...A lesson in dead language
Schubert, Chopin and Liszt on period instruments.
Playing original music on period instruments has become increasingly popular, even though it represents a particular challenge often associated with great difficulties to control mentally and digitally a museum quality instrument that does not abide by modern standards of a valid concert experience and inflicts a great deal of psychological and physical pressure on a performer. Reanimating a piece of dead matter , a category that most, if not all, pianos of over 100 years of age easily fall into, is not a simple task for none of these pianos, to begin with, is equipped with a standard modern repetition mechanism, a factor that dramatically narrows the range of repertoire to be explored: virtually all virtuoso pieces are void in this context. Exceptionally some of those instruments might present outer-world sound qualities which make the whole experience a sort of fascinating travel into a time warp. Over the years there has been a number of very successful attempts to play historic pianos ( exceptionnal 1920's recording of Raul Koczalski playing Chopin Pleyel, recently Sandro Russo playing Liszt 1862 Bechstein and Horowitz 1911 Steinway pianos, just to name a few) and there is obviously an ongoing debate within the accademic community as to the particular approach, esthetics, theory and standardizing of this type of a performance.
( Jozef Kapustka, 2012)
"... brilliant playing" Ian Pace, London University; ( about Prof. Pace : www.ianpace.com )
Playing original music on period instruments has become increasingly popular, even though it represents a particular challenge often associated with great difficulties to control mentally and digitally a museum quality instrument that does not abide by modern standards of a valid concert experience and inflicts a great deal of psychological and physical pressure on a performer. Reanimating a piece of dead matter , a category that most, if not all, pianos of over 100 years of age easily fall into, is not a simple task for none of these pianos, to begin with, is equipped with a standard modern repetition mechanism, a factor that dramatically narrows the range of repertoire to be explored: virtually all virtuoso pieces are void in this context. Exceptionally some of those instruments might present outer-world sound qualities which make the whole experience a sort of fascinating travel into a time warp. Over the years there has been a number of very successful attempts to play historic pianos ( exceptionnal 1920's recording of Raul Koczalski playing Chopin Pleyel, recently Sandro Russo playing Liszt 1862 Bechstein and Horowitz 1911 Steinway pianos, just to name a few) and there is obviously an ongoing debate within the accademic community as to the particular approach, esthetics, theory and standardizing of this type of a performance.
( Jozef Kapustka, 2012)
"... brilliant playing" Ian Pace, London University; ( about Prof. Pace : www.ianpace.com )
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How do pianos die?
" (...) The junking of the modern descendant of the “gravicembalo col piano e forte,” the Italian precursor, can evoke strong reactions. A video posted on YouTube by one mover showing pianos being dumped drew violent remarks. Commenters said they felt sickened and called the scene barbaric, painful, outrageous, even criminal. “Stop the horror!” one wrote. When the video was described to Madeleine Crouch, the administrator of the National Piano Manufacturers Association, she responded with a sharp intake of breath. “That makes me cry,” she said. “Pianos are lovable. You wouldn’t want your pet horse to be thrown out into the glue factory.” Such reactions emphasize the abyss between the emotional value of used pianos and their worth in the marketplace. “It is the most emotionally charged piece of furniture that there is,” said Martha Taylor, a rare restorer of uprights, whose Immortal Piano Company is based in Portland, Ore. “When I have to say: ‘You’ve buried your grandmother. You have to bury her piano,’ it’s a really hard thing.” Many movers say they strive to find homes for abandoned pianos, making the rounds of nursing homes, schools and other institutions. “You hate to see them go,” said Mr. O’Mara, whose company tries to give away discarded pianos. Any rescued piano, he noted, is also a potential future move for O’Mara Meehan. But there is just so much room in his warehouse for adoptees. He has to cull them like a herd. Churches and schools often do not have room or the means to maintain them. Brian Goodwin, who owns Piano Movers of Nashua, N.H., and who had 30 pianos in his warehouse ready for the dump recently, said he created the Web site Piano Adoption partly as a clearing house to find homes for unwanted pianos. He posted the video of the dumped pianos that drew such shocked responses." (...) read full New York Times article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/30/arts/music/for-more-pianos-last-note-is-thud-in-the-dump.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |
