What music do you listen?

BR-549

Joined Sep 22, 2013
4,928
I know I'm asking way too much, but put your crystal balls on and see if you can help me. About 30 years ago, maybe longer....I caught about 1 min of a PBS performance. The show was a weekly classical music theme.
The piano player was Asian. Medium length black hair. Clean shaven....black rim glasses. About 30 maybe. And of course formal dress. Beautiful piano. Formal audience of course.

I just caught the last min and never got his name or the name of the piece he composed. No internet at the time. Years later I caught that piece or song or whatever the longhairs call it.........on an FM classical station. Called the station.....but DJ didn't know.......the songs where programed to the station from another location....he could care less what was playing.

The only way to describe the piece is......energetic. The only thing I ever could compare it to.......is chop sticks.....only it wasn't like chop sticks. It was played like chop sticks.....forceful....almost violent.

Does any one have an inkling of what I'm talking about? I have searched up and down for modern Asian composers, with no luck. He might be American or French for all I know. I'm white.

It was just the piano......but I'll bet it would do great on rock and roll stations.
 
My favorite is classical and most of the periods. Then Rock (60s-70s), Blues and Jazz and Rhythm and Blues and a smattering of others.

Here are two vids of Hilary Hahn. She is an extraordinarily talented violinist, who, in my view, also epitomizes grace and elegance. She is amazing. I think she is about 40 now and the vids may be a few years old. I may go see her live.

Paganini, Caprice 24

Bach Violin Concerto 1

Can't resist one more add...
 
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It's fitting, I guess, that many have cited electronic music artists. I would have listed Isao Tomita, Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis, Tangerine Dream, Larry Fast (Synergy) and a few more obscure acts in that category.

My tastes have morphed and now I keep a YouTube playlist semi-current for your edification.

Excellent Music Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAA16F98265DEFBDB
Sounds like some interesting pieces on that list. Did you notice the size of that instrument for the Toccata? Holy Moly that is one big-a$$ organ. Is the top keyboard played only with the foot pedals? Cann all three keyboards be reached with the foot pedals? It must be a blast to hear that thing being played live!
 

KJ6EAD

Joined Apr 30, 2011
1,581
Sounds like some interesting pieces on that list. Did you notice the size of that instrument for the Toccata? Holy Moly that is one big-a$$ organ. Is the top keyboard played only with the foot pedals? Cann all three keyboards be reached with the foot pedals? It must be a blast to hear that thing being played live!
That's not a particularly large organ, as large pipe organs go (Trost Organ in Waltershausen, Germany). The keys of the upper register are "tracking" the middle and lower registers to create a second synchronized voice sort of like autochorusing on a vocal synthesizer or doubling in a studio recording. The pedals are controlling the lowest notes (largest pipes) of the organ which you can see better in this rendition of J.S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor by Hans-André Stamm.

This is the largest organ in the world (Atlantic City, New Jersey). It's being restored, apparently through private donations.

The Wanamaker organ in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the largest fully functional organ in the world. Here's a short feature about it.

To complete the list of superlatives, the largest church organ is at St. Stephan's Cathedral, Passau, Germany.
 
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Sinus23

Joined Sep 7, 2013
250
I know, but I just can't watch Fran; something about the cat eye glasses, the super-slow presentation and complete lack of production values is just too much to bear. :rolleyes:
I can understand that;) Videos like that are probably the reason for the x1.25 or x1.5 playback speed option.:D
 
One of my favorite performances of one of my favorite compositions. Lisitsa is extraordinary. By about 5:50, she is looking a bit possessed and by 9:10, freakishly so. :)

 
Another splendid Liszt / Lisitsa. Refering to this piece (Rondo Fantastique "El Contrabandista") she says "This is perhaps the MOST unplayable piece of music I ever encountered! La Campanella , or Feux Follets ( both are clearly hinted here) are walk in a park in comparison....". For something "unplayable" she sure sounds good to me!


Here is the piece done midi illustrated style (I don't know what they are called). As someone completely devoid of musical talent, I enjoy viewing these sometimes. There is an odd kind of symmetry that I see in this that is intriguing. Also, Liszt may have been a bit sadistic :)

 
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