Jordan Schweigel wrote:

>I am just curious as to how the different members of this list rank Claudio
>Arrau among the great pianists of the 20th-Century, although this is very
>subjective, I would most appreciate everyone's input.

Claudio Arrau,is a difficult topic to speak about it.  I will write (under
my point of view),his "goods",and his "bads".

Goods:

He was a great musician.  He dignified some "acrobatic" and second
category music,trough a very intelectual aproach to it,and trying to give
an expresive value for each note he played.  In some cases he did too
with a first class music,who often was played in a superflous way by some
megapianists,who were interested only in play as fast as possible.  His
beautiful tone quality was wonderful.  His use of tonal pedal was superb
most times.  Sometimes he make another musicians re-thinking they actual
aproaches to some specific music.As an example it happened with the Liszt
Trascendental etudes.Actually despite maybe under different points of
view,is not the most "scholar" version,is one of my favorites.

BADS:

Like i considered him a great musician,i don't consider him a great
pianist.  His technique was build in extreme tension(contrary to the wrong
idea of relaxation usually decribed for many of his fans).And his technical
principles, were completely no rational(anyway he plays great,because the
genious rules,are not neccesarily applied for common mortals)The prove of
this is he never had a pupil of a real great level despite of the existence
of Rafael Silva Academy in New York(many years ago)It was an sterile
pianistic school.I listen some of his pupils playing,and it really was not
bad,but that's all.  In my country, the old musicians generation,have a
Arrau -mania, and they believe he was the best and greatest pianist of all
times.  His taste for some music was very strange.He had a very bad concept
on Rachmanninoff music,saying many times:that music is good as incidental
music.But at the same time he has not sore to play some of the cheapest
productions of Liszt.  As he dignified some 2nd class music, sometimes he
offended some very good music trying to be different,like his version of
first Tchaikowsky concerto as an example.  Somebody remember the Chopin
waltzer recorded around 1'979 or 1'980?It was really the most pedantic,and
over afectioned version i never heard of those jewels.  Well unfortunately
the limitations of my enghlish+the limitations of written mail,make
impossible speak more thinks about him.  Anyway his recording of the
Beethoven concerti with Bernhard Haitink and the Amsterdam Concertgewau,is
maybe the best of all,despite my profound admiration for Pollini
mucisianship.But his Golberg Variations sounds like a pupil learning them.
Well this is in very general terms my opinion about Claudio Arrau.  Best
wishes:

Gerardo:.