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"I don't play accurately - anyone can play accurately - but I play with wonderful expression. As far as the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte. I keep science for Life."
There are countless Chinese pianists today who play with great musicianship as well as perfect technique.
Not a singe one of whom looks as good in a sequined minidress as Lola.
You didn't ask us to look, you asked us to listen, so your "reason" here is invalid.
At least you have told who it is, I think it is remarkable that anyone can play Opus 66, I have struggled for decades!
However, I see little point in disguising the sound of a piano when asking people what they think of it, they aren't truly hearing waht you want judged. The disguise overpowers the performance and many here could recognise the manipulation even if, as me, they could not be precise about it.
Cool. A bit better than I would have expected, so an interesting "blind listening" exercise. Also, congrats on getting me to listen to both the Fantasie-Impromptu and Lola Astanova.
From my note earlier in the thread: "Good, ok embellishments, not Perahia."
I'll go back to Bach now.
Last edited by Think Schifferent; 10/29/1801:09 PM.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; ... Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the Schifference.
She can play like that with one stiletto tied behind her back.
Which raises an interesting point. I find it interesting watching her pressing both the una corda and sustain pedals with each foot simultaneously in her stilettos. I know from my wife, this is highly difficult because your calves have to be fully contracted to push your toes down when your foot is already being stretched forward by the shoes. Much easier to turn the foot lightly sideways when pushing with the toe, but when she is pushing both pedals, one with each foot, that's not possible.
I find it fascinating that she is willing to tolerate personal discomfort in order to maintain that image. I wonder if the stress in her calves is affecting her playing. LOL
across the stone, deathless piano performances
"Discipline is more reliable than motivation." -by a contributor on Reddit r/piano "Success is 10% inspiration, and 90% perspiration." -by some other wise person "Pianoteq manages to keep it all together yet simultaneously also go in all directions; like a quantum particle entangled with an unknown and spooky parallel universe simply waiting to be discovered." -by Pete14
I find it interesting watching her pressing both the una corda and sustain pedals with each foot simultaneously in her stilettos. I know from my wife, this is highly difficult because your calves have to be fully contracted to push your toes down when your foot is already being stretched forward by the shoes. Much easier to turn the foot lightly sideways when pushing with the toe, but when she is pushing both pedals, one with each foot, that's not possible.
I find it fascinating that she is willing to tolerate personal discomfort in order to maintain that image. I wonder if the stress in her calves is affecting her playing. LOL
I don't get why women deal with heels period.
I too wondered about her pedaling in heels - seems like it would be uncomfortable to constantly have your foot at or near full extension like that so frequently but she actually addresses it in the FAQ on her site - she says it isn't at all uncomfortable. She's obviously in excellent physical condition and she's young, maybe her joints and tendons don't have a problem with it.
I too wondered about her pedaling in heels - seems like it would be uncomfortable to constantly have your foot at or near full extension like that so frequently but she actually addresses it in the FAQ on her site - she says it isn't at all uncomfortable. She's obviously in excellent physical condition and she's young, maybe her joints and tendons don't have a problem with it.
My wife who is from her part of the world as Astanova used to argue to me that wearing very high heels was actually more comfortable for her than wearing flat shoes. What nonsense. Now, 20 years later, she can barely tolerate heels any more since years of wearing such high heels has screwed up her feet.
across the stone, deathless piano performances
"Discipline is more reliable than motivation." -by a contributor on Reddit r/piano "Success is 10% inspiration, and 90% perspiration." -by some other wise person "Pianoteq manages to keep it all together yet simultaneously also go in all directions; like a quantum particle entangled with an unknown and spooky parallel universe simply waiting to be discovered." -by Pete14
Partially cross-posted from this other thread on ABF, but this part is relevant to brassplyer's thread here:
Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop
My wife became a fan of Astanova after I performed brassplyer's Fantaisie Impromptu test on her - I sent her brassplyer's Pianist Corner audio link, and had her comment on the audio performance (she said it was very good) and then sent Astanova's Youtube video. As a result of this test, she visited Astanova's other Youtube videos and also forwarded the Fantaisie Impromptu video to an opera singer friend of hers. ...
I think brassplyer's test had a very valid apparent premise: too often, people listen with our eyes and not our ears. This, even in the case of people who know better. For example, a thought exercise might be whether or not she would have been awarded the Emmy if for this same performance:
she had instead presented herself in this manner:
across the stone, deathless piano performances
"Discipline is more reliable than motivation." -by a contributor on Reddit r/piano "Success is 10% inspiration, and 90% perspiration." -by some other wise person "Pianoteq manages to keep it all together yet simultaneously also go in all directions; like a quantum particle entangled with an unknown and spooky parallel universe simply waiting to be discovered." -by Pete14
I will admit to showing my age (prejudice?), but I simply cannot watch that last video "We are the Champions." I'm so far removed from what passes as pop culture, that the costume and the stiletto boots, the unnecessary display of flesh, the exaggerated gestures are (to be polite about it) less than appealing. I guess that's the nature of much of the marketing of pop music videos and performances these days.
I guess she makes a lot more money than I do, "laughing all the way to the bank" as the expression goes.
I'm so far removed from what passes as pop culture, that the costume and the stiletto boots, the unnecessary display of flesh, the exaggerated gestures are (to be polite about it) less than appealing.
Do you feel biased only against today's pop culture or against all performers who dresse(d) and behave(d) garishly?
Originally Posted by BruceD
I guess that's the nature of much of the marketing of pop music videos and performances these days.
"Discipline is more reliable than motivation." -by a contributor on Reddit r/piano "Success is 10% inspiration, and 90% perspiration." -by some other wise person "Pianoteq manages to keep it all together yet simultaneously also go in all directions; like a quantum particle entangled with an unknown and spooky parallel universe simply waiting to be discovered." -by Pete14
Concerning Lola Astanova, while her fingers run really fast, imho she plays very badly, she doesn't understand music that she plays luxuriating in her virtuosity. And her look at the piano disgusts me.
Oh, since my wife is a Russian from Moscow, of course I know all about Filipp and his theatrics, including marrying Alla Pugacheva. I actually attended the Zvezdnoye Leto Starry Summer concert over 20 years ago in New York City, with him and his ex-wife Pugacheva and ex-stepdaughter Orbakaite.
Originally Posted by Iaroslav Vasiliev
Concerning Lola Astanova, while her fingers run really fast, imho she plays very badly, she doesn't understand music that she plays luxuriating in her virtuosity.
Astanova is a specialist in Chopin. I do find her Chopin quite acceptable. It is perhaps not exceptional. However, it is not played "badly". I'm glad you have qualified your opinion with an "imho", because this is obviously a biased opinion and if you insist on it, I must then ask you what other professional concert pianists you consider play "very badly" so that I can understand what your "baseline" is against which you are judging her.
Originally Posted by Iaroslav Vasiliev
And her look at the piano disgusts me.
And her appearance at the piano is a "costume", which she dons for effect and targeted to an audience of her selected demographic. Here she is also with Gergiev, where she has put on a different costume for your demographic. Does she disgust you less this way?
across the stone, deathless piano performances
"Discipline is more reliable than motivation." -by a contributor on Reddit r/piano "Success is 10% inspiration, and 90% perspiration." -by some other wise person "Pianoteq manages to keep it all together yet simultaneously also go in all directions; like a quantum particle entangled with an unknown and spooky parallel universe simply waiting to be discovered." -by Pete14
Oh, since my wife is a Russian from Moscow, of course I know all about Filipp and his theatrics, including marrying Alla Pugacheva. I actually attended the Zvezdnoye Leto Starry Summer concert over 20 years ago in New York City, with him and his ex-wife Pugacheva and ex-stepdaughter Orbakaite.
Oh, what a surprise! I didn't know. Did you enjoy his show?
No, actually it doesn't irritate me. They have their opinions, I have mine.
Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop
I must then ask you what other professional concert pianists you consider play "very badly" so that I can understand what your "baseline" is against which you are judging her.
I probably generally like not more than 10-20% of interpretations. And another 20-30% I consider 'very bad'. But I'm not going to make a flame here, if you ask specifically what I think about someone, I will answer.
Concerning Astanova, I find harshness in how she plays Chopin, that seems to me very wrong.
Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop
Does she disgust you less this way?
Yes, this is much better.
You know, I believe piano is not an appropriate place for erotic photosessions. When I think of female pianists I imagine my teachers playing, my friends, I imagine Martha Argerich, Vera Gornostaeva. And then I see that and I want to close the browser immediately and never open it again.
Haha! Both he and his then wife represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin (in different years). I remember seeing them both at rehearsals. It seemed strange that one of the best-selling singers in the world was standing in front of me and I had never heard of her.
I just came back here more by chance than anything and as Rhapsody in Blue is my absolute favourite have watched Lola Astanova's performance.
I thought it was superb, I couldn't care less what she wears or what she "makes the most of", her piano plaing was wonderful.
I thought she committed great sins, a thing I love in musicians, chose her own accents, varied rythm as she saw fit and bobbed up and down too much. But the end result was marvelous.
As an aside, I thought that Steinway had such little resonance on it that it could have been a digital! (That is not a fault, IMO)
Full marks to the conductor and orchestra too. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
I'm not a Queen fan although I play a lot of pop myself, so I didn't bother with the other video.
Haha! Both he and his then wife represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin (in different years). I remember seeing them both at rehearsals. It seemed strange that one of the best-selling singers in the world was standing in front of me and I had never heard of her.
Yes. If I remember correctly, both he and his ex-wife failed epically at Eurovision.