<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; =
-khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi David,<DIV><BR =
class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Definitely. From my =
perspective I find the problem worsened by many contemporary pianists. =
Piano playing is becoming more superficial and less musical, more =
about the "effect" of the music rather than the music itself. It takes =
little effort to be stimulated by extremes, and loud/powerful, dramatic =
and sappy tend to be the usual forms of expression. </DIV><DIV><BR =
class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>That reminds of the Queen's =
Golden Jubilee concert in London they were playing some Handel and set =
off some fireworks at the end - of course the audience was so pleased by =
the fireworks and only moderately pleased by Handel! :)</DIV><DIV><BR =
class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>-- John </DIV><DIV><DIV><BR=
class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN =
class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; =
border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; =
font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: =
normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; =
-khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; =
-apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; =
white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><DIV =
class="Section1"><P class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="navy" =
face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size: =
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: =
13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, =
128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; ">I was thinking mostly =
about the balance between power, sustain and tonal range. The trend =
seems to be moving in the direction of power, loudness, attack, whatever =
you want to call it. For those who wish to move the balance back to =
one of more sustain with a natural dynamic range somewhat lower on the =
scale, that trend—and what people have gotten used to—makes it =
difficult to put the piano back in pianoforte. Many instruments now =
are just fortes and if they don’t produce that kind of sound, many =
people are disappointed because that’s what they’ve grown accustomed =
to hearing. </SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P><DIV><FONT size="2" =
color="navy" face="Arial"><SPAN style="font-size: =
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: =
13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, =
128); font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; =
"> </SPAN></SPAN></FONT><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><P =
class="MsoNormal"><FONT size="2" color="navy" face="Arial"><SPAN =
style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy; color: rgb(0, =
0, 128); font-size: 13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" =
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Arial; font-size: =
13.3333px; ">A broader tonal palette might, ironically, mean a reduction =
in loudness. </SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P><DIV><P style="font-family: =
Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; "><FONT size="2" color="navy" =
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="font-size:10.0pt; color:navy; =
color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: =
13.3333px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, =
128); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 13.3333px; ">David =
Love</SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></DIV></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></DIV><=
/BODY></HTML>=