Karl Miller quotes Alastair Scott:

>My thoughts are not original; Joanna MacGregor, at least in
>this country, was one of the first to articulate them and is
>much more eloquent than me.  See <http://www.soundcircus.com/>

MacGregor is quite the eclecticist, evidently.  This is most definitely
a good thing.  Or so I've thought, until now.

I recently acquired her CD of Ives and Barber piano sonatas, and her
differing approach is particularly evident in her rendition of Barber's
"Excursions".  While her interpretation is more conscious of the
non-classical idioms the movements evoke, they are also a more literal
"take" on them than I hear from other pianists, for example Israel
Margalit.

Take the second Excursion.  While MacGregor plays it with the clear
12-bar-blues origins brought to the fore, Margalit's rendition is more
enigmatic and open-ended.  Whether this comes from a blissful lack of
awareness of the "roots" or a decision to steer away from them, I find
that I prefer the Margalit.  So perhaps eclecticism isn't always all
it's cracked up to be.

 - seb