Here we go again. There really is no end to the stupidity of some people,
From the Sydney Morning Herald, Letters, April 15th:
“Piano choice off key
XXXX, (Letters, April 14) have you actually heard classical music played on the Stuart piano? The new Stuart design has a completely different sound entirely inappropriate for classical music. It might have a cleaner, clearer sound but it lacks the complex mixture of harmonics of the Steinway and most other grand pianos. The Stuart sounds much like an electronic piano, which is fine for much modern music such as ragtime but leaves my teeth grinding when listening to classical music. The Stuart is a new and different instrument with a new and different sound, which is not necessarily better for all types of music.”
What a load of utter and complete crap.
I have responded as follows:
“Piano choice ‘in’ key
XXXX, (Letters, April 15) have YOU actually heard (and, furthermore, even played) classical music on the Stuart piano? Your views on the ‘inappropriateness’ of this piano for classical music are totally subjective, groundless and inaccurate. The piano, in fact, has been championed by many fine musicians both here and overseas for its ‘clearer, cleaner sound’, which is not only a major advance over the ‘Steinway and most other grand pianos’ but is patently a huge improvement over the thick dull sound common in the average acoustic piano.
Your amazing description of ragtime as ‘modern’ music (Scott Joplin lived from 1868 to 1917) gives the lie to your pretence of being anything other than just another hysterical and ill-informed musical illiterate.”
Boy, did I enjoy that, or what …
Of course, this letter wasn't printed ...
Neither was this much more skillfully written letter by the eminent Australian pianist Simon Tedeschi, who very kindly gave me permission to include the text in this blog, and I quote:
“XXXX's letter regarding the Stuart piano left me a little confused - I dare say a few other musicians might be in the same boat. I have played approximately 10 of the Stuart Pianos, including
recordings on two of them. To lump them all together in the same category is at best spurious, because they vary greatly.
To compare their sound to electronic music - and then to associate electronic music with 'modern' music such as ragtime (the precursor to jazz in late 19th Century America) is similarly inscrutable.
I would encourage XXXX to listen to the instrument at NSW Government House, which is a perfect piano for Romantic music. I would also recommend a number of others as having precisely the opposite qualities as argued in the letter, such as the Stuart Piano performed on Gerard Willems' internationally acclaimed Beethoven CDs.”
You can’t argue against that in any way.