28. Showing Off
from The Concert - Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Hosted by Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Vivaldi: G Major flute concerto, FVI, No. 15 (December 10, 2006) Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor, S. 178 (December 8, 2006) There is a grand tradition in classical music of showing off. Divas, virtuosos, sadists—call them what you will, but performers who can play incredibly fast, incredibly high, or just incredibly well have always had a place in the arena of the concert stage. Some pieces ask for these sorts of musical Olympics, and today we’ll give a little homage to musical show-offs. In Vivaldi’s flute concerto, the player exhibits skills in not just playing fast written runs, but also adding improvised embellishments in a slow middle movement. Skipping ahead several decades, Liszt’s sonata requires exceptional playing and interpretive abilities.
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