re: GG: Wagner/Mitch/F & T

["Junichi Miyazawa" <walkingtune@bigfoot.com>]

I received many comments on Mitch Miller and
Ferrante & Teicher, also on Anna Russell.  
Thank you very much for your help.
I will be able to make good footnotes for the GG Wagner interview.

I still have two unclear parts in the interview for translation.  
Do help me.

First:

>KH: ... But surely, the organ transcriptions with all
>those thundering octaves and so forth were
>actually-
>GG: -were actually much easier to play. They look 
>impressive in a "Look, Ma, no hands" sort of way 
>but they don't require the transparency of sound
>and digital independence without which you can't
>really manage the harpsichord works of Bach.
>The need for such tactile felicities is minimized
>precisely because of those "thundering octaves" 
>of yours.

What does "Look, Ma, no hands" mean?
Is it a phrase a small child who is riding a bike 
without holding the handlebar with his/her hands proudly, 
saying to his/her mother to have her attention and praise?
Is it a common, idiomatic expression?

Second.  This is the one I posted yesterday: my paraphrase
of the part GG refering to F & T:

>>>GG: That, sir, is not for me to say.  But given the
>>>nightmare of endeavoring to sync to my own rubato,
>>>it proved conclusively that Ferrante and Teicher, I'm not.

My paraphrase (with some modification):

>>The dubbing session of Meistersinger was 
>>a very unpleasant experience.
>>It was very difficult to 
>>synchronize the secondo piano to the primo 
>>on the rubato parts.
>>So, in conclusion, I found I could not be 
>>a splendid piano duo like Ferrante & Teicher,
>>even with the help of recording technology.


Is this paraphrase correct?

Thank you in advance.

Regards,

Junichi