Importance of Looks in Competition

[minnielala2]

Hi everyone, I was just wondering--how much do you think charisma, projected confidence, body language, good looks, etc. influences the jury? I sometimes feel as though I am at a disadvantage at competitions because I have a reserved personality, wear glasses, and dislike to make exaggerated body movements.

[thalbergmad]

I think opus10no2 will have the best answer to this.

[jakev2.0]

Shouldn't matter too much. Lazar Berman, Elena Kuschnervova made careers for themselves didn't they?

[opus10no2]

haha

Indeed , it does make a difference, it's an advantage to have in any area of life, but if the playing stands out, then nothing else would need to.

[burstroman]

No disrepect, but look at Radu Lupu, Murray Perahia, and the dear-departed Dame Myra Hess.  Beautiful minds?

[nervous_wreck]

pull off what you can. if you're reserved on stage then be so, just don't let it affect your playing.
(being reserved can be a kind of stage show as well, for instance playing a prokofiev sonata but not showing any inkling of effort in your face and doing the very least movement possible can be very challenging.) just figure out what works and stick to it.

[steinway43]

No disrepect, but look at Radu Lupu, Murray Perahia, and the dear-departed Dame Myra Hess.  Beautiful minds?

I doubt they'd get recording contracts today, though. It's a new world. In the early 80's I had a teacher refuse to allow me to compete because of how I looked. It happened to three of us and we were no slouches. 

[invictious]

If female takes the majority, then make a slight penis bulge.

If male takes the majority, then make a little umm.....cleavage?


Make yourself stand out, and make the jury remember you.

[pianohenry]

the audience will respect a reserved, dignified, shy, modest pianist, who comes across as fantastic but not cocky.

but you should smile and look fairly cheerful, so you dont come across as moody, that would put people off.

on the other hand, an overconfident performer is probably worse.

[brahms4me]

I can't remember the quote verbatim but it goes something like this (maybe someone on the forum knows it better):  As pianists we are but mere tour guides and should never get in the way of the view.

Granted, we live in a visually stimulating age.  However, I still maintain that its all about the music and I think most judges still hold that same view.

[shoenberg3]

I can't remember the quote verbatim but it goes something like this (maybe someone on the forum knows it better):  As pianists we are but mere tour guides and should never get in the way of the view.

Granted, we live in a visually stimulating age.  However, I still maintain that its all about the music and I think most judges still hold that same view.

OBVIOUSLY, no judge is going to admit "looks" is part of the his evaluation. No one. That's NOT the question at hand. 

The real question is: do characteristics such as looks, charisma, and stage presence subconsciouly affect our evaluation of the performance? And to this question, I say yes. Kind of a placebo effect, when we see a striking, charismatic performer (like Richter in his day) we are going to respond differently than to someone like Kobrin or Ingolf Wunder, whether more negatively or positively.

[invictious]

Is that a trick that Lang Lang used when trying to win the competitions? It seems to be working well.

Judges are still humans, their unconsciousness still notices if one pianist is 'ugly' and rates him low, so I doubt we can do anything we can.

I personally would try to 'look' modest and conservative, but display my imagination when playing the piano. I'd also try to look as clean and hygienic as possible, as not to ruin the impressions for the judge.

[Kassaa]

Is that a trick that Lang Lang used when trying to win the competitions? It seems to be working well.

Judges are still humans, their unconsciousness still notices if one pianist is 'ugly' and rates him low, so I doubt we can do anything we can.

I personally would try to 'look' modest and conservative, but display my imagination when playing the piano. I'd also try to look as clean and hygienic as possible, as not to ruin the impressions for the judge.

Lang² didn't win any competitions I believe.

[steinway43]

Lang² didn't win any competitions I believe.

And if he did he'd lose. He misses way too many notes in live performance. I heard a recording on the radio of him playing the Tchaikowsky 1st with the LA Phil, and it was abominable-some of his rhythms were so OFF I couldn't believe it. I was embarrassed for him and at the same time outraged that he can get away with this kind of thing. He is a joke. He gets by through his acting and BY HIS LOOKS/CHARISMA. I've seen him on tv and heard him on radio several times. It's always the same-totally unacceptable playing. In no way does he belong on Deutsche Grammaphone. And if his recordings are note perfect then they cannot be him playing.

What is needed is a blind competition where no one's face can be revealed until after the winners are announced.  But since looks do matter, especially to record companies, that isn't likely to take place any time soon.

At the time I was told I couldn't compete because of my looks-me and two others-we were treated to a nightmare in the weekly departmental recital. We'd all been told the same thing in our respective lessons that week, so when the departmental came around we sat together in the back of the room wondering just what the hell was going on. Then one of the faculty came out and made an announcement that they'd discovered a "genius" who was 17. So this young man came out and played Beethoven Opus 2 No. 3 in C. It was good but nothing special, competent but not beautiful, no art to it. Needless to say, the three of us were not impressed-BUT...he was beautiful, like a young Paul Newman meets a young Robert Redford, and when he finished the room went nuts over him. We just rolled our eyes and left the room. 

Anyone who thinks looks have nothing to do with it is insane.

[invictious]

Lang Lang used to win tons of competitions when he was young. I mean, who the hell can play Tarantella at the age of 4?

[elevateme]

And if he did he'd lose. He misses way too many notes in live performance. I heard a recording on the radio of him playing the Tchaikowsky 1st with the LA Phil, and it was abominable-some of his rhythms were so OFF I couldn't believe it. I was embarrassed for him and at the same time outraged that he can get away with this kind of thing. He is a joke. He gets by through his acting and BY HIS LOOKS/CHARISMA. I've seen him on tv and heard him on radio several times. It's always the same-totally unacceptable playing. In no way does he belong on Deutsche Grammaphone. And if his recordings are note perfect then they cannot be him playing.

thats only one recording. i went to see him do rachpag with northern sinfonia and it was absolutely incredible, one of the best performances ive ever seen. and the person i went with had performed the same piece and he said there were no notes missing

[cmg]

Regrettably, physical appearance affects more than just the outcome of competitions.  It also affects careers.

Joyce Hatto, who died in June 2006, suffered horribly from cancer for 36 years.  Despite her illness, she mastered the greatest compositions of the repertoire and was acknowledged to be one of the greatest pianists of our time by some of the most prominent critics in the UK and the US. 

But the career foundered in the 1970s when a London critic reviewed one of her performances and focussed on the fact of her obvious ill health.  He wrote in his review of her performance that "It is impolite to look ill."  She was so devasted by this act of stupid cruelty that she never performed in public again, restricting herself to privately recording her entire repertoire, which today numbers over 110 CDs. 

[chromatickler]

And if he did he'd lose. He misses way too many notes in live performance. I heard a recording on the radio of him playing the Tchaikowsky 1st with the LA Phil, and it was abominable-some of his rhythms were so OFF I couldn't believe it. I was embarrassed for him and at the same time outraged that he can get away with this kind of thing. He is a joke. He gets by through his acting and BY HIS LOOKS/CHARISMA. I've seen him on tv and heard him on radio several times. It's always the same-totally unacceptable playing. In no way does he belong on Deutsche Grammaphone. And if his recordings are note perfect then they cannot be him playing.

What is needed is a blind competition where no one's face can be revealed until after the winners are announced.  But since looks do matter, especially to record companies, that isn't likely to take place any time soon.

At the time I was told I couldn't compete because of my looks-me and two others-we were treated to a nightmare in the weekly departmental recital. We'd all been told the same thing in our respective lessons that week, so when the departmental came around we sat together in the back of the room wondering just what the hell was going on. Then one of the faculty came out and made an announcement that they'd discovered a "genius" who was 17. So this young man came out and played Beethoven Opus 2 No. 3 in C. It was good but nothing special, competent but not beautiful, no art to it. Needless to say, the three of us were not impressed-BUT...he was beautiful, like a young Paul Newman meets a young Robert Redford, and when he finished the room went nuts over him. We just rolled our eyes and left the room. 

Anyone who thinks looks have nothing to do with it is insane.

haha, good luck on the rest of your life 

[minor9th]

If female takes the majority, then make a slight penis bulge.

If male takes the majority, then make a little umm.....cleavage?


Make yourself stand out, and make the jury remember you.

Does the latter refer to one's penis?