Lindsey Orcutt wrote:

>Deryk Barker wrote:
>
>>Barenboim the pianist concentrates almost exclusively on "the usual
>>suspects".
>
>And he doesn't even seem to do those very well. I'm sure there are many
>who would disagree, but I think he's overrated, both as a conductor and
>pianist.

While I would never criticize too heavily someone who made his way to the
conductorship of the Chicago Symphony, I must say I've never considered his
podium activity very convincing.  Convincing of what you ask? Well, I heard
or read somewhere that he has modeled himself after Furtwaengler.  But if
I watch Furt on video and then Barenboim, I see in the former someone who
is totally involved in the music, or rather in the act of communication,
and in the latter the involvement is more of an act.  There are two kinds
of egoism.  One comes from the absolute confidence and conviction that one
is being true to one's instincts, and the other is the infantile ego that
thinks the world revolves around oneself.

Now I'm not so foolish as to believe that DB is REALLY that way inside.
All I am saying is that his external behavior makes me imagine that he is
that way.  I think body language on the podium or at the keyboard does say
something about the person.  It's a form of communication that we ignore
to our detriment, perhaps.  Allow me to be more specific:  I don't care for
puffing out of cheeks at the climaxes (like you are blowing out a birthday
candle), nor do I care for constantly sweeping baton gestures that
frequently disappear below the eye level of the players.

If I were blind, I would have only things like tone of voice and the
evidence of performance to go on, however.  The recorded performances
of his I have heard (at least the non-Jackie ones) don't really move me.
I think one thing they lack is humor, when humor is called for.  I don't
think the guy has too much of a sense of humor.  Again I'm probably being
unfair, and readers will only agree with me who have seen the same thing.
Maybe Furt lacked a sense of humor too, but he made up for it in
profundity!  Ha!

Chris Bonds