Piano master video discussion group

What are your thoughts? Rachmaninoff Sonata 2 3rd movement Carmen fantasy

This video illustrates many key ideas in the craft of piano playing. What stuck out most clearly to me was the grasping motion and the independence of his fingers. His hand arch is also very pronounced in those fin...

I would like to hear comments on this pianist. I first heard of him from a DVD on Van Cliburn 1989. He was the winner, but even before the winner was announced, his playing captured me instinctly. I can't say his playing...

Hi all I just had to post these clips which made me smile. Apart from the depth and sonority of sound here also watch how Gulda is vertually making love to a woman in the audience!! There's something Argerich-like...

Michelangeli is one of the most skeletal players I have seen. He also achieves that neutral, objective state, which prof. Fraser discusses where all extraneous motions and "expressive" devices are eliminated. The only...

Argerich's playing of the same piece Alan posted, in 2008. I personally find this more attractive than her earlier performance. In terms of technique, her arch, her use of hands are just as efficient as the old on...

This is the only video of Horowitz where he actually contradicted his own claim that he doesn't move around his body unnecessarily when he plays. Other than that, he does a lot more inefficient movements than he norm...

Here are a couple of performances by a truly outstanding performer, who I only stumbled across by chance very recently. It's interesting just how obvious his dynamic range and tone quality is, despite the fairly primitiv...

Rhythm is an essential ingredient of music. A musician must know how to create alluring tunes and must possess the sense of rhythm. A pianist can play the right keys but if the timing is not right, then music can...

Here is a video of Katsaris playing Liszt's transcription of Beethoven's Pastoral symphony. Horowitz reportedly played Liszt's transcriptions frequently in private and regretted that he didn't record them. What do you...

In one of Mr. Fraser's blogs, he talked about how Horowitz didn't play that loud, but that he created the illusion of loudness through skillful manipulation of overtones. Does that mean that Horowitz' fortissimo wouldn'...

Here are the links the first part of each masterclass. What are your thoughts? Stephen Hough Gyorgy Sebok

I haven't seen this before in youtube: The video is quite clear. Unfortunately the image is distorted...... Anyone has any idea where I can find the DVD? It's not available in Hong Kong..... But I've to say...

A feverish music lover told me Horowitz (probably, or another prominent pianist, he said) once said he wished he could play like Art Tatum. I think he meant technique-wise. So I search and see. Unfortunately most of t...

Argerich's use of her hands is my model. Rarely could I find even a slight unnecessary waste of energy. (which I can find even in Horowitz's playing, but I've to agree my view might be too narrow) Here's her octav...

His pianistic mechanism is one of the greatest in history and he moves as intelligently and gracefully as any pianist I have seen. He plays with wonderful finesse, power and structural clarity. One thing I don't find i...

His technique is phenomenal but it seems a little tense. That might just be an illusion though. I am curious what you think about his physical approach to the keyboard. He sits lower than most pianists and his hand arc...

Here's a rare collection of Vladimir Horowitz 's most popular piano sheet music.

in chronological order, a newer version is this: (I think it's the same performance) Then his Moscow performance: This is one particular piece that I think Horowitz owns. So far I haven't listened...

hallo! I'd like to have your impressions about this pianist. Here three videos of different periods. Thanks, Jacques

Most of his discussion of other pianists is in part 6. Here is the link. He also demonstrates a little bit of Mozart on the piano and parodies heavy six eight rhythms. He calls Michelangeli a "fantastic pianist" and...

Not the most conventional means of emulating an organ sound- but after thinking about it, I think it's actually far closer to the coarseness of the gigantic pipes in a massive cathedral- compared to the polite style of g...

Just looking at his hands, his technique is among the most skeletal and effective. But some how his upper arms take some potent source of energy from him. Those kind of power is less important in pieces like Bach's,...

Over the past year and a half I have become obsessed with 19th century players. I love everything about the style. One characteristic that nearly all the players I like have is the ability to make the piano SPARKLE. Ther...