Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Artur Pizarro's all Beethoven sonatas live at BBC

here is the link, if anyone is interested:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/classical/pizarro/index.shtml

i don't know too much about him, but he seems pretty good after listening a few of sonatas he played there. his Hammerklavier's opening movement seems little too slow though.

As are most of the others. He also tends to overpedal (esp. in 81a).

I'm not positive on all the details, here. Pizarro is from Spain, but followed his father to the University of Kansas (or ended up 25 miles east of me SOMEHOW) around 1990 or so.

At Washburn University (3/4 mile north of me) sometime in the early 90's he recorded (at several sittings over a 12 month period) all of the Beethoven sonatas. The performances were free and open to the public and I attended three or four of them ... so that might be ME you hear coughing. He the used the score on stage , which I thought was sensible.

Well, no, I just looked at the website and see that these were done recently, but the procedure was the similar. It didn't specify if the recordings were closed.

I believe his father was well know because as a teenager, he was challenged by his teacher to learn the entire cycle over a year or (in perhaps a more exaggerated telling) over the summer vacation and did so.

So there's a little extra Beethoven history in Pizarro's background.

When my son was about 14, Pizarro gave master classes to the winners of a small competition at KU, and Dan was lucky enough to take a long half-hour lesson from Artier as a result of winning in his group. (Dan's group, not Artur's )

Kind funny story. I've forgotten what Dan played in the competition but it was in G and he did very well until the final chord which he forgot completely. After 2 or 3 attempts to get the right chord, one of the judges chuckled and called out "Would you believe a G major chord?"
Dan laughed a little and finally put the piece to bed. He was a little flustered, but it wasn't the end of the world for anybody involved and I was happy the judge was as emphatic and good natured as he was.
Pizarro saw the performance and kidded him a bit during the later lesson about the final chord almost always being the same as the key of the piece.
Dan already knew that, but I think its stuck in his mind a bit better since then. :b:

Anyway after we met him there, I was able to see Artur play perhaps 6 or 7 more times before he left for England (and he can be a frighteningly powerful player at times ), and was happy to hear news of him. Looks like he's going for a little of the "Byron Janis in Transylvania " look though.

If any of you are into the Program Azureus... If you go to www.suprnova.org and go to the Music section and under Classical, you can find Alfred Brendel doing all of the Piano SOnatas.

I must warn you though, It's pretty big (2.4 GB) I think it's worth it though and good quality.

My Dad got the chance to meet him at the BBC.

I hope you at least have Peer Guardian installed because that place is monitored about 1000x more than any other.

he over pedals a LOT. Jesus. Get off the pedal.

I had a masterclass from him but he talked a load of rubbish and it didnt help at all

Yeah, I know, but most Pianists have their odd little ways. We had Peter Waters come to our Uni and instead of giving the 3 best students a masterclass, he took them into the park and gave them Yoga and Tai Chi lessons.

haha that reminds me of the Karate Kid, "Sensei, teach me how to sweep, I need to learn how to sweep." *Mr. Miyagi pulls out a broom and proceeds to sweep the floor*

You may listen 5 pianists (Richter, Brendel, Gould, Pollini and Kovacevitch) ...) in the Beethoven sonate 7
until sunday at this url commentary is in French Langage but music is ... international
http://www.radiofrance.fr/chaines/france-musiques/emissions/pave/

He sometimes overpedals but tempo issues were more bothersome to my ears. For exaple I love the 3rd movement of op22 but I hate, hate, hate his version. For one, I think the basic tempo is too slow and he romanticizes too much by further slackening the pace at several spots in piece. I really don't want to sound too negative but the excessive rubato ruined it for me.

Also, I think the Allegro ma non troppo of op57 was too fast. So much so that the presto sounded more like pui allegro.

in general, from several sonatas i heard from his playing, i enjoy more on his fast playing movements than his slowing playing movements, because he seems to be self indulgent or overly sentimental to me on those slow movements. maybe he belongs to the kind of 'romantic pianists'.

Good point.

Generally, rushing is a danger for many pianists who perform this piece. Personally, I like a somewhat slower tempo (ca. 138-144) because I think that it gives the music more rhythmic drive and a feeling of inevitability.

Oops, I meant the 4th movement. Though what I said probably applies equally to the third.