Is emoting the "new thing" in piano

[hovva]

Hello all
I came across a youtube series titled "emoting pianists". It's a compilation of videos filled with weird faces, flying hands, etc. Here's vol. 2:

I noticed is that most of the performers are young and the performances are fairly recent. It begs the question of if emoting is the new trend in piano performance. Most of the videos of Horowitz, Rubinstein, and all of the passed legends depict a fairly stern physical expression, regardless of the expression of the piece. This trend is true even with older performers who are still alive (i.e. Baremboim, Argerich, etc.) The older pianists may still make expressions (after all, they're human too) but nothing that feels fake and excessive like some of the newer pianists (some of the stuff I see in the compilations makes me borderline angry). It makes me wonder if maybe it was taught to restrain excessive expression for the sake of professionalism back in the day, but I have no way of knowing that since I wasn't alive then. Personally, I think its a product of the marketization of music. Music is more of an industry now, and youtube makes access to virtually any performance of any piece easy. There's only so much a performer can do to distinguish themselves from all of the other search results relying purely on sound, thus they have turned to emoting to create the illusion of a better performance. Personally I find it fake and lazy. I'd like to hear other opinions, though.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

I think there's other ways to make yourself stand out aside from making weird looking faces.

However if it gets people to come to your concerts I won't chastise them for making crazy faces.  Actually I'll applaud them for it no matter how dumb it may seem.

[mrcreosote]

Duh!  It is show business and basically bad porno and faked orgasms - you pay the hooker and expect a performance.

I, myself, feel embarrassed when this jamokes carry on like this - act like ya been there before.  Lang Lang did his Force 10 from Navarone within inches of a WSJ woman reporter - it was creepy.

But I do have my tastes:  I think Yuja has it going on just right and should turn it up a few notches - her wardrobe that is - raw female sexuality and virtuosity - an Female Warrior - and yes, they are always bikini clad - usually in animal skins.  I say it works and I want to see more of her, literally.  Ligeti's opera sure headed into that arena.

And on my tamer side, I am totally hypnotized by Lisitsa's hands - they are an exquisite ballet for me.  But is she doing bad hand porno?  I'm going with NO, as Rubinstein's head high arm weight drops are functional by oh so exciting!

[ca88313]

.

[ahinton]

Watch Rachmaninoff. Of Michelangeli (who adored Rachmaninoff's playing). The go and prepare a performance of one of Sorabji's large and more challenging works and see how much energy and space it leaves you to make an exhibition of yourself (rather than his music) at the piano as well as actually performing it! Not only is there no excuse for that kind of conduct at the piano, it's also a certain distraction for both performers and audiences alike - and it's at its worst when it's contrived by the performers. The only emotions that need to be on display are those inherent in the work of the composers being played by the pianists - and the performers don't have to fling themselves around, make twisted faces or dress in particular ways in order to do that.

I'd have preferred not to name names but, as two have been mentioned, I found myself far more impressed by listening to Yuja Wang on a radio broadcast playing the piano parts in the Brahms sonatgas for violin and piano with Leonidas Kavakos than by watching her performing wardrobe or those of her contortions at the instrument that don't actually contribute directly to what she's playing - and if some of those absurd shoes that she's sometimes in the habit of wearing don't make pedalling incredibly and unnecessarily difficult, I cannot imagine for the life of me what would! As to Valentina Lisitsa - a lesser pianst than Yuja Wang, to my ears - my only interest in her hands is what she does with them as a pianist.

Best,

Alistair

[hovva]

I think there's other ways to make yourself stand out aside from making weird looking faces.

That's completely true. Rubinstein played with a lot of risk by lifting his hands high off of the keyboard almost in a rhythmic way. I didn't really add to the sound, but it showed he knew what he was doing. It's just annoying to see pianists now result into such a phony and cheap way to sell the music. Idk it bugs me

[mrcreosote]

People who watched Kennedy debate Nixon said Kennedy won.  Those who listened on the radio said Nixon won.

While I have an expensive audiophile stereo system, I prefer to watch these performances. 

And I my favorite to watch is Rubinstein.  And those drops of his are just another method to get force into the keyboard - he's using gravity where others are using inertia.  You won't find people trying to do what Rubinstein did because those high drops turn an easy inertia whip into a very risky leap from above.  But he was that good and I believe he was enthralled by Arm Weight and obviously excited when 73 to tell the 18 year old Pollini about it.  (I became aware of AW one year ago because of the internet (I'm 64) and I'm infatuated with it.  I "discovered" the evils of tension independently when realizing piano was a Marshall Art.)

For me, the arm weight drops are fun and exciting and I am developing that style as much as possible - and yes, leaps are my favorite challenge and are much more advanced than my speed and octaves which in my critical opinion, I totally suck at.

Wow, I would never put Yuja in the emoticon class.  Get past her clothes, she is not a facial embarrassment.

As far as hands go, by watching the hands, you begin to unlock the various techniques that teachers are mostly oblivious to.  Through watching, flat fingers became recognized (Horowitz of course).  And for super pianississimo, you really have to watch. Same goes for octaves and runs.  LL's "claw" octaves and posture make him look like a menacing praying mantis.  An Lisitsa's were condemned by all her teachers.  There is a ragtime virtuoso, can't remember his name, but when reaching for far away bass notes in a crazy fast stride, he hits then with his hand rolled over more than 90 degrees (actually slightly upside down) - the rotation and leap is so great and fast, there is some over rotation.  And you will NOT do better than this guy.   

I fact, the internet is now allowing everyone to watch hands and from that, the techniques of virtuosos is getting out.  Previous to internet, there were hardly any videos or movies available to study.  And 50 years ago, only people to went to the concerts, in a very few seats could actually see what the pianist was doing.

[mike_lang]

I don't think it's always necessarily phony . . . but would encourage young pianists to make themselves aware of what they look like, since the visual is part of the audience's experience . . . too much of that stuff can be distracting to the listener.