Don Satz, commenting on a post of Steve Martin:

>Steve's comments also bring to light the premise some possess that
>the artists/performers of today can't hold a candle to those of bygone
>eras.  Of course, many historical recordings are a beacon of supreme
>interpretation.  But, I find that many new recordings come close to
>the best already on record, and a few each year surpass what *was*
>best.

Shortly after reading Don's post, I read an interview with Todd Landor of
Vox in the July-August Fanfare in which he said:

   "People sort of fall in love with certain recordings and they don't
   want anything else.  In particular, the recording one hears as the
   vehicle for discovering a cherished piece of music for the first time
   tends to take pride of place in one's own subjective 'recordings hall
   of fame'.  It takes a long time for a record reviewer to refine his
   or her art and even longer for them to gain widespread authority.
   We are now at a point where a number of highly regarded reviewers
   are at an age when the recordings that made those early indelible
   impressions are from the 50s and 60s, and so I believe that we hear
   more mention of recordings from this vintage than we would if a
   completely objective assessment of all recordings were being made.
   Comprehensive objectivity is impossible because there are now so many
   recordings of each major work that it is impossible for any reviewer
   to have listened to all of them."

It is, of course, quite possible to find yourself in some agreement
with both points of view.  As an example, I remember when I first
started voraciously reading reviews back in the 60s, the pioneering
Kajanus recordings of the Sibelius symphonies from the 30s were regarded
as the touchstone, and I found this frustrating because at the time, these
recordings were unavailable.  I eventually heard why they were so highly
regarded, but they are mentioned far less frequently these days.

I idly wondered whether, given that in, say, twenty years' time, people are
still writing reviews of whatever sound carrier is in vogue at the time,
Don's or Todd Landor's comments will still in general hold true.

Richard Pennycuick
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