H-grandpiano Clips

Hi Alan! Been listening to your latest clips for a while (where you play on the Horowitz-grand) I enjoy them very much le touché is amazing and the sound just breathtaking. I especially like the Mozart but the fresh interpretation of the Mazurka is also nice. One gets the impression that this piano is like a tiger in a cage one wrong step and the tiger starts roaring.Thanks! It looks like you use a lot of "standing" I never thougt of using it this frequently (I recall you showed this kind of playing after the "tapping" in the DVD but maybe I'm wrong) but after some trials I found that some keys that I couldn't really control due to otherwise unfavorable positin of the hand suddenly can be controlled by just letting one finger "stand", for example in some Chopin- appogiatura .Controlling these small details really makes a difference. It's like inverted armweight on single notes and chords.Very relaxing to. I also feel that the back is somehow involved in the process as a kind of opposing power.But maybe I just got it all wrong? I'm a low-sitter like you but it looks like you levelled up a bit higher on the bench? Thank's for those clips a picture says more than thousand words-more of this:-) Eric

Thanks for your kind words Eric, I was a little bit sceptical that the sound of the instrument would communicate through my lousy digital camera but you do get at least some idea of it. And yes, something is coming through from my back (although I don't feel EFFORT in my back). I'm not entirely happy with what I do physically there but you have to understand, I had only that one chance to feel the instrument and literally change everything on the spot to try to unlock the beauties of its sound - it was very much an improvisation... I sit fairly low but the bench wasn't quite ideal - it was all we had. Thanks again, AFF

sorry I missed this, but where is the clip? Alan, I'm so glad you got to try the H piano. Is the touch as light as they tell me? I was told that H. had it down to 35g or so, but Steinway has brought it back up into the 40s. I wanna see the clip Bob Provo, Utah

This is the Chopin A minor mazurka and the Mozart slow movement Enjoy! AFF

I would like to leave a simple thank you for posting some of your work since you are my biggest influence in piano and have helped me out so much. I sure would, and I think all your other students who come here from time to time, would sure love to hear/see more of your playing. In regards to the playing I just want to say I really appreciate the fact that you incorporated a nice amount of rubato. This sadly seems to be lacking in Mozart usually. Its refreshing to hear someone give Mozart's melody the same sense of urgency that we give chopin or other romantics. Appreciate you taking the time to make the melody really fluid. Its always refreshing to hear mozart played from the heart rather than as some exercise in symmetry, not that that was lost. :)

I agree, like Horowitz said you should play Chopin like Mozart and Mozart like Chopin! Eric

It is very light but not as light as when he had it. I would have been interested to have it even lighter, but as my blog entries show, it was an amazing enough experience working out how to play it even at that touch weight... AFF