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What are you listening to Part the Third


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On 7/30/2017 at 0:28 PM, Torpedo said:

Would you please elaborate?

It's impossible to explain with words, you just gotta listen.. playing music lays bare your deepest desires, feelings, and insecurities more than any amount of words possibly could. Experienced musicians can easily formulate the kind of person another musician is (like his/her character and upbringing) within the first minute of listening. Whether or not the listener has a connection to the playing is a mutual reflection between the music and his/her own personality.

For me, Arrau doesn't let his technical prowess get in the way of the music and is never afraid to take time and really live in the moment instead of through it, and in a way that the rubato actually makes perfect sense. His pure and introspective character is something that jives with me really well. Some pianists and musicians in general overthink until it becomes a bit contrived and some (well, the vast majority) underthink, but expression is always about finding that balance while being very in tune emotionally. An example of the former is Michelangeli, who isn't so good at stuff like Chopin because his intellectualism and perfectionism get in the way but is really good at impressionism and has a ridiculous tonal color palette. My favorite album of all time is his famous Ravel/Rach 4. 

41128RZY16L.jpg

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9 hours ago, mypasswordis said:

It's impossible to explain with words, you just gotta listen.. playing music lays bare your deepest desires, feelings, and insecurities more than any amount of words possibly could. Experienced musicians can easily formulate the kind of person another musician is (like his/her character and upbringing) within the first minute of listening. Whether or not the listener has a connection to the playing is a mutual reflection between the music and his/her own personality.

For me, Arrau doesn't let his technical prowess get in the way of the music and is never afraid to take time and really live in the moment instead of through it, and in a way that the rubato actually makes perfect sense. His pure and introspective character is something that jives with me really well. Some pianists and musicians in general overthink until it becomes a bit contrived and some (well, the vast majority) underthink, but expression is always about finding that balance while being very in tune emotionally. An example of the former is Michelangeli, who isn't so good at stuff like Chopin because his intellectualism and perfectionism get in the way but is really good at impressionism and has a ridiculous tonal color palette. My favorite album of all time is his famous Ravel/Rach 4. 

41128RZY16L.jpg

Thanks. I'm not an experienced musician, just a rookie wannabe, so for me it's not that easy guessing the kind of person playing and the kind of development it took to get that performance. I've been able to perceive and enjoy the Michelangeli's perfectionism and intellectual approach, the rigor or perhaps sort of "emotional sterility" on Pollini, the unique vision of Gould... but I've not been able to "get" what's behind Arrau's performances. Not that I've listened to everything he recorded, and never got to watch him live. I'm now listening to the first CD on the set that Jacob recommended. I think this is not the Arrau I've listened to in other performances :)

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18 hours ago, Torpedo said:

Thanks. I'm not an experienced musician, just a rookie wannabe, so for me it's not that easy guessing the kind of person playing and the kind of development it took to get that performance. I've been able to perceive and enjoy the Michelangeli's perfectionism and intellectual approach, the rigor or perhaps sort of "emotional sterility" on Pollini, the unique vision of Gould... but I've not been able to "get" what's behind Arrau's performances. Not that I've listened to everything he recorded, and never got to watch him live. I'm now listening to the first CD on the set that Jacob recommended. I think this is not the Arrau I've listened to in other performances :)

Keep listening to him and to everyone else and you'll find it sooner than later; sounds like you've started already. :) He also dug into the keys to draw the sound out, instead of smacking them hard like a certain someone with the Bang Bang moniker. How do you like Richter? Another n-th level technician who never let his ability get in the way of the music, and he sometimes took really, really slow tempi. Reminds me of Leonard Bernstein's hilarious preface to Gould's Brahms 1. 

 

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18 hours ago, mypasswordis said:

Keep listening to him and to everyone else and you'll find it sooner than later; sounds like you've started already. :) He also dug into the keys to draw the sound out, instead of smacking them hard like a certain someone with the Bang Bang moniker. How do you like Richter? Another n-th level technician who never let his ability get in the way of the music, and he sometimes took really, really slow tempi. Reminds me of Leonard Bernstein's hilarious preface to Gould's Brahms 1. 

 

I'm learning some harmony and music theory with a jazz guitarist, so also trying to make the damn thing sound. Insight about "how music works" gives a completely different focus, but I'm still far away from being as aware as you on those performance features. I like Richter, but also Annie Fischer or Elly Ney playing Beethoven sonatas. I don't like Lang Lang either ;D

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On 7/31/2017 at 7:54 PM, Kerry said:

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Very chill :) 

As a side note, did you guys know that "The Girl From Ipanema" was originally titled "The Girly Man From Ipanema"? It just didn't flow off of the tongue, so was subsequently changed. 

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