Music
Scheherazade
Rimsky-Korsakov weaves a ballad to interpret
the “1001 and one Nights’
or more popularly named as “The Arabian Nights”.
This is a compilation of the stories titled Sinbad.
Alkladin, Ali baba, prince Kalender, and etc.
The main story goes that a woman, slated for execution,
narrated to the Caliph a captivating story each night.
As a result, the Caliph liked her tales so much that she
pardoned her and kept her as story-teller.
The woman’s name was Scheherazade,
and the tales are compiled and titled
“Arabian Nights.”
In this performance,
the violinist plays a theme to depict Scheherazade
as she begins another tale for the Caliph’s ears.
Visualize the Storm,the Young Prince and the Princess, and etc.
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1
Playing the Third Movement of this concerto,
both Masleev and Trifonov displays
mastery of the ivory keys.
There is, however, a marked difference
in the results.
Can you spot the difference?
Dina Ivanova
Competing in the Finals
of the Franz Liszt Competition
is Dina Ivanova
Denis Matsuev (by very popular requests)
Rachmaninoff Piano Concert0 No. 2
Playing Rachmaninoff in St Petersburg is Dennis Matsuev.
The first amazing item I noticed in him was his fingers.
It is traditional for concert pianists to have noticeably long fingers
to enable them to span the distance between
two ivory keys with ease.
Matsuev have short and stubby fingers
which may have been responsible for his inability
to sustain notes a trifle longer.
As a result, some passages which require romantic expressions
turn out to be a bit hurried
as if whispering sweet nothings to the object of romance
become hurried and spiritless enterprise.
This catastrophe is well displayed in the second movement.
In composition, the second movement
is where the conversation between the audience and the pianist is initiated.
When started, the pianist must hold the audience in rapture towards
the third movement, or the recapitulation.
Denis missed this cue but preferred instead
to wow his audience with technical prowess.
And this he did with his flying fingers.
It sometimes appeared
that his fingers move faster than the eye could follow.
Still, I miss the romantic rapture
that this concerto is supposedly endowed with.
Incidentally, from the Third Movement
is where the theme for the song
“Full Moon and Empty Arms” is derived.
Probably Denis would perform his best
if he plays the compositions of Franz Liszt
such as the Hungarian Rhapsodies or the Etudes,
but not, of course,
the “Un Suspiro” nor the “Consolation No. 3”
These pieces are for the desperately romantics.
Native Dance
A Chinese New Year Celebration
on stage.
Chino Y Nacho
Venezuelan guys Chino Y Nacho
sing “Sin Ti”
Van Cliburn At Moscow
The Paddock Mow-Down
Now don’t guess, ANALYZE!
At first notion, I thought that this
merciless butchery of concert goers
is Paddock’s Farewell To Arms.
He planned to leave and live!
Think about it.
Come Together
Speaker Paul Ryan’s call—-
We hope both parties heard this call…
(all hands hold the rope..)
Rhapsody on a Harley-Davidson
Rhapsody on a Harley-Davidson
I’m just kidding, of course.
It can’t be done on a Harley-Davidson.
But why would I say
Rhapsody on a Harley-Davidson
if it can’t be done on a motorbike?
You might have guessed, though,
that what I have in mind is the
Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini,
and the reason for the caption is this :
This is Danill Trifonov in his characteristic posture
when he is concentrating on the notes.
Notice that this posture is assumed by bikers
when they are in a hurry to get to a diner
before the rain catches up on them.
Trifonov does reflect the notion
that he is whizzing through the composition.
Well, in fact he is!
Rachmaninov composed this rhapsody by
putting up 18 variations of a theme
played by Paganini.
The 14th variation is, however, the one that tops the others.
In fact, I believe that Rachmaninov composed 17
more variations of this theme because he wanted
to showcase the 14th variation.
This particular theme by Paganini is made up
of about 8 notes which were introduced
in the beginning of the piece.
The 14th variation is simply the inverted notes
of the theme and excessively stretched out
to give the listener a pleasant surprise.
You will recognize the 14th variation
when suddenly you drop your horses
to listen enraptured by the music.
Stingray Music on Shaw TV
Non-stop Music
for non-stop naps.
(10 minutes download, 2 hours playtime, best to copy on memory stick))
(if you prefer Xmas music, type Christmas in the search box)
Synchronized
Perfectly synchronized.
I would add a third singer for the blend.
Christmas MP3s
Bobby Vinton
Consolation No. 3
The compositions of Franz Liszt are arguably too difficult technically for the other pianists. But his romantic compositions rivaled, if not surpassed, those of his good Polish friend Fredric Chopin. The nocturnes of Chopin and his ballades are susceptible to the sensitivities of women.
When Liszt did compose for the sensitivities of the heart, he is tops. His Consolations did what they are supposed to do—console.
With this particular piece, however, the music does not only console, it caresses.
No exceptionally technical composition, this time, just plain breath taker.
Vladimir Horowitz
One of the greatest pianists of our time is Vladimir Horowitz, him with the long fingers—they always come with long fingers. He is one who not only transcribes for the piano, but rearranges the composition. And plays the rearrangement, too.
One of the tricks in doing this is to play a portion of the music theme on the left hand and playing the other portion of the music with his right. This was the conventional way of playing a piece in the Classical period. Mozart did this, so was Bach and Haydn. In those days the rules of composition were very strict, so strict in such a way that pianists are wont to play a piece a part with one hand and the other part with the other hand. In some ways, the music ended up as contrapuntal. And if the melody played by one hand compliments the melody played by the other hand then the music gets the attention that it is worth.
Vladimir Horowitz does this in Franz Liszt’ Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. What is more amazing, though, is that he adhered to the proper Hungarian accentuation that is afforded the music. Here is the Liszt-Horowitz version:
Don’t mistake me for having inclinations for making music. In truth, I never tinkled a piano, nor scraped a violin, nor plucked a mandolin. I just have good ears, not large ears, good ears which I kept clean. How do I know the terms of music corn-position? I had a girl friend who studied in the Conservatory of Music.
I do declare it pays to have a girl friend who studies in the Conservatory of Music who would keep you very much interested.
In music, of course.
Noboyuki Tsujii
A gold medal for Noboyuki Tsujii of Japan, tied for First Place, in the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He plays here two of Franz Liszt favorites, the La Campanella and the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. Although not as fast on the keys as Lang Lang, he makes up for it with special feelings added to the music. Amazing, I should say, because Noboyuki is almost blind.
(another treat for the Music Promotion Foundation)
Haochen Zhang
Tied for First Place in the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is Haochen Zhang of China.
He plays here Three Movements from Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka.
(a treat for the Music Promotion Foundation)
Yeol Eum Son
Yeol Eum Son from Korea won the silver medal on the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Forth Worth, Texas.
She plays here the Rhapsodie Espagnole of Franz Liszt. This is a bonus performance.
(a treat for the Music Promotion Foundation)
Lang Lang Plays Franz Liszt in London
I knew it.
The time I watched Lang Lang breeze through that Third Movement of Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1, this guy has more dexterity in his fingers than sensitivity in his heart. His fingers fly through the chords faster than you can see them. This guy is not a Van Cliburn, and hardly can he ever be an Artur Rubinstein. He has more perfunction than feeling. A Franz Liszt repertoire would be best for him, not a Mendelsohnn nor a Chopin.
And there you have it, a Franz Liszt concert for him featuring most of what people like about Franz Liszt. I mean he played La Campanella, Un Suspiro, Paganini Variations, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 and Consolation No.2. Although I would prefer that he chose Consolation No. 3, instead.
He was successful in this London concert despite the disabling visual shows that made his performance both impossible and possible.
The intro is the “La Campanella” a theme adopted from that of Niccolo Paganini, an Italian vilin virtupso. The story goes that when Paganini hreard the church bells ring, he followed the beat of the peal with his violin , and presto, out came the piece “La Campanella” which is suppose to mimic the sound of the bells both in and out of the church. It was also said tha Paganini entered a pact with the devil to gain his virtuosity, And then came the piano virtuoso Franz Liszt whose bloated ego made him compose and play the piano pieces that other pianists find technically difficult Franz Liszt transcribed the violin theme of “La Campanella” to a piano favorite.
The pianists who would play this piece should have a bigger distance between the tip of the thumb and the tip of the pinky to reach two succeeding notes faster. Lang lang should not have such an advantage, him being oriental and such, but he manages to keep up by using speed. The “La Campanella” is a piece that pianists include in their repertoire just to show off.
This next one is a chick favorite, and happens to be the theme of the movie Song Without End, a biographical sketch of Franz Liszt. And again we can see how Lang appears to be in a hurry to finish the piece. It is supposed to be played with religious fervor. I remember Jorge Bolet play this one in the movie, and Gary Graffman play this piece in an LP.
This one is one of Liszt’ compositions that sought to transcribe Paganini’s theme into variations. The theme is an 8-note start of the piece and the variations proceed where the piano is beaten, battered, caressed, and applauded. And we see Lang Lang for all his dexterity’s worth plowing through the variations like nothing at all. The variations of Franz Liszt ended up into etudes (musical studies) that trains and sharpens the talents of pianists. There was, however, another composer called Sergei Rachmaninoff who also composed and transcribed the same 8-note theme into piano variations, ending up into a rhapsody and not etudes. Rachmaninoff had one better on Franz Liszt in that he incorporated an orchestra into his variations. He also started for that period a different form of variation, that of inverting the sequence of the notes and elongating the note measure. The 18th variation of “Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini” is very, very popular.
Franz Liszt also sought to put into piano music the popular folk music of Hungary and to call these “rhapsodies”, the “Hungarian Rhapsody No.2” being the one used by parents to make their children like classical music. The “Hungarian Rhapsody No.6” is my favorite. And Lang Lang accommodates the situation by playing this piece with pyrotechnics. To accomplish this, he had to have the rhythm and the beat of a drummer. Watch him assault the piano with alacrity and determination. He had to simulate the revelry of the gypsies and the balalaika.
