Virtuostic Bottleneck?

[m1469]

I've read this article here:
https://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/d8c1c23e-9db7-11e0-b30c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1VPmrWjnr

and thought I'd go ahead and offer my unsolicated two cents on the (or anyway a related) subject.  There is *so* much these days about the competition and how steep it is.  There are so many players, great players, talented, well-trained players, that to make it as an artist is tougher than ever.  Well, that may be true, but that's not the only reason.

But, along those lines, aside from the exact stance of the writer's being a little unclear, one of the aspects mentioned within the article is that we don't see, these days, the caliber of musicians/virtuosi as days before; Horowitz, Richter, Gould.  But, on that note, let me remind you that Horowitz himself, in his day, already felt that so many of the young virtuosi of his time all sounded the same.  So, bottleneck or not, this concept of individuals who stand out from the crowd is nothing new, really.

Yes, Liszt stood out in his day ... but, this was also in the days when solo pianists were just coming into fashion!  Solo instrumental music was making a name for itself within the realm of art, so there wasn't as much to compare him with.  However, this was also a time when the pianoforte and its place within society -coupled with the fact that society had more opportunity to become musically educated, and also the fact that music scores were more readily finding their way into the hands of the average citizens- and so there became a wave of more musically educated, average citizens who could appreciate individuals who demonstrated a large talent. 

Today, the other part of the "problem" when it comes to an artist making his/her living is a general lack of music education (or interest) within the average households.  So, there is a bottleneck of virtuosi, as well as less demand in some ways. 

But, I say, imagine for a second a world where the average citizens were virtuosi?  Don't we, as musicians, actually want there to be as many musicians within the world as possible?  Don't we even wish for them to be as good as they can possibly be?  It's good for music that way, anyway.  It seems almost as though the wave that began in the household Centuries ago, turned into there being "virtuostic ametuers."

Maybe the professional world seems cut-throat, but don't confuse that with the musical world.  The musical world needs every musician its got, and by all means, let studios be full and the average player be demonstrating above average playing!  Let's see where that leads the musicians - not just the professional world.

Well, I'm in a hurry and have to run!

[Derek]

There's also very little economic demand for musicians anymore (I think you implied or said this in different words). You can just pop in a cd or listen to a song on your "cloud." No musician required. one musician can be heard by millions of people instantly. If we didn't have that technology, the ONLY way to hear music would be via musicians, and we'd all have pleasant jobs. Instead, if you're a musician today, unless you're into masochism and working so hard that blood shoots out of your eyes and ears, you really must turn to yourself for an audience. And maybe a few friends.

[fftransform]

I don't understand.  Are you saying that all current pianists "sound the same"?  What is the point you're trying to make, or question that you're trying to raise?

[m1469]

Did you read the article?  Maybe you are talking to the author and not to me  .  But, just for fun, I'll admit that my post wasn't very clear, as I was formulating thoughts and also I was in a hurry.  I've been thinking about the article a bit more, though, and trying to understand what the author's point was, which was a bit unclear to me, actually.

To summarize part of my understanding of the article, there is a basic premise that there is reason to be concerned about the future of ... the profession of a concert career (?), while also bringing up what I think is a related issue in that there are hoards of very well-equipped virtuoso pianists, "fighting for the limelight."  As far as I can understand, the author is trying to address a few subjects as it relates to what pianists who want a career as a performer, are faced with.  Stiff competition, and a decreasing demand for the artists, as well as mentioning that we don't see pianists like the "old" greats anymore.  The overtones of the article are that a pianist needs to somehow stand out from the crowd, mentioning various things that are needed in order to do this ... indicating to me that if pianists aren't standing out from one another, they must be blending together.  

So I was commenting on aspects of the article with my opinion.

Try reading the article .