Customer Reviews

Live From South Africa

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

 

 

The incomparable Awadagin Pratt did it again! This is truly a performance that leaves you slack-jawed in wonder. His incredible power and beautiful tone highlight the overall perfection of just about everything he plays. His fervent yet delicate emotions illustrate his obviously strong sense of the music's logic and meaning. All in all, it confirms this excellent impression: here is an artist who is not only enormously talented and creative, but also much more matured than his twenty-eight years age suggests. Pratt's rightful place in the vanguard of the world's greatest musicians is assured with every such magical performance.

I have heard many recordings made by those considered the finest pianists, as well as having had first hand experience in hearing several of them in actual performance. All that I can honestly say is that, Awadagin Pratt may well be the closest thing to Franz List reborn as we are going to get in this life. He plays from the heart and is not simply a technical wizard as are so many of today's generation of pianists. His interpretation and artistic expression are warm, passionate and sophisticated. Also, I have read the comments made by some reviewers relative to their opinions. Some of them are more than kind but others seem to be looking for excuses to criticize. To them I would simply say that, when they can produce music of this caliber then they have the right to such comments. Regardless of motives, the evaluation of musical artistry should be left to performing artists.

This recording is my first experience with Mr. Pratt's playing. I more than thoroughly enjoyed it. His interpretations are vivid and his playing is emotionally moving and powerful. The pieces of music you will hear are unusual for concert repertoire, especially the Franck. He plays this magically, making this organ piece sound like it was written for piano. The Rachmaninov G-sharp minor Prelude moved me so much I listened to twice in succession when I first heard it. This is an excellent CD, but the sound is too harsh. This is probably due to poor microphone placement. (Perhaps the microphones were too close to the instrument-you can hear Mr. Pratt breathing and humming at times) I also would have preferred a more mellow-sounding tone for the pieces being performed. But aside from these qualms, I still would recommend this recording to almost anyone.

I enjoyed thoroughly all the pieces performed by Awadagin. His play is passionate and energetic, his tone is warm and beautiful, and his interpretation is simply refreshing. It's an amazing performance both technically and artistically.

This is one of my favorite recordings of piano music! As part of my office music collection, I find that time flies and my productivity level increases when I listen to this- Awadagin Pratt's crisp, no-nonsense interpretations of these musical gems is the ultimate! I plan to add more of Pratt's recordings to my collection-ASAP.

Mr. Pratt is an exceptional performer with a talent for stylizing within the most heatedly virtuosic material. His willful manipulation of tempos and dynamics, his varied articulation, as well as astonishing brilliance and energy, made for a provocative, electrifying performance.

Acclaimed pianist Awadagin Pratt, known for his unorthodox style -- he sits on a bench very low to the floor. He also eschews the traditional tuxedo in favor of brightly colored shirts and gives the old masters something beyond the standard treatment. However, it's his splendid performance that really counts. His astonishing brilliance and beauty, the romance and lyricism, the incredible technique and prodigious talent, and his superb and imaginative repertoire transport listeners, levitating them into a spiritual dimension, where materials are immaterial.

Award-winning pianist Awadagin Pratt plays with a full-bodied intensity that can be at turns intimate and grandly heart-wrenching. It's truly a electrifying performance.

I first heard about Mr. Pratt on a classical music station in Pittsburgh, Pa. Um, I thought, let's go.
Life is drama and I love drama. DRAMATIC is the preentation made by AWADAGIN PRATT as he sits on a speacially made short
piano seat. His long, thick profusion of dredlocks add an aura of WOW. And WOW is what I felt as he played PICTURES AT
AN EXHIBITION, a fave of most every classical music aficionada. One would think his dramatic appearance would distract from his musicanship. On the contrary. This cat can play! (At times watching, I thought he should be playing jazz. Conditioning).
Anyway, This cd, LIVE FROM SOUTH AFRICA is astounding.

Awadagin is truly a virtuoso who performed these timeless classical pieces with such passion and energy. His technique is perfect and his power is peerless. I'm a big fan of the great legendary Russian pianist Sviatoslav Richter, and I think the performance of these pieces by Awadagin is definitely at the same level as Richter's.