Boris Giltburg performs Rachmaninov: 10 Preludes Op. 23 (Queen Elizabeth Hall recital) 

You know...not everyone has to play at the speed of Cziffra or Kissin to be impressive as a pianist and musician. I've heard and played these pieces many times and quite frankly, the spaciousness of this man's playing is quite refreshing. You can hear the notes and the intricate contour of line that makes most of Rachmaninoff difficult to perform. I loved this. Perhaps it is time to move back to this kind of playing as opposed to the "look how fast I can finish" mentality toward the piano repertoire.

I've only discovered Boris in the last half year, but he always astonishes me with what he brings to pieces I thought I knew.

What a wonderful day)) I found 3 wonderful friends of Boris. I think this friendship is forever. Since the other 2 were found a few months ago - John Elliot Gardner and D D Shostakovich)) Now they live with me. I am very happy about this. I feel very good with them. p s Boris, my friend, thank you for the wings. I think if there is a miracle in modern music - it is unconditionally - you, your magical, so understandable playing, such soft, velvety touches similar to the touches of your loved one)) Thank you for your enormous talent and your natural charm - because Rachmaninov in inept hands can break the heart. With Love Andreijfrom Harestua Norway❤❤❤

I've worked on the E-flat prelude for forty years off and on. I've heard many recordings of it in my search to find one that reflects how I hear it. Not until this have I found one. What a treasure this guy is.

BORIS GILTBURG PERFORMS THIS TO THE POINT OF EXTROARDINY SENSATIVITY AND GREAT PROFOUND DEPTH

A rarity in today’s generation of pianists. The REAL thing. He’s got it.

Young Boris Giltburg reminds me of Vladimir Ashkenazy at the same age, though he eschews Ashkenazy's flamboyance for a more introspective, poetic take, sacrificing dramatics for the sake of exploring the music inner core. I like how one listener put it: he "composes' the music as he plays it--letting his artistic temperament carry him as the music dictates in the moment. Thus, we get spots where the tempo slows noticeably in the most unexpected places, yet somehow it makes perfect sense when you think about it moments afterward. I have to conclude Giltburg is a true artist and these extreme rubatos are not histrionics but sincere impulses in a quest to seek out things in the music other pianists hitherto have had hidden from them.

Just one word: WONDERFUL!

OMG. Every time I hear Giltburg play I am stunned.

Impressive, highly sensitive playing, allowing the music to sing, speak, breath, imbuing it with a beautiful palette of colors, bravo!!!

the middle section of the no. 2 is such a tour de force! spectacular playing!!

Exquisite performance with an uniquely fresh interpretation, excellent dynamic control, gorgeous tonal quality and colour, enchanting expression and technical mastery. An exciting and charismatic performer!!! Bravissimo!!!!

Уникальное, бесподобное исполнение! Борис исполняет Рахманинова как никто другой. Каждая нота пропущена через все фибры души и тела... Очень харизматичный, обаятельный, одарённый пианист. Спасибо, Борис! Творческих успехов, удовлетворённости в жизни, сердечной радости и счастья Тебе!

Very good pianists and likes the fine pianists Ashkenazy, Sokolov who are exceptional pianists who can probably play everything well. I love these preludes and he plays them well, polished technique and bring out brilliance in several passages; a definite thumbs up.

All of sudden, I felt the urge to hear you and watch you play again. I'm soaring and I don't really know if I want to get down to earth again. As Gershwin wrote, cause you're delicious...and so capricious...Thanks for sharing your talent.

Extraordinary feeling, yes, he plays piano like a harp! Will always come here to hear Rach's op. 23 Preludes.

Wonderful, wonderful! Thx for sharing Boris!

Always a pleasure hearing and watching you play. Wonderful touch and precision.

Colorful and thoughtful performance of these preludes.

Слушая игру этого пианиста, я попадаю в волшебную страну, где все чарует, ведет за собой, никогда не становится скучно, потому, что за одним красочным полотном открывается другое, ведущее в следующии красочный мир. Даже не верится, что такое можно нарисовать звуками. Спасибо всевышнему и родителям, которые подарили миру это чудо. Здоровья и дальнейшей неутомимости, неуемности молодому мастеру.

#4, Excellent pedalling, gorgeous tone, never harsh.

I was there. He played like 5 encores afterwards. Great stuff

Amazing playing, I enjoyed the preludes very much! very organic, sensitive and just captivating!!!! Thank you so much!

Wow ! such a lovely performance and sound recording ! This trio - Giltburg, Rachmaninov, Fazzioli - rocks. Sound reflections in full range, warm or dark bass, and trebbles sound like heaven. I guess this was a great evening. Bravo.

These performances are astoundingly good. And that Fazioli piano is fabulous sounding

Flawless. Giltburg squeezes every drop of expression out of each note. A true artist. 💯

Thank you very much for these moments of great music...

Thank you, Boris. I especially enjoy No 3 in D minor.

What beautiful played, I love Rachmaninoff music so much

The dynamics, the phrasing, the tempo, the showmanship... Everything's perfect!

Splendid and touching peformance. Thanks Boris !!!

What a gorgeous, superb version. Notice by the way the bass at 12:08 , incredible Fazioli, perfect layering of motives.

Awesome that night. Awesome again and again.

Extraordinario Boris, gran talento, de los mejores y más pulidos intérpretes de Rachmaninovich que he escuchado

The singing tone of the left hand melodies….beautiful. Pure Rachmaninoff, every note. Nice pedaling, a skill sometimes overlooked.

To just an amateur, you give much about music itself. Until now i just liked music though i had lots of mistouching points. After intensive listening time to your music along with Beethoven 32 project:), i just start to practice separate pages and even adjust the attitude toward music. Thank you so much, maestro! I will go to your concert with your cd☆ when you come visit Seoul, Korea:)

Boris Giltburg is magnificent! I'd rather hear him play these Preludes than anyone else, which is why I have the recording I do. Utterly in tune with them & alert to each nuance. I always marvel at his exceptionally accurate technique. It's so good to find performances where each note is perfectly sounded in the context. Thanks very much!

devine beautiful unforgettable he & the piano are one. his music fills the hall & the heart thank you Boris Giltburg

Absolutely incredible touch and expression.

Great, Boris, thank you.

Very nicely done.

Magnificent. Thank you for this rare beauty.

Boris is so good and knows exactly how to keep all phrases clear. Superb performance. And how about that Fazioli !! Wow what a heart-piercing sound..

This is gorgeous and uniquely personal playing. Love.❤

Fabulous!

19:50 Glitburg was attacked by confetti

i really appreciated hearing the second prelude slowed down a little. added a nice clarity that a lot of fast performances dont have

An individual rendition, beautiful, fresh approach, played as real music, touching and affecting all backed by a marvellous technique. How lucky to have big hands that can encompass Rachmaninov's huge demands so apparently 'easily' Henry

From the first sound to the last I sat mesmerized hearing these pieces fresh as new fallen snow, colorful as a sunset, as revealing as a lover’s caress…

the most thoughtful Rach playing, thanks, Boris

exquisitely played. no idea why there are so many comments putting your playing down. i think if mozart were alive today and had a video on youtube, classical music snobs would probably have something to say about how flawed his playing is etc etc.. no pleasing some people. 11:00 to 11:25 absolutely sublime.

The last prelude is stunning!!!!

Just Marvelous !

Un gran interprete de los preludios de Rachmaninoff, el fraseo, el sentimiento, hacen trasmitir al oyente una gran paz. UN MAESTRO. BRAVO

Excellent pianist and a very gorgeous piano!

it´s cracy.... what is falled in the minute 19:50?, it´s a golden paper from above...afortunelly you manage without problem, you don´t loose the concetration in any moment. Congratulations such a biggggg pianist, i love the version.

It’s just incredible. The 10th was perfect, like be in heaven

virtuos and as well poetic. great

Superb! I can get enough of it !

Amazing, wonderful! He is one of the best pianists in the world. Grandiose, magnificent ♥️😍👏

I think Boris Giltburg is one of the best classical pianist on the stage now. Everything is there: power, colour, shape, delicate,. His performance is like creating a sculpture, or painting with sound. really beautiful. I have just attended his recital in St Luke London today. Really like his performance. Thank you so much. Hope he can record more Rachmaninov's music. Really like his moment musical by Rachmaninov

Bravissimooooooooooooooo!!!!!! So romantic, so nice interpretation. Vibrant clarity!!!!!! You are the second coming of Alexis Weissenberg!!!

Gorgeous sounding Fazioli.

The thing is that recording blands out the tempi and expression in any piece of music. A lot of people here are complaining about how "slow", "considered", and " too careful" the playing is. The thing is that the performance probably made a lot of wonderful sense live in the hall. If you'd been sitting there, in the hall, you might have been much more convinced. But for a recording, much less so. Giltburg was obviously thinking of the performance, not the video to follow. It's a problem with recordings of live performances. You can't make any adjustments for the limitations of the media. Myself, I think the playing is just wonderful! Beautiful phrasing, lovely colors, strong inner logic. We've gotten used to hearing these things too fast and hasty over the years thinking that was a great skill. This especially an opinion strongly held by young inexperienced players. It's not, necessarily. Hearing this recording, it just makes me want to go and learn the whole opus myself!

merveilleux!!!!!

just magic !!!!

Такого волшебного Рахманинова я слушаю впервые. Удивительно чарующие звуки и образы. Хочется слушать еще и еще.... И я так и делаю с удовольствием. Слушаю.Возвращаюсь и слушаю снова. Как в детстве любила перечитывать любимые книжки.

fazioli- the rolls royce of pianos- and Giltburg the maserati- but it is the delicacy of his playing that one treasures- others pound- G persuades and interprets- with Hewitt, Porogelovich and Gavrilov- on 11/13 in baltimore his perf of the Rach 1st seemed almost astonishing in its lightness- a breath of fresh air!!!

It's a magnificent pianoforte!

He makes them look so easy. Wow.

kudos to Boris. Love his interpretations. Not overdone.

super !!!

No. 5. Such a powerful piece.

I have to buck the trend here. While nobody doubts Boris's sensitivity in quiet moments, I feel that he often lacks fire during forceful passages. He may well be able to play #2 in Bb with the power of Richter, but we'll never know because he doesn't show us. I find this interpretation excessively self-indulgent, and I thought the same when I heard him live playing the piano part of the Brahms Fm piano quintet. I had been hoping in vain that what I saw was just a bad night. His technique? Marvelous. His touch up to mezzo piano? Exquisite. His fortissimo authority? Anemic.

inolvidable pianist

#2 PLEASE God love ya!!!

Muy Bueno!!

such a perfect golden paper's moment 19:52

Cool piano bench Wonderful performance

Ok, I d like to say some "fors" and "against" about this pianist. For: I think he has an increible and beautiful "touch", no doubts he is a great pianist. If I close my eyes, I would not say it's Cherkassky, but he's close. Every note is pristine and he expresses himself like a poet. He is what I call "a pure romantic". Against: I think he needs some vitamins for those "bravura passages". The Bflat Major and G minor preludes are a little weak, too Chopin. And definitely, he needs a hairdresser and another type of outfit. A teacher of mine once told me, and he was right, "people also watch what they see". I love the whole performance. Two thumbs up.

Prelude 5 ...sensational

Outstanding performances, among the best ever.

Perlas de piano perfectissimo,!!!!

Yes, Marcel, yes, certainly !!!

Really interesting performance, with amazing clarity. Enjoyed thoroughly. On another topic, I can't help noticing that his bench looks _very_ comfortable. Does anybody know what kind of bench that is?

Me identifico bastante con la forma de interpretar de Boris. ¡Excelente! Tiene mérito tocar así de bien en un piano FAZIOLI ("burro grande ande o no ande"). No es un instrumento muy equilibrado, por ejemplo, en los registros medios y medios altos se aprecia claramente que el sonido se "aplasta" . En general el piano no admite pulsaciones más allá de ff (por eso Boris no toca demasiado fuerte) y sólo gracias a una muy buena acústica de sala se le puede sacar algo de sonido. Ah! y otra cosa... me preocupa la espalda de éstos pianistas que se "acurrucan" tanto al piano.

What a magnificent pianiat!

I see a lot of criticism from viewers about this man's unique tempi and interpretations. Some even go as far as to say he is pretentious and self-absorbed but I think this is type of criticism is born out of ignorance. This is a LIVE performance of late romantic era music! The artistic liberties he takes are what makes listening to these same pieces many years later worth listening to. This set has been performed countless times, each being unique, exploring the same sheets from a completely different perspective. To disagree with this pianist's interpretations is your right, but to say he is wrong and to doubt his genius is what is truly pretentious and is the reason people who enjoy this type of music are stereotyped as snobs.

Bravo Chapeau Giltburg

Bravo

Continue great Richter' traditions of playing Rachmaninov! Nice!

Op 23 No 4 in D is just amazing

Giltburg is a poet of the piano.

i find his performance enjoyable

#6 slower than I play, & I know if he wanted he could up the tempo if he preferred. Wonderful voicing. I appreciate his tone. Too bad some make fun of his physical appearance. Glen Gould sat low due to back problems. Lay off!!! He’s gifted & sincere, & often magical.

not bad kid not bad. you got some talent.

I didn't know Ben Stiller played piano

the b flat prelude is the most beautiful one.

That C minor! Revelatory.

You are playing as if your piano was a harp! Heavenly music that flows like spirit! I shared this link on our network "Arts et Lettres" groupe Musique classique. Your Belgian friend.