!! Descansa en paz, genio! 😢Gracias a tus grabaciones te tenemos siempre en nuestros corazones!!! ❤❤❤
I can tell he loves every note, amazing!
you prolly dont give a damn but does any of you know of a trick to get back into an instagram account??
I was dumb lost my login password. I appreciate any assistance you can offer me
@Reyansh Kingston instablaster :)
@Ayaan Callan thanks for your reply. I found the site on google and im in the hacking process atm.
Seems to take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
@Ayaan Callan HOLY **** IT ACTUALLY WORKED :O I just got access to my IG password after ~ 40 minutes of using the site.
I had to pay 15$ but definitely worth the money :)
Thank you so much, you saved my account!
@Reyansh Kingston you are welcome :D
Remembering Andre Watts (1946-2023).
This is by far, the best rendition of this masterpiece: technically and musically. I heard V. Horowitz’s superb rendition of this sonata in the White House, but Mr. Watts took the cake here.
Mr. Watts passed on last Tuesday, July 11, at age 77. He will be remembered as one of the best pianists of all times.
Back in the 1980s, and 1990s, Mr. Watts had very few rivals, but the world of pianists has increased exponentially for the last 27 years.
True, a new generation of young pianists, such as Marc Andre Hamelin, Evgeny Kissin, Arcadi Volodos, among other luminaries, would eventually eclipse the once quasi-unrivaled performances of Andre Watts.
Today the Asians, taking the scenes by storms, are believed to be among the best pianists ever. Yuchan Lim, the winner of the Van Cliburn Competition 2023, is now rivaling even Vladimir Horowitz’ rendition of the Third Piano Concerto for Orchestra by Sergie Rachmaninoff.
With the advent of RUclips, it seems possible that a new generation of pianists could outperform the old masters.
In other words, pianists (China, South Corea) have been increasing at a rate only surpassed by baseball players in America.
NOBODY HAS OR EVER SHALL ECLIPSE THE IMMORTAL ANDRE WATTS.
BUT OBVIOUSLY THERE HAVE BEEN, ARE AND SHALL BE THOSE WHO ARE HIS EQUAL.
🌠"COMPARISON IS THE THIEF OF JOY."🌠
Theodore Roosevelt
"This is by far, the best rendition of this masterpiece: technically and musically." Apparently, you've never listened to the '60s and '70s rendition of this piece by Artur Rubinstein, who still stands, by general consensus, as the quintessential Chopin interpreter, and from whom Watts and the world at large borrowed their approach to Chopin. I suggest you give it a listen --- again, if necessary.
Also, you speak of "the Asians" as possibly being "among the best 'pianists' ever." How do you qualify this: by their naked virtuosity, by their interpretive skills, by their understanding of the pieces they play? Many Asian performers most certainly possess the first characteristic, as seen in Lang Lang. Others demonstrate this and great interpretive prowess, as with Yuja Wang. Still others, perhaps also like Wang, but definitely like Mitsuko Uchida, possess all three; and she is a rarity among pianists, Asian or otherwise.
I believe that before we pass the torch to Asia, we should closely revisit what the old masters "said" with their music, and from there make a comparable analysis. For, at the height of their prowess, the masters of old were NOT nearly as concerned with technical renderings or exactness (i.e., virtuosity) as they were in their younger years (and as Kissin still seems to be), but with communicating ideas to their listeners, to themselves and to the masters who gave us the music, and to their concepts of the divine. This is what I hear in the old and middle masters that I do not readily hear in today's rising virtuosos. And time, along with our continued critical listening, will either establish their legacy as true inheritors of the art --- the art in its entirety --- or as mere a mere reflection (albeit a brilliant one!) of a bygone era.
@@3YZ-TS191 I agree with all that you’ve said, but with one exception. I’ve listened to most of Rubinstein’s older Chopin recordings and still own some on vinyl. I find his Chopin to be “pretty,” but that’s about it. I get bored with his interpretations very quickly.
@kevinm6790 Very interesting. Thanks for sharing your point of view. I sincerely appreciate the variance of opinion.
Now, when you say his "older" recordings, are you referring to the 40s and 50s recordings? Because I find the 60s and 70s recordings superior to his earlier ones. But even his 40s and 50s Chopin recordings show a notqble departure from those of other artists before him (Rachmaninov, Hoffman, etc.), whose Chopin, interestingly, Rubinstein considered too flowery or "dreamy."
The "prettiness" you referenced is what I consider his romanticism, highly admired by even the "heavy hitters" of his day, like Serkin, Gilels, Michelangeli, and Horowitz. Well, at minimum, anyway, he set the tone for modern-day interpretations of Chopin.
Marc-Andre Hamelin is great on recordings BUT live, he’s not as intense as his recordings. I love Hamelin but I’ve seen him live at least 4 times. He lacks the intensity that I require. He plays this sonata too but it’s missing the drama
Very very well done I am glad I found this wonderful pianist...and he really nails it one of best I have heard..Also great piece of music Chopin is
genius.
Check out his moonlight sonata interpretation. Perfection.
He is my favorite pianist when it comes to playing the piano. Somehow he just gives the compositions that added breath of life.
@@martyisokay Your favorite pianist when it comes to playing the piano??? Who is your favorite pianist when it comes to playing the clarinet? Lol!!
That 4th movement My GOODNESS
@@njsmeets66I agree! The tempo of the 3rd movement is spot on! Andre let's us hear everything!❤❤
Have been a fan since he was just a kid, 16! A star from the beginning. Now he’s gray, as am I, but he’s still wonderful. Think. Did God have to give us music? Everything good comes from our loving Father and maker. Beyond our imagination!! So, where did the CRAP originate? It had a beginning-and will have an END! Promised.
how old are you, if you don't mind me asking?
Am now 86, would not have missed a bit of it and still look forward to tomorrow. Sorry that our magnificent Andre has passed--but we have UTube! Thx for asking. . .
Bravissimo, Mr. Watts!! Straordinario!!
Wow! Very good.
Lofty lofty heights in the rarified musical air of chopin with the lofty playing of non other than andre watts
Inimitable AW…fantastic performance
Wonderful details here and the phrasing 's timings make this very different . He 's not afraid of rubato or even changing tempi. That era did and it makes no sense to play Chopin like many perfect technicians do today almost metronomically . Here this Italian pianist n this and you'll never forget it. It's her I'll remember not Rachmaninoff's famous recording. Watt's Brahms must be heroically muscular here his scherzo knock down the walls here ! Did he ever record Brahms 2?
Yes he did! Look for his recording with Bernstein, glorious.
Brahms 2 ruclips.net/video/9i61PD-Ox5c/видео.html / Tchaikovsky 1 : ruclips.net/video/gH7lBYgmqtc/видео.html
There’s a live performance of Brahms 2nd of him
За последние 30- 40 лет слышу правильные темпы во всех частях.
Sus manos son como dos lobos hambrientos. Para mí la mejor versión en directo.
20:30 Was it him then that Yulianna Avdeeva imitated?
holy shit this is how art tatum would sound if he played classical
I ahree.😄
I bet he's in heaven playing classical right now
Well, very different!