New Billy Joel classical CD: quality composition or 2nd-rate note spinning? (1 Viewer)

[Brian Perry]

While browsing the classical section at Border's yesterday, I noticed a new CD of piano compositions by none other than Billy Joel. He has written ten classical pieces for piano, and the bits I listened to on Border's headphones were decent. They are touted as opuses 1-10, I guess meaning these are the first compositions he has officially released.

The odd thing is that he doesn't play the songs -- some other pianist does the job. I wonder why Billy wouldn't play his own stuff. Is it too difficult for him? Does he think it conveys quality if someone else plays his classical music?

I'm not a qualified critic, so I'm not sure if any of this music is good. It sounds pleasing (which I suppose is all that matters) on first review, but I wonder how it would stand up to critical analysis.

 

[Danny Tse]

Brian,

Don't know if you watched Billy Joel: In His Own Words on A&E within the past month, but Joel didn't a concert at an university hall (don't remember the school's name) with the pianist on the CD, Richard Joo. Joel said that he felt a classical trained pianist is can play better in this style than he can. Richard Joo looks like a twenty-something college dude. The material is OK, although the music keep reminding me of Joel's own "And So It Goes". I will stick with his pop recordings.