@Moo--The 2/4 sense is clear and intact; there is no call for it to to be *dramatized*, nor is there any reason to assume that slight Romantic embellishments *on repeats* are foreign to the world of Scott Joplin---unless one's notion of Classic ragtime's stylisitc domain is dominated by an aesthetic of eschewing all embellishment (a mantle I gently reject, but never mind another pianist's assuming). There's no rubato in this performance, only barely non-metronomic, appropriate fluctuations.
@sutterchip Except that he's playing in 4/4 when the music is notated in 2/4… i.e., two-beat. This odd choice has become irritatingly commonplace among contemporary performers of the classic ragtime literature. The Chopinesque mordents and rubato are also stylistically foreign to this style. Weird.
@MooPotPie I'm with you on this. At the same time, Scott's lovely syncopations, haunting melodies, and delicious harmonies shine through no matter how it's played. I liked this performance, even though I play Scott's rags like the dances they're supposed to be, 2/4 time in a slow march tempo.
@Moo--The 2/4 sense is clear and intact; there is no call for it to to be *dramatized*, nor is there any reason to assume that slight Romantic embellishments *on repeats* are foreign to the world of Scott Joplin---unless one's notion of Classic ragtime's stylisitc domain is dominated by an aesthetic of eschewing all embellishment (a mantle I gently reject, but never mind another pianist's assuming). There's no rubato in this performance, only barely non-metronomic, appropriate fluctuations.
PolkRidgeAesthete 3 months ago
Thank you, Chip!
PolkRidgeAesthete 11 months ago
One of the most delightful rags by Scott Joplin, performed with impeccable taste by one of the finest pianist/composers today.
sutterchip 11 months ago 4
@sutterchip Except that he's playing in 4/4 when the music is notated in 2/4… i.e., two-beat. This odd choice has become irritatingly commonplace among contemporary performers of the classic ragtime literature. The Chopinesque mordents and rubato are also stylistically foreign to this style. Weird.
MooPotPie 3 months ago
@MooPotPie I'm with you on this. At the same time, Scott's lovely syncopations, haunting melodies, and delicious harmonies shine through no matter how it's played. I liked this performance, even though I play Scott's rags like the dances they're supposed to be, 2/4 time in a slow march tempo.
beakt 3 days ago