Walter Meyer wrote, in part,

>Ed Zubrow wrote, in part:
>
>>Mutter's violin was probably equipped with an ebony or rosewood chin rest,
>>making a handkerchief there redundant.  But the handkerchief underneath
>>would protect the instrument from her naked flesh.
>
>You have inserted a redundancy of your own. The handkerchief would protect
>the instrument from her flesh. Naked flesh?

Actually, it was I who wrote that.  I don't mind a certain amount of
redundancy where matters like attractive women are concerned -- and you'd
be amazed at the tiny percentage of women I don't find attractive -- but I
will beg to differ with you in this matter.  Most of us have flesh, it is
true.  But what Mutter shows us on her record covers in naked flesh.  She
promotes her art with judiscious samples of her naked flesh, and more power
to her says I.

To put it another way, I try to look at it from the violin's point of view.
I often come into contact with someone else's flesh, holding the hand of
one of my children for example, without thinking anything of it.  But if I
were in close contact with the naked flesh at the centre of this discussion
for the length of time it takes to play a concerto, I can assure you that
neither my finish nor my tone would be the same afterward.

Alas, this is not likely to be put to the test.  Both as a critic and a
man, I'm afraid that the likes of A-S M.  would probably find me pretty
redundant.  Perhaps you're right after all, Walter.

"Richard Todd" <[log in to unmask]>