Joel Hill writes:

>For the life of me, I can't understand what Don sees in the Cohen CD.

Joel is referring to Arnaldo Cohen's performance on Vox Classics.  I
gave it a sterling recommendation, and Joel is of a different mind.

I think highly of Joel, so I started thinking about whether there might
have been some strange substance in my pipe that day; unfortunately, I
don't own a pipe.  What I remember most about the Cohen interpretation
is how naturally each variation flowed into the next.

However, it's always best to have very recent memories, so I listened
to Cohen again today; I remain wedded to my previous views.  I always
place high priority on intervals and pacing.  Cohen's intervals and
musical flow are just perfect, especially the intervals between variations.

I do think I can hear what might pervade Joel's thoughts - Cohen isn't
one to linger, and he doesn't go for much in the way of horizontal
expressiveness.  However, he also isn't simply straight-line.  At the
same time that he displays a somewhat constant flow with priority on
momentum, he consistently injects little hesitations and inflections
where I find the contrasts irresistable.  Check out the 11th Variation
where these aspects are most in evidence; if you don't like that one,
there's little hope for appreciation of the performances.

Don Satz
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