A tremendous experience to hear Marc- Andre Hamelin interviewed by someone so intelligent, honest. I positively adore this man's humanity and his magic when he touches the keyboard. At 71, would not like anything better than to be in audience of a Hamelin recital!
Hamelin's statement "the definition of practicing is becoming your own teacher" is 100% true. I am an engineer and computer scientist, and my professors always stressed how important it was to be able to figure things out on your own. In most universities around the country a key component of learning engineering is professors giving you work that's way above your level and not helping you figure it out. Even if you get lots of stuff wrong overall you end up becoming a much better engineer because you had to figure so much out on your own (that's why grades are curved heavily). I've found that the attitude in learning piano is completely different. Most people seem to think that you should have a teacher at your side at all times from age 5, and that you should always look to some type of authority for help before doing anything (including interpretation). This is ridiculous, no other serious discipline operates this way.
I have to say i disagree with him on composing. He said you must have perfect pitch. If Mr Hamelin talks to stephen Hough about the Bible. Get him to understand the original texts of Pauls writing and the text of the letter to Hebrews. Paul used less polished greek and the author of Hebrews had exquisite Greek. (Lost in translation process) God uses all levels of SKILL. For a purpose. If music is beneficial for humanity then why are musicians an the public oppressing a persons level of ability? Then you falsify the claims that music is good for your health. You then become like christians and the issue of predestination. In that God chooses people. Musicians DECLARE Beethoven will enter the gates of musical heaven but Satie will enter musical Hell. Don’t get me wrong i love Beethoven- that is not the point i was making. Who is music for? That is the question. Who is God for? Everyone. Who is music for? Everyone. Then go and do.
@@XPKpianist so you believe man can be God? (since you are claiming Hamelin is god) then why did you reject Jesus claiming to the God of the Jews? are you delusional or do you use words you have no control over a bit like when you swear?
@@gjeacocke bla bla, I was speaking figuratively, Hamelin is definitely the God (of piano) you and your Jesus BS are the delusional ones. Don’t waste time on those BS bedtime stories 😁
The problem with playing by memory is you choose to commit to a piece and sacrifice other pieces and they become neglected. You then get into a muddle of categorising composers and pieces into minor or major and introduce snobbery - much like the class system - lower- middle- upper. You then refuse to play works for fear of ridicule by the establishment or public. A musician then dictates what the public hear and alienate potential new people into classical music. Hence why concert halls do not get up to full capacity and orchestras and other collaborations are withheld funding. The reason why poverty exists is basically as a result of judgement over people. Like jesus disciplining his apostles He said serve people. So serve the public - not yourself in tastes or preference. Serve the neglected melody, the tasteless harmony. Love your enemies. For if you can not love music, loving people will fail and war increase. Piano quartets, piano trios and these combinations do not rely on memory. It is a fact non piano works can be greater to play musically. So why is it deemed essential to memorise?
Musicians are only imperfect mortals! Whether you play with a score or not, and many do both, they do what they're able to do with the unique gifts and talents God has blessed them with. No matter what repertoire they choose to perform, in whatever way, surely the most important thing is that they are using their great gifts God has blessed them with to help us, the public, transcend our every day lives to a more spiritual place. At the Tchaikovsky competition in 2011, Van Cliburn confessed that he believed that music was the 'voice' of God. Let's celebrate music making of all sorts, no matter how or where it's it's done and just be thankful!
Robert Warwick the key to playing with score s that you SHARE with others not just play to yourself. For it is selfish to keep a gift of a piece of music locked behind your own eyes. I have sightread 8000 pieces for ten years. Where art the love and support of musicians for my contribution however flawed?
@@gjeacocke I understand your point, but the nuances in ways of performances are such that you should not restrict piano playing to almost only one way. As an example, when you hear Cortot, Brendel, Lipatti, what do you hear? A connection between the music and the interpreter, and that gives some life to the music itself, which in a way attracts people to listening. There are a lot of ways to approach music.
Fábio Palma that was not what i meant. You can be individual without being polished. LOOK at love. Unpolished but unique to the individual and how they play it out. I heard zimmerman takes eleven years to polish a piece? For what? What a wasted life? Music must be rubbish if you can not plat a thousand melodies or harmonies for fear ppl will hate you because it is not a perfectly composed piece. All i meant was play solo works as pianists play piano trios, piano quartets etc. They have learned it but not completely. It is YOU that claims music is this great thing. But everyone hides their love away of a piece because some elitist fool in the public or music establishment says it was badly written. Pianists are BLAND. They have no curiosity. Neither are the establishments for encouraging musicians not to JUDGE but play. The worst culprits are these worthless competitions. Playing the same nocturne a million times that drives me up the wall. There is no musicianship in that just an air of conceit that ‘i am playing Chopin’ (not that Chopin is not great). Change the record. These worthless judges. What an unfilled musical life.
Fábio Palma let me illustrate your irony There are a thousand pianists that play chopin nocturne as dictated by MASTERCLASSES. A tradition where knowledge is passed on. Your hand is chopped off if you deviate. Pianists are crucified by their teachers if they rebel against tradition. The nuances you speak off have nothing to do with music but a result of different size of hands, temperament of musician. Things you can not avoid.
A tremendous experience to hear Marc- Andre Hamelin interviewed by someone so intelligent, honest.
I positively adore this man's humanity and his magic when he touches the keyboard. At 71, would not like anything better than to be in audience of a Hamelin recital!
Thank you for your kind words! MAH is definitely an amazing human!
Thank you for this podcast! Really enjoyed it ❤❤
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
fantastic interview, deserves a million views. also i like the elegance in hamelin saying 'live a life' instead of 'get a life,' haha
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hamelin's statement "the definition of practicing is becoming your own teacher" is 100% true. I am an engineer and computer scientist, and my professors always stressed how important it was to be able to figure things out on your own. In most universities around the country a key component of learning engineering is professors giving you work that's way above your level and not helping you figure it out. Even if you get lots of stuff wrong overall you end up becoming a much better engineer because you had to figure so much out on your own (that's why grades are curved heavily).
I've found that the attitude in learning piano is completely different. Most people seem to think that you should have a teacher at your side at all times from age 5, and that you should always look to some type of authority for help before doing anything (including interpretation). This is ridiculous, no other serious discipline operates this way.
PS Forgot to say, 'Merci beaucoup.' An inspiration to be treasured!
I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
7:03
I have to say i disagree with him on composing. He said you must have perfect pitch.
If Mr Hamelin talks to stephen Hough about the Bible. Get him to understand the original texts of Pauls writing and the text of the letter to Hebrews.
Paul used less polished greek and the author of Hebrews had exquisite Greek. (Lost in translation process)
God uses all levels of SKILL. For a purpose.
If music is beneficial for humanity then why are musicians an the public oppressing a persons level of ability?
Then you falsify the claims that music is good for your health.
You then become like christians and the issue of predestination. In that God chooses people.
Musicians DECLARE Beethoven will enter the gates of musical heaven but Satie will enter musical Hell.
Don’t get me wrong i love Beethoven- that is not the point i was making. Who is music for? That is the question. Who is God for? Everyone.
Who is music for? Everyone.
Then go and do.
Why would you disagree with the God himself?
@@XPKpianist so you believe man can be God? (since you are claiming Hamelin is god) then why did you reject Jesus claiming to the God of the Jews? are you delusional or do you use words you have no control over a bit like when you swear?
@@gjeacocke bla bla, I was speaking figuratively, Hamelin is definitely the God (of piano) you and your Jesus BS are the delusional ones. Don’t waste time on those BS bedtime stories 😁
@@XPKpianist no, you worship musicians. A teacher just like jesus was to his fellow jews. I sight read.
I guess Richard Wagner and Igor Stravinsky were poseurs then.
The problem with playing by memory is you choose to commit to a piece and sacrifice other pieces and they become neglected. You then get into a muddle of categorising composers and pieces into minor or major and introduce snobbery - much like the class system - lower- middle- upper.
You then refuse to play works for fear of ridicule by the establishment or public. A musician then dictates what the public hear and alienate potential new people into classical music. Hence why concert halls do not get up to full capacity and orchestras and other collaborations are withheld funding.
The reason why poverty exists is basically as a result of judgement over people.
Like jesus disciplining his apostles He said serve people. So serve the public - not yourself in tastes or preference. Serve the neglected melody, the tasteless harmony. Love your enemies. For if you can not love music, loving people will fail and war increase.
Piano quartets, piano trios and these combinations do not rely on memory. It is a fact non piano works can be greater to play musically. So why is it deemed essential to memorise?
Musicians are only imperfect mortals!
Whether you play with a score or not, and many do both, they do what they're able to do with the unique gifts and talents God has blessed them with.
No matter what repertoire they choose to perform, in whatever way, surely the most important thing is that they are using their great gifts God has blessed them with to help us, the public, transcend our every day lives to a more spiritual place.
At the Tchaikovsky competition in 2011, Van Cliburn confessed that he believed that music was the 'voice' of God.
Let's celebrate music making of all sorts, no matter how or where it's it's done and just be thankful!
Robert Warwick the key to playing with score s that you SHARE with others not just play to yourself. For it is selfish to keep a gift of a piece of music locked behind your own eyes.
I have sightread 8000 pieces for ten years. Where art the love and support of musicians for my contribution however flawed?
@@gjeacocke I understand your point, but the nuances in ways of performances are such that you should not restrict piano playing to almost only one way. As an example, when you hear Cortot, Brendel, Lipatti, what do you hear? A connection between the music and the interpreter, and that gives some life to the music itself, which in a way attracts people to listening. There are a lot of ways to approach music.
Fábio Palma that was not what i meant. You can be individual without being polished.
LOOK at love. Unpolished but unique to the individual and how they play it out.
I heard zimmerman takes eleven years to polish a piece? For what? What a wasted life? Music must be rubbish if you can not plat a thousand melodies or harmonies for fear ppl will hate you because it is not a perfectly composed piece.
All i meant was play solo works as pianists play piano trios, piano quartets etc. They have learned it but not completely.
It is YOU that claims music is this great thing. But everyone hides their love away of a piece because some elitist fool in the public or music establishment says it was badly written.
Pianists are BLAND. They have no curiosity. Neither are the establishments for encouraging musicians not to JUDGE but play.
The worst culprits are these worthless competitions. Playing the same nocturne a million times that drives me up the wall. There is no musicianship in that just an air of conceit that ‘i am playing Chopin’ (not that Chopin is not great). Change the record. These worthless judges. What an unfilled musical life.
Fábio Palma let me illustrate your irony
There are a thousand pianists that play chopin nocturne as dictated by MASTERCLASSES. A tradition where knowledge is passed on. Your hand is chopped off if you deviate.
Pianists are crucified by their teachers if they rebel against tradition. The nuances you speak off have nothing to do with music but a result of different size of hands, temperament of musician. Things you can not avoid.