Bert Bailey wrote:

>Much as I don't doubt the excitement of that evening, I'm not sure
>that the Russians have any patent on musical thrills.  Artists with
>such abilities lurk almost everywhere, I daresay.

Agreed, to a certain extent. But for every Argerich, Pogorelich (in
younger days), Sokolov, Boulez, Salonen, Rattle, Pletnev, Shaham, or
Maisky, there are countless other Barenboims, Pollinis, Maazels, Masurs,
&c.  &c.  who, in my opinion, simply don't have a clue. And of course
there are fantastic musicians who "lurk" in the shadows.  Therein lies
the wonder of smaller, more independent record labels who catalogue such
artists for us to discover...

>All to say that my experience is that many artists from various
>backgrounds are doing a fine job of engaging people with this high
>art (and perhaps also to add, banking on their obscurity, that far
>too few get the accolades they deserve).

To engage an audience is one thing.  I'll concede that there are indeed
many artists who can engage an audience by sheer virtuosity.  Lang Lang
is engaging.  Can I stand listening to him play?  No.  Audiences are too
easily fooled by a flawless technique.  My original point - about the
RNO, or (many, but not all) Russian pianists - was that they have the
capacity to engage by the SOUND they are able to create.  Mastering sound
and musical cogency is far greater a task than mastering physical
technique.  And again, I'm only using the Russians as an example because
- in so far as my ears have been exposed to many musics and musicians -
I personally find that they are better at it than MOST other musicians.

>None of these ideas, to my knowledge, turns on the age of the
>artists playing the music, as I think was suggested.

Not as far as soloists are concerned, I believe.  Look at Horowitz's
Moscow recital in '86.  But I would think that orchestral musicians are
in a different category.  The lifestyle and schedules are different, and
I feel that an orchestra musician might become jaded and tire from the
"grind" more rapidly than any soloist, and that this is noticeable...
Perhaps I'm wrong in assuming so.  It's just an impression.

olivier solanet
[log in to unmask]
http://web.mac.com/solaneto

             ***********************************************
The CLASSICAL mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned 
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's HDMail 
High Deliverability Mailer for reliable, lightning fast mail delivery. 
For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html