Matthieu's Performances

Pianissimo wrote:Hi Matt
Great job! I do not see errors in your performances
Matt, I'll go to the University to study a degree in music. The next week is my exam. Tell me something, I'm very nervous.

Well, what can I say except... Good luck! If you are well prepared everything should be fine.

Matthieu Stepec wrote:Here you go! Fresh from yesterday evening... It's not perfect, but whatever.



I hope you like it!

Thank you.
I brought your video! I think it's perfect.
In your videos, Mephisto Valse, is excellent.

I'm nervous because Leonor Montijo, is one of the toughest teachers at the UdG.
If she does not like your interpretation, stops you and asks you to go. Surely she is going to apply my exam

If a teacher acts that way, ignore her and keep playing. The other members of the jury will understand.

Good luck!!

Pianissimo!
Better read, one of Alexander's comments. That comment was left behind, but it is good advice

MyP&V wrote:I can not believe that Matthieu says those things...

What things?

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Hey!

Of course interpretation is important. But sound also is, and you don't need to know about fractal geometry or imaginary numbers to appreciate a good sound. This would help to understand the physics beyond it, but not the artistic and aesthetic value of tone color as such.
I don't think Horowitz' interpretations are always good, because he misreads the texts very often. Of course, he had been an amazing pianist, but of an era that is now past. I think modern interpreters have to read the scores more carefully and imagine an interpretation that preserves all the signs that composers wrote and synthetize them into a coherent whole (I'm NOT saying that people must play like a computer, just reading all details, but only that they should try to read and understand every possible sign within the score, and deduce an inherent logic from them). Horowitz didn't do it, which was fine in his time. Nowadays, the world of music is different.
Even if one doesn't agree with this philosophy of musical interpretation, one MUST admit that it is quite necessary to follow it in order to get international acclaim in modern time. One cannot play now as Cortot or Horowitz used to play. Even if some of their recordings are amazingly good, the history of interpretation has gone further and moved on.
Also, the repertoire has changed. Horowitz never played Messiaen, Boulez, he never heard music of Ferneyhough, Lindberg, etc.

About Michelangeli: there are recordings where he plays some wrong notes but that's not important: Michelangeli for me is the master of tone control. His interpretations are VERY perfect and exact. I'm not speaking of wrong notes here, but of score reading and rendering: the structures and tensions within pieces are well built and coherent, which makes his interpretations amazing. (For example Ravel G concerto, or Debussy Preludes, Images etc.)

Did you like my Schubert Impromptu? That's really nice! I spent a lot of work on this piece.

If you want to talk outside this forum, you can add me on msn: mattibaumchen@hotmail.com or via e-mail: matthieustepec@gmail.com

Alexander Lironi wrote:
..Also, Thom does not understand, what Rubinstein was trying to say in the sentence:
"Pianist today play perfect, absolutely perfect - But then I ask them, when are you going to play music?"

I beg you to read,that interview, is the Arthur Rubinstein interviewed by journalist Robert MacNeil. If you already read it, read it again, and we can talk more about it.

Didnt read it, I heard it in an interview and his Opinion is Very clear^^ So you are wrong, I did not misunderstand!

The First Quote wast created from memory, but Ill correct the Quote now:
..."they play piano to perfection, I know young people now who play piano, ..one cant, cant play play it better.
But when I hear them play that well, I have my little Question for them - I ask them: When will you start to make music?"

Its in this Interview; (3:10+)

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Hello!

I think you misunderstand what I say!

I didn't say that a technically demanding piece was automatically beautiful, but I said that Rubinstein and Horowitz had nothing to do with contemporary music, which means that they understood music in a different way than nowadays pianists. What I said is purely objective! It has nothing to do with "beautiful" or anything, but just states that we can't possibly forget that things were written between Horowitz' time and ours.

I don't understand what you meant with fractal geometry, as you didn't explain it, so I guess this was about physics. I don't know why you marked it in bold when quoting me.

About the time I spend at the piano, I'd say... Usually 3 or 4 hours a day. But that's just an approximative value

I look forward to getting your mail!

Regards,

Matthieu Stepec

WOW!!! This thread so interesting. Everyone knows a lot about music

To reveal art and conceal the artist is the purpose of art. That phrase is from Mr. Wilde. And I totally agree with him.
Mr. Stepec, I sent an email, but mail me back, I think for lack of space in your inbox.
Returning to the subject of errors ... Beauty is the only thing that time can not hurt. Beethoven's compositions were beautiful before you were born and will remain beautiful for many, many years.
I saw a very interesting topic called: Feeling lost, you already saw?. I was very impressed that the boy recognized his weaknesses, I think he can become a great engineer
It is very difficult to recognize your mistakes Mr. Stepec?
I will repeat again, I showed your mistakes, because your performance was good, but with errors. For example, if I had to criticize some other interpretations that exist in this forum... Well, there's nothing to say...
But you drag a constant error, you do not respect neither the size nor the emphasis.. You're working on that? I heard a student to practice for 1 hour and repeated the same error. His mistake was that raised a lot of hand to give strength to the note that he should play with his little finger. When I showed him the error and gave him the solution, he improved a lot.
I showed your mistakes because I see that you have the talent to achieve a perfect technique. Pay attention! Pay attention to control your body, remember: fingers-hand-wrist-arm-trunk.

I wish so much that you see the videos that I want to send. I try to send again. Although end of the semester and there is much to work with the performances of students who will graduate. I hope to send it soon. I also hope that your next video you've improved a lot

Regards,

A. L.

Hello Mr Lironi

My mistake is that I "do not respect neither the size nor the emphasis" I'm sorry but I think you need to explain it more because I don't understand I need to know exactly what you mean in order to work on it.
My inbox is not full at all (I currently use 2% of the available space), so it's strange that your mail was sent back! Maybe a typing mistake?... Anyway, try again
Or maybe you can send videos on youtube, and if you don't want people to watch them, make them private and add me to your friends on youtube Or upload it as an "unlisted video" and send me the link... You have the choice

Regards,

Matthieu Stepec

MyP&V wrote:
On the other hand, Mr. Alexander Lironi you are very, very hard with Matthieu . The beauty of the music, not only through the technical brio of interpretation. It is true that Matthieu has small errors in various parts of their performances. But please, there is no where to pass the quality of great interpretation, at least not directly, all pianists make mistakes

You're defending Matthieu? Well, I do not think

In my opinion Matth performances are perfect

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Hello Mr Lironi.

I didn't get any mail from you, sorry! :-S Not even in the spam box. Of course you can ask your students to make observations and to post them here, or to send them to you and then post them yourself etc... Or send them via e mail.
I'm not preparing my graduation recital yet! I'm not that far. Actually I'm studying music pedagogy and I am going to prepare the ENTRANCE exam to start a real piano bachelor (artistic diploma).

Great playing (sehr gut gespielt. )

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Hello Mr. Lironi...
I deleted my comment, because I thought that my opinion was not objective. I have no academic level to give an objective opinion about performances of Matthieu.

And...the pianist on the questions is Bernard Flavigny, he taught courses, advanced piano in Mexico. (And he has a bad opinion of the Mexican pianists, but the French always have a bad opinion of Mexicans)

Matthieu is a great pianist, and I think it should be an excellent teacher. But my personal opinion about him, I'll send you in PM.

Aah! Happy Birthday Matthieu

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I have no words to describe how beautiful they are!!!

Em... que?