Peter Varley <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>It's just as interesting to know what people hate as what they like, so
"Most Overrated Composer" sounds to me like a good thread in its own right.

This kind of thread is always successful, and this particular one is a
permanent one anyway, so my modest opinion will certainly not prevent it
from starting once again, but I beg to disagree.  (Not with Mr. Varley in
particular, his position is a most widespread one!  And please note that
the attitudes described in the following lines are not supposed to be his.
Nor would I dream of questioning the interest of threads in which I do not
take part.)

Indeed "hating" and "loving" music do not exactly demand the same level
of commitment, at least if one goes deep enough.  Just as criticizing, and
even more condemning, is much easier than praising convincingly.  Granted,
praise does not mean much if it comes from a person who loves everything on
a same, single level.  And criticism is healthy -- as far as it is a path
towards open, full discussion, understanding, and not a final destination
per se.  As anybody, especially any musician (most musicians are such
particular people:-}), I appreciate some composers far above some others.
Being aware of my lack of affinity for some composers might be of some
interest for people interested in me, or more seriously, in taking some
useful, "translated" information from the advice I try to give sometimes.
But is it so relevant to the music itself?

Let us imagine that I meet a person who does not like Mozart and loves
John Adams.  Of course, I could spend time explaining to him or her how
pointless and wrong it is to admire John Adams (purely theoretical example,
I do like a few of his works myself).  Yet quite frankly, it seems to me
that bringing him or her into knowing the beauty of Mozart would appeal
far more to his/her sensibility, sensitivity, intelligence, as well as
mine, and open more fertile fields.  And it is a much bigger challenge as
well.  I am not pretending that reasons for criticizing Mozart spring from
ignorance.  I am only saying that Mozart's beauty does exist, for I have
been experiencing it for years without occulting my good senses.  And I
cannot believe that any person would "grow to a dwarf" by learning to know
and love beauty and greatness.

Contrary to a commonplace belief, loving a work (or a composer) is by
no means facile.  Liking it, being captivated at first hearing, is easy,
just as disliking it or being bored by it.  But it takes a long time to go
beyond that, to reach profound clarity and understanding, all the more so
if the work is a real masterpiece.  And then levels of utter conviction, of
certainty, unfold inside ourselves.  The splendour we find in a work does
not annihilate its imperfections, it will not prevent some people to feel
no affinity with it -- but it exists, unquestionably.  At that point, we
are entitled to say: this is a great work.  If we are musicians, we strive
to bring out this and share it.  Then comes somebody who says, "you are
wrong, you are plainly, thoughtlessly following what your teachers or
critics or books told you, you think that this work is great but it is not,
it is grossly overrated.  And I'll prove it: this theme is badly shaped,
that horn is not refined, and I do not like the piece anyway." More often
than not, it goes so far as denying the possibility that anyone could
appreciate the work in question, lest he abdicates his intelligence,
honesty, sincerity, musicianship, or possibly all of those at once.

All that I am trying to say is that we are all individually free to dislike
a work, and decide that we won't spend our *own* time on it.  But this is
vastly different from deciding that the work has no worth in absolute
terms, stating it, imposing it.  How can we possibly be sure about this?
And yet, many of us would readily say that the same performer who enchants
them in their favorite repertoire becomes a perfect idiot when s/he "wastes
time" in music they do not feel close to.

To take another example, Mr. Constantini does not like Webern, which he
obviously is entitled to.  Now, Pollini did not simply make a mistake when
he chose to perform his music.  He has been too deeply involved in 12-tone
and post-Webernian music to leave us with any such illusion.  Who would bet
that he had no single reason to do so, no one worthy of his talent and
worth? Sorry, I would not.  Even if playing Nono does not belong to my top
priorities now, for *this* would be following trends and ignoring my own
present quest and musical needs.

Of course, I also sometimes find that a given piece is overrated!  But
then, rather than trying to deprive others from the joy they might find in
it, I would certainly rather use time and passion to bring them to works
which, in my opinion, go deeper, further.  And if, by chance, somebody ever
manages to unfold real greatness in that piece I did not like, then it
would be a credit to both of us.

---
Now I know that Mr. Varley does not like Messiaen.  I wish this launched
a response from people who actually love Messiaen, even more than I do, but
most likely we're on for another kind of thread, and I wonder what this
will teach us about Messiaen or any other composer...

Oh well.  I would not wish to spoil the pleasure other listers may find
in voting for their most overrated composer, and shall silently return to
music I really care for, with your permission:-)

Best wishes,

Thanh-Tam Le
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