I think he is my new favorite player! I saw him in concert yesterday and wow is he good! His program was as follows:

Beethoven – Sonata no. 21 in c major, op. 53 (Waldstein)
Brahms – Four Ballades, op. 10
Schoenberg – Six Little Piano Pieces op. 19
Beethoven – Sonata no. 32 in C minor, op. 111

Encores were: 1. A piece I’d never heard before by I think he said a Hungarian composer. The piece was under a minute long and was quite unusual - just a few notes like a motif and played very softly like distant bells under water. 2. Chopin Waltz. 3. Schumann Romance.

Both Beethoven sonatas completely wowed me! I wish you all could have seen how well he played all the trills – the kind where the RH is trilling but another RH finger is playing melody notes. Really, just unbelievable how well he can do that. - some of those trills were so long!

I was prepared to not like the Schoenberg music, but I actually did! I think all six pieces are cool little gems and now I’ll put the set on my ‘to do’ list.

Andsnes is very elegant (and handsome!!), and I am most astounded by his playing. Honestly, I did not hear one single slip or smudge anywhere! He wore a black suit, rather simply-cut, which showed off his trim physique ( ). Except the collar on his jacket was a little screwed up for the entire 2nd half of the concert. I kept thinking that someone backstage would fix it when he walked off stage between pieces, but nobody did. I wanted so badly to go up there and fix his collar myself. Probably that’s just the ‘mom’ in me; I’m always fixing my kids clothes.

Wow that was a great concert! I agree with you, he is my new favorite... at least with the Beethoven.

At the reception he repeated that the encore piece was by György Kurtág and that the title had something to do with Christmas caroling.

It's funny you mentioned the collar on his jacket, it was driving my girlfriend crazy!

Yes, Monica, it is a mom thing. My mother is losing her eyesight. She can't see my face or anything like that but if my hair gets a little to long, she can notice it a mile away.

Scott

Now there you have a great pianist and I will join in the praise.

Absolutely a great pianist, one who refuses to show off and puts the music before anything else.
I found it very interesting to watch him and Hamelin rehearsing together,
see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWPCFl01H8g

Yes, that was very interesting. Two favorites! Except I'm cracking up now because again Andsnes' collar was screwed up from about 4:17 to the end.

He is doing it just to provoke you

Scott

Ahhhhhh....torture.....