Lang Lang

[athykay]

Has anybody seen this?  It's quite hilarious:

https://datazz2.free.fr/longdong_comedic.avi

This is my first visual experience of LangLang, and you've to to give him this (aside from his obvious technical prowess) - He *is* a performer.

[chromatickler]

Dat vid is from da SDC, and is supplied to uz by da legendary KMART.

 

[thracozaag]

Me? Haha! I think Lang Lang is even more obsessed with Yundi Li as you can tell from his reaction whenever he was asked about Yundi Li by some reporters. Yundi's reaction has been very different whenever a similar question was asked by reporters about Lang Lang. Yundi had always tried to evade the question without giving any unfavourable comments about Lang Lang. That is the way an artist should be.

I only know  that  Morrison's review for Yundi's scherzi is very very vague and incorrect. I also know that I  don't like what he wrote for some other pianists. Yundi has received very favourable reviews for his scherzi from countries like UK, New Zealand, Irland, Germany. It will be released in US  sometimes in Jan 2005 . I am not surprised if those US respectable critics will be very fair to Yundi again.  Try to compare what Morrison wrote with others and you will undersatand what I mean.

  I'm still quite convinced that you are in some way, Yundi's press agent, heh.  Be that as it may, one thing I will completely agree with you is: I would certainly MUCH rather hear Yundi play a concert than LL.  But honestly, the only Scherzo recording that I'm looking forward to is Kapell's (of the 1st). 

koji (STSD)

[tibidi]

  I'm still quite convinced that you are in some way, Yundi's press agent, heh.  Be that as it may, one thing I will completely agree with you is: I would certainly MUCH rather hear Yundi play a concert than LL.  But honestly, the only Scherzo recording that I'm looking forward to is Kapell's (of the 1st). 

koji (STSD)

Why are you  so sure that I am Yundi’s press agent? Have you come across a press agent going around quarrelling with people at different websites? Haha! (I have been the only one speaking out for Yundi). So, when people advertised Lang Lang indirectly or speaking out for Lang Lang at those websites, nobody complained, but if I speak out for Yundi, hoho,I must be a gay, I must be his press agent. Can you explain to me the unfair deduction or the abnormality of  some people’s thinking? What an oppressive world.

I am not aware that Kapell had played Chopin’s scherzi. Which CD contains this piece? What serial number?

[thracozaag]

  The Kapell CD is hopefully going to released at some point; all performances from his last tour of Australia (there was an extensive article in the Times about it). 

koji (STSD)

[tibidi]

  The Kapell CD is hopefully going to released at some point; all performances from his last tour of Australia (there was an extensive article in the Times about it). 

koji (STSD)

William Kappel's concertos are quite outstanding especially Khachaturian concerto and prokofiev no. 3. His chopin is ok but not outstanding. I prefer Arthur Rubinstein's  Mazukas more than Kappel's. So, don't expect too much from Kappel for his Chopin scherzi.

[thracozaag]

  I (and many others) actually consider Kapell's Chopin (and particularly the mazurkas) as the pinnacle of his playing.  The Barcarolle that I've heard from Australia is magnificent, and I expect the same from the Scherzo. 

koji (STSD)

[Ludvig_Van_Me]

Has anybody seen this?  It's quite hilarious:

https://datazz2.free.fr/longdong_comedic.avi

This is my first visual experience of LangLang, and you've to to give him this (aside from his obvious technical prowess) - He *is* a performer.

 

Hes out of his Fu*king mind! 


This proves what I have always suspected..........cocaine and piano practise don't mix.

[anda]

William Kappel's concertos are quite outstanding especially Khachaturian concerto and prokofiev no. 3. His chopin is ok but not outstanding. I prefer Arthur Rubinstein's  Mazukas more than Kappel's. So, don't expect too much from Kappel for his Chopin scherzi.

i know this recording - i have it too (that's with koussewitzky, right?), and it's not bad at all. but kapell later re-recorded khatchaturian with some conductor i've never heard of - and it's way better, that khatchaturian is definitely The One.

[thracozaag]

  Actually the studio recording is with Koussevitsky; the 2 commercially available live recordings (which are far superior) are with Ormandy (1944) and Frank Black (1945).  The latter suffers from poor sound quality.  My favourite performance, which has never been released (sadly) is with Koussevitsky, a performance from 1943 (eerily on the exact same date of his death ten years later).


koji (STSD)

[tibidi]

  I (and many others) actually consider Kapell's Chopin (and particularly the mazurkas) as the pinnacle of his playing.  The Barcarolle that I've heard from Australia is magnificent, and I expect the same from the Scherzo. 

koji (STSD)

I don’t know if Kapell's Chopin (and particularly the mazurkas) is the pinnacle of his playing, but I do know that Kapell’s concertos are better known. He was so good in his concertos that many orchestras at that time had wanted very much to work with him. Although he was more famous for Khachaturian concerto, his prokofiev concerto No. 3 is the best that I have heard. It’s quite dynamic, full of energy and fire, you can virtually hear the roaring sometimes (haha!). He was fast and there were very good co-ordination between both hands. I like Kapell’s prokofiev better than those played by Prokofiev himself, Matha Argerich and Kissin.

Although I also like Kapell’s Mazurkas, I definitely prefer Arthur Rubinstein’s mazurkas especially for the slower part of the music. Rubinstein gave you bigger room for imagination while Kapell was less thoughtful, more hasty sometimes. Of course he was not as hasty as martha Argerich who very often sounded as if she had a plane to catch when playing Chopin. In short, I like Rubinstein’s rubato better.

[tibidi]

i know this recording - i have it too (that's with koussewitzky, right?), and it's not bad at all. but kapell later re-recorded khatchaturian with some conductor i've never heard of - and it's way better, that khatchaturian is definitely The One.

  Actually the studio recording is with Koussevitsky; the 2 commercially available live recordings (which are far superior) are with Ormandy (1944) and Frank Black (1945).  The latter suffers from poor sound quality.  My favourite performance, which has never been released (sadly) is with Koussevitsky, a performance from 1943 (eerily on the exact same date of his death ten years later).


koji (STSD)

I have two CDs that contained this piece Aram Khachaturian, both were recorded in April 19. 1946. Symphony Hall, Boston with the conductor Serge Koussevitzky.

[athykay]

Dat vid is from da SDC, and is supplied to uz by da legendary KMART.

 

What is da SDC?

[thracozaag]

I have two CDs that contained this piece Aram Khachaturian, both were recorded in April 19. 1946. Symphony Hall, Boston with the conductor Serge Koussevitzky.

  That's the studio recording, much less enjoyable than the other live performances I mentioned above.

koji (STSD)

[thracozaag]

I don’t know if Kapell's Chopin (and particularly the mazurkas) is the pinnacle of his playing, but I do know that Kapell’s concertos are better known. He was so good in his concertos that many orchestras at that time had wanted very much to work with him. Although he was more famous for Khachaturian concerto, his prokofiev concerto No. 3 is the best that I have heard. It’s quite dynamic, full of energy and fire, you can virtually hear the roaring sometimes (haha!). He was fast and there were very good co-ordination between both hands. I like Kapell’s prokofiev better than those played by Prokofiev himself, Matha Argerich and Kissin.

Although I also like Kapell’s Mazurkas, I definitely prefer Arthur Rubinstein’s mazurkas especially for the slower part of the music. Rubinstein gave you bigger room for imagination while Kapell was less thoughtful, more hasty sometimes. Of course he was not as hasty as martha Argerich who very often sounded as if she had a plane to catch when playing Chopin. In short, I like Rubinstein’s rubato better.

  Actually, Jerome Lowenthal, Jack Pfeiffer (who did the recordings for both Rubinstein and Kapell) and many others feel the exact opposite.  That Kapell's mazurkas are actually more thoughtful and burn deeper...I agree.

koji (STSD)

[chromatickler]

What is da SDC?

No one can be told what Da SDC is. you haff to see it fo yoself. https://www.dasdc.net/forum/index.php 

[tibidi]

  Actually, Jerome Lowenthal, Jack Pfeiffer (who did the recordings for both Rubinstein and Kapell) and many others feel the exact opposite.  That Kapell's mazurkas are actually more thoughtful and burn deeper...I agree.

koji (STSD)

It's written in the booklet as follows:

In 1955, Jack Pfeiffer, who produced a number of Rubinstein's and Kapell's recordings, recalled the difference between the two artists in a rather unexpected way: "Rubinstein was the hero of the work. Willy was sometimes the poet of the work. He brought out the poetry., the sensitivity - exposed the jewel that was in the work. Rubinstein loved to expose the work as his triumph. It was marvelous and the wprl survived somehow, but they were so different, and I must confess that Willy's approach to them was more my feeling about them too."

Jack Pfeiffer is entitiled to his opinion just like Bryce Morrison is entitiled to his opinion about Yundi's scherzi.  I did compare Kapell's mazurkas with Rubinstein's and I definitely prefer Rubinstein's more although Kapell's mazurkas are good too.

[thracozaag]

  An even more powerful and detailed description is provided by Jerome Lowenthal in the IPAM release of Kapell's Mazurkas.

koji (STSD)

[tibidi]

  An even more powerful and detailed description is provided by Jerome Lowenthal in the IPAM release of Kapell's Mazurkas.

koji (STSD)

I normally don't care so much about opinions of others, haha! Who are these people by the way? Like to copy what Jerome Lowenthal wrote here?

[thracozaag]

  Lowenthal studied with Kapell, Rubinstein and Alfred Cortot. 

koji (STSD)

[thracozaag]

I normally don't care so much about opinions of others, haha!

  That much is quite obvious.

koji (STSD)

[tibidi]

  That much is quite obvious.

koji (STSD)

That shows I don't just listening to others without first listening to the music myself. If, after listening to the music, I still hold my original opinion, then, of course there is no need to change my opinion because I am not able to enjoy the music with other people's ears, I have to use my own ear, right? haha!

How about copying what Lowenthal wrote?

[thracozaag]

  Whatever blows your hair back, man.  I'm not going to bother copy it out; you'd just dismiss it anyway.

koji (STSD)

[tibidi]

  Whatever blows your hair back, man.  I'm not going to bother copy it out; you'd just dismiss it anyway.

koji (STSD)

I see. Then I have the right to doubt what you wrote.

In fact I still have the doubt about Kapell having recorded scherzi.

No need to dispute any more, let us just wait and see if kapell's
Chopin scherzi will be released in future.

[thracozaag]

  Look I did my doctoral thesis on Kapell, I  know Anna-Lou (his widow) personally.  If you have any doubts as to the veracity of these claims, I urge you to see the New York Times article regarding these new recordings.  You might have to wait a while for them to be released as the new merger with Sony-BMG has put any new projects on hold indefinitely.  This entire conversation has become somewhat irritating and rather time-consuming.  I shall end my part in it now.

koji (STSD)

[tibidi]

  Look I did my doctoral thesis on Kapell, I  know Anna-Lou (his widow) personally.  If you have any doubts as to the veracity of these claims, I urge you to see the New York Times article regarding these new recordings.  You might have to wait a while for them to be released as the new merger with Sony-BMG has put any new projects on hold indefinitely.  This entire conversation has become somewhat irritating and rather time-consuming.  I shall end my part in it now.

koji (STSD)

I knew long ago that you are not happy with me. You are the one to have questioned me at least twice if I am Yundi's agent or Yundi's press agent.

[anda]

  Actually the studio recording is with Koussevitsky; the 2 commercially available live recordings (which are far superior) are with Ormandy (1944) and Frank Black (1945).  The latter suffers from poor sound quality. 
koji (STSD)

this recording (the one i prefer, and i don't know the conductor) is not live, and i don't know when it was made.

My favourite performance, which has never been released (sadly) is with Koussevitsky, a performance from 1943 (eerily on the exact same date of his death ten years later).

if it was never released, how come you heard it? and (never mind how come) do you have it? and if you do, could i get it (mp3)?

please, please!

a true khatchaturian lover who has been practicing this concert for 4 years (and i will not stop practicing it while i'm alive  )

[e60m5]

tibidi, if you doubt Koji knows what he's talking about, especially regarding Kapell, then I don't know what to say. Do you think you know better than somebody who has done his doctoral thesis on the man?

(I've seen the thesis in question, and it's pretty damn impressive.)

[anda]

Has anybody seen this?  It's quite hilarious:

https://datazz2.free.fr/longdong_comedic.avi

This is my first visual experience of LangLang, and you've to to give him this (aside from his obvious technical prowess) - He *is* a performer.

hilarious, indeed... you know what would happen if he happened to try and play this way with a regular orchestra and a not-so-great conductor? have a look here:

https://www.soundclick.com/bands/6/andamusic.htm

i cut out of this recording exactly the coda especially for you - and i'll let you guess who the soloist is. (one tip: watch how it's actually him who conducts the orchestra!)

[tibidi]

tibidi, if you doubt Koji knows what he's talking about, especially regarding Kapell, then I don't know what to say. Do you think you know better than somebody who has done his doctoral thesis on the man?

(I've seen the thesis in question, and it's pretty *** impressive.)

Rubinstein's Mazurkas are definately better than Kapell's in my opinion. No need to argue, we are all entitiled to our own opinions.

[bernhard]

2nd. what's the rush with the repertory these days? i read over the web the "repertory" page of some of the young prodigies that emerged during the past few years. come on! kreisleriana at 21, brahms 2nd at 19, and so on - the sky's the limit! and truth is, based on what i've heard/read, that the mentality has changed during the past 1-2 decades: now, the mentality is "if you're technically good enough to pull this through, then go ahead and play it!". look on this forum: tips needed for scales, finger agility, "i need to play faster", "i need to play louder", "why do my hands hurt" (this one usually comes from those who didn't read the posts under "playing faster and louder"). nobody asks "how should i see this passage", "why is this work considered complex", "how should i teach my hands to differentiate the colors",etc. WHY?

Thank you very much Anda, you voiced my thoughts perfectly.

[tibidi]

i will first say i never heard lang lang or yundi li with my own ears, so i do not have a personal opinion on their performances. what i want to say is something of a more general nature (and bears no reference to these pianists - whom i still wish i could get some way to hear)

1st. lang lang is 22, yundi li is 19, mei ting is 23 (or something like this, i'm sure i'm aproximately right). can you name me a pianist over 40 years old becoming well known - good pianist, i mean? or without winning this or that competition? probably not.

i'm not saying that competitions are wrong, or that people winning competitions are worthless (i know argerich won several, and same goes for many others whom i profoundly respect). but why can't you make it unless you're a child prodigy and win chopin competition at 18 and leeds at 22? gieseking started touring when he was 25 and never took part in any piano competition; rubinstein, richter, cortot and so many others whom we now name "the great pianists of the 20th century" never entered competitions. so, why do we need competitions now?

2nd. what's the rush with the repertory these days? i read over the web the "repertory" page of some of the young prodigies that emerged during the past few years. come on! kreisleriana at 21, brahms 2nd at 19, and so on - the sky's the limit! and truth is, based on what i've heard/read, that the mentality has changed during the past 1-2 decades: now, the mentality is "if you're technically good enough to pull this through, then go ahead and play it!". look on this forum: tips needed for scales, finger agility, "i need to play faster", "i need to play louder", "why do my hands hurt" (this one usually comes from those who didn't read the posts under "playing faster and louder"). nobody asks "how should i see this passage", "why is this work considered complex", "how should i teach my hands to differentiate the colors",etc. WHY?

i happen to know a pianist - i've heard him live a few times during the past 2-3 years. he is absolutely awsome, better that tones of records i've ever heard. but (he tells me) he wasn't much of a deal in his 20s, so he never won a big competition. Now his in his mid-40s, he is indeed great and he is know here. why isn't a pianist like him known all over the world, but others (that shall remain unnamed here) are?

Quite a few persons here are actually speaking for Lang Lang. With my experience for the past few years, I can sopt them easily.

First of all, Yundi is not 19, he is same age as Lang Lang, perhaps a few months younger than lang Lang.  You may not know Yundi better than Lang Lang, that is because Lang Lang has a huge publicity machine behind him.

Anda wrote:

"now, the mentality is "if you're technically good enough to pull this through, then go ahead and play it!"

That depends on where you play it. If you are not ready mentally, you should polish up yourself first before performing them publicly (provided it's possible to change oneself from an unmusical musician to a musical one). Pollini didn't perform publicly soon after he won that prestigious Chopin competition, he had spent five to ten years polishing up himself before he gave public concerts. That is fairer to us as the consumers. Even after a few years of concentrated practising, Pollini is still the most clinical pianist although he is more musical than Lang lang in my opinion.

[Sketchee]

First of all, Yundi is not 19, he is same age as Lang Lang, perhaps a few months younger than lang Lang.  You may not know Yundi better than Lang Lang, that is because Lang Lang has a huge publicity machine behind him.

Just to clarify Yundi Li was born October 7, 1982.  Lang Lang's birthdate is June 14, 1982.  My birthday is August 23, 1982! 

[tibidi]

Just to clarify Yundi Li was born October 7, 1982.  Lang Lang's birthdate is June 14, 1982.  My birthday is August 23, 1982! 

1982 is the chicken year. So we have three chickens here.  Yundi a Librans, Lang Lang a Geminian and sketchee a Leos.

[galonia]

1982 is the chicken year. So we have three chickens here. Yundi a Librans, Lang Lang a Geminian and sketchee a Leos.

What's that got to do with anything?

By the way, 1982 is the year of the dog, not rooster.

[tibidi]

What's that got to do with anything?

By the way, 1982 is the year of the dog, not rooster.

Oh! it's the year of ow-ow-ow. I have made a mistake.

[anda]

Thank you very much Anda, you voiced my thoughts perfectly.

good to hear you agree, i was begining to think there's something wrong with me

[chromatickler]

Oh! it's the year of ow-ow-ow. I have made a mistake.

da all-seeing eye of da tibidi haz failed fo once! now we know ur human 

[tibidi]

da all-seeing eye of da tibidi haz failed fo once! now we know ur human 

Tactic:

(1) To catch tibidi's mistake.
(2) Once tibidi has made a mistake, ho-ho, everything he said must be all nonsense.

When I said 1982 is a chicken year ( I like chicken, I don't like rooster, haha!), it's not entirely wrong because chicken year ended approximately sometimes in March 1982. Year of dog follows after that. tibidi is still correct after all.

Is someone  afraid of expressing himself clearly?

[Sketchee]

Tactic:

(1) To catch tibidi's mistake.
(2) Once tibidi has made a mistake, ho-ho, everything he said must be all nonsense.

When I said 1982 is a chicken year ( I like chicken, I don't like rooster, haha!), it's not entirely wrong because chicken year ended approximately sometimes in March 1982. Year of dog follows after that. tibidi is still correct after all.

Is someone  afraid of expressing himself clearly?

All the birthdays listed are after march!

Anyway, I'm guessing that English isn't chromaticklers only language...

[tibidi]

All the birthdays listed are after march!

Anyway, I'm guessing that English isn't chromaticklers only language...

Oh! it's the year of ow-ow-ow. I have made a mistake.

Right, that is why I admitted that  I was wrong.

So, I am 30% correct but 70% wrong in this year of chicken and dog.

[pies]

­

[Jeremy C.]

i agree! Lang Lang is underestimated. i read a review. he played the rach 3, and the person who wrote the review gave him 5 out of 10 stars! it was rediculous! Lang Lang is my idol. He deserves far better treatment than that.

[m]

i read a review. he played the rach 3, and the person who wrote the review gave him 5 out of 10 stars! it was rediculous!

Could not agree more! Even 5 stars seem waaaay too much.

[TheRach]

Lang Lang is my idol.

I seriously hope that you are joking.
Have you actually seen the Rach 3 performance, by the way?

[anda]

ok, i've done some listening, and i find lang lang extremely childish - i know he's only 22, but even so! i think he's "hot" on the market mostly because he's so different from anything seen before, but once the novelty's gone i don't think he'll last.

i'm not mei ting's agent but i honestly believe he's more likely to last.

imho

[piano88]

AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH. Are we still discussing this fool. Okay, I know some of you love him and I speak here of my opinion and i'm not trying to speak for the masses or brainwash you all, but I think Lang Lang is an egotistical, childish, arrogant and simply irritating dickhead of a pianist. If this is what the piano is becoming, i'm surprised so many are bothering. Shoot the guy immediately. I almost walked from his Beethoven 1 concert in London last year. Some stupid sentimental old bints on the row behind me were crying.....and then he played traumerei.It was simply awful. if that was a scene from my childhood, I'd be depressed and an alcoholic by now. And no doubt a coke head which from watching that video, Im sure he is. Awful Prok 3. Argerich would spit on him. I love her. She is my god.
Die Lang Lang, DIE................
Many Thanks

[dinosaurtales]

I think zvimbai (sp?) hit the nail on the head.  Without a competition "winner" nobody knows who's any good to invite to recitals, record, etc etc

[Glissando]

Lang-Lang cracks me up. Totally.
Have you seen the videos of him playing on the deutsche grammophon website?
https://www.deutschegrammophon.com/
LOL
How can he play and contort himself like that at the same time?
His problem is that he puts all his emotion into his gestures instead of into his music. IOW, the performance is all about *him*, not the music.
JMNSHO.

[xvimbi]

I think zvimbai (sp?) hit the nail on the head.  Without a competition "winner" nobody knows who's any good to invite to recitals, record, etc etc

It's "xvimbi", but "zvimbai" sounds good too. I'll consider it