Arri Bachrach responded to me: >>You cannot count how many orchestras are able to play "perfect" >>i.e. in tune and in time. > >yes, that is true- I am a bassoonist and not too long ago, you would hear >bassoons on recordings that did not play perfectly in tune- no more- they >all do- not with equal musicality but the DO play in tune- And here, I think, is the great role of the conductor. He can put some musicality, expression and feelings into the orchestra. But that also is not always a rule. >>If they all get the same instruments - how would you know the difference? > >oboes and bassoons sound different also depending on the types of reeds >they play on, vibrato, etc.- That's obvious, same with strings etc. My point was that the quality of sound isn't ONLY depending on musicians' skills. >perfection is not important- besides- it is very rare that a performance >goes by without some slips- with digital recordings, splicing is easy - I am ashamed hearing about recording measure by measure, where's the music then? >>Another "anecdote". Krystian Zimerman says he has no technical problems. >>This is true. Look what he has recorded. He says that he plays only the >>pieces he knows HOW to play. > >his playing is NOT interesting- rather hear the equivalent of a not top 10 >orchestra type pianist- his recent Chopin concertos are not convincing nor >imaginative so far as I am concerned I was thinking about Beethoven Vth and Debussy. For me - gems. Tomasz Biernacki conductor http://www.dyrygent.prv.pl/ Poland