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Topic: VIDEO: Liszt Mephisto Waltz #1  (Read 2836 times)

Offline raphaelliotto

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VIDEO: Liszt Mephisto Waltz #1
on: January 24, 2012, 05:27:04 PM


Do you have any coments or advices on this performance?

Thanks.
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Offline haguiuda

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Re: VIDEO: Liszt Mephisto Waltz #1
Reply #1 on: January 24, 2012, 05:54:13 PM
In my view, a great performance.

Offline rachfan

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Re: VIDEO: Liszt Mephisto Waltz #1
Reply #2 on: January 25, 2012, 12:26:53 AM
Hi raphaelliotto,

Brava!  You play with a fine artistry supported by a formidable technique.  This is a fine rendition of this Mephisto Waltz.  One difficulty in the recital venue was the very live and brittle room acoustic--much reverberation there.  But you certainly did the best you could with it.  The only comments I would make is that there were a few places, in the balancing of the hands, where the melodic content in the foreground was nearly overcome by the background accompaniment.  But how well I know in Romantic music how challenging that task can be when the musical texture is quite thick.  The only other suggestion would be on the pedaling, that is, in some places to perhaps change the pedal more frequently or use more half-pedals to spill overtones from the open strings of the piano.  But again, I think you gave a very good performance overall!

I was trying to read the piano name on the fall board, but could not quite make it out.  Bechstein maybe?  Thanks.

David
Interpreting music means exploring the promise of the potential of possibilities.

Offline raphaelliotto

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Re: VIDEO: Liszt Mephisto Waltz #1
Reply #3 on: January 25, 2012, 03:10:49 PM
hi, David.

I watched this performance live and was very impressed by the virtuosism of this pianist, Sandra Mohr. I was delighted to find this video on youtube and urged to share this with you guys of this forum. After watching several other videos of this piece, I consider this one to be my favourite. (Okay, perhaps second place after Ashkenazy's - lol)

Sandra Mohr was born in my city, Santa Cruz do Sul, Brazil, and was invited to inaugurate this piano, donated by a member of the Cultural Center "Casa das Artes Regina Simonis". Unfortunately, the piano is in a terrible quality. It was making so much noise (perhaps it was removed in this recording, bu in some places we still can hear an annoying noise in the background - live it was terrible) and Sandra could manage to play as well as possible despite of the noise.

The room is far away from a concert room, as it is a place where pictures and paintings are exibited. Anyway, acoustics really is not a good thing in this room.

I have never met Sandra personally, and I really hope she doesn't mind that I posted this video here (i guess she wouldn't, as it was found in youtube). There are other videos from her there, but I think this is the best one.

Thank you very much for your comments. This video definetely inspired me, as I am planning to start learning this music (good luck for me), and I sincerely hope it inspires other pianists to keep on their hard working and playing such great pieces as this one.


About the piano - I can't remember the name, but as I heard, it is more than 120 years old - Sandra really did a miracle there!

Offline sandramohr

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Re: VIDEO: Liszt Mephisto Waltz #1
Reply #4 on: January 26, 2012, 11:54:55 PM
Hi, David and Raphael.

Before anything, I'd like to thank you David for the advices and Raphael for having put this video here. Thank you both for commenting.

I don't remember the name of this piano, but I'm trying to get in touch with the Cultural Center to get this information for you. However, I know it is a german piano, over 100 years old and when I was invited to play, the piano was being reconstructed, but the technician got sick. My father (that is a luthier) was called then to try to make the piano "playable" to that event. The mechanism was irregular, there were several strings that couldn't be tunned (too old, I guess), and the sustain pedal was making a huge and annoying noise. I decided to play anyway because it was an important ocasion as people who live in small towns can't watch pianists unless someone accepts to play in these conditions. In addition to this, there's only one another piano in conditions to be played in Santa Cruz do Sul, so it's a good aquisition anyway, and because in Brazil if we refuse to play in bad pianos, we don't play at all (there are few pianos in good conditions, almost all of them located in big cities).

To sum up, one of the worst parts of being a pianist in Brazil is that we almost don't have good instruments and good places to play, so we are forced to agree to play in the conditions we all know aren't acceptable at all. However, it is my willing to play and the need to take music even to people who are distant of great centers that makes me a pianist.

Thanks again for your comments. I'd love to know a bit more from you, your experiences as pianists and how it is to play in America and Europe.

Sandra Mohr.

Offline rachfan

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Re: VIDEO: Liszt Mephisto Waltz #1
Reply #5 on: January 27, 2012, 04:08:02 AM
Hi Sandra,

The logo on the piano finally registered with me.  It's a C. Bechstein.

Thanks for adding all that information on the the hurdles before you in giving that performance.  You have a lot of courage!  Many pianists would have found those conditions too daunting.

I myself am just an amateur pianist--no more.  So I'm not "touring", thus would be unable to comment  from direct experience on giving recitals here in America.  Instead I devote my time now to recording projects.  Although I must add, I find sitting in front of two microphones more difficult than a live audience.  At this website though, there are some wonderful pianists who do recitalize regularly, and they might be willing to share their experiences in that regard.  If you'd like to see my musical bio, here is a link:

https://pianosociety.com/cms/index.php?section=2051

David

 
Interpreting music means exploring the promise of the potential of possibilities.

Offline raphaelliotto

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Re: VIDEO: Liszt Mephisto Waltz #1
Reply #6 on: February 11, 2012, 12:54:15 PM
Hi, Sandra.

I totally agree with you about being a pianist in Brazil. Maybe people in Europe or United States don't really know how it is to play in a bad instruments to 20-30 people that go to concertos. Congratulations for playing so well and thank you for playing in Santa Cruz do Sul.

Is it OK if I post other videos found in Youtube here? I am your fan!

Let me know if you come back to Santa Cruz!!!

Raphael
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