Sylvain Blassel plays Goldberg Variations

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This topic has 27 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 3 months ago by Elizabeth Volpé Bligh.

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April 10, 2009 at 2:21 pm #148773

carl-swanson
Participant

Someone just emailed me this youtube link and I think it’s fantastic. Take a look. He’s a wonderful clean musical player with a gorgeous technique. For anyone who wants to see what classic French technique looks like (what some people mistakenly call “Grandjany” technique) this is a perfect example. Notice in particular how his left hand is constantly muffling individual notes as he plays, mostly with the third and 4th fingers. He stays very close to the strings all the time, and he is almost always placing in sequence(meaning placing just one note ahead of the note he is playing). Videos like this can and should be used as teaching tools. Teachers ought to watch this with their students and analyze what he is doing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDl1vjJwBLc&feature=related

April 10, 2009 at 2:30 pm #148774

kay-lister
Member

WOW – that was beautiful! Thanks Carl.

Kay

April 10, 2009 at 4:03 pm #148775

mark-andersen
Participant

Hi Carl,

What a wonderful Easter gift you’ve given us all by sharing that video. I’m sending this to the people I care about this Easter. The technique in this video is so beautiful and to think that he is playing this unedited is breathtaking. The beauty of it brought tears to my eyes.

Mark Andersen

April 10, 2009 at 5:08 pm #148776

carl-swanson
Participant

I thought you’d all enjoy that. Now, maybe we can get Kim to pick it as the video of the month!

April 10, 2009 at 5:35 pm #148777

jane-jung
Participant

I just tried the link, and it says the video is no longer available?

April 10, 2009 at 5:37 pm #148778

jane-jung
Participant

Oops, tried again and there it is!

April 11, 2009 at 12:07 am #148779

tonie-ogimachi
Participant

Carl,

Thank you so much for these video posts!

April 12, 2009 at 1:12 am #148780

janet-king
Participant

Talk technique if you must, but more to the point, what beautiful musicianship!

April 12, 2009 at 3:19 am #148781

unknown-user
Participant

Fascinating!

April 12, 2009 at 7:47 pm #148782

janet-king
Participant

SOMEBODY PLEASE IMPORT THIS CD!!

April 20, 2009 at 11:12 pm #148783

carl-swanson
Participant

I’ve been trying to get his email address so I could write him and see if the whole Goldberg recording is on DVD the way this youtube excerpt is. If any of the French readers know his email address maybe you could contact me.

April 21, 2009 at 2:59 am #148784

richard-hagan
Participant

Janet —

You should be able to get it from the French Amazon.

April 25, 2009 at 4:55 pm #148785

HBrock25
Participant

Dear all harp lovers,

I am Jérôme Delmas and as Lontano’s label manager, I am really happy to read all your wonderful comments regarding Sylvain Blassel’s CD.

We did this recording last winter in Paris and the EPK you watched on Youtube was shooted in Rennes (France).

Despite our worldwide contract with Warner Classics International, it seems to be really difficult to find Sylvain’s album in the States.

FYI, the Goldberg Variations are paired with the “Fourteen Canons on a Ground Bass”.

You of course can order it on http://www.amazon.fr but also directly with us.

So don’t hesitate to contact me directly at the following e.mail address : jerome.delmas@lontano.fr

Thanks again for your support
All the best from France
Jérôme Delmas
Lontano’s label manager

PS : Unfortunately no DVD available.

April 25, 2009 at 9:57 pm #148786

Sylvia Clark
Member

Who cares what technique is used?

April 26, 2009 at 2:39 am #148787

carl-swanson
Participant

You’re right Sylvia. In the end who cares what technique is used. I only pointed that out so that anyone not familiar with French technique could see clearly how he uses his hands. Even young students learning French technique can see here how an advanced harpist plays. The Dilling film on youtube is another very good example of French technique, as well as being wonderfully musical.
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