I wasn't terribly bothered by Earl Wild's comments, although I don't
agree with them.  You can only teach someone to play the way you know
how to play.  At Earl Wild's class, I'd expect to learn how to play like
Earl Wild.  Not that I'd expect to learn to play as well as him or sound
exactly like him, but that a good deal of what one hears in Earl Wild
the pianist is also what would be conveyed by Earl Wild the teacher.  I
don't think that anyone on the list thinks that Wild is saying Argerich
isn't a great pianist; just that her approach is not what he is teaching.

If this is confusing, then consider the following analogies: Baseball
Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt not understanding the great Hank Aaron's
approach to hitting, or chess great Victor Korchnoi speaking negatively
about Judit Polgar's (who is among the top ten in the world) playing
style.  Hank Aaron couldn't teach you to hit in the way that Mike Schmidt
does, and Korchnoi's approach to the game is radically different than
the youngest Polgar's.

As for the way in which he communicated his idea, I think we all allow
some idiosyncrasy from the greats, in their playing and their speech.
Also, because Argerich is placed upon a musical pedestal in many minds,
such a remark can be made for effect, to shock the listener to attention
and to thinking.

Michael Cooper
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