At the airport in Beijing on my way home from a visit to South Korea. Some people have asked me what I listen for when judging a solo competition. Here are a few of the actual notes I did during the Jeju competition. The notes, both positive and negative, are picked from several competitors and show some of the things I am concerned about when listening. Active phrasing - great! Does not listen to the piano at all Great use of agogik Very vertical playing, no direction and destination in phrases Great swing and dance rhythm Absolute no pulse, many unconscious tempo fluctuations Over blows in forte, tries to impress with loud dynamics on the expense of taste Subtle use of dynamics No variation in articulation what so ever Great use of articulation to build tension Always a bit behind piano, lacks energy Using sound variety to create development in music. Yes! Always the same sound - dull! Fairly good control but static phrasing Great sense of musical style No use of musical characters, simply plays what is on the paper Unconscious, random vibrato Too slow vibrato, sounds like unstable intonation Great use of vibrato to build and release tension Too fast for the hall - not possible to hear the notes in the run Fast legato runs upwards becomes glissando (applies to euphonium) Very blurry runs. No coordination between tongue and fingers. Far too loud and brutal. Sharp on C and F (applies to F tuba players) Nice vibrato and GOOD development in long notes Does NOT slow down when playing loud or soft. Yes! Does not make variation between similar, repeated phrases. Good intensity Really beautiful cadenza, great dispositions Taking charge. Great stage presence Insecure, misses alot. Sound a bit closed and dark that makes articulation hard to hear Extremely well prepared. Plays EVERYTHING that is on the paper - and adds style on top of that! There you go, a quick glimpse into my evaluation process.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 06:13:33 +0000
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