Rachmanninoff vs. Chopin

[MontrealPianist]

Originally posted by Peter:
Hearing this from a pianist I'm surprised! Chopin was the first modern pianist - new approaches to fingering, technique and pedalling that inluenced Liszt, Debussy and Ravel. The etudes and preludes are an incredible achievement that greatly influenced Rachmaninov. Listen to the last movement of the Bb minor sonata and tell me he wasn't revolutionary!

Chopin's Studies did influence Liszt but not as much as people think. Liszt published his first edition of his studies(we play the third) when he was 15, which is before Chopin published his. If we are also to listen to pieces and judge a composer's influence by them, we can do it to pretty much every composer. Chopin was not the only one in his time to have influence and I think his is overstated in history. But thats an opinion and I know many people love him and with reason.

[Peter]

Originally posted by MontrealPianist:
He was one of the pioneers of the Russian school, which produced the best interpreters of all time.

That is open to debate! Best interpreters of who? Rachmaninov, Chopin, Scriabin - probably. Debussy, Ravel, Beethoven, Mozart, I don't think so.

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'Man know thyself'

[MontrealPianist]

Originally posted by Peter:
That is open to debate! Best interpreters of who? Rachmaninov, Chopin, Scriabin - probably. Debussy, Ravel, Beethoven, Mozart, I don't think so.

All of them! Horowitz and Richter, can you get better then that! Those are students of the Russian school of music and I have yet heard of a better interpretation of Beethovens moonlight then Horowitz! I have yet seen a live Mozart performance better then Esfir Dyachkov(who has played with Richter). The beauty of that style is that it applies to every style of music. Its also a style that I have been studying for the last 3 years, the progress I have made using it is uncomparable to the lack of improvement I wouldve had otherwise.

[Peter]

Originally posted by MontrealPianist:
All of them! Horowitz and Richter, can you get better then that! Those are students of the Russian school of music and I have yet heard of a better interpretation of Beethovens moonlight then Horowitz! I have yet seen a live Mozart performance better then Esfir Dyachkov(who has played with Richter). The beauty of that style is that it applies to every style of music. Its also a style that I have been studying for the last 3 years, the progress I have made using it is uncomparable to the lack of improvement I wouldve had otherwise.

Well regarding Faure, Debussy and Ravel, the French school would dispute that - Margueritte Long was herself regarded by those composers as the best interpreter of their works. As to Beethoven, many would argue that Schnabel was the greatest interpreter.

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'Man know thyself'