Venezuelan pianist, Gabriela Montero, improvises…on anything. Here she is with a jazz version of Mozart Concerto No. 20. Another one of my favorites is her amazing rendition of Rachmaninov 3rd in the style of Bach.
“When improvising,” Gabriela says, “I connect to my audience in a completely unique way – and they connect with me. Because improvisation is such a huge part of who I am, it is the most natural and spontaneous way I can express myself. I have been improvising since my hands first touched the keyboard, but for many years I kept this aspect of my playing secret. Then Martha Argerich overheard me improvising one day and was ecstatic. In fact, it was Martha who persuaded me that it was possible to combine my career as a serious ‘classical’ artist with the side of me that is rather unique.” (more)
…another pianist doing it “her way.”
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