GG: The Szell Story

["Anne M. Marble" <amarble@sff.net>]

From: Jeremy Smith <jcsmith3@MATH.UIUC.EDU>

> Dear list,
>
> I think what Daniel Baldwin says is correct, but I also am certain I once
> read a quotation of GG where he denied all the Szell stories.  He says
> something like "if Szell had spoken to me the way people say, he would
> have been looking for another soloist".

Yes, I believe if Szell had made the "derriere" comment, GG would have
stormed off the stage! And I'm sure the "That nut is a genius" line would
have had the same effect.

Many famous musical anecdotes have no basis (or little basis) in fact --
and many of them congregate around GG. Some people think that Wanda
Landowska told GG, "You play Bach your way, I'll play him his way." In
fact, she said that to another musician, and she said it jokingly.

> I'm sorry I can't remember which GG-related book
> this was in, but it would be one of the standard ones.

I'm pretty sure it was in Jonathan Cott's "Conversations with Glenn Gould."
However, my copy is hiding from me right now. As far as I can remember, GG
said that parts of it did happen as printed, but that Szell never said the
famous line. (It might be in this interview that GG pointed out that Szell
was rather humorless and thus wouldn't have said something like that to
begin with.)

------
Anne M. Marble
amarble@sff.net
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