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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
....Though back to chopsticks..well, that's the point right? It's not supposed to be some sort of deep masterpiece anyways.
Then it needs to be shorter.
Good rule of thumb about art: Say what you've got to say, then quit.
So.....how much too-long is Islamey?
IMO about 7 and a half minutes.
It was news to me to find that it gets played any amount. None of my colleagues anywhere played it nor had I come across it in any performances till the amateur competitions -- i.e. not that long ago. And I've been surprised how much it pops up on this site. For example, we see more recordings and much more discussion of it than of (just for some disparate examples) Chopin's F minor Fantaisie, Beethoven's Op. 78 sonata, Bach's Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue, Mozart's A minor sonata, Schumann's Carnaval....
Am I saying it gets way more attention here than it deserves? Yes.
A poll might (possibly?) reveal that younger (males?) like Islamey, but that the older one is the less one likes it. Since I'm probably one of the oldest regular contributors here, and if there's any validity to my hypothesis, that fact alone should indicate just what I feel about Islamey!
To clarify : it's repetitive, it's bombastic, it's virtuosity for virtuosity's sake, it's seemingly endless, and it has no redeeming musical worth - IMHO, understood!
A poll might (possibly?) reveal that the older one is, the less one likes Islamey. Since I'm probably one of the oldest regulars here, that should tell those you who don't already know just what I feel about Islamey!
Cheers!
It has less to do with age than musical maturity. Young, inexperienced amateurs/college students say "Look! A piece that's difficult to play! I can impress everybody with this masterpiece! What brilliance!" They don't see the lack of musical material until it's too late-they've already learned it.
Bruce, I disagree, I loved the piece when I was 20 and I'm now 57. It could be a general lack of maturity and certainly my wife might agree. I just think it's good fun and I love the lush middle section. I was taken in by Brendel's recording and haven't heard one that I like as well in the intervening years. It's easier to find recordings of it these days, but most don't do it justice.
It has less to do with age than musical maturity. Young, inexperienced amateurs/college students say "Look! A piece that's difficult to play! I can impress everybody with this masterpiece! What brilliance!" They don't see the lack of musical material until it's too late-they've already learned it.
Then I guess young people 40 years ago were more mature than they are now.
I like readings that capture the folk/dance element and aren't taken too terribly fast. Among the YouTube offerings, I think Terrence Judd's is excellent. Gavrilov's is decent. Not a fan of Berezovsky's.
"If we continually try to force a child to do what he is afraid to do, he will become more timid, and will use his brains and energy, not to explore the unknown, but to find ways to avoid the pressures we put on him." (John Holt)
Islamey is meant to be a brilliant and exciting but not profound technical display/show off piece. Criticizing for lack of profundity or comparing to supreme masterpieces like Chopin Sonata Op. 58 or Scarbo makes little sense IMO. It's meant to include virtuosity for virtuosity's sake and be bombastic...just like a Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody or many pieces from the transcription literature (Volodos' Variations on Rondo Alla Turca, Grunfeld Waltz transcriptions, Gounud Liszt Faust Waltz, etc.). I think both the fast theme and slow middle section theme are extremely good but that the fast theme is repeated too much especially in the third section.
I just don't think it's worth all the time and trouble it takes to learn it... why not learn Rach 3 instead.. or Liszt sonata... much more substantial pieces.
"The eyes can mislead, the smile can lie, but the shoes always tell the truth."
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Islamey is meant to be a brilliant and exciting but not profound technical display/show off piece. Criticizing for lack of profundity or comparing to supreme masterpieces like Chopin Sonata Op. 58 or Scarbo makes little sense IMO. It's meant to include virtuosity for virtuosity's sake and be bombastic...just like a Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody or many pieces from the transcription literature (Volodos' Variations on Rondo Alla Turca, Grunfeld Waltz transcriptions, Gounud Liszt Faust Waltz, etc.). I think both the fast theme and slow middle section theme are extremely good but that the fast theme is repeated too much especially in the third section.
I thought everyone knew it's devilishly difficult and therefore that's why most people play it? It's pretty hard technically... very awkward and uncomfortable to play.
"The eyes can mislead, the smile can lie, but the shoes always tell the truth."
Islamey's main theme sounds like a childhood taunt....
....but of course not all such pieces are best left in the 3rd grade schoolyard.... Piece by my former teacher....and by remarkable coincidence (really, basically) happens to be my current teacher playing....
I hope that I'm not hijacking by saying "Thank you for posting that clip, Mark_C! Beautiful piece and performance....."
some wrote rather harsh things about Islamey. I like it, it's a masterpiece, the first real 'Russian' rhapsody, no wonder Liszt had it on his piano all the time, no wonder it got it's status as 'unplayable, savage' , no wonder people don't like it as they just can't play it...It's orientalism is the same as 'Sheherazade's' by Rimsky or 'Lesghinka's' by Lyapunov, one might listen to 'Tamar' by the same author for surprise's sake...it's technique is a novelty, it doesn't strive for great depth, don't blame it for not doing so.
Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft Two bars loud, two bars soft
I'll be honest that in music I'm turned off by two general issues: a. Too much technical difficulty for the shake of making it difficult. b. Ethnic music. (and I'm Greek and have composed some things that appear a tiny bit ethnic, but I hope not too much).
Islamey fits the above categories so well that I can't stand it. And to think that I heard the whole work on that previous thread and wasn't aware of it before hand...
![[Linked Image]](https://forum.pianoworld.com//gallery/42/medium/10968.png)
(really, basically) happens to be my current teacher playing....
