Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Lola Astanova

lol

At least the Jingle Bells variation was pretty funny and still quite pianistic, and just a little practice joke. Maksim is...well...stunning. I had only heard his version of the 2nd Hungarian Rhapsody before, which is actually pretty good and normal, but this is just weird and superfluous.

I would probably (key word there) pay to hear LL before I'd bother with Lola or Maksim, both of whom make me want to hurl.

I once showed my teacher some of her performances on You Tube (and I tried to find her at her most tamed and "musical"). He said she should be "banned" (old soviet terminology??) and in the meantime, he will ban all his students from watching that! ("Not a serious musician!")

Her Liszt is so, weightless.

To big for her.

Valentina's most viewed video is Rach's Little Red Riding Hood - nearly 1,000,000 views. Her better videos get a fraction of that attention.

Lola's most viewed video is her virtuoso take on a pop song by Rhianna. hmmmm, 700,000 views

Maksim doesn't seem to have his own Youtube channel, but videos uploaded by his fans garner multiple millions of views.

If nothing else, that tells you something about the Youtube audience.

I enjoy them all in different ways, but I think that is only because I've actually listened to them all. How many die hard Maksim fans have actually listened to Valentina's Totentanz? or compared Lola's Ocean Etude to Valentina's? On the other hand, how many classical afficionados have actually listened to Maksim's Hungarian Rhapsody rather than just dismissing it out of hand? The value of cross-over music (beyond making piles of money) is the creation of cross-over audiences. That's the value of Lola and Maksim.

If I'd never heard of Chopin before this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9NrQzJCWW8 - I'd be inclined to search out more. If Lang Lang were my introduction to Chopin, I'd run away. Screaming.

This is a very interesting point ^

I have the moonlight sonata up, very few views, Dr Gradus... a few thousand.

I did an acoustic version of Lady GaGa Pokerface for my friend.

Well over 1,000,000 views!

The piano sounds terrible as does the recording quality, but she does a good job with the F minor Liszt etude. I love Kissin and Watts in this piece, but I have definately heard more "serious" and respected pianists play this etude no where near as well as Ms Astanova.
Her theatrical movements are not to my taste, but I have seen a lot worse from more respected and more serious pianists.
The most disturbing thing to me was the piano being that out of tune.

I watched her video of Scriabin's Etude Op. 8 No. 12. She certainly played it better than I could but then I'm not a "virtuoso pianist"

I think Victor has it right.

I'm wondering how many of Lola's critics here have ability equal to hers? I see "command of the instrument" when I watch her. Not timidity but in your face command--and, a determination to do it her way. I like that.

If I were a concert pianist I'd play it my way and to heck with the critics. I might stay poor or I might become rich--but I'd be me. I don't see how a person can be and stay real and do otherwise.

Bech

Yes, the her command over the instrument is good. I actually stumbled on the video as I was looking for some motivation for my own study of the Liszt etude.

I think most of the members of this form take issue with the fact that the music becomes all about Lola instead of being about the music itself.

I have to mention that ironically I didn't notice the clear view of Lola's... well... um...assets. I payed more attention to the face which to me look rather well, to put bluntly, stupid.

I already threw up 3 times last night, I really don't want to do it again...

Makes me think, though. If I start dressing and acting like that, will I be famous too?

I'm not sure if I'd call Miss Astanova famous.

You'd get a few million views and likes on youtube.

And part of my soul will die forever...

Here are a couple more videos that might be of interest. We've all got our favorites and these are a couple of mine, worth every minute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwPBGOt5Gx4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USCF6-fIXPU

Wow. Just wow.

How do you pronounce his name? GAVRYLYUK

I need to remember that one. Command of the instrument indeed.

I'm just amazed that she can manage all those notes with such a tense and awkward hand position. How many other pianists manage to play Liszt with their fingers pointing at the sky instead of the keyboard?

I was wondering somewhat the same thing. Her hands look extremely tense.

Regards,

Indeed! Where did he come from and why can I only find 2 of his CDs at Arkivmusic? Must hear more...