Lomascola

[SweetSue]

We just returned from Branson, and we saw Lomascola's Million Dollar Piano show for the fifth time this year. He is fabulous! I have no connection to the show; I just want to alert all of you to what a treasure his show is. He is an excellent pianist, very personable, witty, funny, and friendly. He is in the Crystal Room (little theater) of the Branson Star Theater just behind Olive Garden, across the street from Celebration City. He was in Las Vegas for several years. Since this is his first season, his crowds have been quite small, but I'm sure after the word gets out the people will come and enjoy his beautiful music. My husband and I were interviewed after the show Thursday night; our comments will be on his website: lomascola.com

[CHRISTISAM2001]

Thanks for the review SweetSue, glad yall had a great time!!

[CapnCrunch]

Is this a 2 hour show of piano playing? Tell me WHY I want to go to this show. Is there comedy like Liberace? He was the best! Is there different types of music?

[SweetSue]

Originally Posted by CapnCrunch

Is this a 2 hour show of piano playing? Tell me WHY I want to go to this show. Is there comedy like Liberace? He was the best! Is there different types of music?

Yes, this is a two-hour show of piano playing. It is a two-man show: Lomascola plays the beautiful Baldwin piano and Ron plays the organ in the background. He plays classical, broadway, pop, religious, but no country music. He interacts with the audience a great deal, and he is quite charming and funny. He has a segment where he encourages the audience to ask him questions about his music, his life, his piano (Baldwin), etc. We saw one show where he invited a young man up to the stage, and he gave him a five-minute piano lesson. He has mentioned at two shows that he did the same for a young girl. At intermission he steps in front of the curtain and tells us about the CDs he has for sale; he said it disrespects the audience if the performer doesn't tell them about the CDs themselves.

As to comparing him to Liberace, my husband is a BIG Liberace fan, and he says Lomascola is just as good. Sometimes he even has a candelabra on the piano. The first time we saw him without the candelabra, I asked him why he didn't have it on the piano, and he said he usually has it out if he's going to play a lot of romantic music. He told me he would put it out after intermission, and he did.

My husband almost never buys CDs at the Branson shows. He quickly bought both of Lomascola's, and we always take them to Branson with us so we can listen to them on the way there and home.

My suggestion is to give the show a try. I would be very surprised if you didn't like it. I've heard several people say it's the best show they have seen in Branson.

[CapnCrunch]

Thank you for the information. Actually, this is a very good review! I will see this show on my next trip to Branson.

[PianoTeacher]

I have seen the David Lomascola show and as a piano teacher I can honestly say that he is without question the best pianist in Branson. Not only does he play amazingly, he also has a really great singing voice. I especially enjoyed the closing song he wrote and sang to us. It was really very moving.

When I saw David’s show I was impressed with how well he handled all the different piano styles. He made them all interesting and they certainly held my attention. He is completely at home with all of the great composers works as he should since he has a Master’s degree in music. His pop renditions are first rate and this is why I say, there just isn’t anybody in Branson or the world for that matter that plays as well as David does. His gospel music is angelic and he did tell me he is in the process of publishing his arrangements. I want them so I can have my students play them.

I was also impressed with his country music that he played. It was country with a slight classical twist which made it brand new to my ears. I don’t really like country music, but I loved the way David played it.

In my professional opinion, I believe David is a far better pianist and musician than Liberace was. David is a true artist and I was glad he didn’t come out on stage trying to imitate or copy Liberace in any way like so many others do. He also did not have a candelabra on his piano when I saw him which I was also glad about. Afterall, that was Liberace’s trademark and who wants to see that anyway. It’s all been done before. I want to see something NEW and I did see something new and very exciting with David Lomascola.

This is what I always tell my students, be yourself, don’t copy anyone else, lead don’t follow. I’m planning to bring my students to see him tomorrow when he has his master class. We are all very excited about it because this is exactly what Branson needs.

I agree with SweetSue, go see David Lomascola. You will love it!

[christnme]

Is there a website I can look up show info on?

[LaJoe]

Originally Posted by christnme

Is there a website I can look up show info on?

http://www.lomascola.com/home.htm

[MBLurker]

Great review. Sounds like a fun show.

Originally Posted by PianoTeacher

I have seen the David Lomascola show and as a piano teacher I can honestly say that he is without question the best pianist in Branson.

Have you seen Dino? I know he's famous all over the world and he's been here in Branson for some time. There are other piano shows also in town. Have you seen them?

Originally Posted by PianoTeacher

he did tell me he is in the process of publishing his arrangements. I want them so I can have my students play them.

Originally Posted by PianoTeacher

This is what I always tell my students, be yourself, don’t copy anyone else, lead don’t follow.

If you play his arrangements, isn't that just copying him? Or do you just not want your students to copy Liberace? Liberace is famous for saying "I don't give concerts, I put on a show". Like SweetSue's husband, I like the flashy Liberace showmanship.

[PianoTeacher]

Yes I have seen Dino as well as other piano shows in town. In my professional opinion, David Lomascola is one of the world’s greatest pianists and the best I have heard in Branson. I know a well trained musician when I see and hear one and David Lomascola is not only well educated in music, he is the only pianist in Branson I would bring my students to hear because he represents a long tradition of fine musicianship.

As for playing vs. copying I hope you won’t mind if I share with you the things I share with my students about this. Copying and emulating someone is perfectly fine up to a point for purposes of learning. But ultimately, the student should leave copying and emulating to the past and move toward the future to develop their own style. At some point every artist copies or studies a previous artist, this is natural.
After all, Mozart copied Haydn, Beethoven copied Mozart and Haydn, Brahms copied Beethoven, Rachmaninoff copied Chopin – and Liberace copied Eddie Duchin. I was at a concert Liberace gave (and he did refer to it as a concert while he was on stage, this was a number of years ago), Liberace told the audience that when he was first starting out he often copied the style of Eddie Duchin which helped him to create his own style.

If arrangements are written down on musical score, then they become music literature which provides valuable resources for students, musicians and music scholars to study. All of my students study the music of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc., but this is not copying anymore than any of the other millions of pianists around the world who play and study the music of these great masters. What I meant by copying was really more in order with trying to impersonate or actually be another artist instead of developing one’s own independent style. Studying arrangements and music of other composers help students and artists to ultimately develop and establish their own styles, just as they have throughout history.

David Lomascola is giving something new to Branson and I am excited that he is the founder of music education programs in the theaters that has never existed here before. Aside from the fact that he puts on a fantastic show, it is his knowledge of music that those of us in the Branson area are starving for. His piano master class yesterday was widely successful, I personally have never seen anything like this here before. I learned so much from this class and he was incredible with the kids, they LOVED him.

I hope you don’t mind my explanations. I am a teacher and I hope I’ve given you some information that you may not have known before. I do thank you for your questions.

[lindainkansas]

Originally Posted by PianoTeacher

Yes I have seen Dino as well as other piano shows in town. In my professional opinion, David Lomascola is one of the world’s greatest pianists and the best I have heard in Branson. I know a well trained musician when I see and hear one and David Lomascola is not only well educated in music, he is the only pianist in Branson I would bring my students to hear because he represents a long tradition of fine musicianship.

As for playing vs. copying I hope you won’t mind if I share with you the things I share with my students about this. Copying and emulating someone is perfectly fine up to a point for purposes of learning. But ultimately, the student should leave copying and emulating to the past and move toward the future to develop their own style. At some point every artist copies or studies a previous artist, this is natural.
After all, Mozart copied Haydn, Beethoven copied Mozart and Haydn, Brahms copied Beethoven, Rachmaninoff copied Chopin – and Liberace copied Eddie Duchin. I was at a concert Liberace gave (and he did refer to it as a concert while he was on stage, this was a number of years ago), Liberace told the audience that when he was first starting out he often copied the style of Eddie Duchin which helped him to create his own style.

If arrangements are written down on musical score, then they become music literature which provides valuable resources for students, musicians and music scholars to study. All of my students study the music of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc., but this is not copying anymore than any of the other millions of pianists around the world who play and study the music of these great masters. What I meant by copying was really more in order with trying to impersonate or actually be another artist instead of developing one’s own independent style. Studying arrangements and music of other composers help students and artists to ultimately develop and establish their own styles, just as they have throughout history.

David Lomascola is giving something new to Branson and I am excited that he is the founder of music education programs in the theaters that has never existed here before. Aside from the fact that he puts on a fantastic show, it is his knowledge of music that those of us in the Branson area are starving for. His piano master class yesterday was widely successful, I personally have never seen anything like this here before. I learned so much from this class and he was incredible with the kids, they LOVED him.

I hope you don’t mind my explanations. I am a teacher and I hope I’ve given you some information that you may not have known before. I do thank you for your questions.

I have not heard him but he can't be any better than Dino.

[SweetSue]

My husband and I sat in on the Master Class yesterday. We do not play, but we thoroughly enjoyed hearing and seeing David Lomascola helping the students. We were VERY disappointed that we couldn't stay for the show that followed the lessons, but we had an unbreakable previous engagement.

Yes, we have seen Dino, many years ago, and we really weren't that impressed with his "showmanship" and music. Lomascola is having a grand time during his shows (we've seen five of them so far this year; we will see the Christmas show in November), and his thorough enjoyment of the music is passed on to the audience. I think if you go see his show, you will agree with me and Piano Teacher that his show is a "must see" for Branson visitors.

[PianoTeacher]

Originally Posted by lindainkansas

I have not heard him but he can't be any better than Dino.

You will be pleasantly surprised to see that David Lomascola is a much better pianist than Dino. However, there are a few things to consider as to why this is so.

First of all, David has his Master’s Degree in music and is also a university professor. Dino does not have his Master’s Degree in music and is not a university professor. So, in context, if Dino ever decided he wanted to get a degree in music, he would enroll in a college that offered such a degree and if David Lomascola were teaching at that college, Dino would likely be placed as a student to study under David.

So, in academic terms, David is a much better pianist than Dino and this is something that can be easily proven by way of a standard university jury examination which I doubt Dino could pass.

In application, David has a much more grand showmanship style than Dino does and David gives a much better demonstration of proper technique and form (which is in keeping with his training). In terms of sound, there is no comparison at all. David is clearly the expert in the area of creating the most beautiful sound at the piano than anyone I’ve ever heard except for Van Cliburn and Vladimir Ashkenazy, two of the world’s greatest pianists ever. David knows exactly how to do it. Dino could use these techniques and should probably consider asking David for some advise in this area.

Don’t misunderstand my comments, I do like Dino. I have seen Dino’s Christmas show. In fact, I go every year because I enjoy it so much. Dino has done a wonderful job making such a nice production show and I think his wife has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve heard. I would recommend Dino’s show to everyone, although last year the sound was very bad, but I don’t think that was Dino’s fault, probably more the theater’s fault than anyone else.

Ultimately, everyone has their own taste and opinions and this is good. In my case, I have professional taste and opinions regarding music and piano because I am well educated in music and piano so I notice and hear things that a musically uneducated person would never notice. However, this does not make the uneducated person’s opinion invalid, it simply makes it uneducated. Everyone has a right to their own opinion and I respect everyone’s opinion to like or dislike whatever one chooses. We can all be thankful that we have these freedoms.

In any case, I recommend you go see David Lomascola. You will be very impressed.

[lindainkansas]

We might go see him sometime. I don't think you have to have a degree to make you good. Dino's music is healing and leaves me up in the clouds.

[PianoTeacher]

Originally Posted by lindainkansas

We might go see him sometime. I don't think you have to have a degree to make you good. Dino's music is healing and leaves me up in the clouds.

I agree with your opinion, a person doesn’t need to have a degree to be good at the piano, although a person does need good training to be good at the piano. It is obvious Dino has had some good training but if a person wants to be the BEST pianist then a degree is the standard that our society has created by which everyone else is measured.

I’m glad you find Dino’s music healing, I think it is too although I should tell you that I found David’s music to go beyond healing even more than Dino’s. It was truly inspirational and it brought me closer to God, way above the clouds.