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Wed, 7 Jul 1999 16:12:42 -0700 |
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Roy Ellefsen <[log in to unmask]> writes:
>I am grateful to Andrew Carlan, and less so to Billy Kitson for finally
>giving me the courage to admit that for years I have thought Beethoven's
>Ninth Symphony too long, overblown, pompous, and boring, but, I'm ashamed
>to say, I lacked the courage to say so. ... I further admit that those
>piano sonatas that every piano teacher I had so worshiped (and which I
>seldom mastered) have some nice passages--even some exciting passages,
>but on the whole they strike me as merciless banging.
An argument over the merits of Beethoven's music would hardly be
fruitful in that I could not pursuade you that his music is great, and you
could pursuade me that it is not. That being said, I regard Beethoven's
music, and the 9th in particular, not only to be the greatest of musical
achievements, but the greatest of human achievements. There is not a
single wasted note in the great works of this master. I cannot imagine
anything that humanity has produced that is more breathtaking.
I sure wish I had the talent to write such "overblown, pompous, and boring"
stuff.
Jocelyn Wang
Culver Chamber Music Series
www.bigfoot.com/~CulverMusic
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