Customer Reviews

Arcadi Volodos Live at Carnegie Hall

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Arcadi Volodos is one of the great pianists of our era. In this album, his Carnegie Hall Debut, he presents a wonderful selection of pieces through which we can discover what he is as a pianist. The disc contains the tumultuous Liszt-Horowitz Hungarian Rhapsody nr. 15 (Racokzy March), a selection of short works by Rachmaninoff, several Scriabin pieces including the Sonata nr. 10, and the Schumman "Bunten Blatter (Leaves of Different Colors)The Schumman is rarely heard and masterful. It concludes with the powerful Gewindenmarschen, which is followed by the formidable Liszt/Mendelson/Horowitz "Wedding March Variations". Volodos plays through these pieces with a stunning technical perfection and honest, not exaggerated, emotion. While some claim he has no feeling, it is the opposite, he can conjure many feelings without exaggerated playing. My only complaint is where are the rest of the pieces? The programme was actually 2 hours long, and concluded with a wonderful transcription Glinka transcription by Volodos.

I felt tempted to write this short piece after reading some of the other comments about this disc. Someone of the oversized temperament like this guy is probably always going to fire different reactions in different people.

Undoubtedly the repertoire choices here are audacious but to not be able to get beyond that in order to expand one's knowledge and experience is a great shame. This is particularly the case when the performances are of a quality such as they are here. I can understand that Scriabin is a bit of an unknown quantity to many but I also think that he will only remain unknown to those who do not want to know.

This is a superb recital and the centrepiece is the Schumann - how obscure is that?

Arcadi Volodos has easily become one of my favorites after listening to this phenomenal debut CD. I dare anyone to listen to the first track (the diabolical Horowitz version of Liszt's fifteenth Hungarian Rhapsody) and not listen to the album in its entirety. The Scriabin is exotic and poetically introspective, the Rachmaninov is rich and nostalgic, and the Liszt is a triumph of virtuosity. My only reservation is Volodos' decision to record Bunte Blatter when so many other more successful piano-cycles exist in the Schumann catalogue (imagine an artist of this kind of versatility tackling Carnaval or Kreisleriana). I would also like to suggest Volodos' CD of virtuoso piano transcriptions and his Rach 3. He is a brilliant artist with the rare ability to combine keyboard pyrotechnics, a full-bodied tonal palette, and an inimitable sense of style. This CD is highly recommended.

My spell check always brings up "listenable" as an error, but I think the adjective is a good one for recordings that merit it. In the past, I never particularly liked "live" recordings; but I think the audience noises on the older ones prejudiced me. More mature thought (I hope) leads me to believe that these do-or-die performances before audiences show the artist's worth much more than a studio job in which the engineers can cosmetic things up considerably and second and seventh "takes" can be spliced in. Of course, who can tell what is done back at the factory with the tapes from a live performance? But we can live in hope.

The advance copy I received from Sony has no notes included except for the tracking titles and the fact this was recorded on 10-21-98. The press release adds this was Mr. Volodos' New York debut and that the New York Times gave it a rave review. With this I must concur. One or two of the pieces I might have heard played as well but never to my memory played better.

I think that this CD is a good introduction to, or a valuable memento of, an excellent performer; and its musical content is varied enough to please every piano-lover's taste. Most of you will probably like very much the Liszt Variations of Mendelssohn's "Wedding March," that makes the following final piece seem a bit anti-climactic.

Since Amazon has (as I write this) not yet listed the contents, I should had there are selections by Scriabin and Rachmaninoff, as well as Schumann's "Bunte Blatter."

Time will tell the whole tale but based on this recording Mr. Volodos must be considered one of the greatest pianists to have ever played the instrument. It is interesting to me that much of the criticism that has been leveled against the man comes from a music establishment whose members and stars are plainly unable to play such pieces with anything close to the same speed, precision, and power. They simply can't do it and so they chide the one who can; the one whose talent exist on a higher plain than their own. And yet the way Mr. Volodos plays such masterpieces somehow rings true to the original intent of the composers. Without question that is true of Liszt whose works for solo piano have seldom, if ever, been played convincingly since Cziffra, similarly scorned by a less-talented establishment, dazzled those whose egos would let them truly hear. Poor Earl Wild and Andre Watts must be quaking in their mediocrity to hear such greatness. The grotesquely oversold Lang Lang must be hiding under a table somewhere, sure that the world has found him out. Don't worry guys; the establishment can't recognize greatness without seeing their own lack of it. There is little chance of that happening. As of today, 9/25/05, I ask of Sony Classical, where is Mr. Volodos? Where is the newsletter promised on his website? Where is his itinerary? He recently played the Far East yet Sony refused to even notify his info-starved fans. Why isn't he promoted? Volodos, you need another label. You need representation, promotion, exposure. Please come to the USA! Every time I listen to my worn old recordings of the great Cziffra my heart cries out: Where is Arcadi Volodos?

The question I have is whether his genius extends to bringing out the individual idiom of each composer in sufficient contrast. This will sound like a knock - sorry - but as much as I enjoy his thrilling and virtuosic playing, I oftentimes hear more Volodos than the personality of the composer coming through. Each pianist places his or her individual personality on the music, no doubt about it, but I find that I sometimes have to fight... to work hard... to hear the Rachmaninov in Rachmaninov, the Schumann in Schumann, the Scriabin in Scriabin, because his pianistic performance can sometimes be so overridingly, and I believe, unintentionally dominant. Perhaps each composer's idiom will come through more clearly with repeated listenings or as Volodos matures. In the meantime, I'd love for him to commune with the genius of the composer as much he does with his own. If not, he is likely to fall far short of Horowitz's musicality except for his transcendent technique, and that would be a great loss.

From a Pianist to a Pianist:

This CD is incredible. Volodos, as "Marc-Andre Hamelin" is one of the greatest living pianists. After Horowitz (the Incarnation of the piano itself) , I'm glad to hear such marvellous interpretations and the variety of the pieces, control of technik, luminous touch, and deepness. Very Passionate.
Congratulations Volodos, try to make your own Encores also, like Horowiz made it.
This CD is a Must Have!

Dihelson Mendonça - Brazil - www.dihelson.com

This is a recording for those who want it all in a piano performance: flawless technical control, clarity, grandeur of concept, sensitivity, tonal beauty and contrast, all expressed in a repertoire that is interesting and varied. For decades, Horowitz represented the ultimate in the performance of the 15th Hungarian Rhapsody, but Volodos captures its rhythmic vitality, drive and the dynamic contrasts with such ease that the performance surpasses the previous mark. While consuming in its brilliance, it is devoid of meretricious showmanship. His Scriabin is incandescent with unparalleled flexibility, dynamic and tonal control, and a pervasive lyricism. The Rachmaninov "Enigme" and "Etudes-Tableau" are expressive beyond words. It seems as if one is hearing these works for the first time with a tonal beauty and dynamic range unmatched by any other pianist. Even the Schumann, never a favorite of mine, became sympathetic and convincing in his hands. To describe this recording as "extraordinary" is to grossly understate the fact.

Read all the reviews and decide for yourself before buying this CD.
For myself it's boring.
First Liszt's Rákóczy March is badly played, listen to Cziffra play it.
Rachmaninov is very good.
Scriabin and Schumann are the highlights and they are played well.
But when you have "Colored Leaves" and Scriabin covering most of the CD, the result is boring.

There are loads of pianists nowadays who can impress with quick fingures and so called artistry, but in fact nothing much is happening artistically if you listen to their playing attentively. Argerich, Pollini, Sokolov, Kissin, Ashkenazy, Katsaris, immediately come to my mind.

And there are very few pianists whose playing seems to make time stand still, and you feel as if another universe is unfolding in front of you. Richter, Rubinstein, Horowitz in 60-70s, Leon Fleisher, Sofronitsky, H.Neuhaus, Pogorelich in early 80s.

Volodos belongs to the latter although he made his name first as a Titan of virtuoso performance, as the two liszt/Horowitz transciptions in this recital show. But rest of the recital consists of more inward-looking works by Scriabin, Rachmaninov and Schumann. Here Volodos' playing is totally spell-binding with his limitless variety of tonal colour and intricacy, even though it takes repeated listenings to fully appreciate his artistry. So if you expect only fireworks on this cd, you are bound to get disappointed as it includes only two works of that kind. But if you can appreciate the pianism of real depth and artistry. This is a very rewarding recital to treasure.