Lang Lang and Tippett concerto

[ajmarti6]

Did anyone else attend this concert last night in London. Not sure what i thought. He played with the score on the piano. Why? Difficulty or only recently learned piece. I was on the front row with a perfect view of the hands. more later

Andrew

[BoliverAllmon]

probably just learned the piece. or is this one of his 40 concertoes in repertoire? HMMM......

[ajmarti6]

It was a fantastic concert. I thought it was very brave of him to perform a work like the Tippett concerto. I had never heard of it before and enjoyed hearing something for the very first time in a live performance. It was certainly a physical performancewas Lang Lang contorting his upper and lower body to achieve the effects required.

Something i noticed was his forceful use of the pedal and the constant beat through his body, especially during the orchestral sections.

I think it is often possible for a performance to be great, even if the work performed is not. Does anyone agree?

[SteinwayTony]

Well, good for Lang!  My only concern is that the Tippett concerto may not go over well with some members of Piano Forum, seeing has how he was classified as one of the "50 worst composers." 

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,7370.0.html

[dinosaurtales]

educate me here.  Who is this Tippett, and why is he so appreciated and also awful?

[BoliverAllmon]

It was a fantastic concert. I thought it was very brave of him to perform a work like the Tippett concerto. I had never heard of it before and enjoyed hearing something for the very first time in a live performance. It was certainly a physical performancewas Lang Lang contorting his upper and lower body to achieve the effects required.

Something i noticed was his forceful use of the pedal and the constant beat through his body, especially during the orchestral sections.

I think it is often possible for a performance to be great, even if the work performed is not. Does anyone agree?

no a crap piece is a crap piece. I am not saying that this one is though, cuz I have never heard it.

[cziffra]

I was th one who started the 50 worst composers post, and i voted Tippet..

to be honest, i've only ever heard one piece, one of his songs for voice and piano.  They were set to an AUTOBIOGRAPHY....so, the words are like:

when i was young, i lived near a large creek.  We used to play there all the time, and once i found tadpoles.

coupled with this, it's quite "20thcenturyish" so the music is pretty atonal- the whole effect is RIDICULOUS.  i laughed from start to finish.

ANd althoguh i disagree alot with this guy
https://www.scena.org/columns/lebrecht/041222-NL-tippett.html
he does validate the fact that there is a general lack of positive Tippet reception in the musical world

[SteinwayTony]

I was th one who started the 50 worst composers post, and i voted Tippet..

to be honest, i've only ever heard one piece, one of his songs for voice and piano.  They were set to an AUTOBIOGRAPHY....so, the words are like:

when i was young, i lived near a large creek.  We used to play there all the time, and once i found tadpoles.

coupled with this, it's quite "20thcenturyish" so the music is pretty atonal- the whole effect is RIDICULOUS.  i laughed from start to finish.

ANd althoguh i disagree alot with this guy
https://www.scena.org/columns/lebrecht/041222-NL-tippett.html
he does validate the fact that there is a general lack of positive Tippet reception in the musical world

You might benefit from knowing that the very first music was set to religious texts.  The conservative church found this ridiculous, perhaps even more so than you find the concept of setting an autobiography of music.

Things change and new ideas come up.  You are certainly entitled to your own opinion, but you are also in no position to degrade a composer by labeling him as one of the "50 worst composers." 

Your username is Cziffra.  How do you think Chopin would react to the way Cziffra played his etudes?

Something to think about.

[cziffra]

How do you think Chopin would react to the way Cziffra played his etudes?

You might benefit from knowing that in debating an essay writing the "hyopthetical" is a totally banned device: it proves nothing and anyone can make one up and make it look really convincing.

My answer to your question anyway is that, i do think chopin would have been very pleased.  Given that Cziffra was hailed as the "reincarnation of liszt" for his convincingly lisztian performances, and considering chopin himself said he would have loved to have "stolen liszt's playing of (his) etudes from him," AND also given that last century performances were far more subjective and personal than they are now, so chopin would have been very used to fluctuatiing temperaments of different artists, I  imagine he would have been thrilled.  don't you?  after all, chopin only hated it when people CHANGED what he wrote, and cziffra never adds a note.  He only plays it like cziffra, and very well too.  chopin, as he was with liszt, would have been astonished.

i don't even understand why people think those etude performances are bad- they all have LIFE, and they're note perfect- the mastery and the musical personality we're dealing with here is immense.  so some of it is a bit unusual- well, some of chopin's music is a bit unusual, but that doesn't make him bad.  it makes him unique, and worthwhile.

As for the tippett,
I do agree taste's change and people may not find it ridiculous one day.  that's why i bought a biography of tippett last year, to see if i could learn something about him that would help me get his music.  he was an astonishing man- his commitment and courage and personality all make him a tremendous person.  he decided to be a composer when he was about 16 or something- and he stuck to it through thicka nd thin, which is reall commendable

as for his music- what do YOU think? 
Tippett- the heart's assurance
https://s5.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=09SIWRWWINL9C3JECVTH69K6G5
honestly?


By the way, i didn't expect people to take that worst composers post so seriously.   the reaction seems to have been "Argh! composer-slander! He must be the devil- be gone, foul beaste!" (pronounced with an e, of course)  everything we say doesn't have to be philosophically and politically innocuous all the time.
i guess we're too serious a race of people, us musicians. 

[Doreamon]

Hi,
I didnt' attend to the concerto , but i get the DVD to watch at home. it's really amazing.
                     Michelle

[SteinwayTony]

You might benefit from knowing that in debating an essay writing the "hyopthetical" is a totally banned device: it proves nothing and anyone can make one up and make it look really convincing.

My answer to your question anyway is that, i do think chopin would have been very pleased.  Given that Cziffra was hailed as the "reincarnation of liszt" for his convincingly lisztian performances, and considering chopin himself said he would have loved to have "stolen liszt's playing of (his) etudes from him," AND also given that last century performances were far more subjective and personal than they are now, so chopin would have been very used to fluctuatiing temperaments of different artists, I  imagine he would have been thrilled.  don't you?  after all, chopin only hated it when people CHANGED what he wrote, and cziffra never adds a note.  He only plays it like cziffra, and very well too.  chopin, as he was with liszt, would have been astonished.

i don't even understand why people think those etude performances are bad- they all have LIFE, and they're note perfect- the mastery and the musical personality we're dealing with here is immense.  so some of it is a bit unusual- well, some of chopin's music is a bit unusual, but that doesn't make him bad.  it makes him unique, and worthwhile.

You seem to consider yourself a pretty accomplished essay writer.  So why did you focus almost entirely on one hypothetical statement?  Good work.  A-