critiquing

[pianotehj]

To each his/her own- I am hoping to get a lot of different responses/personal opinions from various individuals, so here goes:

I've only just recently started to really listen to music- as in before, I had certain pieces or composers whom I liked, but now I'm trying to listen to various recordings of the same composition and trying to decide which artist I prefer over the others and why. I'm realizing how difficult it is to actually describe in words what it is that attracts me to one artist over another, or even before that, what I'm looking for when I'm critiquing individual artists and their playings. So without further adieu, I'm just wondering what you're hearing for when you listen to recordings or attend concerts... taking it one step further than just "playing from the heart," "individual styles," "expressiveness," etc... how exactly do you pinpoint the differences in their playings?

I know it'll depend a lot on personal preference in general, but then what may vary according to individual taste/preference, and what are set "rules" (sorry can't find the right word) and must be followed to some degree (ex, tempo when marked..?)?

Sorry my thoughts are kind of all over the place- hope you kind of understood my question.. much thanks in advance!

[rojo]

Depends on the composition, but

Overall tone(s) of instrument/s
Intonation
Speed of vibrato (depending on the instrument; some don`t use it)
Wideness of vibrato (ditto)
All tempo variations (usually there are lots of decisions to make in a single piece)
All dynamics (loud, soft, all variations thereof)
Unity, or tightness of players
Balance
Recording clarity
Recording environment (reverb, general sound of recording location/hall)

It helps to know the piece inside and out, of course.

Btw, usually rules get broken by someone at some point. For example, one can hear the same piece played at dozens of speeds, despite if the tempo is indicated...

Of course one is supposed to have the right notes and the correct rhythms, but even then, one can hear various versions...

[Krummhorn]

Ok, I'll chime in here too. Being an organist, my focus will be on that venue for this topic ... some organ literature has little or no suggestions for which stops (sounds) to use. The composer will usually indicate tempo and show dynamics.

Let's look at an example: Let's say that we are going to hear Mozart's Fantasia in F Minor (k.608) by 2 different organists. The composer indicates fortississimo at the beginning of the piece, and little registration notes.

What we will hear, will be 2 totally and tonally different interpretations of the same music. Since we don't have a MP3 of Mozart himself playing this piece, some freedom (to a degree) to play it as we think Mozart might have.

Let's say we have given the piece to E. Power Biggs and Virgil Fox:
E. Power Biggs would have played it quite solemnly and in the strictest tempo. His registrations (sounds) would be as close to what was available to Mozart when he composed it.
Virgil Fox would have taken liberties with altered some tempos. His registrations would have been quite varied throughout the piece.

I am not saying that either performer was right or wrong in their individual interpretations, since we don't know what it sounded like when Mozart played it.

A great music performance does require all the wonderful points that rojo has listed, but it also has to be 'felt' by the performer ... coming from the heart in a sense. Rojo has given a wonderful list of considerations - just to add that there also has to be some "heart and soul" in the performance. You will know when you hear it - it's more than just the notes - when the peformers feel and breathe the music, then you will get the same feeling as a listener.