Hypothetically: a great piano performance?

Your friend must like you for them to share something so special to themselves.

I like this piece. I listen to the musician quite a bit.

I have a feeling we may have different ideas about great pianists.
I could phone this in, and just say Bach, but I wanted to go with someone more modern, and with enough talent to make something more interesting than perfection of older music.

She’s not a hugely popular artist now, but Tori Amos is a unique pianist/vocalist. A nice introductory song might be “Cornflake Girl,” American version. (Maybe official video.) Just make sure you hear the whole song… Enchanting…
It’s not so common to run across a relatively current artist who just plays piano…

I have to mention Stevie Wonder, of course. But he sang, as well…

I’m tempted to throw Eddie Van Hallen in. Largely regarded as one of the best guitarists ever, he wrote most of his stuff on a piano…
I study LOTS of technical guitar, and acoustic stuff. But I try to study all instruments…

Many others come to mind, but I prefer to judge an artist by their own work. That’s a problem, in and of itself… I think people judge musicians too harshly…

Music should be encouraged, not picked apart.

I have been watching people play in public (on YouTube,) a lot lately. Just somebody who starts playing in a mall, airport, train stations etc. I find it fascinating that it gets so many people’s attention. And instantly changes the mood in the area.

Sometimes I think, the world might be a better place, if there were a piano on every corner…

I find music to be a personal taste & they were excited by what they sent you. I’d respond with ” Thank you for sharing” & I wouldn’t include a link to anything. Or I might not respond at all. They are busy being excited by their find & I doubt that they really care what you think. Anyway, since you have heard better, you NEVER have to open that link ever again & they will be none the wiser.

I’m taking my cue from your emphasis on ‘age-appropriate equivalent’ to Zounds! or Great Jupiter! or the like … in other words, the grandkids are discovering music, or piano music in particular. Wonderful!

I’d share links such as @Hawaii_Jake,‘s but also links (or CDs or vinyl, if you can part with it) from George Winston to recordings of Beethoven’s Fifth Piano Concerto (Emperor Suite). Or whatever wide range of differences you prefer, and start a conversation with the young person.

For that matter, the two of you (and the other grandkids if it’s agreeable) can get together on a YouTube channel of shared links, or follow each other on Spotify. It might be too soon to consider live concerts, but that’s a good option for older kids, too.

If it’s a close friend, I probably wouldn’t be snarky, but I would be upfront that I wasn’t impressed.

I wouldn’t reply with a different link. It’s gratuitously nasty.

I would probably send a three word reply. “Thanks for sending” and drop it.

It depends on their musical knowledge. For example, I am unable to determine the difficulty of a piano piece just by listening to it. You might ask them to listen to one of Chopin’s pieces that emphasize the left hand and are considered very difficult.

You might try Emanual Ax

If you like boogie music

And this one adds dancers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROrxsqfNP5Y

For Piano it has to be anything from Vladimir Horowitz

However I did see Yuja Vang perform last year and was blown away.

@seawulf575 Manny is amazing. I get to see him several times a year at Tanglewood. Most recently 2 weeks ago with Yo-Yo-Ma and Leonidas Kavakos

I’m a Philistine; it all seems like magic to me as it did to your hypothetical friend.

@Forever_Free I’ve never gotten a chance to see him in person. I do have an Ax/Ma CD that I love. I used to play piano and I used to play cello. You know I’m all over that!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6EX3t2Mdnw

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 1 – Anna Fedorova

I would thank them for taking the trouble but I wouldn’t respond in kind, not at the time anyway. Later, I might send them some music I like.