If is unusual I succumb to the modern inclination to "wham, bam, thank you Mam" but this is one piece that deserves gusto.

Beethoven's often heeded "warning" "ma non troppo" might conversely be satire at the lesser performer who might not be able to play the work at correct performance speed to Beethoven's rigorous standards. Though I clearly do not meet to them, this performance would not have Beethoven turning in his grave but perhaps quizzically stirring at what "might have been". I can find no faster performance on youtube, but I confess I did not look too hard!

Beethoven Appassionata final movement
https://www.box.com/s/pomrxshp964qixaexd55

lol

I experienced physical pain while listening to this recording.

Mesmerizing performance!

The amazing and gorgeous piano tone is thrilling. Please let me know if you ever decide to sell such a magnificent instrument.

This had to be the best one yet. Brilliantly hysterical.

Sean Bennett is faster than you.

what "might have been"? Implying you have somehow improved on Beethoven's original intention?

Hysterical, yes. Brilliant - hardly !!

For a put on, it is kind of brilliant when you think about it. I mean, how many people listen to this noise or read BachMach's posts and actually take him seriously.

About as brilliant as this........

http://youtu.be/Xj3Q9l9Ivng

I have to admit, I laughed.

I also have to admit, I couldn't/didn't need to listen to more than about half a minute.

Steve: You only need to do the first few measures of a piece and then you can quit.

Had to laugh, I barely recognized this one.

I can only assume that you enjoyed the unknown comic as well !!

Terrible sound quality when I play it on my computer. Sounds like a blur. And no, I'm not talking Britpop.
Therefore, I have a hard time judging the interpretation.

"Seek not an "interpretation" where one does not exist !!"

One of my favorites of all time.

But really I don't see what he has to do with any of this here. Nevertheless I enjoyed your mentioning him.

LOL...good one

I'll try to explain.......

To me, the novelty of the unknown comic wears off pretty fast. I don't get a sense of the person behind the mask, and therefore I quickly lose interest.

I feel the same way about BachMach2. As "PartyPianist" he revealed more about himself through his posts - and carried on a bit of a dialog - "off the wall" as it might have been. His current threads follow the predictable formula of ludicrous statements, bad recordings of mediocre renditions, and no followup interaction with those who respond. In other words, he is simply manipulating us. There is no give and take - which ultimately I find to be very superficial and uninteresting.

OK -- I see.

You don't fully appreciate the (supposed) humor of that guy. * That's no slam on you -- it's hardly a very high level of humor.

But me....since I have a pretty low standard of amusement I think the whole thing is hilarious. Certainly for me and probably for others who found it totally hilarious, the humor didn't depend only on the novelty of it. I could wax poetic (or at least wax stupid) on what else is behind the humor, but I think I better not distract us too long from the artistry of BachMach.


* We can almost count on it that one of our esteemed members may feel compelled to comment on that.

It's not a criticism to say that someone doesn't appreciate a particular thing of humor. Probably nobody gets all humor, and arguably some humor that a lot of people do get is completely stupid.

Yes, I feel much the same way about BM2/PP. I listened to a few, had a giggle, wondered why??? and didn't really feel like coming back to listen to any more. Idle curiosity sometimes makes me play the first few seconds of something, but that's it. It's a bit like Florence Foster-Jenkins, if you take the view she knew what she was doing. A couple of tracks are hysterical (gotta love the queen of the night aria) but do I want to listen to her singing the entire soprano repertoire? Well, no. And the law of diminishing returns means it gets less and less funny the more she goes on.

While I wouldn't go so far as to say BM2 isn't putting us on, I think there's more to it than a super-extended hoax. I think there's something a little weird about someone who would go to all this bother and waste all this time for a joke which even he must see gets less funny as it goes along.

Bingo !!!!!

A little weird, yes. A waste of his (and our) time, yes. But perhaps he doesn't care that it "gets less funny as it goes along" because of all the attention we continue to give him.

Bingo again.

Not only stupid, but actually offensive to some people !!!

But, hey - we're all different !!!!

He probably doesn't think it's a waste of his time. I don't think it's a waste of someone else's time unless maybe if someone takes it seriously, listens to the entire performance, and gives detailed comments.

Even if the performances occasionally leave something to be desired, the glorious tone of his piano is inspiring.

Awe-inspiring indeed !!!!!!!