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Re: [F_MINOR] Wachet auf!



a really interesting letter. and I have been thinking about it for a while.        having spent  ( misspent ?  )  so much of my youth and adult life with playing chopin , rachmaninoff, etc.   and only the past decade or so living in the somewhat rarefied heights of bach and  beethoven,  (  the second viennese school still eludes me I'm afraid , except for early schoenberg ) , was gould wrong about the romantics ?   I believe he stated that their works were based on some sort of trick. i.e.  look at the singular focus which occupies each of , say, chopin's etudes. or the familiar groan : " schumann is on his horse again "    etc etc.     but , then again, isn't there a trick, so to speak, upon which each of the goldberg's is based? the same for , obviously , the fugues and various dances.  no , I think what gould was referring to, when he made his disparaging remarks about the romantics, was a certain type of more lasting ( to him ) joy which can be found in his thinking and our listening  : the joy of intellectually, successfully  unifying the contrasting var. in goldberg through mathematical tempi interrelationships. and hearing it actually work !  ( his states his ideas on the bonus disc of " a state of  wonder ) -  or  the incredible clarity present in his playing.--  or just the novelty of his fresh interpretations ( to the chagrin of many, but not all mozart lovers- and definitely not to be found  in the "complete mozart edition" ! ) -- all this is as opposed to a joy in the froth created in the listener ( or player ) by an op.53 a- flat polonaise , or say, the last 5 pages of the rachmaninoff third.   of course ,  you simply must read the three cornered world by natsume soseki  (  a book he always kept on his night table )  for more on this idea of the danger  of being swept down the  current of heart racing emotions, as opposed to the joy and astonishment when listening to gould.  but then again he displayed enormous emotionalism too !!!    -oh well, I give up.  maybe somebody else would like to help me out and add something. I have no answer.     but again,  a thought provoking letter from mr. weiner. thank you ! 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 10:12 AM
Subject: Re: [F_MINOR] Wachet auf!

Yes, I love Mozart, within his limits (and mine), but have always
been very happy that Gould upheld my instinctive feeling that Haydn
was a greater composer.

On the other hand Glenn had it wrong about Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff and Chopin.

At 03:06 PM 2/1/2006, Robert Merkin wrote:

>Doesn't ANYBODY have ANYTHING to say about Mozart's 250th Birthday?
>
>Mozart was the first Glenn Gould I ever listened to -- my Conversion
>on the Road to Damascus dates to 1971 -- and it made me both a
>fanatical GG AND a fanatical Mozart fan to this day.
>
>It's very lonely being a Mozart-lover among this bunch. Even Glenn
>claims to be against me. (But if you listen to him humming as he
>plays the sonatas ... listen to a Man in Ecstacy.)
>
>But I sincerely believe this is going to be a Wonderful Year for the
>Soul and Spirit of Planet Earth, coming as it does in the midst of
>such  Bad Times. Before we begin the critical arguing, I wish every
>one of you many wonderful live Mozart concert experiences in the year ahead.
>
>My screwy little Mozart Birthday Card, I hope it brings you some pleasure:
>
><http://vleeptron.blogspot.com/2006/02/congratulations-you-all-made-it-to.html#comments>http://vleeptron.blogspot.com/2006/02/congratulations-you-all-made-it-to.html#comments
>
>Bob
>
>
>
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