Debussy "La fille aux chevaux de lin" VIDEO

[cygnusdei]

Also thierry, i think you are saying way too many brutal and rude things to someone much older than you

How do you know that?

[rachfan]

.

[thierry13]

.

Haha having not totally understood the original post, now I understand

[rachfan]

There you have it. 

[sarrasani]

.
A point. Your (and my) position in pianists universe. Remind that, also if you are
so young and not expert (both in piano and life).

[rachfan]

You are wrong once again, Sandro.  I am considerably older than your 45 years and very likely more experienced than you in terms musical training, academic attainments,  professional  achievements, and life in general.  It's interesting how you blindly lash out here trying to underestimate, minimize or otherwise insult my accomplishments when you know nothing about me really.  It's bewildering, especially as my only interest was to give you helpful feedback.   

[gerry]

Mr. Sarrasini:
I see this thread going nowhere at this point. You put your video up to this forum for whatever reason--maybe altruistic motives hoping that viewers would be enriched, maybe egotistic motives hoping to impress viewers, who knows, who really cares. The point is you put it out there and the jury is in. Most forum members feel that your somewhat eccentric physical movements detract from what otherwise has the potential to be a pleasing interpretation. From then on, your stubborn resistance to their opinions--I'm speaking here of the more constructive ones--seemed to indicate that you had no intention of learning or changing in any way and cast a degree of suspicion as to why you posted in the first place. This only stoked the flames so to speak and the subsequent remarks began to degenerate into the petty, spiteful, and insulting.

Your responses would indicate that you are happy with the mannerisms you have developed and that they seem work for you. While I and others may wish you might consider tempering them a bit, you must do what you must do to stay content in your music-making. Mr. Sarrasini, in truth, your idiosyncratic movements, while they may help you think you are imbuing your interpretation with some transcendent qualities, are distracting to most viewers and are definitely outside the realm of standard performance practice. I am thrilled that you find such inspiration in what you are playing but I believe that the real challenge lies in disciplining the body to convey this more through the music itself. 

[shortyshort]

I've tried keeping track of this thread, but must admit to skipping parts of the very long posts, as you do.

Surely, if this had not been said before, it would make sense for the originator of this thread to post his playing in audio format only.

I have never commented on his ability as a piano player, as it is obviously greater than my own.
But, his attitude on this forum is less than ideal.

Perhaps it's my old friend Mr. Barniv with a wig on.?

[sarrasani]

Good and respectful chronicle of facts, I agree 99%.


> This only stoked the flames.

IMHO the flame is born with the first comment post. But I didn't know that here insulting
expression (as to hypotize one is not seriously playing) are permitted, than I
protested againnst this arrogant tone. It was my ignorance of (lack of) rules here, sorry.
But no problems for me : in USA 2-3 years ago a pianist 1000 times more pianist than me was insulted on the press for his playing and his body language, then I have not so many reasons to protest.....
Not a "welcome" that first post, you'll agree, but 1) "welcome" is not a right neither here nor
in the life. 2) I receive many posts (on youtube and other sites) of enthusiasm and congratulations,  also from very expert musician, then it's good also to hear other voices.
All best,
Sandro

[cygnusdei]

Any comments/suggestions here should be taken with a grain of salt. Sometimes a silo.

[viking]

This thread makes my day - it's SO FUNNY.

[shortyshort]

Good and respectful chronicle of facts, I agree 99%.

If this was directed at me?

I was not trying to be nice to you, just trying to suggest a solution to your problems, (that you obviously have).

Arrogance and huge egos do not go down very well here.
There are many good, (some great), pianists that frequent this forum.
Most are better than me, almost as many are better than you.
This fact you need to accept.

Try to be a little more humble regarding your own opinion of your own playing.

[counterpoint]

This thread makes my day - it's SO FUNNY.

This thread made me leave this forum.

[bob3.1415926]

Sarrasani, my advice to you would be to post audio only in future. This is probably a limitation of my abilities as a critic, but I struggle to see past what you are doing, and listen objectively to your playing.
If you don't want to be judged on how you appear, but instead on how you sound, which I assume is what you want, don't post videos.
You should have been able to guess that you would get the reaction you've received.

I don't feel I have a properly formed opinion of your playing, as my eyes were distracting my ears too much, but I was very impressed by your accuracy, given your playing style. If I played like that, I'd be lucky to hit any correct notes, but enough about my failings.

I mean this as sincere advice, I hope you don't take it the wrong way.

[pies]

Sarrasani, my advice to you would be to post audio only in future. This is probably a limitation of my abilities as a critic, but I struggle to see past what you are doing, and listen objectively to your playing.
If you don't want to be judged on how you appear, but instead on how you sound, which I assume is what you want, don't post videos.

Or you can just minimize the window with the video as the music plays.

[thierry13]

Or you can just minimize the window with the video as the music plays.

You would then remove all there actually is ...

[shortyshort]

essyne, you created a new thread, where you talk about your lack of passion.

Look at Mr.Sarrasani, then you know what passion is!

When I saw this, I thought it was a joke.

This thread made me leave this forum.

Now I know it was not.

Have fun @ pianoworld

[arensky]

This thread made me leave this forum.

No. 

I will miss your subtle cryptic commentary.    Besides, if you leave you're letting "them" win! 

Whoever "they" might be...   

@ Sandro; You play very well. But all of that energy that is going into your physical mannerisms is wasted energy that could be going into the music. The same is true of Keith Jarret and Andre Watts. (Gould, I don't know, he is probably an exception to the rule, but even then...)

The greatest pianists are usually physically quiet when seated at the instrument. There is no (or little) waste of energy. You should take that energy and put it to better use. Just my two cents. 

[rachfan]

I once read that Gould was a high-functioning autistic.  If true, we should make some allowance for his singing along with his playing, swaying, gazing up to the heavens (or rafters), wearing overcoat and gloves without fingers at the piano on occasion, abrupt/testy answers to interview questions, and other odd mannerisms.  If not true, then he was quite possibly an eccentric. 

Your points about economy of motion and channeling energy into the music rather than body language are right on.  Amen. 

[arensky]

I once read that Gould was a high functioning autistic.  If true, we should make some allowance for his singing along with his playing, gazing up to the heavens (or rafters), wearing coat and gloves without fingers at the piano on occasion, abrupt/testy answers to interview questions, and other odd behaviors.  If not true, then he was quite probably an eccentric.

I think it was a little of both with Gould; he really could not help it, but I think he used his mannerisms as a sort of reverse anti-showmanship. I feel the same way about Thelonius Monk, who obviously was also marching to a different drummer. 

[thierry13]

I once read that Gould was a high-functioning autistic.  If true, we should make some allowance for his singing along with his playing, swaying, gazing up to the heavens (or rafters), wearing overcoat and gloves without fingers at the piano on occasion, abrupt/testy answers to interview questions, and other odd mannerisms.  If not true, then he was quite possibly an eccentric. 

Your points about economy of motion and channeling energy into the music rather than body language are right on.  Amen. 

Those people who claim gould was autistic make me sick. Gould was a genius, and he simply was anti-social. His behavior was of the highest intelligence and made him accomplish great things. I would call it dedication rather than excentrism. The overcoat and gloves without fingers at the piano story is kinda erroneous (I heard the real story by Gould himself in an interview). He was to play in a very cold hall ONCE and put fingerless gloves because it was way too cold if he didn't. He got his scarf too. Since this time people say he does wear them often, but it simply isn't true. As for his little chair, it was simply the perfect height for him, because he wanted to be as close to the keys as possible, wich was the base of control for him. We can all witness it DID work. Gould was genius, far from being autistic.

[arensky]

Those people who claim gould was autistic make me sick. Gould was a genius, and he simply was anti-social.

Maybe he was anti-social because he was autistic(I don't know if he was). I don't think he was necessarily anti-social, he had close friends but he certainly wasn't a party guy and as a child he was not socialized the way most kids are. He grew up in a bubble and that made life in the real world problematic for him, at least in terms of the day to day social interactions that most of us are conditioned to early on. On the other hand he was one of the greatest pianists of all time, a radio and television genius, good composer and brilliant stock market investor.

His behavior was of the highest intelligence and made him accomplish great things.

That sentence doesn't scan but I think I understand you. But behavior and intelligence are not necessarily linked. He could have been completely "normal" and accomplished everything that he did.

 

I would call it dedication rather than excentrism.

(sp) Eccentricity.

The overcoat and gloves without fingers at the piano story is kinda erroneous (I heard the real story by Gould himself in an interview). He was to play in a very cold hall ONCE and put fingerless gloves because it was way too cold if he didn't.

And this was considered strange because it was in Jerusalem, in an air conditioned hall in the desert. He was sensitive to cold, this probably had something to do with his erratic blood pressure. But the press seized on that (and his chair) and he became an "eccentric". And the press loved him, people liked to read about him so he sold papers and magazines.

 

He got his scarf too. Since this time people say he does wear them often, but it simply isn't true.

He was cold but they became part of his image, and for himself a sort of alter ego like his imaginary television characters Theodore Slotz, Sir Nigel Twitt-Thornwaite, and (my favorite  ) Karlheinz Klopweiser. People are so caught up in Gould's pianist persona that they forget he was an actor. The act extended to his public image and it protected him. It seems that only a few people (notably his cousin Jessie Grieg, Andrew Kazdin, his girlfriend Cornelia Fosshttp://www.thestar.com/article/249787) knew him as he really was. Whatever else he may have been he certainly was a loner who valued his privacy above all other things.

 

As for his little chair, it was simply the perfect height for him, because he wanted to be as close to the keys as possible, wich was the base of control for him. We can all witness it DID work. Gould was genius, far from being autistic.

The chair did work for him but it also became part of the act. Yes he was a genius and while he may not have been autistic he was definitely different, so much so that he is remembered for that almost as much as his art. Just like Thelonious Monk, his virtual contemporary in jazz. I've always been struck by the similarities between their lives and personalities.

Anyway, you've sure changed your mind. 

http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,21463.msg238063.html#msg238063

Next you'll be extolling the virtues of Thelonious Monk! 

[rachfan]

Gould's adjustable chair was actually made by his father in the 1940s so that his young son could sit low at the piano, the idea being that he could pull down on the keys rather than striking them from above.  The chair was forever with Gould at the piano thereafter.

[thierry13]

Anyway, you've sure changed your mind. 

Indeed I changed my mind  I have to admit it now, me changing my mind is a very rare thing 

Next you'll be extolling the virtues of Thelonious Monk! 

NEVER  <- I'm quite sure about what I'm saying here 

PS- Sorry for the bad english.