Customer Reviews

Piano Transcriptions / Arcadi Volodos

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This recording is simply stupendous. The accolades heaped here in these reviews and elsewhere are all deserved. Although I guess it's inevitable that he be compared to Horowitz (after all, in both CDs released so far he plays Horowitz transcriptions), I contend Volodos is worthy of praise in his own right. His technique is mind-boggling. Even more stupendous is his phrasing and interpretation. By this measure he departs measurably from Horowitz, who achieved velocity at the expense of accuracy and phrasing. It can even be said that Horowitz lacked warmth in many of his recordings, favoring virtuosity instead. The same cannot be said of Volodos. Consider the Bach Largo on this disc, and the three Prokofiev Cinderella pieces for instance. Volodos uncovers depths previously undiscovered in recordings by Richter, Sandor, Ortiz, Berman, and Chiu, and even in the Orchestral version. That he brings new meaning to 'old' music is testament to his maturity and understanding. That he can transcribe a simple melody such as Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca into a spellbinding yet reverent virtuoso piece is proof he's a genius. I sense this will be forever regarded as one of the greatest debut albums.

Anyone who records Horowitz's "Carmen Variations" and Cziffra's "Flight of the Bumblebee" (after Rimsky-Korsakov) has to be either lamentably deluded or a virtuoso of the very, very first rank. The latter case is breathtakingly demonstrated in this wonderful CD. The Romantic School of Pianism is alive and well, thank you! Volodos also plays transcriptions of his own: two Rachmaninoff songs and the famous Mozart "Rondo alla Turca", both in the best tradition of the giants he is emulating so successfully. Little-known, but fascinating transcriptions by Feinberg (Bach and Tchaikovsky) will probably be new to almost everybody. I am sure we will hear much more of Arcadi Volodos in the future; I can only recommend most strongly that you hear him now.

...a question. Is there some reason why Maestro Volodos' Carnegie Hall album is impossible to find on this website?

Anyway, about this album, I must admit I probably wasn't one of the first to hear of it. I only became aware of it when it was nominated for a Grammy--perhaps one of the only times the awards show brought anything new to my attention. I was initially most intrigued by the Horowitz transcriptions. Volodos is obviously a big fan of Mr. Horowitz, as he plays many of his arrangements. But he is no Horowitz, which is not necessarily a bad thing. To my ear, no one can approach the mephistophelian quality of Horowitz at his most demonic. On the other hand, Horowitz never had the warmth and evenness that Volodos conjures in the slow pieces, and it is here that I'm most impressed by his musicianship. With Horowitz, I almost always sense a sort of tension when he plays adagio, as if all that energy is struggling to break forth from the restraint. Volodos has no such difficulties; pieces like Rachmaninoff's Utro and the Schubert/Liszt Litanie flow like placid water.

That's not to say that he doesn't possess the Russian musclepower. With the more virtuosic pieces there is a nice sense of weight and digital dexterity. The notes resonate but don't blur, and his dynamic range ranks with the best. And as far as his own transcription of the Rondo Alla Turca, it is on a par with Horowitz's Stars and Stripes forever.

In terms of tone and musical sensibility, rather than making the Horowitz comparison, I'd say he comes closer to channeling Gilels at his very best. And that's my review.

Technically, this is the finest performance I have ever heard of some of these these transcriptions. The crispness (due partly to the fine recording quality of this 1997 production) is phenomenal, particularly in Liszt's 2nd Rhapsody and in Volodos' "Turkish March" transcription.
Technical Brilliance is not all Mr. Volodos has, however. Contrary to a reviewer below, he has beautiful expression. In fact, it takes him a full minute longer to play Horowitz' 2nd Hungarian Rhapsody transcription than it took Horowitz himself, and it is not in the difficult technical passages that Volodos lags behind. The middle part, soft but rich with expression, is what puts him a minute behind Horowitz. This is just one example of Volodos' superb taste. While, as other reviewers have pointed out, he does not play Horowitz' transcriptions quite like the original master did, he plays them with his own interpretation. After all, who wants a complete copy? He brings out other aspects of the Carmen Variations that perhaps Horowitz didn't even know he had in it. And all by ear.
Volodos, born in 1972, was 25 at the time of this concert. While his young age might make his expression and feeling different from the transcribers he is playing from, overall this is a great recording to have in your library.

I first heard his Turkish March transcription on the radio and thought it was not-well-known Horowitz performance. That's an idea of the energy that Volodos brings to this recording. I like Horowitz's performance of his CArmen Variations better than Volodos' - I feel that Horowitz has a playfulness that is missing here. Volodos' performance is a little too heavy. ON the other hand, I have never been a real big fan of Horowitz on slower, melodic pieces and Volodos really sings with the Schubert-Liszt Litanei well.

I agree with most of the superlatives regarding Volodos with one exception. I don't think Cziffra, with all due respect, is in the same league as Rachmaninoff, Horowitz, Richter, Hofmann, Solomon, and a few other truly superlative pianists. For one thing, Cziffra wasn't very musical. His fingers were fast, but that's about it, despite the hoopla on the DVD/Video, The Art of the Piano. He was perhaps featured because like a couple of the mid-level commentators on the DVD/Video, Cziffra was Hungarian. His playing was at best, very good. At it's worst, unlistenable. With Volodos, you have a truly unlimited piano maestro. His technical ability is at the highest rank. His musical quality, also of the highest rank. In short, he has no limit in talent. Rumor has it he is a bit undisciplined and cancels concerts a lot. I hope he avoids the plague of some great artists -- getting lost in their own fame and ability so much they self-destruct. Van Cliburn was a great pianist as a young man. After becoming famous for being famous, his skills (limited by a limited repertoire) declined to the point that he embarassed himself this summer while trying to play piano at the Aspen Music Festival. Would like to see Volodos come out with a DVD of live piano playing. I own all of Volodos' CDs and have even given them to friends as presents. My only caveat with Volodos is that he sometimes chooses novel, yet boring repertoire. This is true mostly in his Carnegie Hall CD, which should be purchased if only for the first track where Volodos plays the most electrifyingly wonderful Hungarian Rhapsody. This CD here, the Piano Transcriptions, is perhaps his best. There are a number of wonderful tracks, e.g. the Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 What was that crazy person talking about when he critiqued THE BEST Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 interpretation??? Volodos's Schubert is wonderful music for a relaxing experience. Young master, give us more CDs, a few DVDs of live playing, and many live performances. Don't self-destruct before the world knows who you are. A wonderful artist can be a fairly normal person: e.g. the great William Kapell and Artur Rubinstein. Rachmaninoff, albeit depressed, was a total professional. Be a professional and let's hear more of your wonderful pianism.

Amazing. It's worth it just for the Turkish March. What it is--Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca for piano, transcribed for a virtuoso, basically. Different bass lines have been added underneath the original Mozart version, giving it an unbelievable depth and freshness. I've played Mozart's Rondo a thousand times and it's like hearing it for the first time. Wow!! I would love to get a sheet music copy of this. I would need it for 4 hands. (=

"Flight of the Bumblebee" is equally impressive...just a flawless performance. Arcadi Volodos sure knows his pianoforte.

Volodos is one of a handful of exceptional pianists that are playing today (Marc-Andre Hamelin, Jack Gibbons, Rian de Waal, and Carlo Grante are the only ones that consistently operate at this level of brilliance). If he never records again this CD alone would qualify him for legendary status. It is one of the most amazing and sustained displays of pianistic fireworks that I have ever heard. One has to go back to the stunning Simon Barere to find a performer with this capacity to stupify his listeners. No music lover can afford to do without this staggering debut recording.

Volodos strikes us with some incredible works here, friends. These are quite simply some of the most perfectly executed works upon the piano I have heard, and this is no light affair considering the depression-inducing difficulty of some of these behemoths of the piano (Horowitz transcription of the Hungarian Rhapsody sounds like it requires a virtuoso of the highest order to play well.) We're dealing with a pianistic genius who I'm sure will continue to astound us in the future. And what, he began studying at the age of sixteen!? I want him to record all the Transcendental Etudes, but who knows if that will ever occur. Check out his Rachmaninoff concerto as well, it's about as close to perfect as it gets.

Unbelievable.

The man is definitely a genius with his own wonderful transcription of Mozart's Alla Turca. He is not entirely out to just wow audiences, he has a musical sense of playing and my, what clarity and delicate control of tone! Definitely reminiscent of Ignaz Friedmann and others from the "Great Piano Era." I had the fortunate opportunity to hear him play the Rachmaninoff 2nd Piano Concerto live on the radio. What a great performance with huge tone! This pianist has a way with inner-voicing and color. Kudos to you, Arcadi. PLEASE COME AND PERFORM IN PHOENIX, AZ!