Monsieur Chopin
Attended my music "lesson" last night with Hershey Felder as Chopin. In this one man one act play, music conveys thoughts that are otherwise unspeakable. It adds another dimension to the complexity of the man in spotlight--Chopin. I learned a lot about Chopin's life, but probably not as much as his music theory. The play exudes Polish pride in Chopin as well as his dislike of fellow contemporary, Franz Liszt. The selection of Chopin reportoire made me question whether the music is added as a soundtrack, ie to fit the story, or does it play a significant role in Chopin's life as the story unfolds? At the beginning, it works well because the mazurkas and the polonaises are, undoubtably, Chopin's ingenious creations that are unmatched even today. Both forms of music equate to Poland and his love of his home. But later on, the music loses its relevance, in my opinion.
The actor, Mr. Felder did a wonderful job writing, acting, and performing Chopin. His knowledge and piano playing made the play work. He readily interacts with the audience to bring his character closer to the public and much less alienated. Good job!
And the Fazioli piano that acted as the Pleyel. What can I say? It sounds great. Rich tones that resonate. Crisp, light, and capable. Versatile. Although, I think it will do more justice to music of grandeur, ie Rachmaninov concertos.
I did learn one important lesson from all of this: wash your hands before touching the keys of the piano.
Attended my music "lesson" last night with Hershey Felder as Chopin. In this one man one act play, music conveys thoughts that are otherwise unspeakable. It adds another dimension to the complexity of the man in spotlight--Chopin. I learned a lot about Chopin's life, but probably not as much as his music theory. The play exudes Polish pride in Chopin as well as his dislike of fellow contemporary, Franz Liszt. The selection of Chopin reportoire made me question whether the music is added as a soundtrack, ie to fit the story, or does it play a significant role in Chopin's life as the story unfolds? At the beginning, it works well because the mazurkas and the polonaises are, undoubtably, Chopin's ingenious creations that are unmatched even today. Both forms of music equate to Poland and his love of his home. But later on, the music loses its relevance, in my opinion.
The actor, Mr. Felder did a wonderful job writing, acting, and performing Chopin. His knowledge and piano playing made the play work. He readily interacts with the audience to bring his character closer to the public and much less alienated. Good job!
And the Fazioli piano that acted as the Pleyel. What can I say? It sounds great. Rich tones that resonate. Crisp, light, and capable. Versatile. Although, I think it will do more justice to music of grandeur, ie Rachmaninov concertos.
I did learn one important lesson from all of this: wash your hands before touching the keys of the piano.
