understated elegance vs. INSANE DRAMA

[stevie]

what type of musical personality and taste do you have?

i have always liked INSANE DRAMA AND FURY LEIK WWOOAAHAHAHA DUUUUUUDE

but then again some prefer sophisticated elegance, randily chilled while sipping some tea.

[arensky]

I am both. I's fun to throw them both out at an audience, keeps 'em on their toes, and listening.
Some composers (Ravel, Mozart, SOME Chopin, me  ) require heavy helpings of understated elegance. And then there's Liszt (VERY elegant, but), Bartok, Scriabin, Prokofiev, Brahms, Beethoven and Medtner, which require heavy helpings of INSANE DRAMA. But you can't just have one or the other all the time.  All understated elegance in a recital would be like watching the "Emanuelle" marathon (boring). All INSANE DRAMA is like watching the Terminator movies without the plot, just stuff blowing up (cool at first, but not so interesting after 10 minutes, without plot development for contrast). I think the mixture and balance of these two qualities are what makes for interesting and good art, and not just in music, in films, painting, sculpture, theatre, etc.

But ya know Stevie, without the INSANE DRAMA, it's all a snooze... I'm with you!

ARENSKYANGRYHAPPYSADMADALLOFITALLTHETIMEAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



 

                                       Hap Hap Hap Hap hap hap ANGRY  >: HAPPY!!!  art....

                                             Looks like I'm insane....

[arensky]

OK, understated elegance can be a component of INSANE DRAMA, but not vice-versa....

[pianistimo]

i like to hear pianists that look like they are not trying really hard.  that things come easy to them (no matter the difficulty).  that's what i think understated elegance is.  i mean, even mazzeppa (something by liszt or chopin) can be made to be 'insane' because of how it is played.  to me, this working out is done in practice and not in recital.   then, you should see someone not so tense or exciteable over what they are playing, but really into the music in an interpretive way (not in an execution style).

insane performers would be like paganini.  they make what they do not only look easy, but sound incredibly light.  i don't doubt the spiritual element in music.  i think, for me, this inspiration is from reading God's word and trying to say 'thanks' back to God for making music in the first place.  even if we are not virtuosos (insanely good) we have something to offer in terms of melody and line.  love is an element of music that can be mentally passed from performer to audience.  some 20-21st century music seems insane because of it's lack of cohesion (form, chords). 

i think, too, that learning to think orchestrally means taking in a lot of information at once and processing it.  i admire teachers that can hear a piece from across the room and say 'that was not supposed to be an A, rather an A flat.'  how can they know this?  this kind of ear training is really something.  i guess it's knowing the score inside and out.  it's not insane so much as really knowledgeable and able to process all the sounds at once.

about the wicked witch...i always did think she took off on the broom quite elegantly, but had an insane landing.

[pita bread]

When I get around to learning and performing Scriabin Sonatas #6 and #9, one of my goals is to make sure the audience walks away thinking that I am deeply in need of an exorcism.

[arensky]

When I get around to learning and performing Scriabin Sonatas #6 and #9, one of my goals is to make sure the audience walks away thinking that I am deeply in need of an exorcism.

Let me know when you're sure you can acheive that! I want to be there....

[rc]

Variety is good...

But for the past 6 months or so I've started to dig the laid back elegance. I've become a softie.

I guess my goal would be to take some slow Haydn Adagios that put people to sleep and make people notice them... Sure.

[arensky]

Variety is good...

But for the past 6 months or so I've started to dig the laid back elegance. I've become a softie.

I guess my goal would be to take some slow Haydn Adagios that put people to sleep and make people notice them... Sure.

Then BAM!!!! wake 'em up ! I go through phases, sometimes elegant, sometimes furious....