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Re[2]: GG: Mozart
I enjoyed the various e-mails on Mozart. I am also a Mozart
fanatic and I am glad to hear other people say nice things
about Mr. Gould's recordings of them. (I have piped up on
that theme here before.) After all, he recorded them all;
that says something right there.
I have never understood why these recordings are so
controversial. It's true that they show some GG
idiosyncrasies (or style, depending on your perspective),
but what did he ever record that doesn't? We know he has a
bright crisp way of playing, that he will emphasize parts of
the music that aren't ordinarily emphasized, etc., etc., and
so he does that with Mozart too. I think they are
beautifully played and very characteristic of the classical
period.
With respect to Mozart being too easy for beginners and too
hard for artists, Mozart was in the habit of writing things
that, no matter how difficult, lie very naturally on the
keyboard -- or at least as naturally as possible. He also
wrote music that sustains very well at a variety of tempos.
That certainly allows his music to be adapted to a wide
range of playing levels. The c major k545 (???), supposedly
written "for beginners" but popular with professionals as
well, is notable for its brevity. If you slow it down to
half tempo or more, it is about the right length.
Interesting, isn't it.
Love & kisses to you all
Mark
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: GG: Mozart
Author: Rohan Masilamani <romasi@leland.Stanford.EDU> at internet
Date: 9/3/97 9:33 AM
hello f_minor's,
hey! why all the mozart dissing on this page? aren't there any other gould
fanatics on the list who are also unabashed mozart lovers?! well, i'm coming
to the defense of our friend wolfgang here. :)
cynthia, i'm sorry that you've always found mozart's sonatas boring and
without substance. ironically, as an amateur pianist myself, those were the
pieces that really ignited my passion for classical music and recordings,
which eventually found its way to GG. i'm glad that you found the Gould
recordings inspiring, though. i'm curious to know how Gould defined the
"early" period that he liked, and the "later" period that he found
uninspired. i myself have never been a great fan of some of the later
sonatas, like K.457, and certainly not K.570 and K.576. however, i've always
found the sonatas K.309-311 and K.330-333 to be some of the most creative
works, and poignant works he ever wrote. did gould consider these sonatas to
be part of the "early" or "later" period.
in response to tim's comment about why people denigrate Gould's recording of
Mozart, i should say that i've never heard the Gould Mozart recordings. (i
probably should). the common criticism i've heard of those recordings are
the erratic tempos and the prominence of the alberti bass over the melodic
line (especially in K.545). personally, i've always found Mozart appealing
because his work exemplifies a neo-classical sense of control while
simultaneously evoking a poignant lyricism. i've heard some critics dislike
gould's recordings because these elements are missing. ironically, Mozart
was actually pushing the bounds of what was acceptable for his neo-classical
patrons. this subject is discussed at length in maynard solomon's biography,
"Mozart: A Biography." i can't remember the name of the chapter offhand.
Rohan
-----------------------------------------
Rohan James Masilamani, Metaphor-At-Large
Class of 2000, Stanford University
romasi@leland.stanford.edu
http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~romasi