Thursday, January 10, 2008

Cortot, What a wonderful musician!

Alfred Cortot was a Swiss pianist and conductor. He is one of the most popular 20th century musicians, especially renowned for his poetic insight in Romantic period piano works, particularly those of Chopin and Schumann. I have never heard Cortot's playing. Today in the piano lit class, Dr. Gainsford showed us video of Cortot's master class. It was transcendent! He was all passion and Poetry. He had the most distinctive and beautiful tone. "Penetrating-right to the soul." There was blood in his playing-the blood of a poet. I love how Cortot was able to transform such a simple piece into something extraordinary. He is not only a musician, but also a poet who transposes the idea of dreaming and personal peace, with a beautiful sound. I understand the truth is, you need to dream this piece, rather than just play it.

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