Hello and introduction

Terez · **Posted:** Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:41 am

alf wrote:

Terez wrote:

Mozart exposes technical weaknesses; Chopin exposes your soul. :wink:

It is exactly the opposite, Terez.

Is it then? I don't feel too terribly exposed when playing Mozart, but that's just me. With Chopin, I have to pretend like you're not there.

Alfie wrote:

Anyway, Monica and Terez, I'll record that Nocturne sooner or later, but want a row of serious remarks from you then!

Aye, you'll get them. I'm sure it will be perfect though - you'd never submit anything less. I have a prediction: technically perfect, stylistically quite tasteful, if tame. :lol:

Horowitzian · **Joined:** Fri Feb 06, 2009 8:33 am **Posts:** 224

alf wrote:

Horowitzian wrote:

I actually rather like Hanon.

Good grief.

Horowitzian wrote:

But YMMV.

Definitely! :lol:

Well, I wouldn't be as technically proficient as I am without Hanon. :wink:

It is rather repetitive, so I generally don't do more than, say, 10 of them in one day before moving on to the "real music".

What was your bad experience with Hanon? I hope it wasn't an injury from overdoing it.

Horowitzian · **Joined:** Fri Feb 06, 2009 8:33 am **Posts:** 224

Terez wrote:

Horowitzian wrote:

I've noticed that quotes are a bit dodgy on here. How do you get them to work properly every time? :?:

Disable HTML, either by checking a box in the post submission, or permanently in your profile.

Thanks, I just did that! I've never seen HTML interfere with BB code before.

pianolady · **Joined:** Wed Jun 14, 2006 12:38 pm **Posts:** 7999

Horowitzian wrote:

Pianolady, do you have Mr. Mohr's book, My Life With the Great Pianists? It has a lot of interesting stories about his work with Horwitz, Cliburn, Rubinstein, and Gilels; as well as his own personal life story. And that Moscow recital is simply incredible!

I've never been to any of Mr. Mohr's talks, but I've heard about them.

Yes, I do have that book. I bought it from him when I went to his talk. He seems to come around my home town often. But of course that's because of the big Steinway dealer located here. :wink:

Horowitzian · **Joined:** Fri Feb 06, 2009 8:33 am **Posts:** 224

pianolady wrote:

Horowitzian wrote:

Pianolady, do you have Mr. Mohr's book, My Life With the Great Pianists? It has a lot of interesting stories about his work with Horwitz, Cliburn, Rubinstein, and Gilels; as well as his own personal life story. And that Moscow recital is simply incredible!

I've never been to any of Mr. Mohr's talks, but I've heard about them.

Yes, I do have that book. I bought it from him when I went to his talk. He seems to come around my home town often. But of course that's because of the big Steinway dealer located here. :wink:

It's one of my favorite books I've ever bought. If he ever comes around here, I'm going to get him to sign it. Has he ever come around with Horowitz's piano? I've sworn to myself that I will play that piano at least once.

alf · **Posted:** Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:33 pm

Teresina wrote:

alf wrote:

Terez wrote:

Mozart exposes technical weaknesses; Chopin exposes your soul. :wink:

It is exactly the opposite, Terez.

Is it then? I don't feel too terribly exposed when playing Mozart, but that's just me. With Chopin, I have to pretend like you're not there.

Let me partially amend my reply: to me, it is just the opposite.

Teresina wrote:

Alfie wrote:

Anyway, Monica and Terez, I'll record that Nocturne sooner or later, but want a row of serious remarks from you then!

Aye, you'll get them. I'm sure it will be perfect though - you'd never submit anything less. I have a prediction: technically perfect, stylistically quite tasteful, if tame. :lol:

Your crystal ball is quite talkative, isn't it? Did you know that Chopin himself was pretty a tame guy?

alf · **Posted:** Tue Feb 10, 2009 5:10 pm

Horowitzian wrote:

Well, I wouldn't be as technically proficient as I am without Hanon. :wink:

Are you really sure you're pinpointing the cause of your proficiency? :wink:

Look at what kind of mechanism you develop practicing what is pompously called "The virtuoso pianist", then consider the endless piano literature and what it asks for (even in the easiest pieces). "Hanon" is little more than 5-finger mindless exercises in parallel motion. Pretty useless under every respect.

Horowitzian wrote:

It is rather repetitive, so I generally don't do more than, say, 10 of them in one day before moving on to the "real music".

What was your bad experience with Hanon? I hope it wasn't an injury from overdoing it.

No injuries in my case, luckly I've never had problems of that kind. On the other hand, I've never overdone piano practice so I don't feel I'm especially smart about it.

Terez · **Posted:** Tue Feb 10, 2009 5:20 pm

alf wrote:

Did you know that Chopin himself was pretty a tame guy?

Indeed. I also know that he preferred the way Liszt played his music, so long as he played what was on the page. :lol:

alf · **Posted:** Tue Feb 10, 2009 5:59 pm

Terez wrote:

alf wrote:

Did you know that Chopin himself was pretty a tame guy?

Indeed. I also know that he preferred the way Liszt played his music, so long as he played what was on the page. :lol:

AFAIK, Chopin admired the way Liszt played the Etudes. The Nocturnes were Chopin's realm and nobody else's.

Terez · **Posted:** Tue Feb 10, 2009 8:24 pm

I don't recall having read that, but I trust you. I do know that he didn't like the way other people played the mazurkas, though.

Horowitzian · **Joined:** Fri Feb 06, 2009 8:33 am **Posts:** 224

alf wrote:

Horowitzian wrote:

Well, I wouldn't be as technically proficient as I am without Hanon. :wink:

Are you really sure you're pinpointing the cause of your proficiency? :wink:

Look at what kind of mechanism you develop practicing what is pompously called "The virtuoso pianist", then consider the endless piano literature and what it asks for (even in the easiest pieces). "Hanon" is little more than 5-finger mindless exercises in parallel motion. Pretty useless under every respect.

Horowitzian wrote:

It is rather repetitive, so I generally don't do more than, say, 10 of them in one day before moving on to the "real music".

What was your bad experience with Hanon? I hope it wasn't an injury from overdoing it.

No injuries in my case, luckly I've never had problems of that kind. On the other hand, I've never overdone piano practice so I don't feel I'm especially smart about it.

I'm glad to hear you didn't have any injuries.

Since I was a rather late beginner, Hanon combined with scales, arpeggios, and basic harmony helped me overcome those missed years of early training. Even so, like I said, YMMV. :wink:

Horowitzian · **Joined:** Fri Feb 06, 2009 8:33 am **Posts:** 224

Terez wrote:

I don't recall having read that, but I trust you. I do know that he didn't like the way other people played the mazurkas, though.

I always have wondered what he would have thought of Horowitz's playing of Mazurkas.

alf · **Posted:** Wed Feb 11, 2009 1:04 am

Terez wrote:

I don't recall having read that, but I trust you. I do know that he didn't like the way other people played the mazurkas, though.

Performance-wise Chopin's Mazurkas are still a mistery today.

Terez · **Posted:** Wed Feb 11, 2009 8:05 pm

Yah, Chopin always said that the manner of playing them was a Polish thing (imagine that).

Has anyone heard Zimerman play mazurkas? I've only seen him play the bigger stuff, but speaking of the bigger stuff, he's of course done the concertos with the PFO, and the 3rd movement of the F minor concerto is a bit mazurkish in places, and he seems to have experimented with that Polish way of interpreting them in that movement.

pianolady · **Joined:** Wed Jun 14, 2006 12:38 pm **Posts:** 7999

Terez wrote:

Yah, Chopin always said that the manner of playing them was a Polish thing (imagine that).

Has anyone heard Zimerman play mazurkas? I've only seen him play the bigger stuff, but speaking of the bigger stuff, he's of course done the concertos with the PFO, and the 3rd movement of the F minor concerto is a bit mazurkish in places, and he seems to have experimented with that Polish way of interpreting them in that movement.

Check this out, Terez:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmKlYayg ... s&hl=en&q=

He could be Chopin, himself!

(except I don't like some of the facial expressions)

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