Piano Street's Classical Piano Blog

If you need reference recordings of the Beethoven piano concerti, do not neglect the Pollini/Böhm collaboration from the 1980’s. Their ”Emperor” recording on Deutsche Grammophone from 1984 was internationally recognized and Pollini was described as the definition of the modern pianist.

With Pollini before our eyes, we therefore present the second movement from Beethoven´s ”Emperor” concerto no. 5 under Claudio Abbado, recorded in 1967, seven years after Pollini´s sensational 1960 victory at the Warszaw Chopin Competition.

We have become used to the fact that Pollini’s tone is crystalline, his textures transparent and his tempi perfect. His hallmark is balance, and his recording of the complete Chopin Études in 1990 has become a main frame of reference.

For anyone wanting to explore these qualities, his recordings of Debussy (1994 + 1999) and his recent Grammy-winning CD of Chopin´s Nocturnes (2006) on Deutsche Grammophone are highly recommended.

Born and raised in Foggia, Italy, Antonio Pompa-Baldi first came to the U.S. in 1999 to participate in the Cleveland International Piano Competition. He won First Prize and settled down there with his family. A top prize winner at the 1998 Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition in Paris, Antonio Pompa-Baldi also won both a silver medal and the Award for the Best Performance of a New Work at the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

Here is a live performance of Prokofiev´s Etude Op. 2 No. 1. A very ”muscular” work by Prokofiev, which requires a great deal of body weight, fixed positions as well as fluid octaves.
Pompa-Baldi brings forth great sound in spite of sitting very high on the piano bench, which does give him greater sideways flexibility. This is probably the reason for which he adjusts the height before he begins to play.

24 Fiver-Finger Exercises, opus 777 by Carl Czerny has been added to our sheet music library.

This opus contains 24 easy exercises practicing various technical skills such as legato and staccato playing, thirds etc.

Musical tastes and personality type are closely related, according to a study of more than 36,000 people from around the world.
The research, which was carried out by Professor Adrian North of Heriot-Watt University, is said to be the largest such study ever undertaken. It suggested classical music fans were shy, while heavy metal aficionados were gentle and at ease with themselves.
Professor North described the research as “significant” and “surprising”.
What does your musical taste say about you? He said: “We have always suspected a link between music taste and personality. This is the first time that we’ve been able to look at it in real detail. No-one has ever done this on this scale before.” Prof North said the research could have many uses in marketing, adding: “If you know a person’s music preference you can tell what kind of person they are, who to sell to.
“There are obvious implications for the music industry who are are worried about declining CD sales. “One of the most surprising things is the similarities between fans of classical music and heavy metal. They’re both creative and at ease but not outgoing.

More than 36,000 people from all over the world were asked to rate 104 musical styles and also questioned about aspects of their personality. The study is continuing and Prof North, who is head of the university’s department of applied psychology, is still looking for participants to take part in a short online questionnaire.

MUSICAL STYLES VERSUS PERSONALITY TRAITS

BLUES – High self-esteem, creative, outgoing, gentle and at ease

JAZZ – High self-esteem, creative, outgoing and at ease

CLASSICAL MUSIC- High self-esteem, creative, introvert and at ease

RAP – High self-esteem, outgoing

OPERA – High self-esteem, creative, gentle

COUNTRY AND WESTERN – Hardworking, outgoing

REGGAE – High self-esteem, creative, not hardworking, outgoing, gentle and at ease

DANCE – Creative, outgoing, not gentle

INDIE – Low self-esteem, creative, not hard working, not gentle

BOLLYWOOD – Creative, outgoing

ROCK/HEAVY METAL – Low self-esteem, creative, not hard-working, not outgoing, gentle, at ease

CHART POP – High self-esteem, not creative, hardworking, outgoing, gentle, not at ease

SOUL – High self-esteem, creative, outgoing, gentle, at ease