Re: GG: Helfgott Redux

[elisha-jt@juno.com (Elisha J Tseng)]

Dear List, 
Most of the questions that Tim asked were curious.  I can only suggest a
few amateurish comments for I don't know GG's biography too well:

>2. Is the Appassionata the worst piece to play with a broken finger?
I would think so--any piece written for piano were usually written for
pianists with all ten fingers intact (or in some cases, just five fingers
for left hand pieces).  The Appassionata has some dangerous passages,
especially the third movement when one has to reach an octave for the
base and downbeat.
   
>3. Which finger, for a pianist, is the worst to break?
For this I can only reference to Gary Grafman, who during his career
 has injured his fourth and fifth finger (I forgot on which hand). 
Because of concert demands, he kept playing.  He had to play octaves with
his first and third finger which for me, would cause excruciating pain
after a long period.  Eventually this led to carpotunnel, which disabled
one of his hand.  The break of any finger would probably give the injured
hand a tremendous amount of stress.

>5. Is there any doubt that there is absolutely no comparison between GG 
>and Helfgott, not just on their pianistic ability but on their approach 
>to pain and health, if this piece is to be believed?
My piano teacher once said to me that there are musicians, and there are
artisans.  Musicians explore, whereas artisans copy.  GG was a musician:
he explored through a vast repertoire and did some interesting--if not
radical--approaches with many pieces.  Every musician is unique and rare,
so one cannot compare between musicians--certainly cannot compare
musician with artisan.  Whether Helfgott is a musician I know not, for I
have never heard him play nor saw the movie.  That is up for you to
decide.

>6. Would GG have agreed with the last paragraph?
In B.W. Powell's article "Noise of TIme," he talked about GG being
uncomfortable in his own flesh, and that he often restrained his physical
self with clothings that we know him as.  I'm paraphrasing this: He
wanted to go beyond that body and fly past the net of sex...even death. 
But in some of his pictures his smile show none of those internal
struggling with "..terrifying things..."  Maybe it is the old saying:
Grin and bear it.

>7. Would GG have been happy married to someone like Mrs. Helfgott (this
is 
>not a dig at that woman, just an attempt to see what the List thinks 
>about the sort of woman GG "might " have been happy married to).
GG have had affairs, and the noted one probably was with a conductor's
wife--I think I read this somewhere in Oswald's biography of GG.  She was
at  the time separated from her husband.  He had wanted to marry her, and
persued her for a period of time.  But eventually she could not withstand
GG's intense life, and moved back to the US.  I don't think it is so much
that GG didn't want to marry, but his partner could not stand the strain.
 So I don't particularly know--this is just some side info.

These are all I can contribute.  I usually don't like to talk about this
side of GG's biography, because I feel that I'm only judging this from
what I've read.  I only wish that he had not died that year when I was
born.

Regards, Elisha  



Strong conviction is capable of destroying any prejudice.  The proof:
Glenn Gould.
--Nathan Perelman

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