Appearance Sells

Some of the most popular classical artists of the day are quite young and blossoming. Names such as Hilary Hahn, Joshua Bell, and Nicolai Znaider have become the representatives of prominent young violinists who have literally taken center stage with their talent. Yundi Li is also a famous young pianist who now frequents the most well-known concert stages around the world. Although all of these musicians are known to have prodigious talent, there is one other link that seems to connect them all. All of these young musicians are young, almost all in their twenties, and very beautiful and good-looking.

If you frequent the CD shelves of a Barnes and Noble, one of the most overt characteristics of these CD covers are that the artists' face is prominently plastered on the front. Hilary Hahn's face takes up her entire CD, staring through the cover with a model-winning coy smile.Yundi Li's cover hardly has a piano in it, but rather Yundi Li dressed in a handsome suit leaning against a wall, smiling benignly up at the customer. It appears that the instrument has taken a step-down as the faces of these attractive musicians have become the forefront of selling classical literature. Although dedication to the music is certainly the very basis of musical appreciation, perhaps the overall trend of personal beauty to attract the acceptance of the public has finally caught up in the sales market of the classical music world.

Horowitz the Colossal

The classical world continuously beholds the birth of "just out of the crib" prodigies. Lang Lang, the new and upcoming young Chinese pianist, began piano at the age of 3 and won his first competition at the age of 5. History also shows us that Mozart had the genius to be able to learn and play the piano, violin, and organ at the age of 3. However, the term "prodigy" tends to die quickly by the time the musician has reached a reasonable age, where they seem to be regared on the same plane of mediocrity with other pianists at the same skill level. Thus, perhaps the most influential pianists of our time are those who still play with such talent and skill at an elderly age. One of the most adept examples is Vladimir Horowitz.

Towards the end of his life, Horowitz gave one of his last public performances in his late eighties at Carnegie Hall. Recorded on CD, it is has become a lasting testament to his genius, incredible dexterity and powerful sonority. It is too hard to believe that the sound captured on CD is the physical, mental, and emotional genius of a person that society may deem, superficially, as a "frail" old man. His legendary testament to piano has created a passionate following, and it is here that prodigious skills makes its most profound impact, perhaps not at the beginning of life, but at the end.