Was at the BBC Proms last night to hear Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand performed by Roger Muraro. That was fabulous (interesting to watch how it affected his balance) but what I thought was encouraging for those of us here in reality land was that he came back on after three rounds of applause and played Ravel's Pavane of Sleeping Beauty in the Woods. A simple little piece, but you could have heard a pin drop in the Albert Hall.

So never put yourself down if you think what you're playing isn't fiendishly difficult - if you play it beautifully you'll bring the house down.

wholeheartedly.

When a performer makes every note count, the audience will really listen to every note, which will make the performer focus even harder on every note, every pause, every second. Much better all round than a difficult piece played in a mediochre fashion, where the performer is so worried about getting everything right that this rapport with the listener - be it two people or 2000 - just doesn't happen. I think we should all play below our level when in public (well, we amateurs, anyway!) in order to be able to communicate like this. Music is communication.

Ooh I was there too, my first ever Prom and first visit to the RAH. Really enjoyed his performance, so passionate in the concerto and spellbinding in the encore

The OP is so right , far far better to play something simple beautifully than to give a "so so" performance of something harder...simplicity can demonstrate technique, interpretation and communicate so much more than just the ability to be "flash" on the keyboard, where though it is possible to loose a fluffed note amongst the myriad of others, the clarity of something simpler will silence any hall.

Personally and though I wholeheartedly agree about playing below our level for a public performance, for me that would be very very difficult .....surely I have to have a level which I can aim beneath ...oh well, had better leave the public performances for awhile to those who are far better qualified than I.

Kindest regards....

Andrew

Difficulty is relative. Quality is absolute

Simplicity demonstration above complete...why use 100 words when 6 says it all!

kindest regards

Andrew

EDIT - Sorry to entice you both back into the thread just for a smilie...
Just thought the above was pretty darned succinct!

Oooh I almost went! In the end, the trip down to London from up here was too expensive I believe the RachPag the evening before was a stunner too.

Thankyou. I must admit to having felt a slight frisson of minimalistic thrill when I wrote that. I think I will add it (modified) to my signature!

I once heard a wonderful concert pianist play the Schubert Bb major Scherzo as an encore (classed recently as a grade 6-7 piece) - again, absolutely amazing......

Yes yes! I agree very much with the sentiments on here... truer words could not be spoken. Perhaps I should remember that when choosing material for my Diploma....!

Completely agree. You should be listening to performance not the piece of music if know what i mean. The performer must put something into the music, which is what makes great musicians

But who sets the rules for quality control? Quality, like beauty, may also be in the eye of the beholder.
Is there a consensus on quality? (I'd better run before I stir up a hornets' nest.)

I saw a quote recently - can't remember where, but I'm pretty sure it was by Winston Churchill.

"My tastes are simple. I am simply pleased by The Best."

I heard the pianist Jorge Bolet play Fur Elise as an encore once. It was at the King's Lynn festival, and Lady Fermoy requested it. Wonderful.

It's a brave person who plays something that's not only simple, but well-known, in public. The performer is wide open and it will most definitely be the performance that is listened to, rather than just the 'piece'.

Is that from his Mother Goose suite? - I love that music, his beauty and the beast piece is gorgeous too.