Andrys Basten wrote in response to Dave Lampson:

>>Any other Kipnis favorites that should be recommended?
>
>I've always enjoyed an old LP of his which might be available as a CD, but
>I don't know.  It was called "Capricico" and was a collection of 'program'
>music.
>
>Unlike others who had to study old treatises to find out that Bach's music
>(and others' from that period) should be played with a touch of inegal
>and lightness or dancing where appropriate, rather than in sewing machine
>fashion as was the conventional style back then, Kipnis instinctinctively
>knew this and played in a looser style from the beginning.

I thought this approach worked well in his recording of the Goldberg
Variations, which was the first set I ever bought (yes, even before
Gould's).  Kipnis' version was one of the few I could find at the time
which took all the repeats (so it was spread out over 2 LPs).

I thank Andrys for posting the links to the Kipnis websites.

Perhaps this might be an appropriate time to recall a small event, nearly
30 years ago, of which Kipnis formed the epicenter....

A music-loving high school junior was rather smitten with a young lady
from the freshman class, they having played tenor saxophone together (and
often arguing over the "interpretation" of their parts) in the school's
marching band the previous fall.  He knew that she played violin and piano,
and even had been working on a kit harpsichord at home.  And both shared a
love of Baroque music.  So when he heard that Igor Kipnis was going to play
a recital at the nearby State University's Music School, this had to be the
time to Seize the Day!

But how to ask her? After all, she being in the 9th grade, was in a
different school building up the road, and it wasn't practical or cool to
go up there to ask her in person.  But the solution presented itself in
the form of the high school orchestra teacher, who also taught the Frosh
Symphony.  So he writes a note in his spiral notebook, tears out the paper
and seals it in an envelope and the teacher agrees to deliver it to the
Immortal Beloved.

A day or two later, and the answer arrives in the form of another note,
delivered with a slight smile from the teacher--YES!  She will accompany
him to the recital.  Subsequent notes arrange the logistics; the Junior
fellow gets permission to drive the dented-up Family Ford LTD to pick her
up at her house and make the evening trip to the university campus.  Lump
in his throat, he meets her parents, who evidently are more friendly to the
idea of their daughter going on a date to hear Igor Kipnis rather than Pink
Floyd.

Luckily, as the tickets are open seating, the couple arrive early enough
to get to sit up in the front row, as IK played his recital.  Not much
remains in the memory as to WHAT Mr. Kipnis played (after all, SHE was
sitting next to him, and how easily is a kid's raging hormones at that age
doing things to divide his attention).  However, one memorable line from
the artist does stick to this day, Kipnis describing Alessandro Scarlatti
and his keyboard works as being something like that of "an 18th Century
Czerny".  She chuckles at this line, being a knowledgeable keyboard
student; he who is not, remains rather clueless....that is, until he hears
the work and realizes just what Kipnis means!

The rest of the evening's concert goes well, and he drops her off at her
home before heading to his, both the music, Kipnis' personality and his
first musical "date" now behind him.  The young lady and he remain friends
through the rest of their time in high school, and even occasionally meet
years later (he last found out she has her own family and teaches music).
Now they can keep a shared memory of a special artist whose love of the
same music affects them to this day.

Bill H.