Word: pianissimo
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...soloist for Beethoven's fourth Piano Concerto, Op. 58--technically the most challenging of five; and musically the most adventurous. Schiff is known for silky Schubert and playful Bach, and the Beethoven fit under his fingers less naturally. Although his prodigious gifts made for some hair-raising pianissimo, his playing lacked the requisite Schnabelian drive. He strove for a nearly pedal-free sound at times when more blurring would have been a relief, and he attached the first movement cadenza with all the grace of an angry farmer. The effect was wild, precipitous, unique--but out of place. The second...
...first melody made people smile, not just because of its unwitting affinity to the orchestral part of Carmen's "Habanera," but also because the piano sounded fantastic. The Steinway trilled and sang under Haefliger's fingers, projecting pianissimo lines that were clear no matter how loudly the orchestra played. But the lowest registers were almost over-responsive: Haefliger's loudest octaves sounded like they belonged in Liszt or Busoni, not Mozart...
From France, love and jealousy pianissimo in The Accompanist...