CD

[Petter]

And if the performances in your debut album is just like this, all you do is add more pollution into the vast sea of crap that continues to be issued.

Didnīt your mother ever say that you if you donīt have anything nice to say just keep it to yourself   



*brings Tds some flowers*

[tds]

In response to the video clips of Brahms Haendal variations:

It sounds like piano-playing, not music.  It was much too slow and the musical ideas were presented in a labored manner.  The listener shouldn't have to be subjected to a waiting period.  It's the same as someone speaking too slowly - the listener has time to anticipate what comes next.  That anticipation ruins the communication.  And annoyance sets in.

I was annoyed when I first listened to the second clip.  I was annoyed the next time I tried to listen it.  Then I played the first clip.  And again, it was too slow and I was annoyed.

The musical ideas in the Brahm's Variations isn't complex.  It's very simple but supported by a dense texture.  That density doesn't mean it should be played slower so that the listener has time to process the information.  Doing so just turns listening to music into listening to piano-playing.

While many pianists like to listen to piano-playing, probably because they selectively hear the notes (and not focus on the musical ideas), non-pianists do not listen with this kind of filter.  Most wouldn't care about how many notes there are or how impressive it is.  What they intuitively listen for are cohesive ideas.

The performance in the posted video clips do not present cohesive ideas.  Cohesive ideas bind together to form a whole that can be digested by the mind in such a manner that makes sense.  Your performance didn't make sense.  It sounded like it was droning on and on.  Give my ear a break.  No one likes to be nagged at.  And if the performances in your debut album is just like this, all you do is add more pollution into the vast sea of crap that continues to be issued.

i've never read/heard a criticism like the above before, neither from reviews in papers, from teachers, from colleagues nor from my audience. but i will refrain from saying anything any further since i consider commenting about my own performance is bad taste. regards, tds

[db05]

i've never read/heard a criticism like the above before, neither from reviews in papers, from teachers, from colleagues nor from my audience. but i will refrain from saying anything any further since i consider commenting about my own performance is bad taste. regards, tds

In simple terms, Sir tds, your repertoire might appeal to pianists/ musicians but not to common people.

And baroque isn't your best suit, imo. 

Now how about some Ravel? 

[mike_lang]

Now how about some Ravel? 

Isn't that akin to telling your friend's mother that the chicken cacciatore she is serving that evening doesn't quite appeal to you, and asking "how about some pizza instead?"

[tds]

*brings Tds some flowers*

awwww...thank you petter. you are so kind, indeed. 

[tds]

In simple terms, Sir tds, your repertoire might appeal to pianists/ musicians but not to common people.

this is prolly true.

And baroque isn't your best suit, imo. 

but neither brahms nor mussorgsky is a baroque composer.

Now how about some Ravel? 

haha i saw michael answered ur question..

[db05]

Isn't that akin to telling your friend's mother that the chicken cacciatore she is serving that evening doesn't quite appeal to you, and asking "how about some pizza instead?"

LOL, yeah you're right. What's chicken cacciatore?

but neither brahms nor mussorgsky is a baroque composer.

I was referring to Brahms/ Handel being half Handel.
Also my requested Scarlatti vid... 

[db05]

I want pizza! And Ravel!

And what about spa-oke? Anyone else interested?

[tds]

I was referring to Brahms/ Handel being half Handel.

yes, the theme is by handel, but the rest is brahms'. tho we have cannon, baroque ornaments and a siciliana, the idiomatic flair is totally brahms' own. brahms handel variations and fugue is a major romantic piece.

Also my requested Scarlatti vid... 

there, you have the right to say whatever you want dont hold back lol

[tds]

I want pizza! And Ravel!

And what about spa-oke? Anyone else interested?

omg omg!! pizza, ravel and spa-oke!! someone punch me please.. *bounces like crazy*

[cai hong]

omg omg!! pizza, ravel and spa-oke!! someone punch me please.. *bounces like crazy*

whoa tds,try to calm yourself! Do you really want me to punch you?

[morningstar]

omg omg!! pizza, ravel and spa-oke!! someone punch me please.. *bounces like crazy*

I got it!
*punches tds in the head*
Manual anaesthetic.

[tanman]

omg omg!! pizza, ravel and spa-oke!! someone punch me please.. *bounces like crazy*

OMG!!!
PIZZA, RAVEL, AND SPA-OKE!!! 

Now how about some Ravel? 

 

[faulty_damper]

Didnīt your mother ever say that you if you donīt have anything nice to say just keep it to yourself   



*brings Tds some flowers*

No, she has never said that.  Teachers, however, have many times.  But in this case an honest opinion serves much more because I doubt many people would state one so bluntly.  I was genuinely annoyed and agitated by the performance (which I think was made clear in my previous post.)  If I were in the audience of such a paltry performance, I would get up and leave.  (I have done so in the past.)  If I didn't find the performances in any way compelling to listen to then who would?

I mentioned specific aspects of the performance that were not of high musical quality (or even actual music.)  These are areas which, in my opinion, need significant improvement.  These are only suggestions.  But if I were sincere in my efforts to debut a high quality piano-music recording, I would take any such criticisms seriously because I am very aware of the amount of crap that gets released even by well-known musicians/orchestras/pianists.  I would want to be known as a musician who happens to play the piano instead of just another virtuoso pianist - this is the ultimate insult.

[faulty_damper]

i've never read/heard a criticism like the above before, neither from reviews in papers, from teachers, from colleagues nor from my audience. but i will refrain from saying anything any further since i consider commenting about my own performance is bad taste. regards, tds

In response, I'll quote Petter:

Didnīt your mother ever say that you if you donīt have anything nice to say just keep it to yourself.

[db05]

yes, the theme is by handel, but the rest is brahms'. tho we have cannon, baroque ornaments and a siciliana, the idiomatic flair is totally brahms' own. brahms handel variations and fugue is a major romantic piece.

there, you have the right to say whatever you want dont hold back lol

Sometimes you just have to wonder what the theme is... :p

Now, Scarlatti is my favorite composer, please don't play him again. Thank you. And listen to Sir faulty, he is a most honest critic.

[Petter]

And listen to Sir faulty, he is a most honest critic.

And a gentleman and a scholar. 

[tds]

I got it!
*punches tds in the head*
Manual anaesthetic.

was that a kiss? come on u can do better than that

ok, but next time, i am tryping now

[tds]

he is a most honest critic.

If I didn't find the performances in any way compelling to listen to then who would?

this summarizes it all

[tds]

Sometimes you just have to wonder what the theme is... :p

db, you may have studied and played this piece many times. the news is that i have, too. thematic issue in brahms handel variations and fugue is a delicate, intricate matter-far from being a black and white simplicity. by this time brahms was a master of writing theme and variations type of compositions. brahms varied the theme in great many ways: melodically, harmonically, texturally, dynamically, and most importantly stylistically, in such a way that not only great variety of disguises is achieved, but the aesthetic, unique voice of the composer can inevitably set in. not too rarely did brahms only give the littlest hints of micro fragment of the theme- vars 6, 19, 21, 22 and 24 to name a few. there is plenty of liberalism of creativity in this type of writing. bach's goldberg and beethoven's diabelli also make  another good example. after all, isn't inventing disguises part of what distinguishes  the great from the mediocre?

[tds]

Now, Scarlatti is my favorite composer, please don't play him again. Thank you

yes, i said to you not to hold back with whatever you wanna say. but of course courtesy and ethics are expected. forbidding me from playing a certain composer is somehow outside the acceptable line. think about it. teguh

[morningstar]

was that a kiss? come on u can do better than that

ok, but next time, i am tryping now

You have got to be kidding.

[db05]

yes, i said to you not to hold back with whatever you wanna say. but of course courtesy and ethics are expected. forbidding me from playing a certain composer is somehow outside the acceptable line. think about it. teguh

You said not to hold back, but I did, and maybe I shouldn't have... Are you angry? 

[tds]

You have got to be kidding.

  where is the hair?

You said not to hold back, but I did, and maybe I shouldn't have... Are you angry? 

music is a great blessing. to tell someone not to play music ( of a certain composer ) is a crime. no i am not angry in the slightest, just shocked and dumbfounded

[db05]

music is a great blessing. to tell someone not to play music ( of a certain composer ) is a crime. no i am not angry in the slightest, just shocked and dumbfounded

I said that lightly but you took me too seriously. It's impossible that I "don't hold back"; I'm a bit biased (and crazy LOL) 'cause we're friends here.

Now a critic like sir faulty might be more reliable, though harsh.......

What would you prefer?

[morningstar]

where is the hair?

Oh right. Tomorrow. Remind me, send a PM if you want it so bad lol
You know you want it...

[tds]

I said that lightly but you took me too seriously.

not until you realize how important music is for a performing musician. when an honest musician performs, he gives everything and lets himself vulnerable/naked in front of his audience- as it is the one good way to carrying out the mission of such a call (to be an artist), and sharing the virtue to everyone. that said a feedback can be nurturing, or can also be easily damaging. what do you wanna do/say to this musician who has tried his best to be honest and true to his feeling to music? i believe, it is most wise to stay constructive with whatever you are trying to say, whether it's to your best mate or someone you just met this morning; and to be on the safe side, whether seriously or lightly. it's in the how you say it.

What would you prefer?

preference is only as good as its question.

[tds]

Oh right. Tomorrow. Remind me, send a PM if you want it so bad lol
You know you want it...

i've always been fascinated with bird nests

[db05]

not until you realize how important music is for a performing musician. when an honest musician performs, he gives everything and lets himself vulnerable/naked in front of his audience- as it is the one good way to carrying out the mission of such a call (to be an artist), and sharing the virtue to everyone. that said a feedback can be nurturing, or can also be easily damaging. what do you wanna do/say to this musician who has tried his best to be honest and true to his feeling to music? i believe, it is most wise to stay constructive with whatever you are trying to say, whether it's to your best mate or someone you just met this morning; and to be on the safe side, whether seriously or lightly. it's in the how you say it.

My deepest apologies.

preference is only as good as its question.

At the risk of sounding like a traffic warden here, it is my opinion that you should be able to take any criticism, constructive or not, light or harsh. (But everyone would have preferences, as we can see here.)

In response to the video clips of Brahms Haendal variations:

It sounds like piano-playing, not music.  It was much too slow and the musical ideas were presented in a labored manner...

The musical ideas in the Brahm's Variations isn't complex.  It's very simple but supported by a dense texture.  That density doesn't mean it should be played slower so that the listener has time to process the information.  Doing so just turns listening to music into listening to piano-playing.

While many pianists like to listen to piano-playing, probably because they selectively hear the notes (and not focus on the musical ideas), non-pianists do not listen with this kind of filter.  Most wouldn't care about how many notes there are or how impressive it is.  What they intuitively listen for are cohesive ideas.

The performance in the posted video clips do not present cohesive ideas... Your performance didn't make sense...

i've never read/heard a criticism like the above before, neither from reviews in papers, from teachers, from colleagues nor from my audience. but i will refrain from saying anything any further since i consider commenting about my own performance is bad taste. regards, tds

Well maybe you should (hear such criticism). It was well-meant. I mean if someone just came here to criticize unjustly, it would be as short as two words or sentences. Now how anyone would learn from getting only positive comments is beyond me, and my personal preference is the unmerciful kind.

In case you haven't noticed, Sir faulty explained further:

...But in this case an honest opinion serves much more because I doubt many people would state one so bluntly...

I mentioned specific aspects of the performance that were not of high musical quality (or even actual music.)  These are areas which, in my opinion, need significant improvement.  These are only suggestions.  But if I were sincere in my efforts to debut a high quality piano-music recording, I would take any such criticisms seriously...

Responding to me but not to him shows you don't have the discernment to take the useful information. Double standard?

I haven't contributed anything to this thread, and it is my fault it's ruined... 

[tds]

My deepest apologies.

At the risk of sounding like a traffic warden here, it is my opinion that you should be able to take any criticism, constructive or not, light or harsh. (But everyone would have preferences, as we can see here.)

Well maybe you should (hear such criticism). It was well-meant. I mean if someone just came here to criticize unjustly, it would be as short as two words or sentences. Now how anyone would learn from getting only positive comments is beyond me, and my personal preference is the unmerciful kind.

In case you haven't noticed, Sir faulty explained further:

Responding to me but not to him shows you don't have the discernment to take the useful information. Double standard?

I haven't contributed anything to this thread, and it is my fault it's ruined... 

no double standard. i responded to both faulty and you. please read this thread again carefully, db. naturally, response to both cant be the same. how could it? they're two different kinds, one is criticism of some kind, another is an order to stop playing the music of one composer. is it difficult to understand?

number of words is not important, quality is:

If I didn't find the performances in any way compelling to listen to then who would?

  it says it all (of himself).