Piano Forum

Piano Board => Performance => Topic started by: A.C. on May 21, 2004, 09:59:19 PM

Title: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: A.C. on May 21, 2004, 09:59:19 PM
I'm very interested by the funny facts of different artists. For instance, Glenn Gould's odd habits as wearing a wool topcoat in the dog days of summer, seating on a low chair and slumping over the keyboard, humming (sometimes singing) audibly to himself as he played, all the while conducting with his free hand. Paganini played violin with his face facing the floor whereas Heifetz played violin facing the roof (thus Paganini and Heifetz were called "Devil" and "God" respectively). Moreoever, Yoyo Ma never wears sock in his own concerts!

Any intriguing facts are warmly welcomed to be posted here!
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: donjuan on May 22, 2004, 07:57:48 AM
One word: Liberoce
lol
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: A.C. on May 22, 2004, 08:40:47 AM
Liberoce?
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: ayahav on May 22, 2004, 10:49:18 AM
I think he means LiberAce........

the guy with the candelabra, isn't he?

https://www.liberace.com/
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: ayahav on May 22, 2004, 08:17:59 PM
Jean-Yves Thibaudet had a "red sox" period, where he wore red socks to every performance....
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: JK on May 22, 2004, 08:52:22 PM
The famous (and contraversial) pianist Paderewski very briefly became primeminister of Poland after one of the world wars (I think it was WW1)!! :D
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: mosis on May 23, 2004, 05:35:41 AM
Why was Paderewski a controversial pianist?
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: janice on May 23, 2004, 05:58:18 AM
Yeah--I'm curious also
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: JK on May 23, 2004, 12:05:02 PM
I'm not totally sure as I've only seen one bit of fotage of him playing. But some people said he was vulgar and unimaginative, in fact his teacher actually doubted whether he would become a concert pianist at all. He didn't start studying piano until in his twenties and his technique was in some way basically floored! Despite this he was a very popular pianist with the pulic and I think Saint-seans hailed him as a genius, however he was not very popular with his fellow pianists who didn't like his playing a all. He also, towards the end of his life, made his debut as a Hollywood movie star in the film Moonlight sonata! :)
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: EthanT on May 25, 2004, 08:43:40 PM
Mozart was gay  ;)


Doesn't it sound like that though? I mean his music is so prancy and GRAAA i hate mozart! He has got to be gay  :-X
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: trunks on May 27, 2004, 05:51:32 PM
Quote
Mozart was gay  ;)
Doesn't it sound like that though? I mean his music is so prancy and GRAAA i hate mozart! He has got to be gay  :-X

Huh . . . what has music to do with sexual preference?
It is well-documented that Tchaikovsky was gay - so what? His music is loved all over the world, as is Mozart's - although most Mozart don't do much for me.
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: Chopins_Fantaisie on May 27, 2004, 07:15:30 PM
Chopin would throw chairs at his students if they didn't play a piece correctly.
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: ahmedito on May 27, 2004, 07:58:10 PM
Quote
Mozart was gay  ;)


Doesn't it sound like that though? I mean his music is so prancy and GRAAA i hate mozart! He has got to be gay  :-X



What the hell????!!!!
That has got to be the most stupid ignorant comment I have seen in these forums ever!
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: ayahav on May 28, 2004, 12:13:22 AM
not to mention it's not true... Mozart had a wife and a kid - a privlege not owned by many gay men...
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: trunks on May 28, 2004, 11:43:00 AM
Quote
not to mention it's not true... Mozart had a wife and a kid - a privlege not owned by many gay men...

Ah . . . then it is also a burden not shared by most gay people.;)
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: Saturn on May 28, 2004, 01:06:35 PM
Quote
It is well-documented that Tchaikovsky was gay - so what? His music is loved all over the world, as is Mozart's - although most Mozart don't do much for me.


Well, there is a difference.  You see, Tchaikovsky might have been gay, but his music didn't sound gay.  Mozart's music, on the other hand, sounded "prancy," which is very characteristic of gay people.  Because gay people are always prancing, especially to the tune of classical music.

Some musicians do not understand this; fortunately we have Ethan to help us make the distinction between music which is "prancy" and that which is not.
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: faulty_damper on May 28, 2004, 01:42:27 PM
I think he was joking about Wolfies sexual preference.  And don't you know that being gay is a stigma so many gay men marry women anyway?
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: EthanT on May 29, 2004, 01:53:46 AM
jeebus.. can u guys take a joke.. man...  :-/
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: trunks on May 29, 2004, 07:31:48 AM
Quote
jeebus.. can u guys take a joke.. man...  :-/

Oh I appreciate your sense of humour.:)
But then any pejorative remark on minority groups such as the gay community is no joke. Any time it could evoke a flame war.
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: Spatula on May 29, 2004, 07:55:28 AM
I kinda wonder if Mozart really did laugh after every sentence he said, like in Amadeus, hahaha ...

I love that phrase, ... " they think they're royal, they sh*t marble!!" or something like that.

HAHAHAAHAHAHAHHA ...oops..there goes my "mozart laugh".. maybe that supports the notion he was gay..HAHHAAH... Okay I'll stop.

(Not that I think he's gay  :-X )
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: Spatula on May 29, 2004, 07:56:57 AM
BTW, I'm not touching any gay/straight issues with a sixty foot pole.
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: cziffra on May 29, 2004, 03:46:02 PM
since when did chopin throw chairs?
Title: Re: Funny facts about different artists
Post by: Saturn on May 29, 2004, 04:02:24 PM
Ethan:
I didn't mean to be so harsh about my comment.  I knew it was a joke, it just wasn't a very good one.  I'm a huge fan of Mozart too.

Spatula:
I found this in a little search:

"The concept for Mozart's annoying laugh was taken from references in letters written about him. One described his laugh as 'an infectious giddy' while another described it as 'like metal scraping glass' (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086879/trivia)."

So it's fact-based, but probably exaggerated quite a bit.  Personally I found that his laugh in the movie kind of grows on you by the end...