Re: GG/KJ

[Bradley P Lehman <bpl@umich.edu>]

On Tue, 10 Feb 1998, Matthew White wrote:

> I usually don't respond to these, but I feel that Ayako Hosono's
> views about Glenn Gould versus Keith Jarrett are way off the mark. I have
> copies of both the GG and KJ Well-Tempered Clavier recordings, and listen
> to both equally.
>  It strikes me as extremely odd that Hosono thinks that Jarrett is trying
> to imitate Glenn Gould, when his approach to the instrument and aesthetic
> battle-plan for playing Bach is based on ideas at the complete opposite
> pole from where GG is coming. 

I agree.  Many things are opposed.  One thing which I would say is *not*
opposed is that when KJ plays classical rep, he (like GG) treats the piano
as a neutral/generic instrument, compared with others who play the piano
as mainstream pianists.  That is, KJ and GG don't make much use of
pianistic tonal resources for the sake of the resources, but instead for
the sake of clarifying architecture.  No basking in piano sound. 

KJ limits his palette even more when playing harpsichord, not letting the
instrument itself contribute much to the interpretation, but instead using
it generically.  I haven't found anything sensuous about KJ's harpsichord
playing.  Paradoxically, this works OK for his Goldbergs (see below). 

>  Jarrett says in the liner notes: "This music does not need my
> assistance." In other words, he believes that the music of Bach is so
> beautiful on its own, that the performer need not impose his ego upon it.
> I ask, how can you say the Jarrett performance is lacking in drama? I feel
> that you were only listening to the "performance", and not the music.
> Jarrett is quite obviously trying to get the listener to hear how much
> drama is in the notes themselves. It is not an expression of his personal
> feelings or a romantic outpouring; he chooses to play completely without
> ego. He "presents" the music, and believes Bach is too perfect and
> beautiful to be "interpreted".

In Jarrett's biography (is there more than one now?) there's a section
about how Jarrett admires Christopher Hogwood, another musician who
refuses to put much personality into his general performance method.  I
happen not to be moved by such an approach myself, as I believe it's wiser
to err on the side of *too much* personality (a common GG "fault" which
I'm more tolerant of in his non-Bach than in his Bach) than on the side of
"objectivity," but some people are great fans of the Hogwood style.

Jarrett's WTC II reminds me of the old set by Helmut Walcha (both books): 
so straightforward that it never really grabs my attention.  An added
problem for both artists is that neither plays like a harpsichordist; they
ignore many levels of finger subtlety which could have been used to
provide more natural color to their performances.  Not much dance to it,
either.  Disembodied Bach, missing a lot of the point IMHO. 

>  I actually enjoy the KJ performance, and find his approach sound and
> legitimate. It is pristine, well-controlled, and soothing to my ears.
> I enjoy GG's for totally different reasons: It's exciting, daring, and a
> lot of fun. It has much "personality". Jarrett chooses not to let his
> personality get in the way of Bach's music, and it works just as well.
> Anyone who believes Jarrett has no passion of his own should listen to his
> improvised solo concert albums. This should erase all doubts.

Some of the KJ classical recordings I've heard are: both books of WTC (own
the harpsichord one, listened to but didn't buy the piano one); Goldbergs; 
Shostakovich P&F's; Lou Harrison concerto; another Harrison disc;
Gurdjieff hymn transcriptions; Part Fratres; Bach and Handel albums with
Michala Petri (who is I think a relatively boring player, all cleanliness,
few surprises...matches KJ's classical approach well).  Haven't heard his
Mozart or Handel, but don't really want to.  To me the most successful
performances are the Goldbergs, the Part, and the Harrison works, which I
think can stand his general underinterpreted approach better than the WTC
and others can.  The Goldberg disc is a nice late-night undisturbing
performance, one way of looking at keeping a count pleasantly amused. 

I too share your preference for Jarrett's Vienna, La Scala, and the Book
of Ways as being among his most interesting solo work.  Wonderful
creativity, and I think Vienna and La Scala have an extra measure of soul
to them, compared with his other solo concerts.  Hymns/Spheres (where he
gets wild sounds out of a pipe organ) is worth hearing, too.  I wish he'd
put this same passionate creativity into his classical performances, sort
of the way Chick Corea does in his bubbly Mozart concertos with McFerrin. 
Corea also did a very hot Mozart double concerto with Friedrich Gulda,
Harnoncourt, and the Concertgebouw about 15 years ago.

Bradley Lehman ~ Harrisonburg VA, USA ~ 38.44N+78.87W
bpl@umich.edu ~ http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl/