Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Help me pick a recital or two

As I'm growing more and more fond of piano music I've decided I'm going to my first recital next year.

I found this site for the recital series 'master pianists' in Amsterdam:

http://www.meesterpianisten.nl/

It's in Dutch, but you can just click on the pianists to the left and view their programs.

Which two of these recitals would you prefer to go to (starting with Lugansky)?

Looks like a spectacular list of pianists. I've heard a few great things on youtube from just about any of them.
As for the music: I know most of the composers mentioned and so far I like most of their music. I only know less than 1/4th of the music from all these programs, but I don't mind hearing lots of new music.

Anyway, it's hard for me to choose this way, so I'm just looking for recommendations based on your own preferences and possible experience with these pianists live.

That list of pianists makes the Great Pianists series at Carnegie Hall look like chopped liver. Are there any pianists your leaning towards going to hear?

I've heard Volodos, Perahia, Ax, Kuerti, Barenboim, Pollini, and Zimmeman live and think they're all terrific. With SO many terrific ones, the only advice I can give is to listen to them on Youtube and listen to some of the pieces and choose the ones you prefer based on that. I don't see how you can go wrong.

What does "toegiften" mean?

I'd see Lugansky or Sokolov.

Kuerti and Von Eckerdstein.

AX!

Toegiften are encores.

I nearly had a heart attack looking at all of those.......................

I hope you went to Kuerti! And see Pollini.

that list makes me want to live in Amsterdam sooooooo much! It is such a shame that Sokolov is probably the only of those who regularly gives recitals in Finland

I will second Kreiler's recommendations, Sokolov especially. He is just magical, one of my dream concerts would be any of his and I really hope he doesn't retire before I can see and hear him live.

I have another advice too: I you wish to enjoy the recital as much as possible, do get familiar with the music that is going to be played. At least I have to listen to new pieces many times before I can fully appreciate them, one listening through just doesn't do it for me, not even in the concert hall.
My music teacher at school gave me nearly free-of-charge tickets to a concert of local symphony orchestra. The "big" piece they played was Debussy's La mer and I don't remember anything of the performance. I love the piece now (I wasn't familiar with it in the concert) and I truly regret I didn't give it any hearing before the concert.

Wow, talk about a high quality selection.

Based on my "favorite" pianists, I'd see Lugansky and Sokolov.

Based on the most interesting looking programs, I'd pick Lugansky, Eckardstein, and Volodos.

Honestly, I personally find Barenboim and Perahia a little boring at times, but I really don't think you can make a bad decision with that line-up.

I say go to as many as you can!

Daniel

I'd recommend Ax for your old master, and von Eckardstein for your youngster with a very interesting program.

By the way, PWsters, did you notice that many of these are broadcast online so that you, too, can hear them? And it looks like they are kept online for some time (I can't tell how long) so you can listen at your convenience? I remember catching a remarkable (and controversial) Pletnev recital that way a few years ago. Check it out (the link is in the Avro box the lower right).

What was "controversial" about the Pletnev recital? Btw, I couldn't find the archived recitals, though I admit I didn't look very hard.

Daniel

Pletnev's playing of Chopin in that recital was so free, so improvisational in approach, so unbound by convention, that the score-worshipers and the composer's intent police in an online forum in which I was participating at the time went into apoplectic fits. It was wonderful. I'm sure that bootlegs of that recital must be floating around the net, but I'm not much into that stuff, so can't offer any pointers.

Yes, finding programs on that site can be maddening and very time-consuming. And, from what I saw today, it doesn't look like they keep things online for more that a few days - but, since I don't know Dutch and can't really figure out the site, I could be totally wrong about that. It's too bad, because some of the broadcasts are just amazing (and not just the piano stuff, obviously).

Thanks everyone. I'll try to listen to some more playing by all of these pianists.
And Juishi you're right. I'll get more out of it when I get familiar with the music first.
Personally I was thinking of at least one of these: Lugansky / Zimerman / Pollini, based on my impressions of respectively their Rachmaninov / Chopin Ballades / Chopin Etudes.
Zimerman's program isn't complete yet.

wr, I'll look into that