Information Icon
Create an User Account or Sign In to add a Post or Comment.

Have you been seriously pondering over the following question? Many pianists avoid this question, perhaps because of sociopolitical sensitivity (instead of musical sensitivity)?

Take for example the entire China with a population of 1.3 billion. Most would agree that the most celebrated (classical) pianists are Lang Lang and Li Yundi.

So my question is: Are there other pianists (non-celebrities) in China whose piano playing is on par with theirs? If the answer is yes (e.g. if... See More

Have you been seriously pondering over the following question? Many pianists avoid this question, perhaps because of sociopolitical sensitivity (instead of musical sensitivity)?

Take for example the entire China with a population of 1.3 billion. Most would agree that the most celebrated (classical) pianists are Lang Lang and Li Yundi.

So my question is: Are there other pianists (non-celebrities) in China whose piano playing is on par with theirs? If the answer is yes (e.g. if you say at least thousands of them), then why aren't they famous? In other words, does it mean that only when you reach this level of piano playing superiority will you definitely be "discovered" and made eminent?

Note that I'm confining my topic to pure playing-by-score instead of playing-by-ear or improvisations, since that would have opened a bigger can of worms.

For those who feel that within China, very few pianists would match or beat the level manifested by Lang Lang or Li Yundi, then my next question for you will then be: What is it that they can do (or do well) which other pianists in China can't? Is it the speed or tempo of playing? Or is it their sheer playing techniques? Or is it their interpretations?

I would like to hear your viewpoints before I elaborate on this further.

#performing

of 5
Goh Zensen

Wayne, very well said! I'm in agreement with every statement you've made; and thank you so much for making explicit what I've been wanting to say (but haven't said it) for years!

September 4, 2017 at 7:06pm
Mabel Ong

Actually a lot depends on luck too. You can be super talented and hardworking, but you still need luck to get noticed, appreciated, groomed. ?

October 13, 2017 at 9:22am
Goh Zensen

Totally agree!

October 25, 2017 at 9:37pm
Mabel Ong

Pity not many pianists in SG are recognised.

October 26, 2017 at 1:01am