Month: December 2011

George Gershwin Prelude no. 2, George Gershwin Preludes 1 to 3, Gershwin Virtuoso Selections played by Irina Morozova, Irina Morozova, Krystian Zimerman, Leonard Bernstein, music, music and heart, pianist, piano, piano playing and phrasing, piano repertoire, Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, Seymour Bernstein, Seymour Bernstein pianist, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, you tube, you tube video

My favorite Gershwin performances (Videos)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Surfing the Internet, I discovered four inspired readings of my favorite Gershwin selections. These included performances of "I Got Rhythm," the three piano Preludes and Rhapsody in Blue. (I've already regaled Yeol Eum Son's riveting "Embraceable You" in a few previous blogs) First, Irina Morozova delivers a show-stopping, "I Got Rhythm," track 13 of Gershwin… Continue reading My favorite Gershwin performances (Videos)

"Did Somebody Say Fresno?! " Part V, Fresno, Fresno CA, Fresno in the movies, Hollywood movies that mention Fresno, poor piano maintenance in Fresno, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, Uncategorized, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Fresno isn’t such a bad place, after all (“Did Somebody Say Fresno?! Part V” on You Tube)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Not to be a stage mom, but my daughter, Aviva is having a good time doing her thing archiving Hollywood movies that more than mention Fresno. (She's just released, "Did Somebody Say Fresno?!" Part V.) Producer/video editor all in one, Ms. Kirsten makes a blockbuster cameo appearance in the opening, evoking Alfred Hitchcock's movie-making days.… Continue reading Fresno isn’t such a bad place, after all (“Did Somebody Say Fresno?! Part V” on You Tube)

George Gershwin, George Gershwin piano rolls, George Gershwin Prelude no. 2, George Gershwin Preludes 1 to 3, George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue, Hoagie Carmichael, Hoagy Carmichael, piano, player piano, playing piano, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, word press, wordpress.com, Yamaha Disklavier, Yeol Eum Son, you tube, you tube video

George Gershwin’s Prelude no. 2, and the retirement home circuit (Videos)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

When I did my retirement home tours, feisty tunes were more well-received than the melancholy Prelude no. 2 in C# minor. Everybody knew Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm,” and “Rhapsody in Blue,” plus a truckload of Hoagy Carmichael favorites. So, looking back, I should have thought twice about featuring this musical gem as my opener. (as… Continue reading George Gershwin’s Prelude no. 2, and the retirement home circuit (Videos)

Domenico Scarlatti Sonata in D Major K. 492, Domenico Scarlatti Sonata in D Major L. 14, Scarlatti, Scarlatti Sonata in D Major L. 14, Scarlatti Sonatas, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Domenico Scarlatti with wailing gypsies, flamenco flourishes, and daredevil displays (Sonata in D, K. 492)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knhMGbpg8Fk This Baroque era composer never ceases to amaze me. A forerunner of the virtuoso school of keyboard playing, Domenico Scarlatti offers a potpourri of what seems like incompatible ingredients in one short Sonata serving. (K. 492, L. 14) He starts with a sprightly staccato opening in the MAJOR mode in parallel thirds then continues… Continue reading Domenico Scarlatti with wailing gypsies, flamenco flourishes, and daredevil displays (Sonata in D, K. 492)

classissima.com, compare performances of Liszt Contemplation no. 3, Daniel Barenboim, George Li, Liszt, Liszt Consolation no. 3, Liszt Contemplation no. 3, Oberlin, Oberlin Conservatory, pianist, piano, Piano World, pianoaddict.com, Pianostreet.com, Romantic era music, Romantic music, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, tempo rubato, Vladimir Horowitz, word press, wordpress.com, you tube, you tube video

Comparison of five performances: Liszt Consolation No. 3 (Piano-videos)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

After listening intently to Horowitz's reading, I was curious to find others to compare. No doubt a diversity of opinion surrounds any performance, but I had some ideas about why I liked one reading over another. Daniel Barenboim: I always find that his playing is not only inspiring but thoughtful. He delivers an intimate performance… Continue reading Comparison of five performances: Liszt Consolation No. 3 (Piano-videos)

Boris Berman Masterclass, Emotion and Meaning in Music, Just Being at the Piano by Mildred Portney-Chase, Leonard B. Meyer Emotion and Meaning in Music, Seymour Bernstein, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, With your own Two Hands by Seymour Bernstein, word press, wordpress.com, You and the Piano Seymour Bernstein, you tube, you tube video

Horowitz plays Liszt’s Consolation No. 3 and why it’s so beautiful to our ears

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS5LRRsNYZk Every so often a performance like this pops up on You Tube that allows the listener to reflect upon why the playing is so moving. This Romantic era composition, in slow tempo is no race to the finish line. The pianist is challenged to sustain a singing line without losing a thread of connection… Continue reading Horowitz plays Liszt’s Consolation No. 3 and why it’s so beautiful to our ears

class pictures from P.S. 122, Exterior Street in the Bronx, graduation Yearbook from the New York City High School of Performing Arts, Harlem jazz hub, La SCAT jazz club, La SCAT jazz club on Lenox Avenue, Marble HIll Memories, Marble Hill Projects, Music soothes the savage breast, P.S. 122 in the Bronx, Piano World, Sandy Hamilton owner La SCAT club in Harlem, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten

Memoir: Shuffling through old Class pictures

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

An old cardboard box that yielded my New York City High of Performing Arts Yearbook and a flood of memories, revealed my portrait. I looked innocent enough, with a riveting quote beneath: "I know what is missing in the barrel rather than what is there." Perhaps it was a time-honored insecurity that adolescents might disclose… Continue reading Memoir: Shuffling through old Class pictures

Bel Kaufman, Claudio Arrau, Daniel Waitzman, Elaine Comparone, Eugene Lehner, Franz Mohr, Gerard Schwarz, Herbert Gardner, Indiana University, James Gardner actor, Leon Fleisher, Lillian Freundlich, Lillian Lefkofsky Freundlich, Marble Hill Projects, Marjorie Janove, Menahem Pressler, Murray Perahia, Raphael de Silva, Roselle Kemalyan, Samuel Gardner, Seagate, Seymour Bernstein, six degrees of separation, six degrees of separation in the music world, Theodor Leschetizky, Vladimir Horowitz

Shrinking degrees of separation in the music world?

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

The musical universe is smaller than we think. And perhaps this writing will incubate a linked chain of "connections" that will go further--especially since my relocation to Berkeley, California (September, 2012) So here it is: Now that I'm well past my Oberlin Conservatory student years, I notice that Lillian Freundlich, my beloved teacher during my… Continue reading Shrinking degrees of separation in the music world?

"When do I Play my Best" by Seymour Bernstein, Seymour Bernstein, Seymour Bernstein pianist, Shirley Kirsten blog, Shirley Smith Kirsten, whole body listening, whole body music listening, With My Own Two Hands by Seymour Bernstein, word press, wordpress.com, you tube

“When Do I Play My Best?” An inspiring message from Seymour Bernstein

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

Seymour's playing in this tableau is divinely beautiful. And having sampled the pianist's artistry through many of his posted You Tubes, I wonder why he didn't get the recognition he deserved during his formative years, playing in public. At least now, at 85, he's enjoying a renaissance of interest in his teaching, music-making, and musical/life… Continue reading “When Do I Play My Best?” An inspiring message from Seymour Bernstein

Allejulia from Mozart's Exultate Jubilate, celebrating Christmas with music, Christmas, Christmas music, Domenico Scarlatti, Domenico Scarlatti Sonata in d minor k. 9, Mozart, playing piano, Renee Fleming, Shirley Kirsten, Shirley Smith Kirsten, the vocal model for pianists, vocal performances, W.A. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, word press, wordpress.com, you tube

Celebrating Christmas in the vocal tradition (Video)

arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

When it comes right down to it, musicians "sing" through their instruments, and pianists with generous polyphonic resources (many voices) will find the melody and flesh it out as the tour de force of a composition. On this special day of Christmas I therefore chose la creme de la creme of a vocal model performance.… Continue reading Celebrating Christmas in the vocal tradition (Video)