What was your last concert you went to ?

Yes it's the same program, also Rotterdam was sold out.

My estimate is that 80% of the attendants was of chinese origin.

for me it lacked totally in any emotional content.

yes he has virtuous piano playing, as one apparently has to be or is sufficient to be, but could not get or create any emotional connection with this performance.

my wife was somewhat more forgiving for his second part of the apposionate, but I could not find head or tail.

We both agreed it was a waste of time during our busy midweek schedule to finish his recital. 

First time ever, as I said, and I find it more and more difficult to find enjoyable live performances.

Of the 5 concerts I went to this year, only two were truly enjoyable throughout and those were by Valentina Lisitsa and piano duo Enrico Pace and Igor Roma.

Also the older world class top performances are usually not very enjoyable.

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Aleg

So far this year, the only piano concerto I was so close to ditch was Lupu playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.1. But I hang on hoping something good will happen. ( which never did )

I don't think he played poor. I do not care for his style to begin with but I thought hearing him live might change my perception. Well, it didn't and it only reenforced it.

I am not familiar with Yundi, but sounds like he's taking Bang Bang school of playing.

It is interesting that you say more difficult to find enjoyable performance these days. I wonder why that is.

Kuma

I think contemporary performers and I are drifting apart.

I feel that the general public is easily awed by the virtuoso, while I'm more and more touched/charmed only by the emotive musical 'older' style of pianists.

My wife has as piano teacher (and since many years also family friend) who is at 86 years one of the last living piano teachers of the old school in our country, who was taught in the old way by a.o. Noske, Wagenaar and Marguerite Long. She has given me so much appreciation of the simple, musical way of playing and allowing the musical lines to shine through instead of being burried among clouds of virtuoso notes And unlistenable tempi.

So I think it is I'm just drifting away from what has become the more generally appreciated style of piano playing.

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Aleg

Aleg,

You listen to far more current *living* artists than I do.

But I think that general public always liked virtuoso players. i.e. Liszt

Who wouldn't like the fireworks for an entertainment?

I've read somewhere that Clara Schumann advocated less flashy, but more expressive style of playing over a popular technical wiz bang.

So the current trend is just going back how it was over a century ago, maybe.

For promoters, it's a tough challenge as they need to sell tickets to support the art.

I also look for an emotional connection to the music via a performer rather than listening to a performer.

Altho, the latter type of playing can be fun. ( Horowitz, Gould et all )

My classical music pal, OTOH, does not get into the minutia. He dose not care who plays the piece or how so long as he likes the music.

Out of curiosity, which pianist(s) do you miss most?

Kuma

My 'favourite' old generation pianists are (some for very specific repertoire only) e.g.:

• Alicia de Larocha
• Livia Rèv
• Yvonne Lefébure
• Clara Haskil
• Germaine Thyssens-Valentin
• Josef Hofmann
• Friedrich Gulda
• Alfred Brendel
• Samson Francois
• Shura Cherkassky
• Sviatoslav Richter (very changeable, sometimes I think OMG what are you doing, while at other bliss all over)

Contemporary active performers I like:

• Mitsuko Uchida
• Maria João Pires
• Javier Perianes
• Paul Lewis
• Steven Hough
• Bertrand Chamayou
• Jean-Phillipe Collard
• Jean Efflam Bavouzet
• Alexander Melnikov
• Michael Pletnev (for some works I think he is outstanding)
• Andre Hamelin (for most but not all of his performances)
• Valentina Lisitsa (though too much sustaining pedal sometimes)

I could continue (and probably have forgotten many more) because I'm not 'following' specific artists but are attracted to a certain style of playing.

Do you have certain favourites that are representative for what you like most?

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Aleg

Reminds me of the review of Georges Cziffra's interpretation of the Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies, where it was suggested parts sounded as though someone tossed a grenade into the piano.

April 24, Dunedin Stadium -

Aerosmith. They were OK.

But they were blown off the stage by the support Wolfmother, who were playing their penultimate gig.

Aleg,

it's a recent activity that I got back into the classical music so my list isn't nearly complete as yours but here are my favourites so far.

Dead pianists:

Alfred Cortot

Dinu Lipatti

Sviatoslav Richter

Annie Fischer

Guiomar Novaes

Walter Gieseking

Friedrich Gulda

Samson Francois

Glenn Gould

Vladimir Horowitz

Wilhelm Kempff

Wilhelm Backhaus

Witold Malcuzynski

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli

Rubinstein ( Doesn't really represent what I like but he's got his moments on Chopin pieces )

Live pianists:

Martha Argerich

Gabriela Montero

Paul Lewis ( Beethoven stuff )

Krystian Zimerman

Maurizio Pollini ( his newer stuff )

Murray Perahia

Live piansit list can expand as I listen more.

btw, what's your take on Daniil Trifonov? He's getting some buzz lately.

Sort of like critics accused Horowitz he put graffiti all over on Moussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

Brad Mehldau at the Kay Meek Centre, just down the road. Excellent.

I just visited a concert of Spocks Beard, it was good - but at the same time not as spectacular as former concerts...., or perhaps I am getting too critical....

Steve Hackett , Hammersmith Apollo May 10th. After a quite unsuitable and IMO not very good support artist lady, the band played a great 2 1/2+ hour set. We didn't have the best seats on the extreme RHS, but could see all the band and the sound was pretty good too, love those bass pedals.  

Thanks for that Howard. I'm off to see him in October.

Nice to meet up with Howard and a few others from here last night at the hackett gig.

Sat just behind Howard - the the rear of the RH stalls.

Mid & High of the PA died during the very intro to the show - (Watcher) much to the bemusement of Roger King who just shrugged and carried on.

Came back just as suddenly a few tracks on - fortunately.

Lots of guest appearances, Nick Kershaw, Steve Rothery, John Wetton, Jakko Jakszyk & Amanda Lenham.

So many outstanding tracks, so well done, performed for an audiece (pretty much all who were 'of an age') that were highly appreciative.

To see Steve perform Firth of Fifth is to see someone who knows how to hold an audience in the palm of his hand - and boy does he play that track so well.

I could not see how he could escape playing Firth or Los Endos without a riot of 50somethings but they were officially from Revisited I.

 Plenty to please any fan of Genesis or Hackett - From Foxtrot to Wind & Wuthering including the whole of Suppers Ready.

Roll on Symphony Hall & the RAH..

Was at the Apollo last night too. Absolutely awesome gig. Eight rows from the front in the RH stalls. Great view and sound excellent (opening glitch excepted).

Great to see a few of the guest musicians from the GRII album on stage too. Mind you, the guy sat next to me actually asked who John Wetton was after his was a blinding rendition of Afterglow 

Highlights for me - Firth of Fifth (that solo always hits the spot), Blood on the Rooftops (great vocals from drummer Gary O'Toole) & Entangled (one of my fav Genesis tracks).

Hoping to be at the Cambridge Corn Exchange in Nov too.

Tony

The Specials at the Academy Newcastle.  Just as relevant now as they were back in the day.  Great set, great songs.

Regards

Nic 

Steve Hackett at the Liverpool Philharmonic on Sunday night.  Absolutely spellbinding from start to finish. Not many gigs where there is a standing ovation 4 numbers in as happened with the Musical Box. Steve did say at one point; "You know these songs as well as we do, so feel free to join in..so Mrs S was particularly struck by the ranks of middle aged men drumming along quite vigorously.

Great light show too. Brilliant value for £26.

Another Steve Hackett fan here and saw him at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre last Thursday. Even my prog-hating partner enjoyed quite a bit of it. The visuals and lighting were fabulous and really enhanced the music. As usual in this theatre the SQ was pretty awful. No LPs or CDs available after the concert (perhaps they'd sold out) so bought the 4LP set off Amazon afterwards.

Alan

Saw Peter Murphy last night in Chicago doing all Bauhaus (35th anniversary) - it was excellent! Much better than I expected especially since it was all a back up band (ie, no other original members). I highly recommend going if you are/were a Bauhaus fan!

Just been given tickets to Alecia Keys in dublin for tomorrows concert.

Can't wait. Love her voice

2 Ausie guys playing Tubular Bells for 40th anniversary. at Union Chapel 25/5/13.

I was mistaken in thinking it was actually Mike Oldfield, but never mine it was very entertaining.

Weird around Highbury and Islington station, lots of Yellow and Red shirts, many Muse fans and a load of people of a certain age. Performers were definitely the youngest people in the venue.

Just had a really interesting week, my first Opera, Rigoletto, at the Naples Opera house, I wasn't really sure what to expect as it was more for my wife to be honest, to start with it felt like I was watching a foreign film with the sub titles turned off, I just didn't have a clue what wag going on, but then I really got into it, and by the end of the 3rd act I was totally involved and am now looking forward to my next opera 

Then a few days later, as luck would have it, Bruce Springsteen was playing in Naples, this was far more familiar territory as I have seen Bruce countless times, but never in a venue like this, stunning setting and an awesome gig, although the weather could have been better.

Then last night, to finish the week off it was Muse at the Emirates, fantastic show with amazing production, great effects but most importantly a flawless performance from Muse, so much energy, I have to say though the majority of the crowd seemed to be half my age but I moshed with the best of them.

Looking forward to a summer of many more gigs 

Marc-Andre Hamelin at the Chicago Symphony.

The program:

• Berg Sonata, Op. 1
• Fauré Impromptu No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 31
• Fauré Barcarolle No. 3 in G-flat Major, Op. 42
• RavelGaspard de la nuit
• Hamelin Variations on a theme by Paganini
• DebussyReflets dans l'eau from Images for Piano, Book I
• RavelJeux d'eau
• Rachmaninov Sonata No. 2, Op. 36

Outstanding pianism with a great dynamic control played straight-forward without any fanfare. Hamelin made the difficult pieces (Rachmaninov & Gaspard de la Nuit) look too easy, almost sliding into boredom.

The unfamiliar one movement Berg Sonata sounded very interesting and the Faure compositions carried a deeper emotional expression which was much appreciated. I did not care for the Paganini Variations on a Theme (his own composition) which were played theatrically and made the audience laugh repeatedly.

Personally, the program consisted of too many composers creating numerous shifting moods and styles. I would have been perfectly happy with an afternoon of Chopin and Medtner or Perhaps a dedicated concert to Godowsky's Studies on Chopin Etudes.

The audience loved the performance not allowing Hamelin to leave the stage and making him perform two encores (Rachmaninov's Prelude Op 32, No12 & Chopin's Minute Waltz).

kuma, you should have been there and join us later to dinner at the Russian Tea House.

Only two "difficult" pieces???? I wouldn't have been surprised if it was a team of virtuosi playing in relays!