Scott Joplin Music

Who would have thought anyone could arrange Joplin for guitar? It sounds as if Joplin wrote for the guitar, Giovanni de Chiaro has done a fantastic job in his arrangements on this CD! I have heard he did all of Joplin's works and that this will soon appear on CD, so I am waiting for that.

Check this one out in the meantime.

-JZ

I was fortunate enough to hear Giovanni de Chiaro in person when he came to French Camp, MS, two or three years ago. He is superb - I'd say almost, if not as good as, Christopher Parkening. His fingering is lightning-fast, and he captures the proper Joplin Scott spirit. A must-have for any music fan.

This CD, as well as all of De Chiaro's works, transport one, musically & emotionally.Where words leave off, his music begins.His transcriptions of Joplin's works are available. The artist can be contacted at The University of Southern Mississipi School of Music, Box 5081, Hattiesburg, Mississipi 39406-5081, PH:601-266-5401,FAX:601-266-6185.

He briefly describes that Joplin took inspiration from Sousa marches and local mandolin choirs. This guy really starts hot-rodding it on some of these songs. He can play fast and when you combine that with Scott Joplin's songs you get a real lift with a relaxing feeling. Never mind that it was a breakthrough to play a band's worth of parts on the piano, this guy puts it on the guitar! I hope someone will transcribe it to a book so the rest of us can be thouroghly humbled.

De Chiaro's obviously a classically-trained guitarist, as the renditions here are very crisp and precise without a hint of soul. Classical musicians rarely succeed when trying to play jazz or folk; you can't notate the "feel" so they tend to not have any. De Chiaro is technically flawless here, but in so doing he makes Joplin's music curiously dry and academic.

The beauty of Joplin's music is the gentle alternation between blues and Chopinesque virtuosity. In De Chiaro's hands these rags sound like Bagatelles unfortunately removed from their wistful origins. It's pleasant enough, in a Segovia-like way but not what I was hoping for. Dave Laibman and Stefan Grossman have both done better -- though not nearly enough.

While I believe this recording rather faithfully captures the spirit of Joplin, especially the seven-minute "Solace" track, it seems that Perlman hogs most of the melody-carrying space, while Previn remains the loyal accompanyist. A pity.

I purchased this album in vinyl many years ago. It is one of my all-time favorite collections of music.

Joplin's piano music is always a delight, but the combination of Perlman's violin arrangements and Previn's piano do, in my opinion, significantly improve on the original. (This is a statement I almost never make about adaptations of classical music, but it is really true in this case.)

The upbeat pieces are incredibly jaunty and lively; the melancholy pieces are moving. The violin adds immensely to the voice of Joplin's songs.

I give this CD as a gift frequently, and it has never failed to please.

I owned this recording as an LP and played it non-stop. What a thrill to find it on CD! Perlman and Previn created a rollicking Joplin jamboree here. You get the sense that they are having the time of their lives with Joplin's melodies and syncopation.

In short, this recording is a joy to hear!

This is a perfect example of why those with classical sensibilities should stay far away from the performance of popular music. Anyone who has ever heard a classically trained vocalist destroy a Gershwin or Lennon/McCartney ballad knows what I am talking about. If you do not know what you are doing, stay away! Leaving aside the question as to why Scott Joplin, a great ragtime composer, has been taken over by the classical crowd as if he was one of them, I would love to know what in Perlman's past musical career made him think that he could swing along with Scott. What was once jaunty and infectiously rhythmic is now ponderous. What was once happy-go-lucky is now dull and lifeless. What was once music to be heard on a smiling summer day with one arm full of cotton candy and the other with a newfound love is now music to be endured in a tuxedo in some stuffy concert hall that no one but the very rich can afford. Joplin's music should skip and dance along with utter joy. Perlman and Previn have neither the beat nor the joy of it. A simple and elegant piece like "Solace" becomes a bloated monstrosity under their heavy hands. A travesty.

Phillip Dyson is certainly an excellent pianist, and the selection of Joplin tunes on this album is pretty good. But when listening to album, I find myself frustrated at the number of embellishments and liberties that Dyson takes with Joplin's original music.

It's a matter of taste, I guess, but I much prefer renditions of the music that are true to what was written by Joplin. For more faithful performances of Scott Joplin, get Joshua Rifkin's album instead.

This recording is first class in every respect. The performances are all quite brilliant!! They retain the true classic ragtime and authenticity but with a wonderful modern day sound and an originality which is pure Phillip Dyson.

I am enjoying this CD, though I hadn't expected the recordings to be so old. The sound quality is good, nevertheless. Good choice for a ragtime fan.

Any fan of ragtime music will enjoy this!! It's interesting and enlightening take on ragtime piano.

Here is music by the most prominent American ragtime composer, Scott Joplin, performed in a manner (11-12 instruments) slightly different from the usual (solo piano). The program contains 60 minutes of the familiar (and, in a couple instances, the unfamiliar) Joplin music that became popular at the turn of the 20th century, then fell into oblivion, and had a revival in the early 1970s.

This cd brings together two lps released by EMI/Angel during that '70s revival: "Red Back Book" containing 8 selections performed by students from the New England Conservatory conducted by Gunther Schuller; and "Elite Syncopations", which includes 8 pieces featuring pianist Ralph Grierson with the Southland Stingers.

All of the music is well performed and recorded. This listener especially likes track 6 ("Easy Winners") because of the numerous solos and track 13 ("Bink's Waltz") because, as a waltz, it is a nice departure
from the rag format and also because it was unfamiliar.

Although I think it is sad that Scott Joplin died at the age of 48 with his musical goals not totally achieved, his toe tapping music lives on and never fails to cheer me up.
Tim Koerner July 2008

Anyone who apreciates the Ragtime music of Scott Joplin should own a copy of the New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble. I grew up listening to an old cassette recording of the Ensemble and was so excited to find that a CD was still available. It is wonderful and exciting to hear Ragtime played by an entire enseble of instuments, rather than just a piano. Once again, a must for any lover of Ragtime.

I, too, grew up listening to an old castte tape of this recording. I have been looking for the cd for many years. Why didn't I look for it at Amazon before ?!

This is a recording that makes any moment a pleasant and joyful time. You will never stop listening to it for years and still enjoy every track as the first time. It is so light... You will also enjoy the charming sound of each instrument, and you'll shurely discover a whole new aproach to Joplin's music as a band, rather than the original piano. Of course, the piano versions stand for themselves, but the deep bass lines, the charming flutes, the rithm of drums, you could almost belive it could have originally been written for a band.