World's 'fastest' pianist?

[Peter]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/m...g-pianist.html

See what you make of it!

[Megan]

Yes, he is interesting Peter, and a great piano player.
I like the waves effect and the idea of floating on a river,


This piece put me in mind of Chopin's Etude Op. 10. no.1
There seem to be almost alternative dimensions or layers of sound when you compare the hyperfast technique of the Melnyk compared to Kissin.
Melnyk seems to achieve remarkable breakthrougn in the sound where you actually feel you are a prart of the sound experience, like as he said , a river, which you don't get for all the brilliance of the Chopin piece. It is like the difference between being inside the music and being one with it and being outside it and looking in on it.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdthPE-EeLc[/YOUTUBE]

[Chris]

It's not bad music, but I'm not sure there's much that's "new" about it, except perhaps in the sense of a new style that is focused exclusively on this. There are at least similar passages to this in Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and others. He says that what Scarlatti was doing, Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev were also doing, but I think there is a much bigger difference between Scarlatti and Rachmaninoff than between this and anything that has come before it. It sounds like a lot of arpeggios to me. In fact, it sounds a lot like things that have been done in electronic music with arpeggiators and step sequencers. Of course, there may be more to his music than just what was in the article, so I'd have to hear more of it to be sure.

[Peter]

Reminds me of the Emperor's remarks to Mozart in Amadeus 'too many notes!' - oh for the silence of the mountains!

[grace65]

I admire virtuoso pianist, their skill and dedication to be the best technician, but how long can a person listen to arpeggios. Not me, it doesn't sound like music.

This is exactly what annoyed Beethoven about new young pianist. They were more concern about speed and techniques rather than feeling, expression and feeling.