It's surprising what you can get used to . Hearing anyone talk about that period is really something during the 2nd world war .We have her in both Brahms piano concerti playing as strongly as maturely as any male virtuoso . What a personality and tough woman and indomitable spirit this quiet ,polite Briton has !
Fun fact: Myra Hess was the pianist of the 1954 recording of Schumann Symphonic Etudes Op. 13 #12 where four seconds (@5:48-5:52) was backwards and looped repeatedly as one of favourite re-occurring tape loop used in Revolution 9 by The Beatles. (enin rebmuN repeat ad nauseam) It was and still is my favourite tape loop used in that song track when I got The White album for my 14th birthday in 1984. BTW the 1954 recording is available on TH-cam from a re-issued 2010 release.
How interesting what she said about Tobias Matthay! 'He was one of the greatest spirits and teachers...' Wonderful, thank you, it's very great listening to her voice, she is charming!
You can hear another era in her voice and polite way .Kovacevich knew and studied with her ! He has very interesting things to say.Matthay showed her she had not been " taught to think at all ".Music before technique .So many come to this so late . I hope there are teachers that include masterclasses and interviews that speak about how serious the music profession ,the real practice of what musicianship should be .
Really fascinating from both a personal and historical viewpoint. MH sounds delightfully down-to-earth and so unpretentious. (She also sounds as though she might be a 60-a-day woman!!) Sad to say, now the only reminder of Queen's Hall is a blue plaque fixed to the side of the Saint Georges Hotel in Langham Place.
paulprocopolis Thank you for most of your comments! If, by "60-a-day", you mean "60-year-old", I don't agree, but that's only my opinion. 🙄 or, even if you mean 60 cigarettes a day!
György Sebők also used an orange (even on the white keys!) in one of his masterclasses, to demonstrate technical principles in the last movement of Chopin's Sonata no.2 (it's here on TH-cam, part 6).
My teacher Harry Whittemore studied for a time with Matthay. Sounds almost impossible, but I am going back more than 50 years. Any skill in the line ended with Mr. Whittemore, I'm afraid.
+Greg Scott I know what you mean,Greg. Both my teachers were taught by a lady called Ella Pounder in Middlebrough, who was a pupil of Solomon in the early war years and his 'grandparent' teacher was Clara Schumann. Even all this combined greatness didn't quite get through to me!
FABULOUS!!! She was truly one of the greatest pianists who ever lived...and what a delightful sense of humour!! ETERNAL thanks, Erwin!!!
Absolutely delightful, particularly talking about oranges!
"Mind of a scientist and the love of music"... That's exactly how I imagined Matthay.
It's surprising what you can get used to . Hearing anyone talk about that period is really something during the 2nd world war .We have her in both Brahms piano concerti playing as strongly as maturely as any male virtuoso . What a personality and tough woman and indomitable spirit this quiet ,polite Briton has !
John e martin III Lovely comments, excepting the chauvinistic one , "as strongly as mature lyrics as any male virtuous. Please!
Fun fact: Myra Hess was the pianist of the 1954 recording of Schumann Symphonic Etudes Op. 13 #12 where four seconds (@5:48-5:52) was backwards and looped repeatedly as one of favourite re-occurring tape loop used in Revolution 9 by The Beatles. (enin rebmuN repeat ad nauseam) It was and still is my favourite tape loop used in that song track when I got The White album for my 14th birthday in 1984. BTW the 1954 recording is available on TH-cam from a re-issued 2010 release.
Wonderful! Thanks.
How interesting what she said about Tobias Matthay!
'He was one of the greatest spirits and teachers...'
Wonderful, thank you, it's very great listening to her voice, she is charming!
berlinzerberus Well said!
You can hear another era in her voice and polite way .Kovacevich knew and studied with her ! He has very interesting things to say.Matthay showed her she had not been " taught to think at all ".Music before technique .So many come to this so late . I hope there are teachers that include masterclasses and interviews that speak about how serious the music profession ,the real practice of what musicianship should be .
John e martin III Amen!
Indeed. It's fascinating to hear Kovacevitch speaking about Myra Hess here th-cam.com/video/5YRr3f3oH3Q/w-d-xo.html
Really fascinating from both a personal and historical viewpoint. MH sounds delightfully down-to-earth and so unpretentious. (She also sounds as though she might be a 60-a-day woman!!) Sad to say, now the only reminder of Queen's Hall is a blue plaque fixed to the side of the Saint Georges Hotel in Langham Place.
paulprocopolis Thank you for most of your comments! If, by "60-a-day", you mean "60-year-old", I don't agree, but that's only my opinion. 🙄 or, even if you mean 60 cigarettes a day!
Great I like her
György Sebők also used an orange (even on the white keys!) in one of his masterclasses, to demonstrate technical principles in the last movement of Chopin's Sonata no.2 (it's here on TH-cam, part 6).
pianopera
Thank you!
she is so funny!!
My teacher Harry Whittemore studied for a time with Matthay. Sounds almost impossible, but I am going back more than 50 years. Any skill in the line ended with Mr. Whittemore, I'm afraid.
+Greg Scott I know what you mean,Greg. Both my teachers were taught by a lady called Ella Pounder in Middlebrough, who was a pupil of Solomon in the early war years and his 'grandparent' teacher was Clara Schumann. Even all this combined greatness didn't quite get through to me!
She’s is so cute!
TERRIFIC!
J