Anyone interested in classical piano? I have seen many great pianists over the years. One of my favourite was Rubinstein, whom I saw many times. Anyone ever see Horowitz live?

Yes, I love Classical Piano.
No, I've never seen Vladimir Horowitz in person nor Rubenstein. But I have been fortunate enough to see Van Cliburn in person back in th late 60's.
Also Leonard Pennario. More recently I had the pleasure of meeting Garrick Ohlsen.
My all time favorite Classical pianists are, Alfred Brendel - Glenn Gould - Raymond Lewenthal - John Ogden - Sviatoslav Richter and Carol Rosenberger.

How about you, who are your favorites?

Hi, Paul! I've just read a quote of Garrick Ohlsson:- "If you squeeze me, I'll drip Chopin!" This preceded a series of recitals at the Wigmore Hall in London a few years ago. I envy you having met him...but could ANYONE squeeze him? at around six feet four and 250 pounds he sounds huge; but a fine pianist. You have mentioned a few of my all-time favourites. I do not really know much about Lewenthal, but have heard him playing Alkan, at which he is fabulous. Totally agree about Richter. A friend in London (long way from me in UK terms!) has just posted several video tapes of profiles on him, along with recitals, interviews, etc. I have completed one of the three tapes he sent, and it is riveting. I saw Richter in 1966 at the Festival Hall in London when I was a student, and there and then decided that he was the greatest pianist ever. Obviously as the weeks passed I regained some sanity (not a lot; I AM a musician) but will never forget the impact of that experience.
I saw that same year (or thereabouts) in the same hall Rubinstein perform Beethoven concertos 3&4 before the interval,and complete the concert with his Emperor concerto after the break!!! All this at the same sitting! I think we were more tired than he was at the end of it all...
To finish. Georgy Cziffra has given me loads of fun with his playing. Of course he was a very fine musician (never saw him live) who had a genuine intellect to back up his playing; but the overriding impression after listening to his playing will always be incredulity leading practically to laughter at the absolute impossibility of his technical accomplishments (did you ever hear his transcription of "Fight of the Bumble Bee" in OCTAVES before a live audience? Check it out).
Finally, although his purity is not always to everyone's taste I have to confess that my favourite pianist of all time is Dinu Lipatti. For me he can do no wrong, unless there is a slight quibble over the speed of some of his Chopin waltzes.

I know your user name is the name of the piano you had when you were 8 years old.
What kind of a piano do you have now?
As a child, I grew up with a Haddorff.
I hated practicing, so at age 14 I decided I'd rather compose, which I still do. I use a Yamaha Clavinova - midi capable - to sequence my compositions from the Sibelius program in my PC.
I still use pen and manuscript rather than trying to compose straight from the keyboard (I'm old fashioned that way). My favorite Piano's (I used to be a piano technician) are Bosendoerfer, Bluthner, Steinway, & Yamaha (preferrably the Japanese imports).

I thought you might get a kick out of the following article:
http://pianoshop.co.uk/info/ratings.php3

Cheers,Paul!

I must say that I am amused to read on your web-site that my first-ever piano would be handy to use to keep warm when the coal runs out! Actually, mine wasn't bad at all.

One of the best pianos I have had was a Kaps of Dresden. At present I have a Schiedmayer & Soehne upright. It is around 100 years old and in absolutely immaculate condition. The case is burred walnut with scarcely a mark on it, and when I polish it with beesewax it positively glows. The tone is superb, although some of the strings are becoming a little tired and I am thinking of a complete re-stringing with finest materials, perhaps next year. The tone is rich and full, with a really long sustain; and the high treble is clear,warm & bell-like. Chopin, Schubert & Beethoven sound wonderful on it; but for Prokofiev it doesn't "bite" quite enough. It has been looked after with kid gloves up to my acquiring it nine years ago.

Your piano preferences intrigue me. I have never heard of a Haddorff; what was it like? My former piano professor (himself a concert pianist) will not have a word said against Steinway pianos. I find them a great "universal" piano, but that the treble CAN sound harsh. The warmer tones of Bosendorfer and, as you say, the best of the Yamaha models appeals much more in the main to my personal taste. My first piano teacher used a Bluthner grand. Lovely piano.

Everyone to whom I have spoken about Sibelius speaks of it in glowing terms it. One day I will probably get it and never look back!

I have just re-read my last contribution to this forum and see that Cziffra played "The FIGHT of the Bumble Bee". Obviously it should have read "FEAT", but far too late to edit now...(!)

What are you own musical preferences, by the way; and what kind of music do you compose?

I think this is the name of a young popular Russian. What do you pros think about his playing?

Who else are rising star?

Hi, Stanbee!

You've picked an excellent young pianist there; keep an eye on him. Remember, by computer programming standards he is becoming an old man; but in the world of music he is a relative beginner with a long way to go.
Evgeny Kissin is around 30 years old. His father was an engineer and his mother was a piano teacher (kept the cost of initial piano lessons down!). However, when he was five (!) his mother found him another piano teacher at the music academy in Moscow where she taught (probably the little brat was a problem to teach for his own mother-you know what kids can be like).
This teacher, Anna Pavlovna Cantor remains the only piano teacher he has had. They now all live in Manhattan, but I am not sure when they moved there. Certainly the fact that compulsory military service up to the age of 28 for Kissin was an initial reason.

His preferred PLAYING repertoire is the "Romantic" period; From Schubert onwards through Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, etc. as far as Rachmaninoff. Although he loves Beethoven he feels less comfortable in his ability to perform Beethoven's works convincingly (although he is probably wrong in this assumption). He HAS performed some Beethoven, though; and in my opinion will do more and more. Many of his recordings are live; and he prefers to do long studio takes rather than snippets of the best takes glued together (and I far prefer this approach from a personal point of view).

If you get the chance to see him live; take it. He is first-class.
His hobbies include visiting art galleries; he is less interested in cinema. For relaxation he enjoys cycling or simply walking.

Thank you.

Like Paul, I also had the oportunity to see and hear Van Cliburn in 1968, in Tampa, Fl. This year I had the pleasure of seeing and hearing Alexander Tutunov play Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto # 2. I own no piano or any musical instruments.

Johnny, I have never heard Tutunov play. I think the concert you went to would have been the one conducted by Kyle Wiley Pickett, with the Juneau Symphony Orchestra earlier this month. It is a marvellous work; was it a good performance? Can you remember what else was on the programme? If you get the chance, try hearing Rachmaninoff's 3rd in D minor, one of the greatest of all piano concertos, in my opinion.

Ritzmar, I am thoroughly familiar with piano concerto #3, by Rachmaninoff. I have many recordings by different artists.
And, yes, it was the Juneau Symphony last month or early this month. Just looked. It was April 5 of 2003. To me, it was a marvelous performance. He played only piano concerto # 2 on the program, but played one more piece for the encore. I have never clapped for so long and so enthusiastically.
I am surprised by your knowing where it played and the conductor. Made me feel good, knowing some one else follows this type of music.
I have the symphony program right here in front of me. If you like, I could mail it to you. I could e-mail you my e-mail address and proceed from there.

Johnny, you have no need to email me the programme, although by all means email me any time you wish to, it would be great to hear from you. Unless changed on the day, your programme in Juneau was:-

Brahms – Hungarian Dances 5 and 6 with the Juneau Student Symphony
Haydn – Concerto featuring 2002 Youth Concerto Competition Winner Franz Felkl
Rachmaninoff – Piano Concerto #2 with Alexander Tutunov
Copland – Our Town
Wagner – Tannhauser Overture

-a lovely blend of Europe, Russia and America: the connecting centrepins being, of course Rachmaninov himself and Tutunov; both Russian emigres choosing the US as a new home. By the way, not only do I 'follow this type of music', but also teach it for a living, with classical piano being my first and last love. If you wish, try this website for some informal information on Tutunov, he sounds like a very well-rounded musician!http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/99/oct99/100299n1.htm

Thank you, Ritzmar, for your response. Enjoyed chatting with you.

I am very much into classical piano. The only pianist I have ever seen though was part of a trio, and I don't remember the name.

I live in a small college town but its a musical college, so I could probably see many recitals and things, now that my kids are older.

I have a Emerson Cabinet Grand, made in Boston USA. It is old, and the mechanics inside are dated 1898, I think. It has good sound, but needs tuning very badly.Emerson

Shel, that is a very interesting site to me, thanks for that.

By the way, you will enjoy your piano far more if you have it tuned extremely well, instead! (and the sooner the better...)...

Do visit the college in your town and listen to as many recitals as you can possibly manage, there is nothing like hearing varied approaches from different musicians to widen your horizons.

AH, tuning...

the last time I had it tuned, the guy broke a string and never came back (luckily it was way up at the top part...and so I don't try to play that particular key much)

Oh yea..and it costs money!

Since the guy broke the string, I suggest you have the business replace it.. he is obligated to repair what he damaged.

Saw and heard several famous pianist in the 60s and 70s, at Massey Hall in Toronto. I remember standing 4 hours in line for Horowitz's return in 1976, and talking with an older lady who saw Josef Hofmann's last Toronto concert in 1938 (the same one that Glenn Gould went to as a six year old!). The following year I got stage seats for Horowitz's return - I was only 15 feet away from him. I saw Vladimir Ashkenazy several times - the first time in 1967, when I went backstage after the concert, said a few words, and shook his hand. I remember a Wilhelm Kempff concert in 1967, when I had a front row seat, but to the right of the piano. It was fascinating to watch the ballet-like movement of his feet on the pedals. Lazar Berman was only mildly interesting in the 1970s. But I missed so many spectacular pianists in the 1960s and 70s - everybody came to Massey Hall. Artur Rubinstein, Gilels, Richter, Gould - everybody.

Angela Hewitt! Here's as good a thread as any to mention her. She is a fine performer of Bach but what has surprised me is her recording of the Chopin Nocturnes. I have come back to this over some months now and still think that this is the finest performance of them that I've ever heard.

Give it a try ! It's on Hyperion.

[Welcome to AP, searchers. And no, I didn't mention Angela Hewitt, by way of welcome to you, because she's from Canada ]

Hello, Searchers and welcome to our group! Did you actually see Rubinstein? A live performance by him was always the most exciting and satisfying experience. He never captured on disc the atmosphere which he created on stage, in my opinion.

A lady who saw Hofmann...wow! That really must have been something.

here is a site which might interest you.

I have a friend, Bob, in the US (Georgia) who is much older than me. When young, he used to go and see Horowitz regularly, and Art Tatum just as regularly. Horowitz admired Tatum very much. There is a story that, having just heard Tatum's hair raising version of 'Tea for Two' Horowitz asked him how long he had taken to learn that arrangement. Apparently Tatum looked at him as if he were mad. "I just made it up," he said, somewhat perplexed(!)