The background on Debussy v. Prokofiev

Favorite Comments:

  1. •I wonder what I would vote if I couldn't watch your hands and just had to listen

  2. •D - Floats like a butterfly, P - Stings like a bee. D - Prog Rock? P Punk rock? D = Motown, P - Prog rock?

  3. •Debussy makes me feel like I'm dreaming while awake

Other Comments:

  1. •A wonderful and fun concert. Thank you.

  2. •A wonderful concert, combined with an excellent music lesson

  3. •Although I picked Prokofiev, I sure love Debussy though.

  4. •Consider a career in music!

  5. •Could have more lyricism for Clair de Lune.

  6. •Debussy r1 was a clear expression of nature. R2 Prokofiev uses tempo instead of notes to relate feelings

  7. •Dying to know what "Lydian mode" is! Clair de Lune sounded particularly flawless this time.

  8. •Enjoyed both composers for different reasons

  9. •Great job Frederic!!! Beautiful job!

  10. •Great performance! Debussy - the romantic vs. Prokofiev the experimenter. What a match! Thank you.

  11. •Great program. Much appreciated. Thank you!

  12. •Great way to get the audience involved. I loved it.

  13. •I changed my mind and voted for "The Montagues and Capulets" - thanks for bringing life to classical music

  14. •I imagined listening to Debussy at home vs. appreciating Prokofiev in concert as "more interesting" in performance.

  15. •I like Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet. I heard it in Peter and the Wolf from Hollywood

  16. •I played Debussy growing up. I really enjoyed your masterclass yesterday.

  17. •Interesting audience participation exercise - good idea! Impressive performance. Thank you.

  18. •Looking forward to results

  19. •Love impressionist music and art. Beautiful, many thanks.

  20. •Loved both!

  21. •Loved the format :)

  22. •Loved the Prokofiev. Had no preconceived idea, but fell on the side of Debussy. Thank you!

  23. •Loved your interpretation of Clair de Lune. Enjoyed the format; I listened "harder"

  24. •My father would have called out "Stop that banging!" somewhere throughout as he did occasionally as my (younger) sister and I practiced. Jarring - too many !! Pieces, too few interludes as per demands of format I believe. Tough way to "judge."

  25. •Performance outstanding. Very interesting selections. Thanks for a wonderful Sunday afternoon.

  26. •Played the violin in school, was a solo singer at my church

  27. •Prelude! That was my favorite That was great. You should do this professionally ;)

  28. •Prokofiev is my guy I guess. I like the anger and passion and storyline in his pieces. It's like conflict and inner monologue but also excitement and passion.

  29. •R&J Memories of working backstage with NYCB Production make it the 1st round winner. R3 very tough decision. R4 The balance of the program was its strength, just one composer would not be as strong. I loved the music from both composers, mix made it exciting for both.

  30. •R1 - P more virtuosic. R2 D more complex. R3 D easier listening. R4 P very virtuosic, D my favorite piece

  31. •R1, Moonlight swim vs. scenes from The Fugitive. R2 Fly-fishing in a swift current vs. Wolf stalking Peter. R3 Starry night/stream waterfall vs. walk in night woods. R4 Sound tracks of country vs. River overrunning its banks

  32. •Reverie = what love sounds like. Wonderful job!!

  33. •Rounds 1-3 were close choices. I ordinarily like Prokofiev equal to Debussy, at times, much more

  34. •Thank you for a stunningly beautiful performance! The Smackdown format was very entertaining, educational, and engaging. And your warm eloquence made the performance extra enjoyable!!

  35. •Thank you for a wonderful event! Note - I wish I could asterisk 2 Fugitive Visions by Prokofiev and vote for it.

  36. •Thank you for being such a wonderful guest and artist.

  37. •Thank you for sharing your talents! This was very informative and a wonderful lesson in listening. Fantastic program! Bravo!

  38. •Thank you so much for a wonderful afternoon. Love the format! Voting was challenging - while I didn't vote for the artists in these particular rounds, Passepied stood out for me in R1 and I loved Diabolic Suggestions. I found R4 the most difficult - loved the jazz influence in Reverie, almost voted for Debussy until the end of Toccata gave me chills!

  39. •Thanks for the Public Merrymaking! (You might enjoy the challenge of transcribing Festmusik my Mons Ledun Takle). R1 an awkward comparison - depicting action and conveying character vs. "expressing thoughts and feelings". R3 - I'm a sucker for Estampes every time!. Future "theme"? - rhythmic freedom/silence as music (Beethoven Opus 110, Wagner/Liszt Tristan, etc)

  40. •The Clair de Lune was both perfect and beautiful - hard to do both! Great idea to do this format!

  41. •This event way joyful, your conversations with us and information was nourishing. The event was so nourishing.

  42. •This was fun!

  43. •Thought provoking and entertaining. You offered sounds and insights to inspire exploration. Thank you!

  44. •Very hard choices!

  45. •Very interesting format. Would love to hear Bach vs. Glass

  46. •Whoa. Thanks. Learned a lot. Difficult to like or admire one over the other. Bravo.

  47. •Wonderful! Hope to see you again. I came to hear Debussy but enjoyed Prokofiev very much. However, not enough to get my vote!

  48. •You are amazing! Thank you! I feel blessed to have experienced your playing and your thoughts and whole way of being.

  49. •You are incredibly gifted - thank you for sharing your talents! This format is a wonderful idea, please keep it going. With these 2 composers and the pieces you selected, you did not make it an easy choice, by any means. As a rabid fan of Debussy's music, and not having heard much of Prokofiev's solo piano music, outside of the sonatas, I have to say I'm surprised by my outcome. It's a credit to you and your talent for playing and curating that did it, I'm certain. Thank you again!

  50. •You're super sick with it! Great job! On the back I took notes of my thoughts that came up through each song.

  51. •Your artistry and technical brilliance are inspiring! You brought new life and creativity to each work.