Okay, now I'm gonna go out on a limb and say something here and please don't take it as male chauvanism, or anything like that cause it's all done in good fun, though I think I've got a valid point somewhere in here. I just heard a news report: Scientists say that human evolution has stopped. Yeah, we have it too easy now so we've stopped evolving, according to the experts. But that's not the case if you've seen any of the lady pianists out there who are breaking into the professional circuit. Any of you guys heard of Naida Cole? Or Katrine Gislinge? Or Noriko Ogawa? Or Laura Manzani? Or Chitose Okashiro, to name just a few? These young ladies are beautiful enough to be professional models, not to mention the fact that they can play rings around some of their better known peers. In the old days we had Gina Bachhauer, Clara Haskil, and some others that weren't exactly candidates for the Miss Universe pagent. So what happened? How is it we have so many talented and gorgeous ladies now who are burning up the keyboard? Any thoughts? Are woman pianists still evolving - getting more and more beautiful as time progresses?

[ February 18, 2002: Message edited by: JoeTownley ]

[ February 18, 2002: Message edited by: JoeTownley ]

[ February 18, 2002: Message edited by: JoeTownley ]

Well, d'uh: they weren't American.

On the subject of Naida Cole, have a look at the comments by Violaboy on her bulletin board at naidacole.com. Quite funny.
http://www.naidacole.com/indexPERSON.html

[ February 17, 2002: Message edited by: yok ]

I saw it and thought it extremely low-class and totally inappropriate for a BBS. Naida Cole didn't put the board up for silly remarks like that. Violaboy ruins things for the rest of us.

I can't honestly say that I've heard of any of those people, but there are some very good female pianists out there that I have heard of. One of my top favriotes has become Martha Argerich. Another is Sylvia Capova. Thats all I can think of for now, but I'll post again once other names come to mind. Its 1/2 hour to midnight where I'm at, its too late to think of names.

Another pianistic beauty whose artistry I admire is Helene Grimaud.

I disagree about Okashiro's playing; it's cautious at best (at least it was when I heard her live).

As usual, Andrew is right on the money. Helene Grimaud = !!!!!!!!!!

You're right! How could I have forgotten Helene Grimaud, the first female pianist I fell in love with!!

How about another 'beauty & piano' Cecil Licad? Her rendition of Saint-Saens 2nd with Andre Previn is really a gem! To my ear, of course.

Yes, Cecile IS beautiful. The only reason I did not include her is because she is pushing forty and is getting ready to join that fabulous collection of "Grand Dames of the Pianoforte" (heh heh)

No offense taken, Joe. I also think Helene Grimaud is the best, but it has nothing to do with her looks. It has to do with how she "speaks" through her playing. She's awesome.
I realize that in you "youngsters", hormones rule, but just in case you need to be reminded, beauty comes from the INSIDE. And it has no age limits. Pushing 40, indeed. I will slug the next person who refers to ME as a Grand Dame of anything! Jodi

Jodi -- here, here!

now, who are the hot studs in male pianodom?

penny

Guess I started playing too late.... ;-)

Penny,
That would definitely be ME!

RIGHT HERE, BABY.

Penny,

I'm reluctant to describe exactly how good-looking I am because it would probably cause female synapses to implode...



Dave (pretty average-looking really)

We need the ladies on this forum to chime in to answer this, right?

Why are we giving space and importance to a discussion (?) of a pianist's "good looks"? Only in America, I guess...

Regards,

Bruce,
Because the music world, in the final analysis, is no different than the movie world. Both are forms of entertainment. It's just that classical music has gotten this lofty Olympian reputation as entertainment strictly for highbrows. But beauty is beauty. No denying that. Whether on a calendar or at a piano bench, we like to watch beauty as well as listen to some beautiful music being made. If the female looks like Tripple H, or Triple Sec, or whatever the hell that wrestler's name is, then we more or less close our eyes and just indulge ourselves in the music. But make no mistakes. The two have to go together. You cannot have beauty along with a dog of a performance as we get with that Zoltan Teszleri, who I refer to in another post on this board. That is some of the worst playing I have ever heard. I'd be ashamed to leave a musical testament like that behind to besmirch my former good reputation. But, of course, he's a man, so the point of this post does not apply (boy, am I gonna get it from the females on this board with that one!!) But it's only because most men are more driven by hormones than musical tastes and prefer to look at the likes of Naida Cole or Katrine Gislinge or Laura Manzini while listening to excellent playing than having to feast their eyes on all 400 pounds of Gina Baucher spilling over the piano bench.

Jodi and Penny, I have great internal beauty.

Have you SEEN my pancreas?

[ February 20, 2002: Message edited by: kenny ]

Boy, the pea****s -- oops, that word won't pass the censor! -- sure like to strut their stuff.

I was just teasin' guys, but if you INSIST, you can always mail your photos to me for completely fair arbitration!

penny

Joe,

I see your point on poor Gina Bachauer. Artistically however, I would take Backauer's Chopin Concerti recording over 95% of all other Chopin Concerti available on the market past or present. That is music, pure music. No make-up. No touch-up. No mannerism. That recording is an outstanding example of 'let the music speak for itself'...

Totally agree with you all on Grimaud. I've never seen her outside of pictures on her recordings, but her Brahms performances are sublime. I'll throw in a violinist for you. Lara St. John is very cute and plays a good Bach (you may have heard or seen the controversy surrounding the cover for her Bach CD).

As for myself, I have inherited the good looks of Alfred Brendel.

Just wanted to plug some of Helene Grimaud's earlier recordings on the Denon label. (Before she got the EMI contract and the hairdresser)

Her Brahms album (third sonata, Op. 118) is wonderful (I actually prefer that Op. 118 to the later one she did) and her Kreisleriana is #5 on my "Favorite Kreisleriana" list. (Kreisleriana is my favorite piece.)

For Vid,

Vid, you might want to check out Helene's unofficial website http://www.wdehaan.demon.nl/

It has several videos of her playing the Schumann and Rach #2 concerti as well as video clips of interviews. What a gal!! (pant, pant) Oh, and the music is sublime, too!

Andrew,
Thanks for "sticking up" for Gina....before I had a chance. Her Chopin Concerti are some of my favs in my library. BTW, I always thought she looked rather elegant sitting at the piano.

Friends :

While ogling (if that's what you do)the covers of some of the latest CDs/Videos, I think you have to have some sympathy for these talented young musicians who happen to be not only female but also attractive. What their agents, publicity managers (same thing?) and record companies subject them to in terms of "imaging" and "marketing" can sometimes amount to sexual harassment.

Maybe some of them enjoy it, but I am quite sure there are others among them who object to being marketed for their "flesh" almost as much as for their talent! This type of marketing is not limited to young women in the classical world, either. Look at what some record companies are doing to some of the younger (read: more attractive) male opera stars in particular: trying to make them look as seductive as possible. The thought being that if they can be made to look physically appealing - even sexually attractive, their albums will sell better.

Let's face it; there are those in the public that fall for this kind of advertising. That's why it works.

However, back to the original thought: Enlighten me if you will on my limited knowledge of Darwinism, but what does evolution have to do with all this, Joe?

Regards,

[ February 21, 2002: Message edited by: BruceD ]

Actually, looks and evolution are closely connected - it's why male birds are more colorful, why they do those ridiculous dances, why baboons have pink butts, and why large breasted women are "desirable" (something to do with being seen as a good nurturing mother) - I am not making this up, haven't you seen the PBS series about it all? Its quite fascinating. Jodi

[ February 21, 2002: Message edited by: jodi ]

I don't care if she's purple. If he or she can play then let 'em play.

I met Miles Davis once in person. My impression of the guy was that he was somewhere between strange and clinically neurotic. But who cares? When the guy puts his soul into his horn it speaks in a clear and passionate way. That's enough for me.

i love watching neurotic artists and bands, i went to a fishbone concert the other night and the singer is absolutely crazy, it made it ten times funner than it could have been. and the strokes played on (of all places) MTV from a live show in hollywood. man they're so wierd in a throwback to the sixties heroin and cigarettes kind of way that it's just fascinating to watch. i think different images wouldn't hurt the classical world at all. not these extremes of course, but if it's gonna make more people buy a cd because a babe is on the cover then by god let them hear some piano music!

BruceD,

Here's my take: bear in mind I'm no evolution expert. This is all pure conjecture but here's my theory. Never in the history of piano have we had so many beautiful and talented woman playing piano professionally. I've personally gone through every website listed on current Woman Pianists and the list of beauties is longer than a roll of toilet paper (extremely bad analogy). And listen to their audio and video clips. I mean these girls can really play!! So how come we didn't have all these beauties 50 years ago. Or 100. Take a look at some of the photos from the turn of the century. Not exactly the kind of looks and figures that make the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition, are they. So my point is, have women pianists evolved to a state of beauty that is truly breathtaking? Evolution shows that men and women have been getting consistently better looking over the eons. What are the factors that make them so gorgeous nowadays? That's my hypothetical question.