Posted in Classical on May 21st, 2010
Why would Schumann add a piano accompaniment to Bach’s perfect music for violin solo? When I started playing the violin part of the Partita, I finally understood the meaning of Schumann’s piano accompaniment. It is amazing how identical it is to the phrasing of the Bach Partita. Schumann studied Bach extensively and his accompaniment can be used as an exercise in counterpoint and in phrasing. Schumann might have thought that Bach needed more counterpoint and polyphony in his violin Partitas, so he added his piano accompaniment which makes it sound more harmonically and polyphonically present.
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Posted in Classical on Apr 13th, 2010
When I arrived at the concert, a few minutes before it was to begin, Pogorelich was on stage playing Islamey with two fingers, dressed in a gym suit and wearing a Santa Claus hat. Islamey was not on the program. Some people applauded, but he told them that the concert hadn’t started yet. He then left to change and returned later with a page turner who stayed with him throughout the concert.
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Posted in Classical on Apr 3rd, 2010
I recently heard an opera called Kullervo by Finnish composer Aulis Sallinen. I had no idea about Sallinen until I heard Kullervo (although I know quite a few contemporary composers), but right now he is (to me) one of the most amazing composers around.
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Posted in Classical on Mar 31st, 2010
Richard Goode’s approach to this lesson (and to K330) could be summarized as “interpretation by analogy with opera,” highlighting the different characters, colors, styles, and dynamics present in the music. He said that Mozart was first and foremost an opera composer.
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Posted in Classical on Mar 22nd, 2010
Chopin’s Etude Op 25 No 1 that I played in a master class for Andrej Jasinski, the legendary teacher of Krystian Zimerman, among others. Watch the choreographic teaching style. I think his dancing and gestures replace the teacher yelling “Top voice, top voice!” and other instructions. Jasinski explained about Chopin’s style, texture, voicing… in a believable way. He is one of the most “Chopinesque” pianists/teachers around.
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Posted in Classical, Jazz on Jun 1st, 2008
Matan Porat is a young Israeli composer/pianist. He writes really modern music. One of his pieces is based on a tune by Antonio Carlos Jobim (he sent me the notes of this piece and I find it very difficult to play).
I saw him some time ago at the Jerusalem Theater. He was great. He played [...]
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Posted in Classical on Mar 31st, 2008
Boris Berezovsky is a young Russian classical pianist. I think he’s very sharp and makes the pieces he plays look very difficult (or maybe easy?) because he plays them so well and with such virtuosity.
The video linked here shows him playing the first part of the Prokofiev Sonata No. 7.
I picked this sonata because I [...]
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Posted in Classical on Jan 12th, 2008
Here’s a young German pianist by the name of Severin Von Eckardstein. He won the 2003 Queen Elizabeth Competition.
What I really like about him is that he plays with lots of expression. Here he is playing the Waldstein:
I had originally a video of Beethoven’s Sonata no. 27, op. 90, in E minor (one of my [...]
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