Pianissimo

Is it just me or can people not play a real pianissimo anymore?

Maybe they just don’t want to?

Despite currently living in that cultural wasteland known as Australia, I have seen many live performances, including some very famous pianists such as Kissin, Hough, Kovacevich and Perahia.

However, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone really play what I consider a true pianissimo; that heavenly whisper that takes your breath away.  

Maybe there is just a dichotomy between concert-hall and recording studio playing?

I know pianists are usually concerned with projection in the hall and I guess in Australia you can’t count on having good acoustics, but it is really annoying when you attend a performance and never hear the dynamics drop below mezzo-forte.

On record, I can think of many great pianissimo players; Horowitz, Hofmann, Ginzburg, Curzon just to name a few. In fact, most of this great pianissimo playing was live, which shows that at least back in the day pianists weren’t afraid of playing softly. Indeed, I’ve read quotes from people who said that Horowitz’s playing in the 1980s was the softest they’d ever heard. Compare this to today's crop of pianists, particularly younger pianists, from whom I can’t recall hearing any great pianissimo playing even on CD.

By contrast, I’ve heard many pianists play loud. These days, even slightly built young girls seem to be able to draw a big sound from the piano. I’ve even heard playing so loud I thought my ear drums would explode (Evgeny Ukhanov in Bach-Busoni Chaconne and Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition; it was really too much).

When I move to Europe in a few weeks I should have the opportunity to hear many more famous pianists in concert, probably in much better acoustics. Hopefully I’ll finally get to hear the pianissimo that I’ve been missing. If I still don't hear it, then I'll have to conclude that people either don't have the courage to play softly, or can't.