Monsieur Hamelin
Hamelin definitely makes playing look easy, even when he hits the wrong notes. He even commented on that in the book "Hamelin and the Eight," by Robert Rimm. He said it was a curse for him, because critics pounce on that fact to say that there is no tension in his playing, since everything is too easy for him.
First of all I don't like this book, because every time a criticism of Hamelin is introduced, we are told that the critic doesn't "understand" his aesthetic.
I personally think that a lot of music is too easy for Hamelin. I have never heard more boring Beethoven sonatas than from him, and also technically more demanding pieces like the Dante sonata. I seriously should have brought a pillow to those concerts.
But his problem doesn't stem from looking relaxed. Rachmaninoff was also famous for appearing to exert zero effort on stage, and just look at Horowitz, most of the time he only moves his lip. The problem with Hamelin is that there is no inner tension. He is so far distanced from the music, that one only hears the exterior elements: all the notes exactly as written, a clear narrative through the structure. Unfortunately there is zero tension; each piece he plays seems to be able to do only one thing. I find no surprises in his playing, and ntohing to get excited about. Ok, he plays the Godowsky etudes with such a clarity. But Berezovsky has all the clarity, and on top of that artistic fire. I don't feel Hamelin is excited with the music he plays, or that he lets it affect his passions.
As far as performing is concerned, there can be benefits to the music "looking hard": the audience will be more prepared to aprpeciate the effort. A lot of those who are more talented at the showy aspects are making music look hard, without it actually feeling terribly more difficult to play. It is more for outward show, and that can be very useful. Pianists like Rachmaninoff rejected all of that (Stravinsky said Rachmaninoff was his favorite pianist because he "never grimaced,") but many are good at it. If you have ever seen a pianist, when executing a fast scale or repeated notes, bend towards the keyboard and put their nose an inch away from their fingers, they are trying to effect "difficulty."
That being said, you should strive to make everything as easy to play as you can, without changing the essential inner tension of every piece. THen decide how you want to look.
Walter Ramsey
Topic: Pianists that make playing look easy