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Rachmoninoff Rachs!
Sep. 27th, 2009 08:13 amMusic of the Tsars post now available for viewing:
http://zalena.livejournal.com/921293.html
I got another hit of Rachmoninoff last night when Lei Wang (the pianist whose performance of a Prokofiev 3rd Piano Concerto last year so amazed me) performed R's Rhapsody on a Theme from Paganini. This is a very recognizable piece, the 18th variation has been used ad nauseum in movies and music boxes.
(For many years Rachmoninoff was as much associated with illicit behaviors as the tell-tale burst of fireworks in old films, or the zoom into the flaming hearth with a bearskin rug. Even comedies (I'm thinking Seven Year Itch) used him. With these associations it's no wonder it took me years to ditch the baggage and appreciate him on his own terms.)
Nevertheless Lei Wang's performance made it new and exciting and fresh and people liked it so much that he performed TWO encores: Chopin's Revolutionary Etude and a Chinese composition, which was lovely, but the name of which escapes me.
What I love about this pianist is his soft touch. He caresses the keys instead of pounding them, which creates a much wider dynamic range. He has truly gentle pianissimo's without losing the passion or power of his fortes. His playing is so fluid... I don't know how to explain it, but it has totally changed my view of the instrument, the literature, and the appropriate 'forms' for playing.
Also: He does the old-school memorization thing and I am a total sucker for this approach.
http://zalena.livejournal.com/921293.html
I got another hit of Rachmoninoff last night when Lei Wang (the pianist whose performance of a Prokofiev 3rd Piano Concerto last year so amazed me) performed R's Rhapsody on a Theme from Paganini. This is a very recognizable piece, the 18th variation has been used ad nauseum in movies and music boxes.
(For many years Rachmoninoff was as much associated with illicit behaviors as the tell-tale burst of fireworks in old films, or the zoom into the flaming hearth with a bearskin rug. Even comedies (I'm thinking Seven Year Itch) used him. With these associations it's no wonder it took me years to ditch the baggage and appreciate him on his own terms.)
Nevertheless Lei Wang's performance made it new and exciting and fresh and people liked it so much that he performed TWO encores: Chopin's Revolutionary Etude and a Chinese composition, which was lovely, but the name of which escapes me.
What I love about this pianist is his soft touch. He caresses the keys instead of pounding them, which creates a much wider dynamic range. He has truly gentle pianissimo's without losing the passion or power of his fortes. His playing is so fluid... I don't know how to explain it, but it has totally changed my view of the instrument, the literature, and the appropriate 'forms' for playing.
Also: He does the old-school memorization thing and I am a total sucker for this approach.
