Ed Zubrow <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>In his Notebooks, Chekhov wrote: "Of some writers each work
>taken separately is brilliant, but taken as a whole they are
>indefinite; of others each particular work represents nothing
>outstanding; but, for all that, taken as a whole they are
>distinct and brilliant."
>
>After spending some time considering this in the context of
>writers, I realized that it probably is equally valid (or
>equally invalid if one prefers) when applied to composers.
>
>I might suggest Chopin as a candidate for the first type.
>... In the second category I might nominate the Shostakovich
>symphonies.

I do not believe that either composer fits the category for which he
is nominated.  Let us consider in particular, Shostakovich, he of the
"not outstanding" works but brilliant as a whole. The string quartets,
in their entirety, certainly constitute a great body of work, but the
individual works -I think of the third, the seventh, the eighth off hand-
are as outstanding in their individual worth as are the Bartok or the
Beethoven Quartets.  IMHO of course!!

Bernard Chasan

             ***********************************************
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