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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
I think similar type statements, what i would call a pompous style, can be found about just any composer. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, ... all have been qualified by superlatives, which at the end, do not mean much. Spitta on Bach has created quite a few of the romantic side, which is quite in contradiction with the actual life and personality of Bach. In the video a title like R composed the "most beutiful melodies ever written" is just an empty statement. When one has nothing interesting to say, you just put a catchy title.
So for this statement (of course one would need to read the whole context) suggesting R is more than a human being is, at face value, pretty emphatic and to me means nothing specific. Seems like a quip. I assume with more context, it could make some sense ....
It has some of the classic movie trailer problems where they have put a lot of disparate pieces of the film into a narrative. It's a bit of speculation to say what he meant by that but if I can use the context within this clip, it seems he was referring to the spirit of the times in a cultural context. In other words, Rachmaninoff embodies or captures that spirit (or his music does). To some people, his music invokes sentiments that have cultural significance.
It's a bit of speculation to say what he meant by that but if I can use the context within this clip, it seems he was referring to the spirit of the times in a cultural context. In other words, Rachmaninoff embodies or captures that spirit (or his music does). To some people, his music invokes sentiments that have cultural significance.
That seems plausible ! But that would be also the case of a lot of other composers. To a large extent, composers reflect the spirit of their time and culture.
The trailer kind of empties its clip starting with the 18th variation, doesn't it.
Thanks for making me aware of this, I will probably watch it. FWIW, over the last few days I have been letting my YouTube feed take me through all sorts of lesser known Russian piano literature and then a bunch of Rachmaninoff and that exercise made me appreciate how great a composer Rachmaninoff really is and made me feel strongly that his prominence really is a good example of the cream rises.
I also appreciate the answers given by Sidokar and Pathbreaker.
Again granting my bias, here's my list of composers about whom the idea is more apt: (keyboard works only, just because I don't know other music well enough to consider composers on that basis)
It's not that I think Rachmaninoff was a bottom-of-the-heap composer, just that I'd consider him below these other composers on that curious criterion.
In Russian the word that means "spirit" is mostly used to refer to willpower, courage, energy, like in the following example from Cambridge dictionary: "The torture failed to break the prisoners spirit."
In Russian the word that means "spirit" is mostly used to refer to willpower, courage, energy, like in the following example from Cambridge dictionary: "The torture failed to break the prisoners spirit."
That's most probably what Pletnev meant.
Thanks, sounds very possible! It certainly works better.
I was thinking it was more like "spiritual." (ah, words!!!)
ALTHOUGH, I'd say he did have his share of "spiritual" too....
Claudio Arrau said the exact opposite about Rachmaninoff. He once claimed that Rachmaninoff was arrogant for "turning every piece into Rachmaninoff", and also, not being familiar with Beethoven's Eroica Variations (Op. 35).
Though I have my disagreements with the first statement. Earl Wild said of Rachmaninoff that during one of his [Rachmaninoff's] concerts, he told the conductor that he wanted to do Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 (Op. 15) in strict classical tempo. [If I remember the interview from Earl Wild correctly.]
Pletnev's comments are accurate, but the 18th Variation of Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody is an incredible cliche to prove his point. I would've gone with the E minor theme from the first movement of Rachmaninoff's Piano Trio No. 2 in D minor (Op. 9).
Last edited by iaintagreatpianist; 11/24/2007:33 PM.
Claudio Arrau said the exact opposite about Rachmaninoff. He once claimed that Rachmaninoff was arrogant for "turning every piece into Rachmaninoff", and also, not being familiar with Beethoven's Eroica Variations (Op. 35).
Though I have my disagreements with the first statement. Earl Wild said of Rachmaninoff that during one of his [Rachmaninoff's] concerts, he told the conductor that he wanted to do Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 (Op. 15) in strict classical tempo. [If I remember the interview from Earl Wild correctly.]
Pletnev's comments are accurate, but the 18th Variation of Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody is an incredible cliche to prove his point. I would've gone with the E minor theme from the first movement of Rachmaninoff's Piano Trio No. 2 in D minor (Op. 9).
Arrau was from a different generation than Rachmaninov so he was more inclined to take less liberties. I think criticizing someone for not knowing the Eroica Variations is quite silly. Pletnev did not choose the music for the video. I think using the 18th Variation makes perfect sense because the video is not intended for classical music aficionados.
Again granting my bias, here's my list of composers about whom the idea is more apt: (keyboard works only, just because I don't know other music well enough to consider composers on that basis)
It's not that I think Rachmaninoff was a bottom-of-the-heap composer, just that I'd consider him below these other composers on that curious criterion.
Every person is entitled to his or her own opinion, so I must voice mine: Declaring Rachmaninoff to be “lesser” than any of these artists is pure unadulterated egotistic idiocy. Who d'you think you are, chief?
Perhaps he meant that Rachmaninoff's music transcends above and beyond the context of the time when he was alive, or his personality, that the music survived the test of time, has a universal meaning or message which all of us can relate to or experience, that his work cannot be fitted in a category pianist or composer, that he became a spirit hovering above all of those definitions?
I am definitely looking forward to seeing the entire film, maybe the context of his statement will make the statement itself clearer.
Every person is entitled to his or her own opinion, so I must voice mine: Declaring Rachmaninoff to be “lesser” than any of these artists is pure unadulterated egotistic idiocy. Who d'you think you are, chief?
Among other things I might say.... I wasn't talking about degrees of goodness or greatness, but about the relative natures of their works -- all "IMO" of course.
