My Sicilian grandma spoke hardly any English, but when Liberace came on the TV, life stopped and we all were required to watch. Grandma Nina knew quality.
I often come to youtube to listen to one or two of Liberaces videos and then I find myself 30 minutes or so later still watching...No one has ever or will ever compare to this wonderful , kind and gentle soul of a man...So many will never know his true talent, and realize the great loss to the world when he died....I love his talent...It makes me sad to know the horrible death he experienced, but i trust that he is resting in peace...Thank you Lee for sharing your world with all of us.........
Lee was a great man with unbelievable talent and showmanship, also a great deprecating sense of humor. He was the biggest star in America in the early 50's.
I saw Liberace in concert at the Oakdale Theater in Wallingford Connecticut circa 1973. Fabulous showmanship! Great talent! Wonderful entertainment. God rest his soul.
He was fabulous. And now we have a 21st century pianist/ entertainer who reminds me of Liberace.. the 27 year old Japanese pianist Hayato Sumino aka Cateen. Classically trained who melds classic, jazz and pop together in his own way...I thought immediately of Liberace when I first heard Sumino
I used to play his "Concert by Candlelight" vinyl LP for hours on end when I was a little girl. I would lie on the floor with my head between the speakers and dream of being a concert pianist!
This absolutely makes me cry. My Mother could play just like him and she use to play this certain song. He was truly the genius on the piano. I know he is in heaven now playing for her. Nobody was ever better than him. Love him.
A great piano player and dresser. He once gave Elvis style advice, and loaned him his jacket on the Ed Sullivan Show. No one realized that Liberace and Elvis had worn the same jacket that night. From then on Elvis changed his style of dress. Think about the way Elvis and Prince dressed on stage. Liberace was still influencing the way entertainers dressed long after his death.
I was just reminded of why I love the oldies. 😍 Truly a beautiful melody & pianist. It was soothing & relaxing, until I visualized being in a 1950s movie dancing with my partner and falling in love. ❤ True music. 😍
Astounding! This is a difficult song for any pianist--he plays it without one hitch! I am happy we have his recordings to remind us what great once was.
He certainly wore a lot of finger weights when he played. Most pianist don't wear any jewelry, a wedding band, if that. Librace was Elvis long before anyone realized it. A great showman and so talented & witty. He never stopped smiling.
I have the honor of being close friends with Hoagy Carmichael's great niece. And, played Stardust at her father's funeral. Stardust has always been one of my favorite all-time songs. Beautiful melody, and lyrics. It's no wonder why it is one of the greatest songs ever written.
I saw Liberace on Johnny Carson and he asked the same question and also commenting on the weight of his costumes. Liberace said as a student he was trained to play with lead weights on his fingers the way runners wear weights. And when they were removed his fingers just flew. He preferred the restriction when he played.
I was fortunate enough several years ago to visit the Liberace museum in Las Vegas before it closed. I was permitted to play his piano which was completely covered in mirrors, with one mirror above the keyboard so your own hands were reflected back. I would never have dreamed how difficult it is to find the keys on the keyboard when you are seeing a double set of them, plus your own hands!
@@RRozsaIndeed, my Dad played in that museum for an event one time, a number of years back, and yes, he used Mr. Liberace's piano (of course). The key to playing with that mirror there is that pianists, like touch typists, are trained not to look at the keyboard. That's why you literally can play a piano blind (Art Tatum, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, and so on). Dad taught me to do the same thing with drums, and string instrumentalists do likewise with their fretboards. That's why Mr. Liberace could do that and not get confused, because he had that old-school classical training. BTW, that piano of his with all the mirrors is gorgeous. Totally over the top...just as Lee himself was. That man was a national treasure.
Mmm love the showmanship, musicianship and positive-attitudeness of this great performer. This particular song lends itself more appropriately to a more heart-broken artist, or at least one who can perform as such. I have no problem with Liberace and his shows. In fact I really enjoy finding them on RU-vid. I just don't think an all time top tear-jerker song is something he could let his guard down to perform
I am surprised he is playing on a Baldwin not a Steinway. Stardust probably the best song ever written( especially the lyrics). Nat King Cole has the superlative sung version in my estimation. The arrangement for Mr.Cole's recording is an absolute classic which others are measured against.
And he wouldn't have died as soon if he'd only not been so addicted to getting his butt banged. The world lost a major talent too soon because he just wouldn't stop being a rectal ranger. Rock Hudson's premature death should've been a wake up call, but nope he wouldn't get off his knees
In my humble opinion, Liberace was the greatest pianist of all time. He could play like the classical pianists, but they could not play like him when it came to playing and arranging popular music 🎵🎶, style and improvisation.
