It’s really funny/sad what a wreck the mainstream classical music scene has turned into. A bunch of people so obsessed with the modern style of playing that they can’t even admit things used to be different, much less better. What’s truly awful is that it’s all over the highest academic circles too :( People need to get the word out about older/better recordings whatever way possible so people can decide for themselves which approach is superior. With the internet it’s entirely possible too, everything is so easily accessible
1 year ago | 17
I feel modernism has played a role in oppressing the performer's own inspiration and somewhat pushing the composers into divinity. Their scores become the bible, and note by note it is considered heresy to interpret other than what's written. It's a fundamentalism about what never existed, which is the case for most religions. But I'm glad that more young musicians are pursuing diverse inspirations and competitions are welcoming these changes. Yunchan admires the likes of Friedman and Koczalski, and he plays like he belongs in the 19C, and his success gives me hope for a new era where 19C inspiration meets 20C technical perfection.
1 year ago | 11
Everyone here is making really thoughtful and interesting points. Personally, I have a feeling that most of those old recordings from pianists born in the late 19th century, although amazing and fascinating, are still very different from how people of Chopin and Liszt's generation played (the generation born in the early 19th century). I say this because fashions can change a lot in a matter of decades, and musicians rarely play exactly how their teachers play. Certain elements are passed from student to teacher, but other things can be totally different. So if we're listening to a student of a student of Chopin, I could imagine the playing has already transformed beyond recognition (not that this is a bad thing).
1 year ago | 2
lol. Just stopping by to say thank you for your work on this channel. I enjoy the short form
1 year ago | 3
There’s no excuse to Hambourg’s saloon banging of the Hungarian Rhapsodies LOL
1 year ago | 0
I absolutely agree that shunning these older pianists for lack of skill or thoughtfulness of interpretation is super weird. how alien would the thought be that humans simply got 'better at art'. however, I can understand how these older recordings and piano rolls sound weird or unattractive and to some extent I agree. I don't like listening to Bartok or Rachmaninoff all that much. I think pianists back then were much more interesting and individual but I do appreciate the informed cleanliness of modern recordings. in my opinion the best recordings are when both skills come together: uniqueness and originality, as well as a masterful technique and full control over what's happening. think pogorelich, sokolov, sultanov, virsaladze, argerich, chiu and so on. however anyone claiming that there isn't anything to be found in or learned from older recordings is a bit delusional in my opinion.
1 year ago | 4
I think any approach that favours extremity is flawed. All interpretation by truly intelligent, cultured and thoughtful individuals are worth listening to, regardless of their year of release. Trifonov is a genius, as was Richter, as is Perahia, as was Gilels, as is Kantorov, as was Sofronitsky. The kind of genius we hear - that of an analyst, that of an impulsive, that of a philosopher or poet or hero or protagonist... is all genius.
1 year ago | 5
I love 19th century pianism (the hate comments are rarely deserved), but I take issue with ur other point: that modern pianists mostly sound the same, and specifically that their interpretive quality is lowered by their "weaker" playing personalities. Its true that interpretive restraint has been in vogue the last few decades, but thats not necessarily a bad thing. It's simply a matter of preference. Plus, though two modern pianists may sound more similar than two 19th century pianists, that isnt to say that the difference is any less significant.
1 year ago (edited) | 0
Congratulations for your musical work ,it's contribuit for expand our know musical ...Can you recomend some Piano method online ,please ? Some classical or moderno for adult ,please .. Anyway ,Thank You a Lot !Success Blessings !!!!
1 year ago | 0
I’ll restore this way of playing, I’m gonna post a ballade 3 recording in a month or so. It will be decent. But not old school enough until 1-3 years.
1 year ago | 2
I believe that the composers playing their own music, such as Scriabin, Grieg, Debussy’s piano rolls, are extremely valuable. BUT, they must be set to the right tempo. (99% of the time they are the wrong tempo, whether it be by a small amount or sometimes as much as 15% too fast/slow) I don’t see much value in the “interpreters” of the 19th century outside of an appreciation of their own playing. If your goal is to hear Scriabin, Feinberg’s playing may be close, but ultimately it’s not Scriabin’s, and that’s with him HEARING Scriabin play. Hearing Paderewski play Chopin? Nothing authentic about it all, even though he was born in the 1800s. You’re listening to Paderewski, that’s it. The value of that will vary from person to person, but I personally believe the value to be little especially given the grim quality of the recordings.
1 year ago | 2
PianoJFAudioSheet
Whenever I read comments on a recording from a 19th century pianist, admired and taught by some of the greatest composers and pianists of the romantic era, there are always those people who come up with all kinds of excuses like...
„He was probably very old when he recorded this“
„Maybe he was drunk“
„When they heard him play he probably didn’t play like this“
„This rubato is tasteless and makes no musical sense, no way XY liked this“
or „They wouldn’t have approved of his playing if they heard this appalling recording“
...simply because they cannot comprehend how the greatest composers from the 19th century could possibly approve of a recording that doesn't sound anything like our carefully researched, academic performance practices of today.
We have actual recordings from musicians born in the 1850s and yet some still question the authenticity. Why should WE - in the 21st century - know better?
Now feel free to gather your torches and tuning forks and leave your comment
1 year ago (edited) | [YT] | 109