Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 6:46 pm
I have been listening to Joe's piano demos. I'm not sure what to say. I think Joe could make a Casio sound great. Those were very interesting performances. I've never heard either piece sound that way. I guess I can say that there are performances I like equally as well, but which are totally different. That's a good thing. Better still that I find myself totally consumed with the performance, and not even thinking about the VI at all. That, to me, spells success. The VI has become transparent and faded out of the picture completely, leaving us with the particulars of the performance to debate, rather than the VI. That said, I did notice things from time to time that in retrospect I wonder whether they were Joe's playing or the VI, and now I'm starting to lean toward the instrument being at fault; particularly a harshness in the bass at times that distracted from the right hand, especially when playing FF bass octaves in the Hammerklavier fugue.
By the way, I think the webmaster needs to be informed that Liebesfreud is by Kreisler, arranged by Rachmaninoff. Maybe everyone knows that, but I would not make that assumption in this day and age. Kreisler was still famous in my generation, but I think his fame had waned by the 1990's, and anyone coming of musical age from 1985 onward might never have heard his wonderful violin recordings, scratchy and old as they were.
Anyway, back to the piano performances, whether or not I agree with everything you chose to do, Joe, I have to say WELL DONE! Really excellent work, and the fact that it leaves me wondering if I like this or that should be considered success of the highest order. It causes me to listen again and again, figuring out what you did and why or why not that I like it. Unique performances!
Shooshie
By the way, I think the webmaster needs to be informed that Liebesfreud is by Kreisler, arranged by Rachmaninoff. Maybe everyone knows that, but I would not make that assumption in this day and age. Kreisler was still famous in my generation, but I think his fame had waned by the 1990's, and anyone coming of musical age from 1985 onward might never have heard his wonderful violin recordings, scratchy and old as they were.
Anyway, back to the piano performances, whether or not I agree with everything you chose to do, Joe, I have to say WELL DONE! Really excellent work, and the fact that it leaves me wondering if I like this or that should be considered success of the highest order. It causes me to listen again and again, figuring out what you did and why or why not that I like it. Unique performances!
Shooshie