Monday 10 October 2011

Making sense of Classical Music



For someone who grew up playing the piano I'm not exactly that clued up on Classical Music. I know what Baroque music sounds like, I can usually spot a Rachmaninov piece a mile off, I get it that Beethoven used some pretty interesting chord progressions but honestly I'm just winging it.

I enjoy going to small classical recitals but I nearly always go on my own and usually find myself sat next to a man briefing his wife in on the finer details of the next part of the programme. I know it sounds like I'm stereotyping but from my experience that generally rings true and I sit there worrying that not enough young people have a clue how to understand this stuff.

To my delight I've discovered that James Rhodes isn't all that conventional. He stands and talks to the audience about the composer, gives background about the era in which the piece was written, and generally provides the audience with an interesting story upon which they can get more emotionally involved in the music. I found it ten times easier to concentrate and actually sat there thinking 'I'm starting to get it'.

So much of the time I see people breaking convention to hide a weakness but that just isn't the case with James. He's a solid pianist but has even more to offer with his passion and expression too. Watching James is like being taken on a journey. He's expressive in the way he plays and I found myself so easily carried away that I may have ended up breathing too loudly.

I think it's really important that classical music becomes more accessible so I'm all praise for James Rhodes. And it's not just about accessibility, its about doing something slightly different and giving a performance that is more interesting as a whole. I don't think just anyone could do this. James really has something special about his performance, but I desperately wish that any other influential classical people out there take a leaf out of James' book and think about what a difference his approach makes.

Thanks James. It was a real treat.

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An insight >> Piano Man Trailer
A biog >> Here
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