Son plays Chopin Concerto No.2
We are now waiting to hear Son’s rendition of Chopin’s second concerto.
It is interesting to note that this was actually composed before the “first” concerto, but was not published until later.
Back in the press room, before running back to the hall to hear Vacatello.
Some words come to my mind: spacious, lush, charming without being overbearing.
More later.
Ken Iisaka
June 5th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
I really like Son’s music making. She is a natural musician. My only concern is that this is a light-weight concerto. I like it, but I would have preferred to hear her E minor compared to Tsujii’s and Bozhanov’s.
June 5th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
I am concerned with her order in the finals. She is at a tremendous disadvantage when compared with the others for rest, focus, and practice, because she is playing 3 days in a row. None of the other six is as unfavorably positioned.
Some will play two days in a row, such as Mr. Bozhanov, Ms. Wu, and Mr. Zhang, but nothing like this–ahh–Jade just mentioned it!
June 5th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Clark, Chopin 2 is anything but a light-weight concerto, unless its played light-weight… But we’ll see…Unlike with Bozhanov, somehow before she plays I already know what its gonna sound like. That said, I still wish for her to tell me something personal through the sound… Something I have never heard before…So good luck!
One more about faces - when someone talks to you, and tells you fairy-tale, or confesses in love, or argues with you (Depending on music), do they have a straight face on? Have you seen ballet dancers with the straight faces?
June 5th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Ok, well, come on, I tuned myself to Chopin, and now I am going to be thinking about cookies
June 5th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
HI, everyone, i am here now. i listened too much music yesterday, too excited to sleep well
June 5th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Son is stunning in that lime green gown. Let’s hope her Chopin is just as stunning, as I like her playing a lot.
June 5th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
She has a fabulous wardrobe!
By the way, I don’t think this is such a light-weight concerto. Smaller than the E-minor, yes, but still shows a lot. I hope she does well.
June 5th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
I think this concerto has the potential to show a great deal, especially the 2nd movement. There’s a huge opportunity in it for expression.
June 5th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
poor french horns in this concerto…. 454 bars of tacet…and then…TOOT!!!….then 454 more bars of nothing haha
June 5th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
@ Eric. YES! Great opportunities for horn clamming in this concerto.
June 5th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Eric, but thank God that the TOOT was the right TOOT hahaha
June 5th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
She is so musical, her music sounds like a princess who grows up in the honey jar….a little bit..too sweet.
June 5th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
I liked Son’s polished interpretation before, but i am hearing jarring wrong notes now.
June 5th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Hmm, she’s fairly lifeless tonight. This feels like “anonymous” Chopin playing.
June 5th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
One advantage she will have is being able to show what she can do with first the Chopin and then the Prok the very next day. . .so that can be to her advantage. She rehearsed the Prok. with the ease of taking a walk through the park on a Sunday afternoon, which surprised me. She had gone under my radar before I saw that.
June 5th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
wiggins - hahahaha …. you said it the best!
June 5th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Conlon is doing a beautiful accompanying her.
June 5th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
P.S JOB
June 5th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
@ Roger:
agree. No2 is a beautiful ceation. Plus, between this and Prok 2 more than enough range to show for the top prize….
June 5th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
The architecture of the entire piece is the measure of this and every other great composition. Damn the few wrong notes! So far she has her arms around it.
June 5th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
beautiful, sensitive bassoon player!!
June 5th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
I think she’s definitely carrying the orchestra in this. Yes, a couple of “uninvited guests”, but only a couple of times that I could hear.
@Dolce, welcome to another night of music and lost sleep! Only a day and a half to go.
June 5th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
You people have good ears. I don’t hear any wrong notes. Sounds clear as a bell too me.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:00 pm
BOOOORRRIIINNNGGGG.
i want goosebumps! come on, people!
June 5th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
Ken, I heard maybe 2, and that’s nothing in my book. This has been a really fine performance and is reminding me, so far, of Rubinstein.
@Ira; Yep, Chopin for emotion and Prok2 for fireworks!
June 5th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
i would PREFER it if she went all out and missed all the notes but kept us all on the edge of our seats like…say…bozhanov? if this is the future of music i will hide in the corner and cry.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
JR: Let’s see the next two movements to decide. We need to see how she pulls it all together. And the 2nd movement will tell me if she’s got it.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
OK, JR, get ready to cry… or not. This is it. 2nd mvt.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
wow, bumpy notes again~
@Roger: well, yes, only one more day,,,,,anyway, if Haochen can not get any prize, i will quiet sad…..:)
June 5th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
JR!!!! I am there with you!!! Its BOOOORING!!!!!!!! As I said earlier, I already knew that that was gonna happen… When your heart is cold, dont choose Chopin, and yes - choose Prokofiev hahaha
June 5th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Quite a change from the pristine performance last night. She seems to be struggling a little today. Still, I like the unfussy, honest approach she brings to her music making.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
@JR: You’ll hear it in Mariangela’s Beethoven, next on the program, and tomorrow with two big Rocks and two big Proks!
June 5th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Boom, boom in the 2nd movement….ai-ai-ai….
June 5th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Where is the fainting element?
June 5th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
She’s a supremely vocal pianist and the slips in the first movement were minor. The second movement is the glory of this piece. Her trills have such varied speed and nuance.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Oh, god, a really disgusting cough in the Larghetto.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
I don’t mind the inaccuracies — this is an uncomfortable piece to play and these people are exhausted! — but her playing is so one-dimensional to me. I, too, want to be moved somehow…
June 5th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Her 2nd mvmt is a bit too aggressive for me.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
What is with the audience “accompaniment”?!?!?!
June 5th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
hey, John Mc, nice to see you again!
June 5th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
For my taste the 2nd mvt. feels quite forced - not laid back and unfolding naturally as I like to hear it. There’s no rush and this is the chance to be sublime, thoughtful and not press it. She’s roughing it up so!
June 5th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
The recits in the 2nd mvt - why so healthy? This is not kimchi and rice, this is a inner fight, craziness, breathlessness… Well, what can I say - when one cant. one cant…God gives or doesn’t….
June 5th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
A sense of longing is missing.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Oh, boy, this is really sweet now.
Clela: LOL
June 5th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
I think she just locked in. This is wonderful.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Beautiful pairing in the recitative. Conlon is supporting her beautifully.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
@Eric. There’s the fabulous bassoon player again. Yay!
June 5th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
And ok, so the bras are overrated in this competition? Well I guess when you have to compensate
Can anyone here play LEGATO???? Argh…
June 5th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
The 2nd movement sounds a little too matter of fact to me.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Notice that fabulous bassoon player has a beard.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
@Anton - Bless your heart, I went to the link you mentioned (ktcu) and I can at least hear it - even better this way, no distractions. So thank you!! I will beg to differ regarding Son - I love her playing, second movement SANG!
June 5th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
I like Son very much. She has a great presence and evokes great serenity and this is often reflected in her music.
But this is just uninspired and leaves me indifferent.. It does not help my judgment of course that I am not a great fan of this concerto.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
LOL. You’re welcome to differ. There would be no bolg if we all in perfect harmony. Enjoy.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Beautiful, if commonplace, playing. One thing I really like is how Son is playing *with* the orchestra parts, searching with her eyes deep into the orchestra to connect with the players.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
I am wondering if the problem with some young pianists is that they do not let the music speak. The force their personality and in the fight, the music loses. Perhaps Son should listen to the 3rd movement of the pianists of the golden era. Their articulation in this movement would add charm. Soft, loud and a little crescendo and diminuendo is not enough to capture the Polish essence of the movement. There is an elegance that I feel missing !!
June 5th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
@ Maestra M.: Right on! And this 3rd movement is going great as well. I think it’s far from a routine performance.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
She’s a magnificent pianist, but she doesn’t connect with me musically. Everything is controlled, is in the right place and all the details are there, as if she’s a very good student or an excellent imitator. I sense that she never, at the spur of the moment, does something that’s impetuous. One technical comment — Glenn Gould called Chopin the great right-handed composer — but in fact the left-hand voice and middle voices are important. I’m pretty much missing anything other than the right hand, but it could be my audio. That being said, she’s the perfect competition winner — a technically remarkable pianist who stays in the middle so as not to ruffle anyone’s feathers. This is just the combination that is sure not to turn any of the judges off.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Anton- I sense what you mean, but for me this is the most professional of the three Chopin Concerti we’ve heard so far, and there are many wonderful things here musically.
With her playing, I feel like she knows the music SO well and has probably practiced so completely that she may take certain things for granted– but no one can dispute the level of accomplishment.
Plus, it’s hard to be still be inspired after what these people have been put through scheduling-wise. In my personal opinion, the third recital is not necessary– just in there to make things REALLY ridiculous. I mean, the poor girl played a full recital last night, is playing Chopin 2 tonight, and Prokoviev 2 tomorrow– and all this is AFTER 3 hours of music that she already did in the first couple of rounds. Just the fact that she gets through it, and well, is a miracle to me.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
It’s depth and height of emotion one wants more from her….even young as she is, there’s no ’sadness’ anywhere, and not quite enough real ‘joy.’ Still, I like her. She does tell a story.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
i’m not a musician and cannot look at it from insude the “laboratory” unlike many of you, but when i listen to old “melodia” russina label by Richter (whose Chopin’s fan i am not), when stings have tremollo, piano comes out as if from nowhere and yet so MAGNIFICIENT - I go into tears every time. I didn’t feel that this time…….. but her playing is still beautiful. Piano sounds very well, even via the webcast….
June 5th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
@Eric. I Do think they don’t need the third recital (this is a fairly new thing, yes?)
I still like Nobu’s Chopin the best, but she’s done some very nice things, and I’m enjoying the nice playfulness of the last movement — and the clean passage-work!
June 5th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Ahahaha. the horn player nailed it!!
June 5th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
@Piano Teacher - Elegance MISSING?? I am hearing more elegance than the crown jewels - this last movement is sparkling! Love it!
June 5th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Kevin U - I think you nailed it with your comments. If we were to hear this tomrrow it would be Exactly the same as it is tonight - perfectly practiced - but not spontaneous - for me that’s not a live performance.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
i prefer Son’s recital to her Chopin 2 here. A little messy for me.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
@Eric: the horn player was practicing it a *lot* today … made me nervous on his behalf as we approached the moment.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Son is playing the coda extremely well, as far as I’m concerned. Great articulation! Very playful interpretation.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
ok, took a step back and just listened for a while, and Son is still not making it happen for me.
It’s impeccable playing, but nothing more. I have yet to be moved by her.
@Miss J~I feel the same about Mariangela…she misses no notes but I feel no passion. Zhang may get there someday, but not yet. Tsujii, sometimes (when he’s playing with others, it seems–chamber and concerto). Bozhanov–YES, although he had previously passed under my radar. Wu, when she is prepared, can be phenomenal. Otherwise, she’s kind of boring.
This would not have been my line-up for the finals.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Nice smile — she looks happy.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
Well, that was lovely. She’s a lovely young woman. That was some lovely piano playing. [stifled yawn]
[perking up] Hey– can Evgeni come out and play her encore?!
(Sorry)
June 5th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
@Maestra
I do agree piano teacher’s points.her music is beautiful, but this is not the Chopin concerto i expect: sweet,only sweet.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Well, I WAS moved by her, and evidently so was the SO audience. Bravo to Son.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
I agree with Nel on this one — lovely playing but not that exciting. And I do hate to write those sorts of things, because no one of the finalists got this far without a lot of hard work.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
@Brad. Help me understand you. Whose performance of that piece do you like?
June 5th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Brad Hill, you are a riot!
But..my thoughts exactly.. Would love right now to hear Evgeni rip through this..
June 5th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Another strong and consistent performance from Son even though she got off to a slow start. Judging from all of her performances, I think she’s the most consistent good player and interpreter across so many styles and periods of music. I think she’s tops in artistry and beautiful sound. Brava Son. You’ve moved way up on my list.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
And after that beautiful music making between Orch and Piano, PLEASE, Evgeni do NOT come out and play an encore right now. Later, maybe…not now.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
@ Brad H~HAHA my sentiments exactly
June 5th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
I enjoyed it a lot!!! Way to go Son!!! (And you look fabulous!!!)
June 5th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Well, she’s out of that dress and rushing home to practice the Prokofiev, I bet
June 5th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
@John — Yes, spontaneity (or in this case lack of it) is what’s missing. Great musicians play as if they’re improvising and hearing the music for the first time, when they were bowled over by the beauty of something new. While hours in the practice room are essential, too many hours can destroy spontaneity.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
@Dolce - this sounded like a lot more than just only sweet to me.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Lovely pianist: lovely musician. But I’m not going to remember this tomorrow.
Tough profession to be in: a wealth of talent, a wealth of listening opportunities (with a few clicks of a mouse, I can easily hear 20 or 30 different performances of the same piece).
This young lady will be a committed artist for the next 50 years and more: good on her. I f I see her name in a city I’m visiting, I’ll make a detour to see her. Why not: she’s given me great pleasure, and all for free!
But it’s a tough trade.
AGB
June 5th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
@Anton: mmhmm. I know which part of that interests me more.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
@ Anton
The dress is perfect for pactice.. Free arms and no tight bodice..
I bet she can afford to go shopping for the next dress since, I am only guessing, she is hyper-practiced already..
June 5th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Houstonite, we’re still on the same page.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
everyone would sound pale after Evgeni, no comparison.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
@Anne –
Right on! We men have such limited a limited concert clothes repertoire….
June 5th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
@Dolce, I agree with Maestra, but I will admit that Son did not move me the same way, or as much, as I was moved the first time I heard Rubinstein play this. He almost brought me to tears in the Larghetto and the Allegro was so joyful. It was amazing!
June 5th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
As to Pressler’s recording of the 2nd concerto ,the only one I know of is on Concert Hall M-2314.He performed it with the Philadelphia in the 40’s, but I am not aware of a recording with them.
The recording mentioned above was with Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera,with Hans Swarowsky conducting.I would assume this is long out of print- got my copy in the 70’s and it was almost nonexistent then ,I believe.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
It’s very personal isn’t it? We all have different ears and different tastes and different levels of experience. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for the final. But, I HAVE seen the winner (last weekend), I just don’t know who it is yet!! I sat on the 8th row during Son’s semifinal recital and I was totally engulfed in her playing.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
A few years ago at Wimbledon a male tennis player appeared on court in a sleeveless shirt. Officials told him he was violating the dress code, so he trotted to the locker room to change into a shirt with sleeves. That quickly changed, in part, because many women somehow play in clothes that leave little to the imagination. Perhaps it’s time for men to change up the concert performer dress code. My guess is that EB would be game.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Yeah, Son’s dresses are elegant.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Lovely performance.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:36 pm
SO looking forward to Son playing Prokofiev tomorrow.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Buddy Bray- “Its perfect every time”, lol! Seriously now folks, do you not think the very informed and intelligent jury is going to take into consideration that Son is given THE greatest challenge in the finals to show stamina and ability to handle anything schedule-wise. And if she hits the Prokofiev out of the park, she will have a good chance to surprise many in the final outcome.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
@Kevin: If EB expressed himself through concert dress the same way he expresses himself through playing and facial contortions, I have a feeling we’ll all be in for a shock…
June 5th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
I am surprised so many of you are quickly going back to Bozhanov’s side after his performance on Wednesday evening. I felt very disappointed to see him missing so many wrong notes so many times.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
@Maestra, I’m with you. This is the Chopin I expected from Son and I don’t think it’s sooooo much in the lines that it’s boring. This concerto isn’t as big a canvas as the E minor, so in its own world it’s powerful.
In general, the pianists are having first movement nerves. I don’t think that will happen in the bigger pieces because there’s just more to hold on to. She settled into the first movement, and I felt the second movement was improvisatory, despite comments otherwise, and the third movement was playful and Polish. To me, her consistency is far more of a virtue than the blood boiling passions of others.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Looking over the accomplishments of her Prelim, Semi, and Final recitals, I am really impressed by her cumulative accomplishments. I don’t know how many other viewers see it the same way. The Prok 2 offers the possibilities for her to settle matters, but somehow, I wish it were a different concerto.
June 5th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
@Roger - I hear you, but I’m doing my best to listen to these performances on their own merits…
June 5th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
This pianist has grown on me a great deal. Can’t wait for the Prok2 tomorrow. Now awaiting with bated breath, Mariangelo . . .
June 5th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Ufffff Mariangela - lumpy beginning - calm down, please!!! (One of the toughest beginnings in the whole repertoire!)
June 5th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
@Clark….. Yes, she shows broad range, consistency and superb playing
June 5th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Sometimes I wonder just how closely some people listen, according to remarks here about Son’s Chopin F minor. She seemed a little nervous tonite in the first movement (missing some notes AND nuances that I heard so clearly in her rehearsal just FIVE hours earlier), but got back on track with the 2nd and 3rd. MVs. How can anyone call this an ‘easy’ concerto, or, less difficult than the E minor? I think just the reverse. There are hundreds more, beautiful and LONGER fioraturas in this PC han in the E minor. And more of them scored for solo without ‘humming’ orchestral background, hence more exposed. Son executed all of them with finesse and grace - and ACCURACY! And the whole concerto was better in her rehearsal than it was on actual concert. But who else in this competition has had to (or will) play THREE days in a row, with barely 15 hours separating each performance?? Talk about a trooper!
In addition, the F Minor Concerto is a much better work compositionally, and aurally more beautiful and dramatic than the E Minor (which I also love).
So, tomorrow at 2:45 p.m. (less than 17 hours away!), she will play that monster (in size) Prokofiev Second PC. I hope she doesn’t have a nervous break down between now and then - but I wouldn’t be surprised.
I think she plays beautifully, with CONTROL and CONCENTRATION that matches the ‘favored “son”‘ - Bozhanov - though their styles are vastly different. Sge brings you the composer FIRST, and herself second.
I heard the Prok in rehearsal a couple days ago (or was it three?) and it was tremendous! I hope she has a box of Wheaties tonite and tomorrow morning. And maybe a B-12 shot. If no one has noticed, I think she has played the most demanding literature (along with Vacatello and “little” Zhang) than anyone in the competition. And consistently top-notch execution in each performance.
June 5th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough and cough . . . why would Bass Hall admit so many TB patients? Where is the decency and respect for the artists, the audience and most of all, the art? A few seconds of pause between movements are not a break from the music, but rather the continuation of it. Were such ugly vocal utterances part of the music? What a blasphemy to the sublime Larghetto and violation of this collective spiritual experience!
June 5th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
@Zen: Well
imagine how much money they spent for tickets….I heard a ticket went for $140… They got sick…they don’t want to waste the money… Its their own way of spreading something rather… 
But Bass Hall needs to spot them and kick them out for sure, at least till te end of performance. They have baby rooms in church, smoking rooms in airports, why don’t they have couching rooms in concert halls….? 
June 5th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
I meant coughing rooms of course, with sign on the door “TB”
lol you made me laugh…
June 5th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Absolutely loved this. Loved it, loved it, loved it.
Delicate, stylish, emotional, … and this is coming from someone who tends to prefer Op. 11 instead from an emotional standpoint.
The Prok tomorrow will tell whether she has the complete package.
BTW, someone mentioned that she has probably had the Chopin for quite some time. If I am not mistaken she played this also at the finals of the 2005 Chopin competition.
And agreed that she’d win hands down if this were the Van Cliburn International Fashion Competition
June 5th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
@theProject,
May I give you an information about Son?
My memory tells this.
2005 Chopin final—>no.1(in E minor)
2009 Cliburn final—>no.2(in F minor)
June 5th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Bass Hall was filled with musical presence when she was playing. you just gotta be there.
no other could give that kindda stage presence. She was communicating. watta wonderful artist…
i think she came to cliburn competition as a guest artist.
by the way, if you were not there in person, don’t even talk about it.
June 6th, 2009 at 1:23 am
Anastasia,
If they can breathe quietly through the music, there is no reason they should start coughing as soon as the movement is over. I thought music would have had the power to heal their nervous disorder.
Also, folks, please, please refrain for a few seconds from clapping after the piece is over. The final note or chord is still reverberating in the air. Let it ring through its deserved time value. True appreciation for music isn’t necessarily expressed with the noise produced by the violent meeting of two palms. Do so when I am ready to come back from where the music has taken me.
Coughing and untimely applause are a nightmare for recording engineers too.
June 6th, 2009 at 1:49 am
I love this concerto very much~!
June 6th, 2009 at 6:47 am
About the horrible, repulsive coughing: newer drugs perscribed to treat hypertension do cause coughing as a side effect and many of the audience are in the age group that take these drugs. The newer drugs didn’t exist years ago so coughing was not so much a problem. Now it is ubiquitous. I agree that the offenders should be ushered out, but have you noticed that some of the worst coughers in Bass Hall are on canes and walkers.
June 6th, 2009 at 8:32 am
I think the judges have a real quandary. Vacatello’s performance was great! I understand she might blow the audience away in the Prokofiev 3. All 6 of them are superb pianists and the judges might consider giving multiple awards, as they did 8 years ago. I agree with some prior comments about NT. He is an extremely capable pianist. But a gold medal should go to one who has demonstrated an ultra-light touch in playing baroque or early classical composers. NT has not done that, and will not do so according to his program. The playing of late classical-period pieces and romantic-period composers in itself, without more, should not merit a gold medal.
June 6th, 2009 at 9:15 am
@Sydney: checked again, you are right and I stand corrected.
@Zen T.C.Z.: With regard to clapping, I agree with you - to a point. For the warhorse concerti, I don’t think this really matters. Is the ending of a Rach 3 or a Tchaikovsky disturbed by clapping immediately after the final note? I don’t believe so. And I’m sure I don’t need to reference what has become recent tradition at the Chopin competition.
I do believe there ought to be one related rule of thumb, though: If you’re not sure whether you should be clapping, wait until someone else does.
June 6th, 2009 at 10:41 am
I see many of you sport-lovers prefer to comment every 5 seconds rather than listening to the whole.
I’m very sorry for her. This is nowhere near to what she played before, in my view, at least. Would have loved to hear her play some Brahms or even Schumann instead.
June 6th, 2009 at 10:48 am
First, thank you and your fellow bloggers for creating the excitement of “being there” for the many of us who will never get to “be there”.
I want to buy some of the offered dvds and would love some comments on on where to best spend my money.
Will cd’s be available from the 2 days piano marathons?
June 6th, 2009 at 11:20 am
@Zen: Music has the power to heal anything, but one (musician that is) has to have a gift and intention to heal with their music…
But interesting fact - when you are being healed, cough is actually a sign for all the junk that comes out of you… ironic isn’t it?
June 6th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Anne B.,
Canes and walkers . . . well, if that was the case, I may have seemed to lack compassion in my denouncement against coughing. But I still believe it more to be a nervous problem, which can be controlled.
Clapping hasn’t been too much of a problem today — so far. We all remember that embarrassing applause bewteen the first and second movements of Tsujii’s Beethoven Hammerklavier sonata during the semifinal . . . and we saw Nobu’s tolerant smile when that occurred.