|
Welcome to the Piano World Piano Forums Over 3 million posts about pianos, digital pianos, and all types of keyboard instruments. Over 100,000 members from around the world.
Join the World's Largest Community of Piano Lovers
(it's free)
It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
|
|
75 members (bluebilly, accordeur, BillS728, aphexdisklavier, bobrunyan, anotherscott, AaronSF, apianostudent, 16 invisible),
2,119
guests, and
357
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,099
1000 Post Club Member
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,099 |
Good going! Now we know to pay special attention to your predictions of the winners. Nah, it's just something that we find fun to do. Have you heard of this concept?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 13,837
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 13,837 |
I don't understand Wu's advancement at all. Her Davidsbundler seemed obvious and, at times, even a bit sloppy note-wise.
I was hoping for Kunz and Kim but understand why they didn't make the cut.
Bozhanov I expected. Tsujii surprised me (he had his ups and downs, but his good moments were great.)
I agree with Brendan (mostly) about safe players advancing, but I've come to expect it in the Cliburn - since the prize includes three years of concert management, they need very consistent players.
"If we continually try to force a child to do what he is afraid to do, he will become more timid, and will use his brains and energy, not to explore the unknown, but to find ways to avoid the pressures we put on him." (John Holt) www.pianoped.comwww.youtube.com/user/UIPianoPed
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 8,483
8000 Post Club Member
|
8000 Post Club Member
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 8,483 |
the jury is looking for some safe bets and those who played the least wrong notes, and they don't have the courage to choose Kunz or the like. i guess that's mostly what competitions do these days.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 8,483
8000 Post Club Member
|
8000 Post Club Member
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 8,483 |
i agree, and i too look forward to hearing Bozhanov, who's by far the most interesting among all those finalists.
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,808
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,808 |
I agree with Brendan (mostly) about safe players advancing, but I've come to expect it in the Cliburn - since the prize includes three years of concert management, they need very consistent players. By "safe" do you mean a fairly standard/conservative interpretation and/or lack of wrong notes or something else?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 13,837
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 13,837 |
Standard/conservative interpretation. Wrong notes don't matter so much, unless they result as a lack of focus.
"If we continually try to force a child to do what he is afraid to do, he will become more timid, and will use his brains and energy, not to explore the unknown, but to find ways to avoid the pressures we put on him." (John Holt) www.pianoped.comwww.youtube.com/user/UIPianoPed
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,808
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,808 |
I'm fascinated watching the Bozhanov rehearsal partly because the volume seems louder than in the quintet rehearsals where I couldn't hear much of the conversation. I'm surpirsed Bozhanov is not marking his score after they decide on some particular point. Is he so good he can remember everything they decided to do? (Or is Conlon marking Bohzanov's score??)
For those who have performed concerti, is this the usual procedure or would you write things in your score?
Do you get the impression that either Bohzanov or Conlon is defering to the other person or are they just working as equals? I would think it's fairly important for Conlon to defer to Bohzanov because it's Bohzanov's interpretaion that's being judged.
Last edited by pianoloverus; 06/01/09 02:20 PM.
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,808
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,808 |
Actually I I'm especially looking to see Zhang open up. Do you mean show more emotion either in his playing or his stage presence or something else? To me, Zhang plays somewhat like Perahia but maybe with more technical flair. Everything is beautifully phrased.
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,099
1000 Post Club Member
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,099 |
Personally I'm blown away by Bohzanov's playing. Despite the fact that the rehearsal has revealed that his facial expressions are just an act for the audience, his playing is superb, the kind that really brings an audience to life. I can see him winning, though I won't be attending his concerts if he does...I've had enough of the "Lang Lang" type...
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,161
2000 Post Club Member
|
2000 Post Club Member
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,161 |
Actually I I'm especially looking to see Zhang open up. Do you mean show more emotion either in his playing or his stage presence or something else? To me, Zhang plays somewhat like Perahia but maybe with more technical flair. Everything is beautifully phrased. I know I am in the minority, but I really love Zhang's playing and have been rooting for him since the start of the competition. I would love to see him relax a little and enjoy himself a little more while playing. Also I would love to see him connect more with the audience. He always looks a little surprised and almost embarassed after each performance. The audience obviously loves him. Perhaps, now that he's in the finals he can enjoy himself a little. I've read some posts where people compare him to Kobrin and I think the comparisons are fair in many ways. He is unflappable, he doesn't make mistakes, his performances are well thought out and executed.
Private Piano Teacher MTNA/NJMTA/SJMTA
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,395
9000 Post Club Member
|
9000 Post Club Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,395 |
Perhaps Tsujii is secretly being controlled by remote controls guiding his fingers, which receive transmissions from a pianist playing an electronic piano backstage. When this gets out... What I meant was that there are some fans who seem to get especially enthused about pianists who are hampered in some way (or appear to be hampered). With Hatto it was her age and the story of recording while suffering terribly from cancer. It just made a weird resonance when I saw some of the same people gushing about Tsujii who I remember from the Hatto claque. I know, I know - correlation isn't causality. Tsujii doesn't seem hampered all that much in his actual playing, though. After all, sighted people can learn to play in the dark or with their eyes closed, and that's without being accustomed to getting around without vision. It is interesting that one of the Dohnanyi exercises involving big chordal leaps is to be mastered with the eyes closed. I think Medtner once said something about always playing with his eyes closed, too, but I don't have the exact quote.
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,099
1000 Post Club Member
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,099 |
Sounds like something easier said than experienced. Yes, some pianists close their eyes when they play, but that's very different from being completely blind from birth and reaching this level of ability.
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,808
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,808 |
Personally I'm blown away by Bohzanov's playing. Despite the fact that the rehearsal has revealed that his facial expressions are just an act for the audience, his playing is superb, the kind that really brings an audience to life. While it's true that there seemed to be less facial expressions during his concerto rehearsal, I think part of the reason was that much of this was shown in a profile view. I can't imagine anyone would make the expressions he does on purpose because they're so bizarre looking. I don't think they'd appeal to almost anyone and especially not to the jury(and they're the ones who vote). While I don't like Lang Lang's expressions and movements, at least they are not bizarre looking in the sense of contorting one's face.
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,808
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,808 |
Tsujii doesn't seem hampered all that much in his actual playing, though. After all, sighted people can learn to play in the dark or with their eyes closed, and that's without being accustomed to getting around without vision.
But I think that's a lot different from playing the enitre Rachmaninov 2nd PC with no sight of the keyboard. When Bohzanov rehearsed that piece his eyes were almost constantly glued to the keyboard. I don't think Tsuji is hampered, but that's because he may be the best blind pianist ever.
Last edited by pianoloverus; 06/01/09 07:37 PM.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,395
9000 Post Club Member
|
9000 Post Club Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,395 |
Sounds like something easier said than experienced. Yes, some pianists close their eyes when they play, but that's very different from being completely blind from birth and reaching this level of ability. Well, sure, it is much easier said than experienced. But of course, it is also easy to assume that playing is much more difficult for him and other vision-impaired people than it actually is, and then to sentimentalize that assumed difficulty. That is what I think some people do without thinking much about it. While I can't recall any famous classical pianists who were blind, I don't think blind pianists are really that rare. For example, there was another vision-impaired Cliburn contestant some years ago, and also one in the Cliburn amateur competition. I have known teachers with blind students. And there have been some very famous and accomplished non-classical blind pianists. More obvious as a disadvantage is not having direct and easy access to scores, as a blind person here pointed out recently. It is interesting to think about how classical music might be conceptualized without the visual element of a score.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,395
9000 Post Club Member
|
9000 Post Club Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,395 |
Tsujii doesn't seem hampered all that much in his actual playing, though. After all, sighted people can learn to play in the dark or with their eyes closed, and that's without being accustomed to getting around without vision.
But I think that's a lot different from playing the enitre Rachmaninov 2nd PC with no sight of the keyboard. When Bohzanov rehearsed that piece his eyes were almost constantly glued to the keyboard. Well, I don't understand what Bohzanov looking at the keyboard has to do with it - some pianists look, some don't. My point is that playing without sight may not be as difficult as some people with sight make it out to be. You don't actually know what it is like any more than I do, right?
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,808
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,808 |
While I can't recall any famous classical pianists who were blind, I don't think blind pianists are really that rare. For example, there was another vision-impaired Cliburn contestant some years ago, and also one in the Cliburn amateur competition. I have known teachers with blind students. And there have been some very famous and accomplished non-classical blind pianists.
If you're thinking of Tatum, I don't think he was completely blind and certainly not form birth? Are you thinking of someone else? Could they play with anywhere near Tsujii's technical skill? I'm quite sure the amateur Cliburn pianist didn't play on the level of Tsujii. As far as blind pianists not being extremely rare, that would depend on your meaning of that phrase. In terms of playing on Tsujii's level is 1 out of 100,000 or maybe 1 out of 250,000 rare enough for you?
Last edited by pianoloverus; 06/01/09 08:26 PM.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,746
6000 Post Club Member
|
6000 Post Club Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 6,746 |
I don't think Tsuji is hampered, but that's because he may be the best blind pianist ever.
He's certainly one upped Ray Charles.
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,808
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,808 |
I don't think Tsuji is hampered, but that's because he may be the best blind pianist ever.
He's certainly one upped Ray Charles. Not sure if you're kidding or sarcastic, but obviously Ray Charles is a technical midget compared to Tsujii.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 8,453
8000 Post Club Member
|
8000 Post Club Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 8,453 |
He's rehearsing the Chopin E minor right now with the FWSO. Quite beautiful, IMHO.
Close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, and nuclear weapons.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:34 PM
|
Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:23 PM
|
|
Forums43
Topics223,408
Posts3,349,457
Members111,637
|
Most Online15,252 Mar 21st, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|