Slightly after the event, BUT...

I caught (accidentally, I swear) Myleene's appearance on Richard & Judy earlier in the week. Given her background as a 'classically trained pianist' I was interested to hear her perform on the show and we were 'treated' to a peculiar arrangement of Bernstein's 'America', with piano obbligato hammering away.

The piece and Myleene's performance of it were problematic for my ears and eyes because:

{a} the gestures were very offputting - Myleene treated us to lots of throwing of hands in the air for no particular reason

{b} Myleene seemed to enjoy smiling at the camera, mid-phrase; is she trying to corner the Richard Clayderman market? Some of us of a certain age remember RC's soft-focussed adverts in the 80s promoting his latest album of piano favourites.. was this a first step back on that road?

{c} the artistic merit in arranging the work in this way seemed to be low - the original is fine, so why try to bastardise it?

{d} the actual piano part was quite easy and did nothing to promote Myleene's technical facility. The large shiny grand piano and over-prominent orchestral track seemed designed to pull the eye and ear away from this fact.

Did anyone else see this? I would be interested in your thoughts. Am I being unduly critical? Does this 'style over substance' type of performance undermine the message that Myleene is a 'real' musician?

I didn't catch that, but I did catch her video of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in d minor once
She seemed to be playing it with one hand while the strings filled in the rest....

But she is very pretty (otherwise, she might not have got away with it lol!)

I think much of her success must come from her pop background. If it wasn't for that, she probably would have had more difficulty breaking into the world of classical performers. Not that I'm jealous or anything

**goes off to audition for a girl group**

I saw this and I would have much preffered her to play one of the other tracks.

It did seem that she was flaring about with her hands and that's why, in my opinion, she chose the piece as she can make it seem like it's quite challenging. The orchestral soundtrack was rather cheesy...

I didn't see it, but I can imagine it.

The cynical side of me is thinking that, given that's she's such a pretty girl, the "big names" in the music industry no doubt think they can make a bob or two out of her, and she's being encourage to play in this way in order to attract a wider mass market audience.

Ambs
x

Just read an article about her in the paper today - she gets everywhere, can't give her much time to practice......

I have to admit, I don't think much of her skills as a pianist, especially considering she's classically trained - I think she's left that well behind somewhere along the way....... I remember hubby buying one of her albums and I hated the way she 'arranged' things - and if it was her playing the piano on it too, then I thought it was c**p. No expression or artistic merit at all....... (and that's me being nice........ )

I didnt see it, but i can imagine what it was like, and i've seen her before (and don't wish to see her again!)

I cannot stand the way she stares into the camera all the time, with that cheesy smile, in a sort of "look at me, i'm amazing" sort of way, which is very irratating!
I don't like her piano playing, all the dramatic hands flying everywhere for no apparent reason is rather strange, and it just makes her look like she's trying to land a plane!
I've read somewhere that she studied piano at the guildhall college of music, or the royal college of music(forgot which one?), but all her piano playing sounds rather basic, and is all rather boring and dull, and doesnt really show off the fact that she studied at one of the top music colleges in the country!

In short, she's annoying!

Jacob.

I knew her personally and to be honest after the things I know I wouldn't give her the time of day anymore. Everything she does seems to be geared towards her projecting this holier than thou image.

You could always watch Helene Grimaud, or Valentina Lisitsa.

Not only are they fantastically good looking, there is no doubt that they can really play.

I agree fully with Mr.B's assessment of Myleene's performance;not only was it too showy, with unnecessary and excessive arm movements, but it seemed to contain nothing of significant technical expertise.
And I echo Tom's view - not only is Grimaud, for example, gorgeous, but she can play too! I would much rather see someone like her on Richard and Judy!

I thought about starting a thread on this topic a few days ago, but didn't want to admit I'd watched it. (Well done MrB for making it okay to flick on Richard and Judy. ) I had half an hour when someone had cancelled at short notice, so I was channel hopping and saw the Myleene interview.

She might be attractive on the eye, but her "playing" was so OTT. Her arm gestures, half looking into the camera and smiling was so awful. I hope people who are learning to play the piano don't try to emulate what they saw!

Before she played, she described America as one of the hardest pieces to play. This made me watch very carefully what she was doing. A hard piece to play - no way. The arrangement was horrid too. Bernstein's original is fantastic (have it on CD and DVD). The way he weaves the parts in is pure brilliance. Myleene's playing didn't even capture 2% (I'm being generous) of what Bernstein composed.

I noticed what she was wearing too. The heals on her shoes were at least 6". How can you pedal properly with those on?

She was on the show to promote a book she'd written and a new album she'd been part of. I certainly will not be buying either. Total UUURRRRGGGGHHHH.

Sometimes I catch the end of it...while waiting for "The Simpsons" at six

I think it was Amber who said it's probably been someone elses idea to market Myleene in a particular way and that could well be true.

I can't imagine Grimaud prancing around the jungle in a bikini, for example

.. what a pity! ..

Maybe she's practising towards getting full marks in the presentation section of a Trinity Diploma!! (sorry if that sounds a bit cynical!)

I was just looking on youtube for an example of Myleene's piano playing. Unfortunately the only video her name brought up was of her doing a photo shoot for "Maxim" in her undies...

EDIT : Oh no hang on, I spelled her surname with a C instead of a K so there probably are more videos than that lol!

Now Myleene playing the piano in her undies - that would be an interesting proposition!! (it would take one's attention away from her arm movements.!)

Well quite

Found a clip of her playing for anyone who hasn't seen her play live... Here

I did not like that, no sirree....

But that might just be me...?

How fast did she take that piece!?!?! it's supposed to go a lot slower than that (well, i think it should!)

Jacob.

Should have been slower definitely.

Just watched the Bach Toccata video as well - urgh.

Mmm - not that keen !

But I got a laugh out of the comment posted by whoever submitted another of her videos ...

Yeah I know, maybe I shouldn't of used this picture. But it just shows that people that can play such beautiful music don't always have to be fat, old and/or ugly. She is neither of the three.

I remember that she presents a show on Classic FM. I might email her via their site and ask her to play America tomorrow, so we get to hear how it should really go. I could include a link to this thread as well.

What do you think?

ooh, tempting, tempting !

go for it! something makes me think she wouldn't choose you though.

I just watched the Bach Toccata and Fugue. She makes it look so difficult when it's really not (well, i suppose it would be, if she was playing the proper version), but then maybe that's the idea! I always thought you were meant to make everything look effortless, but she seems to have taken it in the total opposite direction.

Well, it's not really as if she has been striving to make out that she is some sort of supreme goddess of the piano - all this incessant smiling and superfluous arm waving is just showbiz really - I'm sure she knows it, as do the producers. I don't think anyone would truly believe that it is necessary to have a wind machine blowing your hair all over the place, skimpy clothing and dramatic posing in order to play the Toccata and Fugue! OK, perhaps her interpretation isn't exactly the best in the world, but what's the worst that could happen - perhaps you'd get the odd wannabe girl wanting to grow up to be just like her, and then they would take up singing and piano lessons and see first hand what they are all about! Surely to play poorly is better than to not play at all?

But it definitely would be interesting to see what her take of America is... Oh, how about Gaspard de la Nuit?


p.s. Do you think she's a member here if she does play the piano? I wonder what it would be like for an examiner if she turned up wanting to take an ABRSM exam?

~Wobby~

No - it's not just you - it's dreadful - where's the tune????????!!!!!!! And the accompanying triplets were wwwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy too loud......... yeuch....

This is what I just sent:

Hi Myleene,

Please could you play the original choral version of America by Bernstein. I saw you play a most unusual interpretation of this on the TV this week.

You might be interested that a number of pianists and teachers have discussed it on the ABRSM forum. Have a look at....

Daring! Wonder what she'll think...

Can't wait... I hope she mentions us!!

I saw her play Children in Need ( i think that was it...) I think interesting was polite...the orchestra was better

I forgot about this thread then came by to add my own reaction to the Moonlight Sonata performance.. but I can't add any more to what's been said already....

Still, I guess she still gets the last laugh since she's the one raking in the dough and I'm the one living in the mouldy old house with the dodgy decor

Well, frankly I think this thread just reeks of female dogs.

Quite disappointed.

Meanwhile - here's a piccy of me playing 'Moonlight Sonata' - Ah, pic now removed - for those of you who missed it, thank yer lucky stars...

Maybe you'll view Marleen Klarse in a different light

I don't believe you did that heitor

(hang on, actually, I do )

Moonlight Sonata? It looks like you've been playing the famous piece by David D Rose.

i must say, myleene's performance wasquite dissapointing

Good pic! So that's what we need to do in order to get full marks for presentation in a Trinity Diploma!

she is though, i must say, a very good ambassador for the classical music world.

good on her

ps. nice piano heitor

To be fair to Ms Klass - she is pretty fit.

What? "Little House on the Prairie?"

I don't get it. Please explain

Yes, she is carving a career as a "TV personality" based on modest pianistic skill, an attractive voice, better than average looks, and a pleasant screen persona. So good luck to her.

But for good looking women who can play the piano better than (almost?) anyone on this forum ... well if neither Helene Grimaud nor Valentina Lisitsa is your cup of tea perhaps you'd enjoy a concert by a brilliant young Russian woman, the drop-dead gorgeous Polina Osetinskaya - I'd happily pay to just look at her - but she plays my favourite Prokofiev (Sonata No 8) better than anyone else I've heard (and that includes Sviatoslav Richter and Frederic Chiu.

... and she plays Scriabin too!

"The Stripper"

(sorry if you really knew that and were only joking - I wasn't sure!)

Judging by the picture, it looks like Heitor is showing off his MyKleene ######! (Sorry, couldn't resist that one - a poor joke even for this time of night!) (I must have had one too many whiskies! )

she has more piano talent than carol vordeman has mathematical talent ie more than zero, since arithmetic is not mathematics, but carol has an excellent career it looks like on TV skills, which is definitely something not everyone has.

the Q then is, do we value these skills over/as much as/ musical ones? On this forum the answer is probably no. Once you hear the difference between passable and great, there's no going back.


agree, she's gorgeous!!

My view, for what it's worth:
Musically speaking Valentina etc are the real thing: they don't want or need to pose in leather leggings and not much else eating a cream puff, which to be honest can only be viewed as soft porn (MK's photo on one of her album covers(?) that I just saw on you tube)...it seems to me that MK is being marketed as a "geisha": beautiful, a turn on, enough talent to entertain ....

as an educator of girls and women, it is important to me that they see the difference between the real thing and mere packaging, so that they make an informed choice for themselves: if that is old-fashioned feminism, too bad. And no, I'm not saying MK is not a real person: she is!! She's just not in the same musical class as valentina et al, and I object to marketers telling me otherwise.

Well that gives her 10 points, now she just has to concentrate on the other 90.

Well said! I don't fancy her chances much!

Well, to say it quite frankly: She found her niche and is doing well in it. Whether or not she is the best pianist in the world really doesn't matter, because that is not what she gets sold as. Everyone who works in music education might quite well be able to tell their students the difference (if they don't get it themselves, most people ar far more intelligent than some might think ), so no harm done ...

However, I can understand that people who play better and didn't achieve what they would have liked to feel angry at those people - but that's life (and sometimes a bit envy). For what she is doing, she has literally the right package, and other people don't. That's also life - and especially the entertainment sector who simply works like that ...

When is a Myleene Klass album not a Myleene Klass album ? erm...when it's got Myleenes face on the front and says Myleenes Music for Romance. She plays one or two ''arrangements'' and leaves the rest to Leif Andsnes and other pianists on the EMI label. I was in HMV the other day and when nobody was looking i quickly had a look at Myleenes CD's in the instrumental section, as being spotted doing this would no doubt quietly amuse other customers. She's got another new release called Myleenes album for Mums, which includes orchestral pieces that she... ''chose''...

I thought this was going to be about her "performance" on Alan Carr's Ding Dong - she appears to be double-jointed and is able to play the piano with her back to it.

For beautiful pianists who can REALLY play, take a look at the incomparable Valentina Lisitsa playing 2m 29s of impossibly difficult Rachmaninov with an almost supernatural technique here

Edward

..and she looks great in a pair of curtains too...

She's stunning

I think that's a gorgeous outfit! Then again my fashion sense is quite dodgy

Not sure I understand your point Mezzo, but if everyone all did get the difference, the videos etc we are discussing would never have been produced because no-one would buy them and we wouldn't be having this discussion.