Piano Forum

Topic: Unpopular Opinions  (Read 124174 times)

Online liszt-and-the-galops

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1761
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #250 on: October 04, 2024, 10:26:23 AM
That’s not what I said
I never said that's what you said, I only said that that's what it seemed like you were implying.
His reason for not liking scarbo is that it sounds the same all the way through but Le Gibet is more ‘the same’ than scarbo.  So I’m just tryna get a more detailed answer for why he doesn’t like scarbo.
Then phrase your question as a question and not an irritated statement of "fact."
YOU’RE hearing that because you just want drama
Think that if you want. I honestly thought that that's what you were doing when you said this:
Obsessing over difficulty is the shallowest non musical conversation that only exists cause people don’t actually enjoy the music or know how to talk about it
And this:
...But yeah in general everyone talks about the same 10 pieces over and over and over again and don’t actually say anything meaningful about anything.  I’m convinced that don’t even like listening to classical music...

Have a nice day.
Amateur pianist, beginning composer, creator of the Musical Madness tournament (2024-25).
https://www.youtube.com/@Liszt-and-the-Galops
https://sites.google.com/view/musicalmadness-ps/home

Offline rachmaninoff_forever

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 5052
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #251 on: October 04, 2024, 03:05:48 PM
I never said that's what you said, I only said that that's what it seemed like you were implying.Then phrase your question as a question and not an irritated statement of "fact."Think that if you want. I honestly thought that that's what you were doing when you said this:And this:
Have a nice day.

I made a comment on the actual music that has nothing to do with implying anyone is an idiot.  You’re the one who assumed a musical comment is a personal attack.

The later is true I was tryna stir the pot and I love calling people out for it.  Obsessing over what’s harder Petrushka or Gaspard or whatever the top 10 trendy hard pieces are IS shallow and pretty annoying.  I’ve been playing Gaspard to death for the past decade cause everyone’s like oMg iT’S thE hArDest pIeCe Ever instead of having anything actually artistic or musical to say about it
Live large, die large.  Leave a giant coffin.

Online liszt-and-the-galops

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1761
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #252 on: October 04, 2024, 03:34:11 PM
I made a comment on the actual music that has nothing to do with implying anyone is an idiot.  You’re the one who assumed a musical comment is a personal attack.
It very much came across as an attack, regardless of your intentions.
Essentially, you were claiming that your opinion is correct and the other opinion (lelle's) is wrong, when actual opinions can't be right or wrong.
The later is true I was tryna stir the pot and I love calling people out for it.  Obsessing over what’s harder Petrushka or Gaspard or whatever the top 10 trendy hard pieces are IS shallow and pretty annoying.
I agree with that statement; typical difficulty conversations (e.g "Rank these pieces by difficulty: Fantaisie-Impromptu, La Campanella, HR 6, HR 2, Winter Wind, Torrent, FotB, B1") don't interest me in the slightest.
My question is, who were you "calling out" when you said that?
Amateur pianist, beginning composer, creator of the Musical Madness tournament (2024-25).
https://www.youtube.com/@Liszt-and-the-Galops
https://sites.google.com/view/musicalmadness-ps/home

Online thorn

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 813
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #253 on: October 04, 2024, 04:11:02 PM
Surely "caring about the music" means not derailing threads with this rubbish...

Is that an unpopular opinion?

Offline rachmaninoff_forever

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 5052
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #254 on: October 04, 2024, 05:29:26 PM
It very much came across as an attack, regardless of your intentions.
Essentially, you were claiming that your opinion is correct and the other opinion (lelle's) is wrong, when actual opinions can't be right or wrong.I agree with that statement; typical difficulty conversations (e.g "Rank these pieces by difficulty: Fantaisie-Impromptu, La Campanella, HR 6, HR 2, Winter Wind, Torrent, FotB, B1") don't interest me in the slightest.
My question is, who were you "calling out" when you said that?

If it came across as an attack that has everything to with you and not with me.  I didn’t claim he was right or wrong or not all I said was that Le Gibet is more ‘the same’ as Scarbo.  I don’t even like Gaspard and I have no reason to defend it.

If I throw a rock and it hits you holler if it doesn’t then keep it moving
Live large, die large.  Leave a giant coffin.

Offline transitional

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 832
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #255 on: October 05, 2024, 03:52:34 AM
I like Gaspard but think Scarbo is a bit too long and samey, even in the hands of a really good pianist. I wish he could have found a way to shorten it a bit. Especially on the first dozen listens it's just this long slog of samey stuff-that-happens. Ondine and Le Gibet on the other hand are lovely.
Ravel had much better pieces. I get the feeling from listening to Gaspard that everyone loves it primarily because of its sheer difficulty. It's dense, which is cool, I suppose, until I heard Daphnis et Chloe. Not everything needs to be on a piano.

Scarbo like isn’t a waltz at all though lol
As for my favorite Ravel piece, I love La Valse, which you could potentially classify as a "grotesque waltz". It has some beautiful rolling moments and the opening, while a bit irritating at first, opens up throughout the different overlapping melodies. Each distinct idea has many things done with it, but it's never too hard to follow. Also, the original orchestral version is just one of the most stunning orchestrations I've ever heard.
last 3 schubert sonatas and piano trios are something else

Offline transitional

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 832
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #256 on: October 05, 2024, 03:56:47 AM
However, the primary reason that I dislike her is that she hold pro-Putin views.
I'm a big proponent of separating the art from the artist, but in this case, Lisitsa doesn't really have anything to offer. She can play a bunch of over-boasted warhorse pieces cleanly but I just don't listen. Still don't hate her.

Maybe I talk about him too much, but here's an unpopular opinion: Lang Lang's "exaggeration" actually works. It's like Pogorelich but somewhat worse ... which is still effective. It may not be the deepest interpretation, but he's my go to for HR 2 and 6, and a bunch of other flashy pieces. I feel like he plays the finale of Chopin Sonata 3 too slow though, for some reason.
last 3 schubert sonatas and piano trios are something else

Offline transitional

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 832
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #257 on: October 05, 2024, 03:59:58 AM
So anyone who likes Le Gibet is an idiot for liking something that's the essentially the same throughout?
Actually, Ravel is known for his repetition, to an extent. Personally, Bolero is a drag for me and it's all the same simple chords that keep getting bigger, but I do see the appeal. I feel like it's always fresh but actually calls for more expansion. He could have added a second theme with a V chord or something and a slow decrescendo, or something else that draws it back if you're looking for peak boredom. And just like Ravel said, it's typically played too fast. But I would really rather just listen to Reich if I want a true minimalist piece.
last 3 schubert sonatas and piano trios are something else

Online thorn

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 813
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #258 on: October 05, 2024, 09:59:05 AM
Daphnis and Chloe is on another level. Favourite Ravel work hands down.

I also like La Valse, but for me "each distinct idea has many things done with it" applies to Scarbo too. Also I like Constant's orchestration of Scarbo (I don't think Ondine works and Le Gibet is too literal with the bell).

As for Bolero, Ravel was annoyed that of all his compositions that would be the one he was best known for. You'll find a lot of repetition in all the most famous classical pieces- eg. Moonlight 1st mvt- because it's what the general listener wants, look at popular music too (an observation not necessarily a criticism).

I'm not a fan of Lang Lang as a pianist but he's done a lot in education/raising the profile of pianists so I respect him for that. Pogorelich I liked more when he was younger. I recently heard his Petrushka from I think the 2010s? And the politest thing I can say is the Emperor's new clothes. It's a ballet. Who could dance to that performance?

Offline gasplamey

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 418
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #259 on: October 11, 2024, 09:25:11 PM
Rather than comment this on latg's thread, I'll comment it here.
Le Festin D'esope sucks.

Really, all of Alkan sucks.
(\_/)
(^.^)
(><)

I have copied Siberian Husky's "Bunny" into my signature to aid his quest for world domination. Now you must do the same.
Now why can't I make this Courier New font...

Offline dizzyfingers

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 330
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #260 on: October 12, 2024, 02:00:57 PM
Rather than comment this on latg's thread, I'll comment it here.
Le Festin D'esope sucks.

Really, all of Alkan sucks.


Actually I think that's the popular opinion - -

Online liszt-and-the-galops

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1761
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #261 on: October 12, 2024, 03:30:18 PM
Rather than comment this on latg's thread, I'll comment it here.
Le Festin D'esope sucks.

Really, all of Alkan sucks.

Actually I think that's the popular opinion - -
Are you insane?
It is certainly not the popular opinion among those who know about Alkan.
And just because he isn't well-known doesn't mean he's terrible.
Amateur pianist, beginning composer, creator of the Musical Madness tournament (2024-25).
https://www.youtube.com/@Liszt-and-the-Galops
https://sites.google.com/view/musicalmadness-ps/home

Offline transitional

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 832
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #262 on: October 12, 2024, 10:59:56 PM
If I look up a random Alkan, chances are I won't like it, but I won't hate it like Mereaux, who feels like the romantic period version of a random Musescore composer.

I do like some Alkan pieces though, like Les Quatre Ages.
last 3 schubert sonatas and piano trios are something else

Offline dizzyfingers

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 330
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #263 on: October 13, 2024, 03:14:35 AM

Offline pianistavt

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 389
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #264 on: October 18, 2024, 02:15:38 PM
Are you insane?
It is certainly not the popular opinion among those who know about Alkan.
And just because he isn't well-known doesn't mean he's terrible.

Alkan is known by serious pianists.  He's not known by the concert going public because pianists opt not to program him.  Pianists opt not to program him because ... ?

Offline rachmaninoff_forever

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 5052
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #265 on: October 18, 2024, 09:39:12 PM
Alkan is known by most who seriously explore classical piano.  He's not known by the concert going public because pianists opt not to program him.  Pianists opt not to program him because ... ??

Even if he was popular amongst pianists Alkan doesn’t make money.  Standard rep makes money
Live large, die large.  Leave a giant coffin.

Offline pianistavt

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 389
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #266 on: October 18, 2024, 10:45:06 PM
Even if he was popular amongst pianists Alkan doesn’t make money.  Standard rep makes money

That's certainly true of the symphony orchestras but less so for the soloist - - it's more about the musician.  Marc Andre Hamelin, is the perfect example.  And here's a recent tour program by Yuja Wang:
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-flat major, Op. 31 No. 3
Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F-sharp minor, Op. 23
Ligeti: Étude No. 4 "Fanfares"
Kapustin: Variations Op. 41
Bach/Busoni: Chaconne in D minor
Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 8 in B-flat major, Op. 84

Programming Alkan is difficult though ....

Offline transitional

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 832
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #267 on: October 18, 2024, 11:15:20 PM
Interesting! Glad to see that so many mainstream pianists are bringing more contemporary repertoire onto the stage. Many people say MAH plays obscure repertoire, but a lot of it could be standard repertoire if it wasn't so difficult for everyone else. I think this is a problem with big names in contemporary music - there isn't much for students to learn that I can think of, besides a little bit of Bagatelles and other smaller pieces.
last 3 schubert sonatas and piano trios are something else

Offline rachmaninoff_forever

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 5052
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #268 on: October 19, 2024, 05:25:57 PM
That's certainly true of the symphony orchestras but less so for the soloist - - it's more about the musician.  Marc Andre Hamelin, is the perfect example.  And here's a recent tour program by Yuja Wang:
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-flat major, Op. 31 No. 3
Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F-sharp minor, Op. 23
Ligeti: Étude No. 4 "Fanfares"
Kapustin: Variations Op. 41
Bach/Busoni: Chaconne in D minor
Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 8 in B-flat major, Op. 84

Programming Alkan is difficult though ....

I agree a little bit I think less for the soloist but not by much.  Hamelin and Wang will sell out no matter what cause they’re brand name so they can play whatever they want.  The rest of the working pianist landscape can’t do that if they wanna be invited to play again and not do recitals for 200 dollars every three months lol

And yeah the fact that Alkan so high maintainence makes him a financial waste of time to learn unless you’re brand name
Live large, die large.  Leave a giant coffin.

Offline dizzyfingers

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 330
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #269 on: October 20, 2024, 01:35:54 PM
I agree a little bit I think less for the soloist but not by much.  Hamelin and Wang will sell out no matter what cause they’re brand name so they can play whatever they want.  The rest of the working pianist landscape can’t do that if they wanna be invited to play again and not do recitals for 200 dollars every three months lol

And yeah the fact that Alkan so high maintainence makes him a financial waste of time to learn unless you’re brand name

Is your life like this?
&t=505s



Offline rachmaninoff_forever

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 5052
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #270 on: October 20, 2024, 09:38:53 PM
Is your life like this?
&t=505s

Eh kinda.  I don’t have an agent.  I’ve been approached by a big one a little over a year ago after concert but when I tried messaging her she didn’t respond.  Everything he says about agencies is true though.  I know some people who have gone through some of the things he’s said.

It’s a lot of traveling and never any time to practice.  I don’t remember the last time I performed in tip top shape lol.  But it kinda doesn’t matter cause your average artistic director (the only people who matter) can’t tell the difference between you at 100% vs 70%. 

The fee break down eeeeeeh.  Sort of that depends on the organization.  And the amount of hours you need to practice eeeeh also depends.  Sometimes you show up and rehearse and perform with the orchestra the next day. 

Only netting 1300 for soloing with orchestra is terrible.  However all the times I’ve played in Europe I get paid much less than in the US so that makes sense.  In the US my fee doesn’t include travel and living situations.  Sometimes they’ll pay for my food as well.  So if I ask for 3 I’m getting 3 straight up.  Europe does take a lot out of your initial fee.
Live large, die large.  Leave a giant coffin.

Offline transitional

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 832
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #271 on: October 21, 2024, 03:29:46 AM
Ravel Bolero is actually good and gets better the more you listen to it. It also works best at .75 speed, which clocks to ~17 minutes like Ravel intended.
last 3 schubert sonatas and piano trios are something else

Offline rachmaninoff_forever

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 5052
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #272 on: November 01, 2024, 12:58:18 AM
Amending my opinion from earlier this year:
They should get rid of ALL competitions all together
Live large, die large.  Leave a giant coffin.

Offline klavieronin

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 892
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #273 on: November 01, 2024, 03:37:50 AM
Amending my opinion from earlier this year:
They should get rid of ALL competitions all together
I don't pay much attention to competitions either but I would like to see piano duels make a comeback.

Offline rachmaninoff_forever

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 5052
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #274 on: November 01, 2024, 04:11:51 AM
I don't pay much attention to competitions either but I would like to see piano duels make a comeback.

You mean like this?

i=Zo8rLL276xPoQA9l


It’s piano and organ but we be trading all the time in the BAM scene

Live large, die large.  Leave a giant coffin.

Offline klavieronin

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 892
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #275 on: November 01, 2024, 06:18:24 AM
You mean like this?
It’s piano and organ but we be trading all the time in the BAM scene

I was actually think about duels like the famous Liszt vs. Thalberg duel but that video was freak'n awesome! Mad, mad skills!

Online thorn

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 813
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #276 on: November 01, 2024, 01:17:06 PM
I'd also prefer piano duels. Sure they probably have more of a dick measuring vibe than competitions but they're also more free and improvisation-based. Competitions these days are just which nepo kid can play the same old pieces to an adjudicating panel of their own teachers.

Offline themeandvariation

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 863
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #277 on: November 01, 2024, 05:57:00 PM
You mean like this?

It’s piano and organ but we be trading all the time in the BAM scene

certainly shakes off the dead skin. Great round-robin relay! It's a pleasure to see such sharp ears along with technical ease. An empowering antidote for these times.
4'33"

Offline rachmaninoff_forever

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 5052
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #278 on: March 06, 2025, 11:36:16 PM
Okay IVE HAD IT 😡

NO MORE will I put up with people disrespecting my mans lang lang

He’s been performing when since he was 5, recorded and toured rach 3 when he was 18, and used to do like 150 concerts a year.  Yeah he’s been injured, but I’d take an injury like that if that means I get to have a quarter of the career he’s had

All that crazy theatrical stuff he does who cares he’s earned that sh*t.  He’s done more for classical music than the entire Juilliard faculty.  Or Curtis.  Or whatever school idgaf pick one.

Live large, die large.  Leave a giant coffin.

Offline transitional

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 832
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #279 on: March 07, 2025, 12:12:42 AM
Pretty much completely agree. But I think that all the Curtis faculty have done as much as Lang Lang.

He's not my favorite pianist, but he's one of my favorite living pianists. (With Sokolov, Uchida, etc.)
last 3 schubert sonatas and piano trios are something else

Offline dizzyfingers

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 330
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #280 on: March 07, 2025, 03:54:38 PM
Okay IVE HAD IT 😡

NO MORE will I put up with people disrespecting my mans lang lang

He’s been performing when since he was 5, recorded and toured rach 3 when he was 18, and used to do like 150 concerts a year.  Yeah he’s been injured, but I’d take an injury like that if that means I get to have a quarter of the career he’s had

All that crazy theatrical stuff he does who cares he’s earned that sh*t.  He’s done more for classical music than the entire Juilliard faculty.  Or Curtis.  Or whatever school idgaf pick one.

... finally a good defense of Lang Lang
... the first I've ever heard

Offline ned174849

  • PS Silver Member
  • Newbie
  • ***
  • Posts: 10
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #281 on: March 23, 2025, 05:25:36 PM
Medtner > rachmaninoff  ;D

Online liszt-and-the-galops

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1761
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #282 on: March 23, 2025, 05:49:39 PM
Medtner > rachmaninoff  ;D
Honestly I don't like Rachmaninoff that much, and I much prefer the (admittedly only one lmao) Medtner I've heard over Rach's work.

In case anyone's wondering, that one Medtner work that I've listened to is the Night Wind Sonata (which is probably one of my favorite piano sonatas), and writing this post has made me realize just how much I need to listen to more Medtner.
Amateur pianist, beginning composer, creator of the Musical Madness tournament (2024-25).
https://www.youtube.com/@Liszt-and-the-Galops
https://sites.google.com/view/musicalmadness-ps/home

Offline ned174849

  • PS Silver Member
  • Newbie
  • ***
  • Posts: 10
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #283 on: March 23, 2025, 06:00:16 PM
Honestly I don't like Rachmaninoff that much, and I much prefer the (admittedly only one lmao) Medtner I've heard over Rach's work.

In case anyone's wondering, that one Medtner work that I've listened to is the Night Wind Sonata, and writing this post has made me realize just how much I need to listen to more Medtner.

Couldn’t agree with you more. The more I listen to Rach, the more I don’t care for his music.
For Medtner might I suggest the following:
His sonata Romantica op 53 no 1
Piano Sonata op 30
Piano Sonata op 22 (Gilels has a good recording)
His sonata triad op 11 (all three are incredible)
I’d also recommend his three cycles of forgetten melodies (op 38, 39, 40) which include the sonata tragic as well as the famous sonata reminescenes. All of his fairy tails are worth checking out as well.

Online liszt-and-the-galops

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1761
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #284 on: March 23, 2025, 06:14:21 PM
Couldn’t agree with you more. The more I listen to Rach, the more I don’t care for his music.
For Medtner might I suggest the following:
His sonata Romantica op 53 no 1
Piano Sonata op 30
Piano Sonata op 22 (Gilels has a good recording)
His sonata triad op 11 (all three are incredible)
I’d also recommend his three cycles of forgetten melodies (op 38, 39, 40) which include the sonata tragic as well as the famous sonata reminescenes. All of his fairy tails are worth checking out as well.
Thanks for the suggestions! :)
Amateur pianist, beginning composer, creator of the Musical Madness tournament (2024-25).
https://www.youtube.com/@Liszt-and-the-Galops
https://sites.google.com/view/musicalmadness-ps/home

Offline dizzyfingers

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 330
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #285 on: June 21, 2025, 01:27:48 PM

Anyway, leaving Mozart aside I don't know how unpopular this opinion is but the idea of the "three Bs" has never worked for me.  Bach and Beethoven I don't question. But it's very difficult to pinpoint a Romantic composer who was on that level. From a purely pianistic perspective I'd go with Liszt because regardless of subjective taste, he was involved with the development of the modern piano and the compositional styles of the 20th c. big guns, France and Russia. But if you look outside 'just' piano for a composer that impacted music on a holistic level to the extent of Bach and Beethoven? To me the Romantic composers just elevated late Beethoven to longer forms, greater technical feats, and so on. To me you have to look at the 20th c. to find the same kind of innovation on a fundamental level- Debussy perhaps.

Regarding:  "Romantic composers just elevated late Beethoven to longer forms, greater technical feats, and so on."  This could be your unpopular opinion.  Some have argued that the romantic era in music is a footnote to Beethoven, but it's a hard argument to win.

Certainly Beethoven's revolutionary, push-the-limits spirit heralded the romantic movement, but Beethoven's music is expositorial, extroverted, even at his most personal, he's saying "I want you to listen to this".  The romantic spirit reversed this.  "I want to listen to this."  That's why the piano became such a primary force in 19th century music, it's the perfect instrument for mining the inner world, or to share his inner world with intimates.  Eventually that approach successfully made it to the concert stage, thanks to Liszt, which changed this impetus.

Online thorn

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 813
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #286 on: June 21, 2025, 06:01:32 PM
So that post was a year ago and I don't think I'd necessarily change my main point- that pre-Classical and Romantic music have more in common than Romantic and modern music (defining 'modern' as things like Impressionism, modernism, jazz, serialism etc, not Romantic styles written after 1900). But where I originally argued that in the case of piano repertoire this was down to Liszt's innovations and their influence on 20th c. composers, I now see it as coming from how much the world opened up- meaning composers were now regularly exposed to music from outside of Europe. Only someone who heard gamelan could have written like Debussy and Ravel, likewise Ravel's postwar style would not exist without jazz.

But yes, I wouldn't say "Romantic composers just elevated late Beethoven" anymore. I don't think generic statements are helpful in any discussion. Likewise I wouldn't say Beethoven was always extroverted- eg. the slow movement of Hammerklavier is so powerful because it's a moment of introspection in what is otherwise an extroverted work.

And lastly, I don't believe the piano recital came from introspection. It came from 19th century consumerism- a soloist is less expensive than an orchestra, but you sell the same amount of tickets so there's more profit. This is the seed that grew into celebrity pianists, piano competitions, standard repertoire, and so on. 

Offline dizzyfingers

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 330
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #287 on: August 03, 2025, 01:15:06 PM
Is it true that Bach was a deeply religious man?
And is not true that Bach's deep belief in God underpins most, if not all, of his musical output?
And can we say that Bach is the cornerstone of Germanic (and beyond) classical music for the next 200 years (1730-1930)?
Then, is it not true then that all Germanic classical music has its roots in a deep belief in God (or the Cosmic)
I think this is why so many of it's composers give us "epic music" - Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler.
Not sure what happened to Strauss, that heathen.

Offline psipsi8

  • PS Silver Member
  • Jr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 54
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #288 on: August 19, 2025, 08:43:19 AM
Is it true that Bach was a deeply religious man?
And is not true that Bach's deep belief in God underpins most, if not all, of his musical output?
And can we say that Bach is the cornerstone of Germanic (and beyond) classical music for the next 200 years (1730-1930)?
Then, is it not true then that all Germanic classical music has its roots in a deep belief in God (or the Cosmic)
I think this is why so many of it's composers give us "epic music" - Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler.
Not sure what happened to Strauss, that heathen.
I agree with all of the above. However, to what extent did this God-fearing and praising mindset filter down into the general population and if it did to any significant extent, for what period of time? Did new philosophical movements take its place and how did they manage to dislodge it? How to explain later historical events with reference to the deep religious belief that imbues this music?

Offline dizzyfingers

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 330
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #289 on: August 19, 2025, 02:35:55 PM
... to what extent did this God-fearing and praising mindset filter down into the general population and if it did to any significant extent, for what period of time?
Yes, much of Germany and Europe was Christian in 1750, not sure when the numbers starting notably diminishing.

Did new philosophical movements take its place and how did they manage to dislodge it?
If any singular philosophic movement took it's place, it would be The Enlightment, where human reason was put on quite a pedestal, this was accompanied by the scientific revolution.  The industrial revolution (leading to consumerism) lead people to focus more on enjoying this life rather than planning for the afterlife.

Why don't you have a conversation with an AI chat about these questions, you'll probably get some good answers.  I recommend https://www.perplexity.ai/  over ChatGPT.

Online liszt-and-the-galops

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1761
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #290 on: August 19, 2025, 04:35:40 PM
Why don't you have a conversation with an AI chat about these questions, you'll probably get some good answers.  I recommend https://www.perplexity.ai/  over ChatGPT.
Ah yes, a predictive text algorithm that's wrong about half the time, is confidently incorrect when it's incorrect, harms the environment, and steals from everyone on the internet to enhance it's own "abilities." This will surely give 100% accurate answers regarding these topics and no harm can come of it.

Anyways apparently it's an unpopular opinion that "AI" isn't the best thing since sliced bread.
Amateur pianist, beginning composer, creator of the Musical Madness tournament (2024-25).
https://www.youtube.com/@Liszt-and-the-Galops
https://sites.google.com/view/musicalmadness-ps/home

Online thorn

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 813
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #291 on: August 20, 2025, 12:44:46 PM
Ah yes, a predictive text algorithm that's wrong about half the time, is confidently incorrect when it's incorrect, harms the environment, and steals from everyone on the internet to enhance it's own "abilities." This will surely give 100% accurate answers regarding these topics and no harm can come of it.

Anyways apparently it's an unpopular opinion that "AI" isn't the best thing since sliced bread.

I saw a post recently that suggested instead of setting traditional assignments, professors should give students an AI generated essay and have them write papers about the extent of its accuracy. I personally find AI stuff super depressing but accept that it's here to stay. So I think this is a great idea for working with these generators vs. trying to prevent people from using them.

Offline dizzyfingers

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 330
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #292 on: August 20, 2025, 04:09:25 PM
I saw a post recently that suggested instead of setting traditional assignments, professors should give students an AI generated essay and have them write papers about the extent of its accuracy. I personally find AI stuff super depressing but accept that it's here to stay. So I think this is a great idea for working with these generators vs. trying to prevent people from using them.

Nice comment.  Yes, it's here to stay, and it's presence in our lives is growing.   LLM's scan existing text data, so for information that is established, they are reliable.  Regarding the above topic - analyzing history - they probably wouldn't do so well.

Offline dizzyfingers

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 330
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #293 on: August 20, 2025, 04:10:05 PM
GUESS WHAT?
THE LAST POST DOESN'T WIN !

Offline psipsi8

  • PS Silver Member
  • Jr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 54
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #294 on: August 20, 2025, 05:48:42 PM
Yes, much of Germany and Europe was Christian in 1750, not sure when the numbers starting notably diminishing.
If any singular philosophic movement took it's place, it would be The Enlightment, where human reason was put on quite a pedestal, this was accompanied by the scientific revolution.  The industrial revolution (leading to consumerism) lead people to focus more on enjoying this life rather than planning for the afterlife.

Why don't you have a conversation with an AI chat about these questions, you'll probably get some good answers.  I recommend https://www.perplexity.ai/  over ChatGPT.
The Enlightenment happened before Bach (ok maybe around his time), Brahms, etc.
So this doesn't explain how cultures which gave us this beautiful music lost their footing. Unless it didn't run very deep. I mean, come on, the industrial revolution was able to dislodge such depth? I made this comment initially not because I don't have a clue about european history, but because people sometimes make the mistake of moving to certain european countries, thinking that since they gave us such beautiful music, or literature, or poetry, that the culture has something great to offer. But they may end up being disappointed. The ideals which drove these composers to compose pieces of such beauty - whether out of reverence to God or for secular purposes - seem to have been displaced by more cynical political movements, not even philosophical. Like a descent into barbarism for the most part. Like look at WWII for example, which has cast a very long shadow which continues even during modern times while the ideals which our favourite composers embodied through their music seem to have been lost forever from the culture.

Online liszt-and-the-galops

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1761
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #295 on: August 20, 2025, 06:54:11 PM
Yes, it's here to stay, and it's presence in our lives is growing.
It doesn't have to be. It's only "here to stay" because corporations are trying to force it on everyone.

LLM's scan existing text data
You have no problems with this? Or about the fact that they also "scan" (read: steal) art created by people on the internet?

so for information that is established, they are reliable.
Nope. Just one counterexample: I think it's pretty well-established that La Campanella isn't the hardest piano piece, yet if you ask any predictive text algorithm there's at least a 90% chance that they'll claim it is. At best, they'll give an equally wrong answer like Gaspard, HR 6, or Islamey. They'll also sound identical to how they would sound if they were actually correct about something, so a casual user isn't going to notice that predictive text is giving them a very wrong and poorly-researched answer.

"AI"s give the popular answer, which is not necessarily the correct one.

Regarding the above topic - analyzing history - they probably wouldn't do so well.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that the exact thing you recommended using it for?
Why don't you have a conversation with an AI chat about these questions, you'll probably get some good answers.  I recommend https://www.perplexity.ai/  over ChatGPT.

GUESS WHAT?
THE LAST POST DOESN'T WIN !
That doesn't have anything to do with this thread, lol. I'm guessing you meant to post this on LPW?
Amateur pianist, beginning composer, creator of the Musical Madness tournament (2024-25).
https://www.youtube.com/@Liszt-and-the-Galops
https://sites.google.com/view/musicalmadness-ps/home

Offline dizzyfingers

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 330
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #296 on: August 20, 2025, 08:20:57 PM
The Enlightenment happened before Bach (ok maybe around his time), Brahms, etc.
How about stop the guesswork and do some research? 
Here: I pretended I was you, and I clicked on the link to perplexity.ai and I asked "when was European music influenced by the Enlightenment"?. 
Here's the response:
"European music was under the influence of the Enlightenment roughly from the early-to-mid 18th century through the early 19th century, which historians often associate with the period between about 1730 and 1820. This era, also known as the "Age of Reason," saw a shift from the ornate and complex Baroque style to the more accessible, structured, and balanced Classical style. The ideas of equality, reason, and the accessibility of art for all people deeply shaped music during this time."

Another question:   When were Bach's keyboard music written?
"Johann Sebastian Bach composed keyboard music throughout his career, with significant periods of activity between roughly 1720 and 1740."

So there is some overlap between JS Bach, a baroque composer, and the dates of the classical period given above, which is notably influenced by ideals of the Enlightment.  One of the earliest composers of the classical style was Bach's son, Johann Christian Bach.

Online liszt-and-the-galops

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1761
Re: Unpopular Opinions
Reply #297 on: August 20, 2025, 08:49:12 PM
I clicked on the link to perplexity.ai and I asked "when was European music influenced by the Enlightenment"?. 
Here's the response:
"European music was under the influence of the Enlightenment roughly from the early-to-mid 18th century through the early 19th century, which historians often associate with the period between about 1730 and 1820. This era, also known as the "Age of Reason," saw a shift from the ornate and complex Baroque style to the more accessible, structured, and balanced Classical style. The ideas of equality, reason, and the accessibility of art for all people deeply shaped music during this time."
The Enlightenment period is generally considered to have started in 1685 (by happenstance, the same year that J.S. Bach was born), and ended in 1815. Brahms, Liszt, Alkan, Chaminade, the Schumanns, Chopin, Fauré, Thalberg, and Mendelssohn were all born in 1809 or later, meaning they all would have been at most six years old by the time the Enlightenment ended; pretty sure that most of them weren't exactly composing their most notable works at that point. Additionally, by the time that Czerny was writing his most notable non-pedagogical works, it was already in the 1820s (his second Sonata was published in 1821, and his 11th and final one was published in 1843). So I would definitely say that the Enlightenment happened before Brahms et. al.

How about stop the guesswork and do some research?
  • Says "do some research"
  • Asks predictive text to spit something out instead of doing any research
Amateur pianist, beginning composer, creator of the Musical Madness tournament (2024-25).
https://www.youtube.com/@Liszt-and-the-Galops
https://sites.google.com/view/musicalmadness-ps/home
For more information about this topic, click search below!

Piano Street Magazine:
Argerich-Alink’s Piano Competitions Directory – 2025 Edition

In today’s crowded music competition landscape, it’s challenging for young musicians to discern which opportunities are truly worthwhile. The new 2025 edition of the Argerich-Alink Foundation’s comprehensive guide to piano competitions, provides valuable insights and inspiration for those competing or aspiring to compete, but also for anyone who just wants an updated overview of the global piano landscape. Read more
 

Logo light pianostreet.com - the website for classical pianists, piano teachers, students and piano music enthusiasts.

Subscribe for unlimited access

Sign up

Follow us

Piano Street Digicert