Rock, jazz, classical...Gulda was a musician's MUSICIAN!!!

Anyone who can play Bach, Mozart and Beethoven like Gulda and then can play this stuff with the same gusto, feeling and ease has my complete RESPECT!!!!

One of my favourite songs by one of my favourite pianists. He still manages to do something interesting with familiar material.

There was a concert in the Vienna Stadthalle on July 4 1987 where he also played it live in front of 20000 people and had them feak out. Great musician, world-class pianist.

Genial,un gran pianista del siglo 20,maestro de Martha Argerich en sus comienzos,la técnica increíble,notable,no me canso de escuchar este vídeo

Genial,increible interpretación de gulda,el ritmo es unico,uno de los grandes pianistas del siglo 20

Excelente,uno de los grandes del siglo 20,no me canso de escucharlo,gulda tiene una version también en un disco con un baterista y bajo

Absolutelly loved it,these Doors-based intonations always are close to my heart :)

I love jazz and jazz piano, and I think I know something about it. Even so jazz was for Gulda only #2 (everything was to him #2 - after Mozart! ), man was the top jazz piano artist! And his version of Doors's Light My Fire is one of absolutely best jazz piano compositions. Ever! If there exist the jazz piano - Friedrich Gulda is the best. Simple as that. My other favorites from Gulda include two compositions for his two sons "For Rico" and "For Paul"; and sure "Blues for H.G."!!

Friedrich, te ne sei andato da 14 anni, ma resti un Padreterno!!!

è davvero straordinario quest' uomo!!

Nice to see him playing this tune. Of course I know his recording and like to play his published version but this is much more free and improvised. Thanks for posting!

He also played it at a session with Joe Zawinul and Chick Corea in the Vienna Stadthalle in the 1980s and has 20000 people freak out. I do have the video of the complete concert, but it's on old BetaMax ...

è davvero straordinario quest' uomo

che sound...grande gulda!

De un tema simple un genio puede hacer esta obra sensacional

Magnificent

eLi thank u for the share this is great feel better working on a walking stick and listening to music to clear my thoughts hope u r enjoying your family and day always caroline :)

he is a genius

c'è qualcosa di unico che ha lasciato al mondo questo musicista straordinario:pezzi dalla forma classica ma dal contenuto jazz/blues che era il naturale punto di incontro tra i 2 gulda:pianista classico ineccepibile e dotatissimo e jazzista creativo.forse il pezzo più indicativo di questo incontro è Preludium und fugue...

@TheStockwell You are partially correct. Gulda DID compose this but he encourages (and even demands) the players to improvise and add embellishments to his pieces. Check his "Play Piano Play".

Phenomenal..

Brilliant!

che sound...grandu gulda!

@riethc There are composers who have based variations on material a lot weaker than this. Nursery rhymes, like the one Mozart used for what we call "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." The source of the variations isn't its selling point but what the composer decides to do with it. You know the cliche: Beethoven asks someone to hit four notes on a keyboard and then get out of his way. Maybe Gulda's making a statement but he's doing it with a tune written by an American - Ray Manzarek - who knew Bach.

Most people think that Light My Fire was written by the Doors Keyboard player Manzark, but the truth of the matter is that the song was penned by their guitar player Robby Krieger!

As far as I know it not exists on DVD.

I love it! However, I kept waiting and hoping he'd play that famous Intro riff (circle of 5ths) thing The Doors played. Still fantastic, though.

Wow!

🌻

@pitbull2005 There is a 1971 performance by Gulda on KZfaq - black and white footage - that you might like better. If not, then it's not a problem with you or Gulda - it's just the piece that loses something. By the way, this isn't an improvisation! The variations were actually written down, thoroughly composed, and can be bought or downloaded. A KZfaq shows at least one other pianist - Yi-Chih Lu - performing this work. As written - not improvised.

I'm here after reading a note on the Exploring Beethoven's Piano Sonata forum. Just the break I need from my essay writing!

well this is nice

thanks. A year ago, i didn't know that... now i know :-(

these arent variations, this is jazz!!!! hes improvising!!!!!!!!!!!

Watch ;)

Of Course this Interpretation is awesome. But listen to his Beethoven Sonatas. This is high end.

Kind of silly to cover The Doors for a musician of Gulda's prowess, is it not?

sounds like ornstein somehow..