Today I wanted to share with you a thought of mine regarding the concert that was held yesterday, April 30, 2015, on the occasion of the opening of EXPO Milan. Unfortunately, I didn't follow the whole thing, but I followed the parts where the pianist Lang Lang played.
I don't know about you, but I had the impression that the "phenomenon" of Lang Lang has been excessively hyped up, and in all sincerity, I didn't really like how he played. It seemed to me like the typical "look how good I am at playing Rondo alla Turca at 2457bpm".
As for the rest of the concert, I cannot comment on it because, aside from the piano parts, I didn't listen very closely, mostly because they played things that have been heard many times before.
This is obviously a personal opinion, but I wanted to know if it was an impression only mine or yours as well, so please share your impressions too if possible
T
ttw
Member
Reply 2 by ttw
Posts
277
Puccini's niece and the "no" to Expo: "The piano cannot be moved"
The stereotypical finale with 'O sole Mio left me in a state of prostration from which I have not yet recovered. The Orchestra della Scala accompanying Bocelli's thin little voice, which I find has even worsened over the years; two presenters who know little or nothing about Milan; the absolute lack of style and elegance.... All that was missing were pizza, spaghetti, and mandolins, and the cliché would have been perfect. A wasted opportunity.
Even if I am OT, I have a suspicion that this expo is just a worldwide porchetta festival... I understand the economic boost it can give to Milan, but food is not culture, I'm sorry; food culture exists, but it's something else altogether...
D
Dino
Member
Reply 7 by Dino
Posts
277
ttw wrote:
moreover... pitiful Lang Lang
Probably Bonolis wasn't wrong last night. Mozart's "Rondo alla Turca" was intended as a "setting."
Bocelli, out of time. The program was boring and predictable. The pianist, I would say, vulgar. Why was the excellence of Italian music absent from Piazza Duomo?
C
Crazypiano
Member
Reply 9 by Crazypiano
Posts
73
It seems to say "only I can do these acrobatics!" Has nobody told you that in Milan they say "go frog hunting"?
I don't like the tone of some comments, but I'll give my opinion:
Bocelli embarrassing, for him and for everyone. And the fact that some of you didn't notice it is confirmation that TV or computer audio distorts the performance a lot, which is a bit disrespectful towards "good" singers...
Good singers like Damrau, wonderful, and Mele, a bit subdued but good, and Piazzola, very good.
Borsi a bit less so, but she is still a professional.
A Lang Lang seemed a bit of a spectacle to me, but in an event like this, it fits.
Bonolis better than Clerici, but he had nothing to do with the music...
That said, it's not the end of the world. Ed Expo remains a world-class event (unlike a porchetta festival... ...)
I should preface by saying I am pro-expo. Having established this, I say:
The event last night was purely Pop and had nothing to do with classical music.
The expo is a pop event and as such it must be presented in a way that appeals to most people.
So, the organizers of the opening concert think: "a pop-rock concert would be too commercial and unsuitable to open an event like this," so they masked this commercial and promotional concert by calling one of the most famous Italian orchestras and "artists" who pass themselves off as classical but are nothing more than pop stars, and the concert remains commercial and promotional nonetheless, but "decent and not too tacky" in the eyes of most Italians. Lang Lang is, in my opinion, a pop pianist with classical training. Not a classical pianist. Bocelli is the perfect unfortunate "boy" with an apparent "gift" that breaks the hearts of most Italians, and just like that, the game is won.
This is the world of today and tomorrow..
X
Xenakis
Member
Reply 12 by Xenakis
Posts
287
pianothor wrote:
This is the world of today and tomorrow..
At most a part of today's world and, of course, tomorrow depends on us and is not already written in stone.
And maybe it will be welcoming, and not elitist and stuck-up like this topic (and like many others...)
Even regarding Tenore, whose posts I normally agree with: a boring and predictable program?! Now, in all sincerity, who among those present had ever heard the final duet from Giordano's Andrea Chénier?? It was sung poorly, in the sense that there are certainly singers capable of singing it better, but in itself, it is a sophisticated and impactful piece.
Even regarding Tenore, whose posts I normally agree with: a boring and predictable program?! Now, in all sincerity, how many of those present had ever heard the final duet from Giordano's Andrea Chénier?? It was sung poorly, in the sense that there are certainly singers capable of singing it better, but in itself, it is a sophisticated and impactful piece.
True, but in my opinion too little and poorly executed... I am starting to become convinced that the underlying problem is probably that talented musicians are no longer in Italy.
Being very close (in age) to the new generation, I have lost hope regarding the world of tomorrow... But since no one has proclaimed me their prophet yet, there are still possibilities for us to be saved!!
and above all, if you are closer (in age) to the new generation, you are officially THE hope regarding the world of tomorrow :-)
X
Xenakis
Member
Reply 18 by Xenakis
Posts
287
I was saying the same thing Thallo, I say... we should start thinking that it doesn't only depend on others, but that we can do a lot... even if we don't want to believe it.
Ah but I am already trying, hopes are minimal because of people who think in a certain way, there are and there will always be fewer and fewer.
But look, this discussion is becoming more political than musical; I, as a musician, am precisely a musician who worries about the performance.
The way the event is being proposed is not my responsibility and I'm not even interested because I am almost certain it is nothing more than a "hypocritical" show musically (speaking of the EXPO inauguration).
My only faculty is to decide whether or not to take part in it.
And who wouldn't accept the invitation to demonstrate to millions of people what they are capable of doing? And for those more materialistic, who wouldn't accept such a commercial launch? The answer varies from person to person; there are those who perform only for themselves, those who dream of playing before a large audience, and there are also those who think only of money... The world is beautiful because it is diverse
L
LucianoP
Member
Reply 20 by LucianoP
Posts
81
...it is no longer the '98, when one still had the courage to truly write about the media; it is now an ancient relic to be able to read a true personal critique in an Italian newspaper (and perhaps even a foreign one). Certainly, the Italian press is now subservient to the powerful, and no longer has the courage to write the truth, namely: "Bocelli is not technically capable of singing like a tenor, he is just a poor pop singer". We could have saved ourselves, like with Expo 2015, by not calling Bocelli and investing resources to have a vocal cast with the best results for Turandot! That's all!
