Sublime Performance on Piano

[capmaster]

While thinking about some old memories, I remembered Christian Sinding's "Frühlingsrauschen" ("Rustle of Spring"), a piano piece I loved very much as a schoolboy.

 

So I searched the web for videos of it and found this one best, playing and recording as well. It made me cry not just for the memories - this lady is a pianist beyond awesome. She elevates this piece of music to ethereal heights:

 

 

=D>

[Retired]

You are a piano player aren't you Cap? I just wish I could play one. Yeah, she makes that look so easy.

[merciful-evans]

Lovely!

 

[capmaster]

You are a piano player aren't you Cap? I just wish I could play one. Yeah, she makes that look so easy.

Yes, I played piano between 1963 and 1979. Around 1970 I was working on Sinding's "Frühlingsrauschen" but didn't come nearly as close as the fantastic Valentina Lisitsa does. Moreover, riding my bicycle for hours and hours a day became my main hobby from 1970 on, until I broke my right wishbone in late 1977 when I fell with my road bike on clear ice.

 

I also think I was neither diligent nor conscientious enough in doing my daily Hanon exercises. However, their main goal, building up strength in ring and little fingers, still helps me today when playing guitar. Piano students from the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and their successor states were and obviously still are meticulously trained with the Hanon exercises. There are 60 of them, but they all should be practiced in every key, and that makes 720 in total

 

Funny how Valentina Lisitsa once called herself a beginner on Johann Sebastian Bach. Honestly, I would love to be a beginner on that level in everything I do The moves of her hands and on her face are priceless, in particular her facial expressions during the fast passages starting around 5:45 - perhaps because Bach plagiarized this section as Valentina states in the introduction :)

 

It all seems so playful and easy when you did all your exercises:

 

[LarryUK]

I've never been able to get into piano music. It doesn't have the feel that a stringed instrument has. I like chamber music. Very calm strings.

[capmaster]

I've never been able to get into piano music. It doesn't have the feel that a stringed instrument has. I like chamber music. Very calm strings.

Interestingly I'm also not specifically a fan of piano music. I was a piano student for sixteen years, and to me it was and still is a great instrument for accompanying vocals. Anyway, in 1980 I switched to guitar.

 

However, by web search for Sinding's "Frühlingsrauschen" I found some videos, finally that of Valentina Lisitsa playing it, and was dearly smitten. Listening to something more from her on the web and again comparing her playing to others gave me the impression that she is an extraordinary pianist. To my senses her technique and feeling are outstanding. I think she is peerless in what she does, a benchmark by which others are measured.

 

By the way, beginning in the mid of the 18th century, the piano became the leading instrument in classical chamber music written by most composers. However, there also is lots of sheet music for string quartets, and perhaps this is what you referred to.

 

The typical Alpine folk music widespread here mainly uses classical guitar, hammered dulcimer, Alpine zither, and in some cases additionally violin and viola. Then there are accordions, nearly exclusively piano accordions nowadays. Button accordions have become very rare, and the last player I knew in person died in 2003. None of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, the latter including the two children of mine, started playing button accordion.

[kidblast]

beautiful.. I play piano as well Cap, she really is amazing. effortless..