"Poser" sounds a bit harsh. The guy can obviously play the piano. Not, I would hasten, to a professional level, but, for the purposes for which he plays, I suppose his skill is sufficient, and he is probably qualified to teach. We should be mindful that a good teacher need not be perfect but needs to be highly aware. That said, I disagree with every interpretation of his I have heard (four pieces by Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, and one of my favorite little preludes by Scriabin). The balance between hands is off (especially in the Scriabin, where the delicious harmonies are muddied by a too-heavy bass and lack of graceful nuance), and there is no song to his phrasing, just executed notes, as if he was playing on a harpsichord or organ. The lack of morbidezza strips the works of their charm, a bit like listening to midi playback--you get the point, can discern the structures, harmonies, and melodies, but the life is just not there. As an adult learner, I admire his ability (significantly higher than my own, which I am trying to build with help from Liszt's exercises and Bach), but I couldn't imagine playing in such a way and would not choose to listen to such performances again.
It's not, to me, an outrage. It is good that he can attempt the classics and that he has some knowledge of them, which he apparently wants to share. Teaching is an honorable pursuit. It is unfortunate that he can take to bragging, because there is so much room for improvement, which I think he is capable of doing. I hope he knows that even the greatest artists were rarely satisfied with their playing. Busoni used to practice for hours after his concerts, obsessively replaying the pieces he had played earlier that night, searching for new insight, following new ideas.
I hope we can move on from this thread. We find faults in his playing and in some of his behavior. All of us have faults in our playing and behavior, even if they may not be as arrogant as some of his comments. I see him as someone who is trying to do a good thing, with the resources that he has available. Music is good, and teaching is good. Not all of it can be done with consummate expertise. Maybe he is seeking an ego boost at times and acts a bit more grandiose than his interpretations would suggest, but that's how people are. I can find just as much fault with people who take shots at him and who try to "expose" him, rather to engage in a dialogue with him.
Topic: BachScholar - BachScholar: The Man, The Enigma, The...Poser?