Volodos in Vienna

[ignaceii]

What Gramophone magazine writes on A. Volodos in Vienna is what I think equally, and tried to tell label companies, festival organisators.
I'm very, very, very, glad that Gramophone is of the same opinion.

Why don't we hear the great musicians so little anymore, or not at all ?
I also count S. Von Eckardstein among them, because he's more philosophical, but at the same time a genius at the clavier.
A. Pizzarro,...

I think partly because they are fed up with the big record labels and concert managers picking the first charmful, talented who knows, they get their hands on. They compete under each other, but certainly not in favor of the music.

After a mervellous "Schilderijententoonstelling" (painting museum?) by Moussorgsky I heard S. Tiempo in Scarbo (an Argerich pupil rolled of the finishing line) last. Terrible.

If Arcadi is somewhere secluded, making the most marvelous music in small churches, I wish him all the best.
Even France and the rest of the music industry put their own Volondat (Elisabeth competition winner beginning of the eighties) in exils, in a local music school. Too excentric.
I don't buy anything more of the latest generation asians and east-europeans, and all the rest for some time know. Something fundamental is missing.
Put yourself on youtube and you make more chance to get contracts than a Leeds, Elisabeth, or other world renowned piano competion, laureate (not even the winner), knowing those last pianists deserve it much, much more


Thanks Gramophone once again.

Regards,
Ignace

ps: Don't shoot the pianist now, because due to a chronical disease I almost cannot play anymore. And I miss it a lot, certainly after only having my upright Steingräeber for 3 years.

[dima_76557]

Something fundamental is missing.

Yes. The "outmoded art of making technically perfect music in a heart-warming manner" (c). In order to be able to do that, you have to dig into the spiritual culture of old times, read literature that may have inspired composers in both Western and Eastern Europe, go to museums to watch paintings, etc., something Arcadi Volodos surely does, but something that is too much of a hassle for "New-Agers".

[j_menz]

Nostalgia sure ain't what it used to be in my day.

[faulty_damper]

I think partly because they are fed up with the big record labels and concert managers picking the first charmful, talented who knows, they get their hands on. They compete under each other, but certainly not in favor of the music.

You know, some really talented piano teacher, capable of teaching a complete beginner to artist status, should find a really, supremely attractive woman with great proportions, a smile that will make a flaccid penis erect, breasts that will feed a small army, and hips that can allow the small army's babies to pass, and teach her how to play the piano.  Then market and sell her to the public.  That's how the new age of classical piano music will be reborn.

The pop industry has already been doing this, but the difference is that it's easy to make a bad singer sound good through the use of technology and lip syncing, but it's impossible to do the same for a pianist.  The classical industry is at the mercy of those who have real talent, which can't be manufactured.

[outin]

You know, some really talented piano teacher, capable of teaching a complete beginner to artist status, should find a really, supremely attractive woman with great proportions, a smile that will make a flaccid penis erect, breasts that will feed a small army, and hips that can allow the small army's babies to pass, and teach her how to play the piano. 

Probably difficult to find a good piano teacher who would actually think that's possible. No matter how much you seem to believe it, there's simply no indication that one could become a classical artist starting after the breasts are up to that size and not having really exceptional natural aptitude.

[faulty_damper]

I started playing the piano when I was 20 and achieved what I thought was impossible.  So it is possible.

[outin]

I started playing the piano when I was 20 and achieved what I thought was impossible.  So it is possible.

Of course we only have your word for your artistic level.

Btw. Most if not all professional level players who started late seem to be males. It may have something to do with all the challenges females face after their brests have grown to full size...

[faulty_damper]

Well then we can just find someone with small breasts and then put in some implants later.  Duh!

[outin]

Well then we can just find someone with small breasts and then put in some implants later.  Duh!

Why don't we just pick an already skillful pianists, someone like you for example, and do a few operations. Much easier to transform someone into a hot babe than teach them to play

[faulty_damper]

I prefer my penis attached to my body, and I'd rather be sitting in the audience admiring said hottie on stage.  But that's beside the point.  Just like in pop, they really don't have to be that talented since their beauty makes up for those deficiencies.

[outin]

I prefer my penis attached to my body, and I'd rather be sitting in the audience admiring said hottie on stage.  But that's beside the point.  Just like in pop, they really don't have to be that talented since their beauty makes up for those deficiencies.

OK, so I misunderstood your point: "teaching a complete beginner to artist status". I thought with artist status you meant that the person would actually play like a really good artist. If you meant to teach some hottie to play enough to pass as a pianist of course that's possible...But I still think it would be a better investment to just use all the available means to recreate the shell of someone who already can...And in case you haven't realized that already, it really doesn't take that much for an average female of our species to become a hottie...about 2 hours would be enough...the men of our species are really easy to fool 

BTW. I'm confused about the way you use the word talented here, since you have already stated that you don't believe talent is relevant in becoming a pianists  

[faulty_damper]

By talent, in this instance, I mean something that you put effort into doing and achieving.

[outin]

To be serious, I would think that many younger female classical pianists like to look like they do not because they feel it's absolutely necessary for success, but because they do not want to be seen as boring dry classical musicians but modern young women who enjoy their womenhood. We from the older generations often feel the pop industry is about exploiting women by using their looks to sell and forcing them to wear scarce clothing. But there are other ways to look at this, the younger women can actually feel empowered by their freedom to do whatever they want to, especially things that were considered obscene by their parent's generation.

[faulty_damper]

You mean Yuja Wang or that violinist?

[pianoman53]

Wait, my comment was deleated?! Faulty was being exremely sexist, and saying that music should focus on boobs instead of music. I ask if he was satirical or just stupid. I didn't say that he was stupid. How is my small commwnt any worse than the demeaning crap that he has poured on this thread?!

[outin]

You mean Yuja Wang or that violinist?

I didn't mean anyone specific, just a general observation. The classical musicians are still far away from the pop stars, but some of them do dress less conservative than others.

[faulty_damper]

So what I'm hearing is is that dress has a far more profound effect upon listeners.  Remember Maksim and his fireworks rendition of Flight of the Bumblebee?  How many girls digged that?  So maybe the thread about playing like crap but look good doing it has some merit. 

[outin]

So what I'm hearing is is that dress has a far more profound effect upon listeners.  Remember Maksim and his fireworks rendition of Flight of the Bumblebee?  How many girls digged that?  So maybe the thread about playing like crap but look good doing it has some merit. 

I have no idea what you are hearing, but I wasn't implicating anything like that, just providing one explanation to the present trend. Looks have always been and will always be important when people are marketed and of course it can compensate forother things.

[faulty_damper]

Well, then I think video will enlighten you!

[outin]

Well, then I think video will enlighten you!

I don't like that piece at all, so would you really expect me to watch the video? 

Anyway to be a good sport I watched the first 30 seconds or so...but I could not go on because the player just looked too ridiculous...so the conclusion I got was that looking bad does ruin the performance very effectively 

[faulty_damper]

Did you even READ the responses to the video?

"Honestly this is one of the most perfect versions of this piece I've ever heard..."
"Does it really matter how somebody dresses when they can play the piano like that?"
"I never heard of this guy... I know Brendel and that's about it.  But I have to say that this performance is pretty damn good for a concert performance..."
" wwowowoowowo you see that the music is going through him, not like on some other pianists - like Kempff for ex aeheaheaheaheahea and on a FAZIOLI "

Are you wondering if these comments are sarcasm?  Because when you group 'em together like this, it really does.  But I think they were serious. 

[outin]

Did you even READ the responses to the video?


Are you wondering if these comments are sarcasm?  Because when you group 'em together like this, it really does.  But I think they were serious.  

I never bother to read YouTube comments, sorry

I get what you mean now...tastes differ I guess  

Actually for a moment (00:29) I thought maybe the preformance was meant to be a parody...reminded me of a certain potrait of Liszt...

[ignaceii]

I read a lot of ridiculous things as a reply to my post.
What about the misjudged masters put away far from the marketing guys. No comment.
1 Egorov the equal of 100 yuya's. He is remembered in Holland, by Berman, and 4 other masters.
In the future I might make 1 exception, K. Buniatishvilli. She has the charming looks and music.
And Argerich can stop her pianistmachine, it becomes ridiculous.
Let the big competitions speak.
And Volodos at least gives a voice to unknown masters like Mompou.
Rach, Prok, Liszt, they have to make a circus of it, with their dancing fingers.

And they were invented, like the Argerichmachine by the marketeers.

So sad...

[faulty_damper]

You need to realize that it costs money to make money and since money isn't abundant, they aren't going to spend money on someone who can't sell CDs no matter how good they may be.  This is why they put their money on what they know from experience sells.  This is what most of the pop industry is based upon, marketability.  Someone like Volodos isn't very marketable since he's not handsome.  His musicianship is what should matter, but it isn't the only factor that most people place upon.  Business people are interested in making money, not promoting good art.

[ignaceii]

Of course, that is what the whole debate is about. Markebility.
But, DG, Decca used to have a tradition of just not follow that mainstream of easy sellable pianists.
I think that the whole responsibility lies with the listener. He should know better.
At home, you only have the music to listen to, perhaps holding the cd cover with the yuyu mini skirt in the hands.
If you can't do better than that, I think the real classical world is in danger.
How do you call that, the real maestros become endangered species, devoured by a tsunami of well marketed barbie pops, and teenagers.

Even K. Zimmerman doesn't get any concerts, being against gsm-noice and he's wright, and so doing not fascionable anymore. And that is what they tell the great Zimmerman.

Of course I quitted buying cds, and all together turn my back away from the labels.
It's like the Olympics, it has nothing to do with sports, but money.

If the arts cannot resist this demon, close pianostreet, and talk about the stock market value of that Youtube pianist Lisi... because we are done here.

Buy... Best wishes for 2014 from Belgium