Re: The Listener as Artist

[mibrenner@vassar.edu]

  You seem to imply that there should be no fun in the classical music
world, and you misinterpret the meaning of applause.  Applause shows
appreciation of the performer's deliverance of the work.  The fact that
Kissin actually makes an attempt to engage his audience is noble and
admirable.  And he deserves just about all the acclaim he gets.
Furthermore, wait until he starts recording Bach, who he claims to be his
favorite composer.  I think you'll be very surprised.  Your opinion on
banning applause represents so much of what is wrong with classical music
today; it has become so elitist that it has forgotten that most music is
written to be played in public, and not to be experienced by a select few
high-brows.  Ban applause?  Well, why don't we just ban people who do the
clapping, since they obviously don't understand the music on its highest
level.

						

On Sun, 7 Feb 1999, Neil wrote:

> On Wed, 3 Feb 1999 18:07:03 -0800 (PST), you wrote:
> 
> >But I do think there's a place for pop music because much of it
> >touches me in a place classical music simply doesn't. Aside from Yanni or
> >John Tesh, I think it's a bigger tragedy when people don't have *any* kind
> >of music in their lives to relate to. 
> 
> Or people just can't relate to music at all. I'm lost for words when people
> express no feelings about any music of any kind. I can't relate to these people.
> 
> For me a world without Bach would be unimaginable. I could just about cope
> without any other composers.
> 
> But as I've elaborated in another post, there's a lot in dance music worth
> listening too. Our hero of course loved Streisand (I love "downtown" - and you
> should hear the new remix of it ...). When we discuss Gould we are really
> discussing the way in which music as a means of communication effects us. I
> think one important thing GG was reminding us is what the great music making
> need not be live and spontaneous. 
> 
> To put this breifly, I've given up symphonic concerts virtually for good as the
> live element (frisson, atmosphere etc.) does little for me.  Perhaps as GG began
> to feel, I can get more buzz from Horenstein's Bruckner 8 with the LSO (in so so
> sound on CD) than any live Bruckner (Abbado's recent concerts in London of
> Bruckner with the BPO were sonambulent for example) . 
> 
> Where's the pleasure in sitting in hot, uncomfortable seats, in a stuffy halls
> with old ladies coughing their guts out in the slow movement whilst unwrapping
> their favourite mints*. (Or kids yacking, or corporate sponsors conversing in
> the hall bemoaning the lack of house champagne..)
> 
> (* yes it happened at a BBC lunchtime concert being broadcast live. She should
> have been barred form the Wigmore)
> 
> The thing I hate even more is audiences cheering and clapping either a bad
> performance or MUCH worse after say a great performance of Metamorphosen . The
> end of a performance of the  latter needs about 30 minutes of quiet
> contemplation not applause. "Let's ban applause".
> 
> E. Kissin recitals illustrate the former, where the audience treat him like some
> circus performer. And he believes he's played well, judged by an audience of
> groupies and ill informed music lovers. Makes me sick - 14 encores at the proms
> !!!!!! As bad as Helfgott.
> 
> Oddly, I do go to piano recitals though. Why does no-one give all Bach concerts
> these days ??? 
> 
> Neil
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