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The thing I wonder about Sumino(Cateen) is how much he loves classical music vs. the kind of music he plays on his YouTube site which is quite heavily non classical. Do you think someone can love classical and non classical equally? My guess is for the style of music he plays on his site he is among the best in the world, but I wonder if he plays that style mostly because he can(I think?) make a significant amount of money from the site since it is popular with so many viewers. Or maybe he actually prefers the music he plays on his site to Chopin?
Yes I think it is possible. Personally I do. The only issue for someone that young is that I am not sure he can perfectly assimilate what it takes to play Chopin at the ultimate level of refinement, because he is also spending quite some time on completely different styles. Personally I have not seen yet someone who can be a top notch classical pianist and be also equally good and active in pop or jazz.
The thing I wonder about Sumino(Cateen) is how much he loves classical music vs. the kind of music he plays on his YouTube site which is quite heavily non classical. Do you think someone can love classical and non classical equally? My guess is for the style of music he plays on his site he is among the best in the world, but I wonder if he plays that style mostly because he can(I think?) make a significant amount of money from the site since it is popular with so many viewers. Or maybe he actually prefers the music he plays on his site to Chopin?
Yes I think it is possible. Personally I do. The only issue for someone that young is that I am not sure he can perfectly assimilate what it takes to play Chopin at the ultimate level of refinement, because he is also spending quite some time on completely different styles. Personally I have not seen yet someone who can be a top notch classical pianist and be also equally good and active in pop or jazz.
Jean Yves Thibaudet comes closest to mind. On the reverse side Keith Jarrett has released classical albums to decent reviews.
Do you think someone can love classical and non classical equally?
Yes. I am proof.
To expand on this a little...
I am regularly moved to tears by music in the jazz and showtunes fields. I couldn't live without it.
And I don't agree with the way you frame this question. "Classical music" is a useless umbrella term that I'd really like to see erased from our vocabulary. It should only ever be used to describe the actual classical period 1750-1820. What Bach was doing in the 1720s is nothing like what Chopin was doing in the 1830s -> is nothing like what Debussy was doing in the 1910s, and I consider many other "non Classical" artists into the 20th century to be part of that same lineage of musical invention and genius.
The thing I wonder about Sumino(Cateen) is how much he loves classical music vs. the kind of music he plays on his YouTube site which is quite heavily non classical. Do you think someone can love classical and non classical equally? My guess is for the style of music he plays on his site he is among the best in the world, but I wonder if he plays that style mostly because he can(I think?) make a significant amount of money from the site since it is popular with so many viewers. Or maybe he actually prefers the music he plays on his site to Chopin?
Yes I think it is possible. Personally I do. The only issue for someone that young is that I am not sure he can perfectly assimilate what it takes to play Chopin at the ultimate level of refinement, because he is also spending quite some time on completely different styles. Personally I have not seen yet someone who can be a top notch classical pianist and be also equally good and active in pop or jazz.
Jean Yves Thibaudet comes closest to mind. On the reverse side Keith Jarrett has released classical albums to decent reviews.
I think Thibaudet just plays transcriptions of Bill Evans or some other jazz great. Jarrett is not anywhere near outstanding as a classical pianist as he is as a jazz pianist.
The thing I wonder about Sumino(Cateen) is how much he loves classical music vs. the kind of music he plays on his YouTube site which is quite heavily non classical. Do you think someone can love classical and non classical equally? My guess is for the style of music he plays on his site he is among the best in the world, but I wonder if he plays that style mostly because he can(I think?) make a significant amount of money from the site since it is popular with so many viewers. Or maybe he actually prefers the music he plays on his site to Chopin?
Yes I think it is possible. Personally I do. The only issue for someone that young is that I am not sure he can perfectly assimilate what it takes to play Chopin at the ultimate level of refinement, because he is also spending quite some time on completely different styles. Personally I have not seen yet someone who can be a top notch classical pianist and be also equally good and active in pop or jazz.
Jean Yves Thibaudet comes closest to mind. On the reverse side Keith Jarrett has released classical albums to decent reviews.
I think Thibaudet just plays transcriptions of Bill Evans or some other jazz great. Jarrett is not anywhere near outstanding as a classical pianist as he is as a jazz pianist.
Your original question of LOVES them equally has now morphed into the impossible PLAYS them equally 😉
Do you think someone can love classical and non classical equally?
Yes. I am proof.
Although I may have not made it clear, I was really asking about someone who is a high level professional in each field loving them equally.
Yui Morishita has made a career in Japan as both a classical and anime/Jpop transcription pianist.
I’m not close to the same category as the pianists you’re asking about, but I genuinely love and perform many other styles of music as much as I do classical.
Last edited by Orange Soda King; 10/17/2111:11 PM.
The thing I wonder about Sumino(Cateen) is how much he loves classical music vs. the kind of music he plays on his YouTube site which is quite heavily non classical. Do you think someone can love classical and non classical equally? My guess is for the style of music he plays on his site he is among the best in the world, but I wonder if he plays that style mostly because he can(I think?) make a significant amount of money from the site since it is popular with so many viewers. Or maybe he actually prefers the music he plays on his site to Chopin?
From what I read he loves classical music. It’s in his vein. His mother is a piano teacher educated in Japanese conservatory of music. He has been studying classical music with a prominent piano teacher for 21 years. His mother taught him 3 to 5years old. According to his piano teacher, his mother once told her not to encourage him too much because he is good with hard facts (math and science). She ignored it. Anyway, in Japan, boys are encouraged to take piano as a hobby but not as profession because it is very difficult to make living with music in Japan. He had a hard time to decide going to conservatory or Tokyo University(basically Japan’s Harvard) but decided not to go to conservatory. Parents influence here. But he wound up playing the piano much more than before in college. There are serious classical performance video’s remaining from those days. He did many other things musically but I believe classical was his main thing. He invited his teacher to a street piano concert when his graduation is approaching. He played mostly classical music there and looked so happy. By looking at how happy he was, his teacher said she teared up. She said she could not sleep thinking about him. Once he went into workforce, this is the end of his piano - at least the path to become a concert pianist would be closed. He seemed to have a promising career but she had a plan. The biggest National piano competition (It’s all classical) was approaching. He had been a constant entrants for it since childhood but this time she asked if he wanted to try for the special class (for young professional pianists). He was one of the very few non conservatory graduates. She knew it was up to him but she wanted to give him the last chance. To her surprise he eagerly embraced the challenge. Of course his parents were fiercely against it at first. Anyway he got the first prize and performed Rachmaninoff piano concerto. The rest is history. Look at this. I’m sure you can feel his love for classical music.
The Polish Radio has been interviewing competitors throughout and could be found on their YouTube page.
Found a few interviews they did with jurors: 10/9 Janusz Olejniczak (in Polish): link 10/13 Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń (jury-chair, in Polish, but someone left a recap in English in the Comments section): link 10/15 Dina Yoffe (in English): link
Yes I think it is possible. Personally I do. The only issue for someone that young is that I am not sure he can perfectly assimilate what it takes to play Chopin at the ultimate level of refinement, because he is also spending quite some time on completely different styles. Personally I have not seen yet someone who can be a top notch classical pianist and be also equally good and active in pop or jazz.
Jean Yves Thibaudet comes closest to mind. On the reverse side Keith Jarrett has released classical albums to decent reviews.
I think Thibaudet just plays transcriptions of Bill Evans or some other jazz great. Jarrett is not anywhere near outstanding as a classical pianist as he is as a jazz pianist.
Your original question of LOVES them equally has now morphed into the impossible PLAYS them equally 😉
Not really. My original post and question was about Cateen, maybe one of the few pianists on the planet who plays classical and non classical at an incredibly high professional level.
