Classical Mandolin solo Videos on YouTube

[vkioulaphides]

A WONDERFUL performance, indeed!

In fact, some of the nicest elements of this interpretation by Alex are those I didn't write! Yes, an ornament here, an ornament there... why not? The era of the composer-qua-dictator is over! I'm all too happy to witness a "newly enlightened" approach ushered in, whereby composer and performer are seen as partners, NOT as in corporate chains-of-command, whereby the former rains down curt, officious memos on the latter. Bah!

Musical "literalism", of course, came about out of the justified despair of composers upon watching (or rather hearing) their works mutilated by careless performers, unscrupulous producers and egomaniac conductors. So the current, "Play the ink!" moral/professional standard emerged as a safeguard against gross abuses. In the process, however, much of the spontaneity of music was lost.

So it is a sheer delight to see one of my works in the hands of a performer whom I trust 100%, and whose liberties with it are truly embellishments, personal contributions that make the piece ever so much more beautiful than could ever be conveyed with little black dots on paper.

Three cheers for Alex!

Victor

[Simen Kjaersdalen]

Despite poor quality of sound and image I hope some will enjoy this.

[garypaynephoto]

Very nice piece, and nicely played. This is your own composition? I am expecting a brand new Cremona mandolin from Uli Albert sometime soon. What do you use for strings. Also, I notice you are playing with your thumb, do you also use a pick/feather?

[Simen Kjaersdalen]

Thank you for your kind reply! Yes, this is one of my own pieces, and my compositions are of course as made for this type of mandolin. I think you will be very happy with your new mandolin - remember this take was done with an ordinary web-cam, and you can only hear "half" of that lovely lute-like ressonance.

Strings - yes that was a problem. I tried nylon and real gut, even uke-strings, and it was quite difficult to get the tension and thickness. But then Aquila finally started to produce nylogut-strings for mandolin - highly recommended!

I have played in many differnt styles, but now mostly use my thumb, but using the other fingers as well in some techniques. (I play tremolo like on the classical guitar.)

It's a real "#######" technique, not recommended for anyone, and I guess I can make Sinatra's words mine: I did it my way.

Thanks!

[Marc Woodward]

Very pretty! Thanks you.
Marc

[Simen Kjaersdalen]

I see that one of my words in the last post has been "sensored". The word was a description of "blend of races", and I din't know that it was a "bad" word to use. (It would have passed in my country, and I guess it's all Shakespeares fault, because he uses it a lot!) The point was that my techinque is a strange blend of guitar and mandolin-technique. Sorry about that to all.

[K. WONG]

A fusion that I find very interesting

[K. WONG]

Another one

[Alex Timmerman]

Excellent playing and indeed a very nice fusion! Thanks, Alex.

[Yuji kanemitsu]

It is the duet of me and my friend Mr.Kagajo(mandocellist,mandolinist,guitarist,compo ser). Look if all right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ns_hTAI6yo

[Alex Timmerman]

Hello Yuji Kanemitsu,

Welcome to this forum and nice playing! Also nice to hear you play a Takusari Roman Mod. No 6 concert mandolin.

Best greetings,

Alex.

[Jim Garber]

A fusion that I find very interesting

K. Wong: what are these pieces. They are very nice and I do love the liuquin. goiogle Translate says the title on the video is: "Liuqin Concerto "Jiang Yueqin sound" / Chen Yahui (Liuqin)"

[K. WONG]

I have uploaded two videos, the first one that runs 5:26 min has the title "Spring on Yi River", the second one that runs 13:13 min has the title "Melody Accompany The Reflection of Moon on a River".
"liuqin" in Chinese is made up from two words, "liu" is willow while "qin" is musical instrument.
These two pieces are orginally written for traditional Chinese musical instrument. The Japanese conductor transcribed it for mandolin orchestra.
Here is a link to youtube for your interest:

[Greg Stec]

Very nice performances! And such an orchestra! I just got a new mandocello (a copy of a 1918 K4), but I'm putting a traditional mandocello as a future purchase.

[Margriet]

I have uploaded two videos, the first one that runs 5:26 min has the title "Spring on Yi River", the second one that runs 13:13 min has the title "Melody Accompany The Reflection of Moon on a River".

I enjoy "Spring" a lot, thanks ! The accompany by the erhu's (?) sound like a human voice. Where, how can I find the second one, the "Melody" ?

Margriet

[Margriet]

It is the duet of me and my friend Mr.Kagajo(mandocellist,mandolinist,guitarist,compo ser). Look if all right.

Nice ! Looking forward to hearing more of you both.

Margriet

[K. WONG]

I cannot find "Melody" accompanied by Chinese musical instrument, all I can find is liuqin with piano.

[Theo W.]

Just me fiddling around on some Bach.

[David Miller]

With a certain amount of trepidation (considering the several very excellent videos of this piece that are already available on YouTube), I am linking below to a performance of mine from this past week's concert at the Hartt School of Music of Victor Kioulaphides' "Diferencias". I have utterly enjoyed working on this piece, and look forward to having many chances to perform it and other of Victor's works in the future.

Please feel free to let me know what you think!

[vkioulaphides]

Hello, David, and all.

While other performances of my Diferencias are indeed excellent, as you say, trepidation ought to be kept in check; your performance is a fine one and, most importantly, a different one. You can't be timid about being yourself.

Luckily for all of us, music is NOT an Olympic sport. On the field, if you throw the javelin 100 meters, while another athlete throws the same javelin, say... 110, he is objectively, demonstrably, plainly "better" than you in that narrow, specific, particular case. That's that, and there's not much more to say about it beyond the reading on the measuring-tape.

But music is a "human-to-human interface", to put it in slightly silly techno-speak, so there's not much to "measure" in a metric, quantifiable manner. There are as many interpretations as there are personalities. Yours is vivid and straight-from-the-heart. That's no cause for trepidation from your end, but merits congratulations from mine. Bravo!

---

Tangentially, I must "spill the beans" by letting the world know that there is yet another, surely spectacular new recording of Diferencias coming out soon, this time by truly Olympian mandolinist Chris Acquavella. I have not heard this recording yet —I will await it with bated breath— but can safely surmise that it will be absolutely dazzling. Different, too, once again.

Yet this piece's premiere recording, by Sebastiaan de Grebber, remains unsurpassed— in its own way. And who can dare say that his or her reading of this score has "more" heart and soul to it than the one by our beloved, late Ali Stephens? You can't ask me which friend of mine "I like better". I love them all, each in his/her own way.

And that, as one of my composition teachers (the venerable and quite terrifying Ludmila Ulehla) used to say, is what makes the world go round.

Cheers,

Victor

[Alex Timmerman]

Hello David,

A nice performance of this absolutely wonderful piece of music! Bravo!!! It is great to see it played more and more!
And I second everything of Victor's comment above!


Thanks for sharing and best greetings,

Alex.

[vkioulaphides]

... as I ran out of my home this morning, right after posting the comment above, I realized how remiss I was in not mentioning that, of all performances of this piece, none have been (or could ever be) more thoughtful than those of my esteemed friend, Mr. T.

When the piece was still "young", so to speak, Alex and I exchanged numerous emails, with scans of fingerings, phrasing-marks, picking-patterns criss-crossing cyberspace between us at a dizzying pace. I cannot imagine any greater honor for a composer than witnessing a serious, diligent performer study a work of his so deeply, so thoroughly.

This depth of deliberation and seriousness of intent shows of course in Alex' actual performances of this piece. On the other hand, I can just as easily imagine some other performer, doing equal due diligence in his/her preparation, and yet coming up with different ideas.

Indeed, that IS what makes the world go round! If a composition were meant to come out of a can, why... we composers would simply make one of those hideous-sounding MIDI tracks, post it on our website, and simply call that "THE piece", as is. Who would want that?

Cheers,

Victor

[Ed Goist]

Olga Egorova plays 'Asturias' ('Legend') by Isaac Albéniz for solo mandolin on her Howard Morris F5 mandolin (#111). Wow.

[Beanzy]

Ed I reckon we'll be hearing an awful lot more about Olga E, a really lively, serious but playful soloist I find her playing thoroughly engaging. Remarkable player.

Here's another one;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFHqg...ature=youtu.be

[lachlanwa]

http://youtu.be/NL8XhxMLqbs

Stumbled across this one today. Wonderful.