![]() ![]() Just because you are a great pianist who can play better, cleaner, and faster than everyone else, this does not make you immune from making glaring errors in logic, such as the popular belief that Allegretto means as fast as possible. Pianists love to ignore this fact and the greatest pianists in the world are no exception. The last time I checked the dictionary, Allegretto was significantly slower than Presto. This is like trying to argue that 1 + 1 = 3. Some pianists will put forth erroneous arguments advocating that La Campanella should be as fast as possible. The problem is that most pianists are in denial that they think this way (even if they are not aware that they think this way) and their first mode of defense is to create “straw man” arguments if anyone should bring up the issue of La Campanella being marked only Allegretto. Pianists should be embarrassed that they actually believe this sytem of logic. The above system of logic is flawed on so many levels. Therefore, this proves that La Campanella should be played as fast as possible. The “mob mentality” system of logic runs like this:Īll famous and influential pianists play La Campanella as fast as possible.Īll famous and influential pianists are great and smarter than the “average” non-famous pianist.Īll famous and influential pianists are authorities who cannot be questioned. Most pianists inadvertantly fall into the “mob mentality” category of musicianship. Learn La Campanella from a Master - Get 20% Off Your WRP Membership (offer good through July 31, 2022) and gain access to a full 13-video tutorial series on “La Campanella”: Coupon code ABPUWAA72S Introduction This article gets to the nitty-gritty of an inconvenient truth concerning tempo in La Campanella. Indeed, the general consensus among pianists is to ignore Liszt’s Allegretto indication, and instead, to play it Presto or Prestissimo. ![]() One would expect such an ultimate litmus test type piece to be Presto or at least Allegro at the slowest however, for some strange reason the general consensus among pianists is that La Campanella should be played as fast as possible. It has become the ultimate “litmus test” for pianists to show off their technique and bravura playing, which is strange piece to select for this category since it is only marked Allegretto. Ticket information is available by calling (501) 666-1761, Extension 1, or online at .(Abstract) Franz Liszt’s (1811-1886) arrangement of Nicolo Paganini’s (1782-1840) La Campanella is arguably the most popular classical piano piece on YouTube. Li, Crust and the orchestra will repeat the program at 3 p.m. 1 ("Afro-American Symphony") by one-time Little Rock resident William Grant Still. The first, the Arkansas premiere of Margaret Bonds' "Montgomery Variations," maintained the "variations" theme of the first half of the concert, a charming work but with some dramatic elements (Bonds was a disciple of Little Rock native Florence Price) after intermission, Crust led the orchestra in a marvelous performance of the Symphony No. Guest conductor Andrew Crust, assistant conductor of the Vancouver Symphony, in his callback "audition" for the orchestra's vacant music director position, picked two pieces by Black American composers to flesh out the program and mark Black History Month, both of them having Little Rock connections. Li rewarded the instant and extended ovation with just the right encore: Franz Liszt's "Paganini Etudes" (based on Paganini's "La Campanella"). The orchestra, as it almost always is, was excellent in support. Tempos were perfect through the mad dash through the final six variations, a big buildup to a flippant finale. Rachmaninoff contrived 24 variations on Niccolo Paganini's 24th Caprice for solo violin for the lush, Romantic 18th variation, he varied the theme by turning it upside down. It calls for a brilliant soloist, and prize-winning pianist George Li (silver medalist at the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition, no less) was certainly that and more. The performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" was probably the most fun. There was plenty of just plain fun at the Arkansas Symphony's Masterworks concert Saturday night at Little Rock's Robinson Center Performance Hall. ![]()
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