2021 Chopin Competition, Warsaw

[Peter]

Oh, so it's probably corrupt. How very disappointing for the music tragic like myself. Thanks for the information. Of course, some celebrated names have missed out on competitions.

Indeed there is no escaping the toxicity of human nature, even in music! Interestingly it was the 3rd prize winner in that 2010 competition Daniil Trifonov who went on to have the stella career!

[Schenkerian]

I particularly like the combo of Trifonov and Babayan as seen here in this performance of Rachmaninov:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSIdYk6yi30

Sergei Babayan is a former teacher of Daniil Trifonov.

[Peter]

I particularly like the combo of Trifonov and Babayan as seen here in this performance of Rachmaninov:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSIdYk6yi30

Sergei Babayan is a former teacher of Daniil Trifonov.

Yes beautiful playing of a piece I'm not familiar with. Thanks for that.

[Quijote]

Yes I think many musicians have mixed feelings about these events, though of course they do reveal great talents. Garrick Ohlsson talks about his own experiences and postulates that Chopin would have hated it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTYz...=tonebasePiano

I don't watch these events. As another poster said, it's all kind of a "blood sport", a sort of "olympics". No doubt such competitions provide a platform for emerging talents, but really if such or such a pianist ends up in 2nd or 3rd position who really cares, they are all extremely talented.
I think we should revert to "improvisation challenges" as happened in Vienna whilst Beethoven was there.

[Peter]

I don't watch these events. As another poster said, it's all kind of a "blood sport", a sort of "olympics". No doubt such competitions provide a platform for emerging talents, but really if such or such a pianist ends up in 2nd or 3rd position who really cares, they are all extremely talented.
I think we should revert to "improvisation challenges" as happened in Vienna whilst Beethoven was there.

I'm inclined to agree - don't forget Handel and Scarlatti!

[Quijote]

I'm inclined to agree - don't forget Handel and Scarlatti!

Hah! Don't forget Beethoven and Steibelt. I'd give all my limbs to have been there!

[Schenkerian]

Yes beautiful playing of a piece I'm not familiar with. Thanks for that.

Actually, I'm very partial to the musicianship of Sergei Babayan. Here's a performance of him with Trifonov in New York playing the complete Rachmaninov Suite for 2 Pianos, Op. 17 which is, IMO, sadly affected by the very dry acoustic: it opens in a percussive way I'm convinced the composer wouldn't have wanted. Also, the second movement just runs too fast for my taste. But the virtuosity on display here is phenomenal. Great music too. And when I think of my own woeful sight-reading....!! And who needs a page-turner like Trifonov has here; he should have bashed the score flat at the spine before the start! Sergei's turner has the right method.

The final movement here is just something else on another level!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61bujkT_uaU

[Schenkerian]

I've never understood the final movement of Chopin's Sonata No. 2: the very brief nature of it and the structural incompatibility with the rest of the sonata.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJEQqcw-830

[Peter]

Actually, I'm very partial to the musicianship of Sergei Babayan. Here's a performance of him with Trifonov in New York playing the complete Rachmaninov Suite for 2 Pianos, Op. 17 which is, IMO, sadly affected by the very dry acoustic: it opens in a percussive way I'm convinced the composer wouldn't have wanted. Also, the second movement just runs too fast for my taste. But the virtuosity on display here is phenomenal. Great music too. And when I think of my own woeful sight-reading....!! And who needs a page-turner like Trifonov has here; he should have bashed the score flat at the spine before the start! Sergei's turner has the right method.

The final movement here is just something else on another level!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61bujkT_uaU

I don't believe they could be sight reading this! I wouldn't blame the page turner, it's more likely Trifinov's fault for not creasing the spine of the pages properly in advance (assuming it's his own copy used for practice).

[Schenkerian]

They're giving a pretty poor impression of musicians who AREN'T sight-reading!!!

[Peter]

Sight reading is playing it for the first time never having seen the score before, unthinkable that they haven't practiced this together - I simply think they are not playing from memory and relying on the score.

[Schenkerian]

Sight reading is playing it for the first time never having seen the score before, unthinkable that they haven't practiced this together - I simply think they are not playing from memory and relying on the score.

I've always thought sight-reading refers to the first you mention and also to the second. But apparently not. What about Liszt who was said to be able to perform from sight-reading on first contact with a new piece?

[Peter]

I've always thought sight-reading refers to the first you mention and also to the second. But apparently not. What about Liszt who was said to be able to perform from sight-reading on first contact with a new piece?

Yes well Liszt was Liszt and his sight reading from manuscript of the Grieg piano concerto whilst giving a running commentary is legendary. I think the issue here is as there are 2 pianists they must have rehearsed this together prior to performance. I simply think neither were playing from memory which is why the score was necessary.

[Schenkerian]

Yes well Liszt was Liszt and his sight reading from manuscript of the Grieg piano concerto whilst giving a running commentary is legendary. I think the issue here is as there are 2 pianists they must have rehearsed this together prior to performance. I simply think neither were playing from memory which is why the score was necessary.

Despite any rehearsals, which I agree would have taken place (for timing alone) you can still see that they're both reading the score all the time at incredible speed.

[Enrique]

Sight reading is playing it for the first time never having seen the score before, unthinkable that they haven't practiced this together - I simply think they are not playing from memory and relying on the score.

Thanks Peter for clarifying the meaning of "sight reading". In Spanish it is lectura a primera vista, literally "first sight reading".