Richard Clayderman, yeah man

[contrapunctus]

I got his Concerto CD the other day. In it he adds effects and orchestra to some piano works, and cuts out the good parts of longer orchestra works and puts them together.
This is all done with superb precision, and one can tell he has very good classical training. He makes these works more enjoyable if one is looking for entertainment, not exactness in performance. I know he does kind of psuedo pop music on the piano and Orchestra, but are there any other CDs like this by him?

[apion]

I got his Concerto CD the other day. In it he adds effects and orchestra to some piano works, and cuts out the good parts of longer orchestra works and puts them together.
This is all done with superb precision, and one can tell he has very good classical training. He makes these works more enjoyable if one is looking for entertainment, not exactness in performance. I know he does kind of psuedo pop music on the piano and Orchestra, but are there any other CDs like this by him?

Are you on acid?  Or are you just mega-high on marijuana?

(oh, that's right, you're only joking ... hahaha)

[perfect_pitch]

I know he does kind of psuedo pop music on the piano and Orchestra, but are there any other CDs like this by him?

Yeah, I'll just check and see if they're still in the trash bin... 

[Waldszenen]

What's next? Maksim's a virtuoso?

[yoshiki]

His technique is not that bad i guess, he won some big piano competition when he was young. He received proper classical training. He was market this way though........ as there are much more non-musician than musician.
Quite sad.

[xvimbi]

Clayderman, like Liberace, Maksim and Borge chose a different path, and quite frankly, they have done everything right. It might not be the "right" path in a philosophical sense if one assumes the purpose of making music is to be of service to the music (that is playing authentically, expressing what the composer had in mind). If that was the case, as many idealist dreamers think, then at leat 50% of the so-called "serious" musicians should retire immediately, for they are just egomaniacs who put music to their own service. I prefer an honest comedian or pop star over somone who gets to play at Carnegie Hall pretending to be a serious musician.

If one judges Clayderman, Liberace, Maksim and Borge in terms of absolute standards of musical excellence then that is delusional on the listeners part, not on Clayderman's. One could attack them if they did music a disservice, but I venture to say that they bring more people to listen to Classical music then they drive away. That can only be good for the wannabe-serious musicians.

[contrapunctus]

I said Clayderman is good to listen to if you are looking for some entertainment. Doesn't anybody here listen to music purely for entertainment sometimes? It sure does not sound that way.

[perfect_pitch]

I hate Clayderman, because of the fact that he makes the music cheesy enough to be played ina 1-star Chinese Restaurant... Maksim However...

He is a trained Classical Pianist, and even though he may 'rock-up' pieces of classical music... At his concerts he will always play his rock versions of classical music, followed by a Proper Piano Concerto performed with a full orchestra.

He is starting to introduce ignorant teenagers who normally wouldn't listen to classical music, to classical music. I certainly wouldn't classify him as bad as Clayderman though.

[leahcim]

I said Clayderman is good to listen to if you are looking for some entertainment. Doesn't anybody here listen to music purely for entertainment sometimes? It sure does not sound that way.

Yes, but is he good at it?

That's to say, there are pianists playing rock / pop and classical [and other genres of course] that do them very well. OTOH, there are pianists who don't. Quite often in rock / pop the word "classically trained" is used supposedly to market the idea that the performer has some ability over and above the others in that genre - often, even if that is the case, the result is still poor rock / pop and equally sometimes it's either not true or the training made them no better at all.

So you might just get something that's neither good pop / rock nor good classical.

Where Clayderman fits into that, you decide your own opinion. For me, if he can get a gig, fair enough, I don't have a great issue with him.

But a couple have suggested he [or at least the concept] is a path into classical music, which I'm not that convinced is valid. Much like the nubile women playing violins is supposed to - it might shift a few cds and posters but it's not going to make you like Rach if you don't - equally, if you like nubile women and classical music, you can buy a Kylie Minogue calendar and a recording of Rach 3.

An anecdotal finger in the air of threads I've seen here suggests to me that there are far, far more that are here [or looking at Paganini etc for another instrument]  because of Steve Vai et al than because of some "false" classical player playing rock / pop versions of pieces on a piano. I'd say that had a lot to do with those guitarists being very good at what they do, rather than not being very good but the tune sounds a bit like Chopin or Beethoven.

As for extracts, I'd say TV and film have that gig - in ways that Clayderdude is never going to appeal - like the Stella advert for e.g,

[thierry13]

I got his Concerto CD the other day. In it he adds effects and orchestra to some piano works, and cuts out the good parts of longer orchestra works and puts them together.
This is all done with superb precision, and one can tell he has very good classical training. He makes these works more enjoyable if one is looking for entertainment, not exactness in performance. I know he does kind of psuedo pop music on the piano and Orchestra, but are there any other CDs like this by him?

Hahaha yeah right. That was sarcastic right ? I hope so ...

[quantum]

Well at least Clayderman's music has more musical value than some of the other things out there being marketed as "music".  I'd rather listen to cheesy music than the other stuff. 

[practicingnow]

I actually have his "Concerto" CD - got it a long time ago - yeah, it's definitely a pseudo-pop take on classics, talented guy for sure, does his own thing and millions of people love it...well, he's not trying to compete with the Horowitz's and the Rubinsteins, but it's nice for very easy listening, background music, whatever...definitely a preferable alternative to top 40...
No, I don't know if there are any other CD's like that one, sorry!