Hi Everyone,

Hope you enjoyed the interview with Ingolf Wunder. Up next is one of the great virtuosos alive today, Cyprien Katsaris.

As always, thank you for reading, and have a wonderful week!

http://www.examiner.com/piano-in-san-francisco/interview-with-pianist-cyprien-katsaris-part-i

Thanks for this... It's very interesting and your questions are right on spot (those to do with the 'sense of music and following the exact orders of the composer', etc...)

Brilliant...

Thanks for sharing.
I'm actually planning to attend his performance in Miami tonight.
Looking forward to it.

-Daniel

Of course I am bias because I am a huge Katsaris fan, but I thought that was by far the most interesting interview in your series. Can't wait for pt 2.

Another wonderful interview.

Thank you for the wonderful comments

The next segments should be even more interesting. Katsaris was a great friend of Gyorgy Cziffra, and he has an interesting take on that phenomenon.

That should be interesting. I'm a huge Katsaris fan, but wouldn't have walked across the street to hear Cziffra.

+1 !

My first encounter with his playing was listening to his set of Beethoven/Liszt Symphonies, which bowled me over. Everything I've heard him play - from his own transcriptions of Kreisler et al to Nazareth via Prokofiev to Bortkiewicz - is compelling, even when it's idiosyncratic, and his sheer joie de vivre (not to mention his amazing virtuosity) is truly infectious. And the interview reflected that.

I love your interviews!! Thank you very much.......I am impressed also by the answers given. The pianists are very open and genuine.

What an interesting performer, and performance last night.

Schubert - D915 Alegretto in C minor
Schubert - D960 Sonata in Bb
Intermission
Chopin - Allegretto & Mazur (never heard this before. Charming little piece.)
Chopin - Op 24 No 2 Mazurka (Very special piece for me. One of the first I ever learned.)
Chopin - Op 40 No 1 Polonaise
Chopin - Op 9 No 2 Nocturne
Chopin - Op 64 No 2 Waltz
Chopin - Op 74 Polish Song No. 2, Wiosna
Liszt/Katsaris - Piano Concerto No 2 for solo piano

Encore: Bach/Siloti E minor (or is it B minor?) Prelude

The Schubert Sonata had flashes of brilliance, but was slightly uneven and (in my opinion) under-pedaled at times. Of course Katsaris brings out 2nd and 3rd voices you never knew were there. Sometimes they were lovely, sometimes it seemed slightly forced. The 2nd movement was sublime however, though Schubert gets as much credit as Katsaris.

The Chopin selection was interesting. The Polonaise was strange. Lots of lower base octaves thrown in, and some tremolos to boot. Funnily enough, after the performance he turned to the audience and said something to the effect of "to all those young pianists in audience, please ignore that terrible performance. The judges will chop your head off in a competition if you play wrong notes like that..." Quite funny.

The Nocturne was actually quite lovely. Again, many "other" voices pulled out of no where, but it worked for this piece. The Waltz was probably the most fascinating of all of the Chopin selection. An almost vulgar performance that worked quite well for me. I wish I had my score with me, (did Chopin actually write those notes into the score??)

The Liszt/Katsaris was of course big, bold, and lovely at times. A little over-the-top for me, but the rest of the audience seemed to eat it up.

Glad I made it.

-Daniel

Thanks for posting the review

We're glad you made it as well !!! Thanks very much for the detailed report !!!!

Heard the exact same line at one of his recitals at the Mannes School last year. My teacher was grinding his teeth audibly as he listened . But somehow Katsaris comes across as a consummate artist and you end up enjoying what he has to say even if you disagree with hte interpretation.