Tag Archives: piano

scott joplin piano solo elite syncopations live great performance

Scott Joplin Piano Solo – Elite Syncopations Live – Great Performance

post, , , , , , , , , , ,

Hans Joerg Fink performs Scott Joplin’s “Elite Syncopations”. Fink is a marvelous performer, giving this Joplin piece a very lively and precise treatment. It’s a very amusing video, as his son enthusiastically runs and dances around the room, while his dad plays the keyboard without distraction.

Scott Joplin (1867/1868? – 1917) was an African-American composer and pianist. Joplin garnered fame for his many ragtime compositions, being known as “The King of Ragtime”. His career was brief, composing 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. He is best known for his the “Maple Leaf Rag” which served as a model for other composers composing classic rags.

Joplin was a serious and ambitious student and took piano lessons after school. He had several teachers, receiving most of his music education from Julius Weiss, a German-Jewish music professor who immigrated to the United States from Germany. Weiss was greatly impressed with Joplin’s musical prowess and after noting his families financial distress, decided to teach him without charge, also helping his mother acquire a used piano. Joplin took lessons from Weiss from ages 11 to 16.

Weiss also taught Joplin to appreciate music not just as art, but as entertainment. This was instrumental in Joplin developing an excellent grasp of how to compose music that was commercially viable. Joplin never forgot Weiss’s tremendous contribution and years later, after achieving considerable fame as a composer, he sent his former teacher money to help him in his elder years.

Video Lang Lang Plays Live Solo Piano Performance – Chopin Valse Brilliante

post, , , , , , , , ,

A great live video of Lang Lang performing Chopin’s Waltz Brilliante Op. 34, No. 1 in A Flat Major.

Lang Lang was born in 1982 in Shenyang China. He is a concert pianist and lives in New York City. He has performed with many orchestras throughout Europe, the U.S., and in China. He is very well known for his live concerts, T.V. appearances, albums, and film soundtracks. Lang Lang began piano lessons at the age of three. At the age of five, he won a first place award at his first public piano recital. Lang says that his first exposure to Western music was what made him want to study the piano. His flamboyant style and tremendous keyboard power have garnered both praise and criticism. His performances have been described as; “mastery of the piano”, “dazzling technique and charism”, “soggy rhythms and heavy phrasing”, “truly boring”, “vulgar and lacking sensitivity”. Lang Lang has also spent much time encouraging young musicians and children to learn about classical music. Lang Lang has said that his mission is to bring classical music all around the globe.

more about Lang Lang

Video Valentina Lisitsa Piano Solo Rachmaninoff Live Concert

post, , , , , , , ,

Here is a splendid video of Valentina Lisitsa playing the Rachmaninoff Prelude in G minor Opus 23 No. 5. in Seoul, South Korea.

Valentina Lisitsa was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1973. She began piano lessons at the early age of three. At the age of four, she performed her first piano recital. Some of her favorite composers include Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Chopin, and Beethoven. Her technical mastery of the keyboard is evident in this recording. In the very competitive world of classical piano performance, Valentina Lisitsa has used social media to her great advantage. She is one of the most viewed pianists on YouTube. Lisitsa has performed throughout the world, including concerts at Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and Avery Fisher Hall. She has recorded six CDs. In 1991, she moved to the United States to persue her career, and currently resides in North Carolina.

more about Valentina Lisitsa

Video – Ben Folds Plays Piano Rock Solo Live Concert

post, , , , , , , , ,

This video shows Ben Folds playing a flashy piano solo improvisation during one of his live concerts.

Benjamin Scott “Ben” Folds is a popular American piano and keyboard player, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the band leader of the alternative rock group Ben Folds Five from 1995-2000. Since then, he has pursued a solo artist career. He has toured worldwide and appeared onstage with William Shatner, Regina Spektor and “Weird Al” Yankovic. He has worked on several film projects including “Over the Hedge” and “Hoodwinked!”

As a child, Ben Folds began playing piano at the age of 9. He took piano lessons for several years. He learned to play by ear and began writing his own songs. Folds attended the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami on a percussion scholarship. During his studies, he spent much time working on piano technique. “I spent maybe six months just running scales with a metronome like a freak,” Folds said. He dropped out with one credit to go before graduating.

Some of Ben Folds recordings:
Ben Folds Five (1995)
Whatever and Ever Amen (1997)
Naked Baby Photos (1998)
Fear of Pop: Volume 1 (1998)
The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner (1999)
Rockin’ the Suburbs (2001)
Ben Folds Live (2002)
Songs for Silverman (2005)
Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the LP (2006)
Way to Normal (2008)
Lonely Avenue (2010)
The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective (2011)
Fifty-Five Vault (2011)

more about Ben Folds

Video – Randy Newman Sings and Plays Piano Louisiana 1927

post, , , , , , , ,

Randy Newman sings and plays piano in this live video of a performance in Stuttgart, Germany 2006. “Louisiana 1927” was written and recorded by Newman in 1974 and tells the story of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. The flood devastated Louisiana and left 700,000 people homeless. In this recording, Randy’s keyboard playing and voice combine to make a beautiful and powerful performance.

Randy Newman is an American, singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, and arranger. He has written countless songs and scored the soundtrack to over two dozen films. His style of writing satirical and sarcastic lyrics is unique and has gained him many loyal followers during his long career.

Newman was born in Los Angeles, California in 1943. When he was a youngster, his family moved to New Orleans where he stayed until he was 11. Newman took piano lessons as a child at the age of 6, and again at the age of 16. He became a professional songwriter at the age of 17. His music was greatly influenced by Ray Charles. After Hurricane Katrina, Newman’s recording of “Louisiana 1927” became extremely popular, and was played repeatedly on American radio and television.

Randy Newman has received 20 Academy Awards and has won twice. Newman also garnered 15 Oscar nominations with one win. He has also received 3 Emmys, 5 Grammys and many other acknowledgements from the industry. Randy Newman has made a long and lasting contribution to American music and film.

Some of Randy Newman’s Albums
Randy Newman (1968)
12 Songs (1970)
Randy Newman Live (1971)
Sail Away (1972)
Good Old Boys (1974)
Little Criminals (1977)
Born Again (1979)

Some of Randy Newman’s Film Scores
Performance (1970)
Cold Turkey (1971)
Ragtime (1981)
The Natural (1984)
¡Three Amigos! (1986)
Parenthood (1989)
Major League (1989)
Awakenings (1990)
Avalon (1990)
The Paper (1994)
Maverick (1994)
Toy Story (1995)
James and the Giant Peach (1996)
Michael (1996)
Bean (1997)

more on Randy Newman