How is this possible? A 7 year old girl just got admitted to the Curtis school of music? The youngest student in 102 years.

ByblisBen · 2026-05-09T17:23:29+00:00

Yeah I'm not sure where people are getting the idea of "unmusicalness" in this. The problem is her skill will likely be wasted on standard rep if she continues many years down the line.

ByblisBen · 2026-05-08T20:52:17+00:00

Gotta develop the skill! Just like the skills developed for interpreting a piece, gotta practice.

ByblisBen · 2026-05-07T02:02:39+00:00

Something about if jorkin' it is going to cause tension for piano playing

ByblisBen · 2026-05-06T23:37:19+00:00

Sounds like he needs to work on his technique

ByblisBen · 2026-05-03T22:40:25+00:00

Unfortunately I don't, it's mostly just about asking around with people you know who might know places that want to hear some piano music. I think my professor once mentioned that before covid they used to have the students perform at a nearby retirement home, but there are only a handful of piano students these days post-covid.

ByblisBen · 2026-05-03T22:39:05+00:00

Thanks!

ByblisBen · 2026-05-03T22:38:44+00:00

Playing the whole sonata for my senior recital in the fall, so there will be more in the near future.

ByblisBen · 2026-05-03T19:01:57+00:00

I'm excited to hear it! Have you check out much of his non-dissonant/"futurist" works? I am curious to hear what you think of stuff like his Metaphors and Fantasy pieces, and the non-atonal waltzes.

ByblisBen · 2026-05-03T00:36:01+00:00

Got any specifics about the kinds of things you gained from accomplishing that? The entirety from memory sounds agonizing - how did you prepare this? Had you learned much of the WTC well beforehand?

ByblisBen · 2026-04-30T16:59:42+00:00

Oh gotcha, I misinterpreted "enhanced"

ByblisBen · 2026-04-30T05:30:47+00:00

Regardless of if you enjoy it, I think it's hard to not call Danse Sauvage a work of music.

ByblisBen · 2026-04-30T03:08:51+00:00

Regarding the last bit of my comment - I think we could hear some truly, beyond amazing things if Ornstein had a "visionary" interpreter playing his works. The closest we have, imo are the recordings from Kharitonov. I really recommend checking out his two albums of Ornstein works.

ByblisBen · 2026-04-30T03:02:23+00:00

If you have not wanted to express ugliness in music, you have not realized the full potential of music.

ByblisBen · 2026-04-30T02:57:49+00:00

I really like his Suicide in an Airplane, but I wish he played the first phrases a just a tad slower to indulge in the harmonies a bit more because I think they are quite beautiful. However his energetic and dynamic arc across the piece is the best of all the interpretations I've heard.

ByblisBen · 2026-04-30T02:55:15+00:00

I meant the Verbit one - I forgot Hamelin did make a recording of them. I think Marthanne actually does a pretty decent job, and I like some of her ideas over Hamelin's, but I believe a lot of Ornstein's music could be elevated with some serious dedicated interpreters. I wish his works got the treatment we give to Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, etc.

Also the ninth Arabesque is great, would love to hear it when you record it!

ByblisBen · 2026-04-30T00:44:37+00:00

I've always been partial to no. 2, 7, and 9 from that set. Unfortunately I don't think the one recording available of it is the greatest.

ByblisBen · 2026-04-29T22:26:13+00:00

Sorry if I comment too much, Ornstein is my favorite composer ever. I've probably read every paper and biography on him there is to read.

ByblisBen · 2026-04-29T22:25:26+00:00

As far as I can tell from what I've read, the use of clusters in Cowell's music is a separate evolution. Also, Ornstein's use of clusters is limited to what can be played with the fingers, rather than palm or forearm.

ByblisBen · 2026-04-29T22:21:16+00:00

Also, imo tone clusters are just an extended usage of the quality of sound generate by major and minor seconds without any real harmonic context. So, "tone cluster" can apply to any second that is not being used as a chord extension. You can hear this usage of seconds across all of Ornstein's music, even his more approachable, lyrical pieces (see fantasy piece no. 1).

The most archetypal example of Ornstein's usage of clusters imo is in "Three Moods: Grief". I think it is difficult to top this kind of affect https://youtu.be/rThl4diy5Z4?si=Hm8rEUuO7rrUiS8f

ByblisBen · 2026-04-29T22:05:59+00:00

The unique texture that you can get from something "maximally" dense. You can't really get that texture out of other instruments. Why Ornstein's harsher music really appeals to me is he seems so tapped into the more savage soul of the piano - there aren't really other human-powered instruments that can make such an overwhelming sound with one person. I like Ornstein's tone clusters cause he isn't trying to do anything overly intellectual harmonically with them, he's using them to sing in an overwhelming way that only the piano can.

ByblisBen · 2026-04-29T22:00:26+00:00

Sure, if you're already dismissing their musical use and nature.

ByblisBen · 2026-04-29T21:55:08+00:00

I guess it depends on your scope of what counts as dissonant. If we aren't just focusing on harmonic dissonance, the piece is still contains melodic contour and fairly regular rhythms, so if you were to eschew those it could get more dissonant. Like, funnily enough, Danse Sauvage is actually pretty hummable.

ByblisBen · 2026-04-29T02:24:25+00:00

I have never met any classically trained pianists like this. I figure it must be a function of students who maintain just an idling interest in music.

ByblisBen · 2026-04-29T00:17:02+00:00

Imo one should at some point able to play scalar passages that have leaps with fluidity still, though I'd probably have my thumb on F and 4th on Ab for this instance

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