Piano Forum

I also remember the same extract of information you're referring too.

However there are 2 things to consider, against and for.
Against
Firstly, Would Chopin not have composed it himself, in octaves, had that not been what he desired? He composed octave Etudes, so I would be inclined to conclude that this was not designed to be embellished in such a way. The lacking musicality becomes evident as you listen to the performance, it's not pleasing to the ears.

For
Secondly, and referring back to that Liszt extract, Chopin was known to have improvised on his own works and quoted to have played the same piece differently every time. Piano improvisation in general, I am certain was praised. Further, one may pick out a little jealousy between the two with such a comment, I further read that Chopin was in awe at how Liszt performed his Etudes, and despite Chopin's over all style and recluse to the Salon, you must ponder the thought that had he had that virtuoso confidence, would he had not preferred to have been appreciated upon a stage?

@adodd81802 I suspect that if Chopin had had Liszt's or Dreyschock's technique, he just might have written the Revolutionary etude, or something similar, in octaves. Ignoring the fact that he never wrote anything that was technically nearly as difficult as that, don't forget that had he had been endowed with superior physical reflexes, and hadn't been so sickly and frail, he would have FELT the piano differently, thus inducing him to write for it differently. But what with the way things were, I reckon that he might have in fact, freaked out if he had heard it performed in octaves, instead of in single notes, but, after having had some time to reflect on the sound and ultimate impression and let his ego cool down a little, he just might have come to realize, "Ah...... yes, THAT'S the way it should be done......"

Personally, I never liked this Etude much at all UNTIL I started playing it in octaves- it simply acquired a new dimension at that point. If you could name anything at all more technically challenging, I would really appreciate that; I'm seriously very curious to know if any composer has come up with something more difficult- if it's really good music, I just might feel compelled to tackle it.

It is obvious why this pianist has been unsuccessful at music schools, record labels, and so on: What he is doing has nothing to do with what they are doing, other than that they both involve pressing on keys.

He ought to look into playing keyboards for a progressive metal band. That is a genre where acrobatic feats are often prioritized over the music itself (moreso than in progressive rock). He could be enormously successful. I imagine that he could go down in history as they greatest and most respected progressive metal keyboardist of all time.

Thanks, preludetr, I really appreciate your suggestion. I even might seriously consider it, as long as 1) I can find a band that's willing to accept me and 2) it will be only a part-time thing that won't interfere with my career as a classical-oriented pianist. The thought has crossed my mind, honestly, but I've never even ventured into that type of music- although I certainly don't think it would be even nearly as difficult to learn or perform as classical/romantic stuff.

However, with regard to schools, competitions, etc., you've got it all wrong: I've been rejected from every piano competition I've played in since the year 2000 - a total of 8 - and I assure you, except in maybe 3 cases, it wasn't due to banging, excessive speed, or lack of poetry or finesse (or even making too many mistakes, for that matter). Apart from those 3 occasions I just mentioned, in which case I simply hadn't had the time to prepare adequately and made a mess on the stage, I was eliminated invariably from the 1st round in all of them, having competed against some contestants who did little more during the course of their performances than press keys, like a bookkeeper would do on a typewriter. And once I auditioned for a school, whose name I'm not going to mention, where one of the professors on the panel of my audition was so unbelievably arrogant and condescending, that I knew I wouldn't be accepted there right from the start. Not that I needed that school for anything- I just was trying to get a scholarship so that I could reside for a year or two in one of Europe's big capitals. Anyway, when I arrived home, I looked up that professor on the Internet, and listened to an audio sample of his playing on a music streaming service. Guess what? He played like an ALS victim in handcuffs might have done- which leads me to suspect that when it comes to competitions, music schools, master classes, the thing which plays the biggest role isn't talent, or level of achievement - it's jealousy. I also have a theory about competitions, which I'm not going to elaborate on as of yet, but it pretty much explains why stuff like this goes on- especially when the contestants whom I expect to be competing against in the 3rd round are all eliminated from the 1st, just like me- and you'd be surprised why I think it happens.

By the way, just to show that I can actually turn around and offer a a contemplative, poetic reading of non-super-virtuosic, craze-driven tours-de-force, here's a recording of mine that I think you might enjoy:



Regards,

Octave