[F_minor] More on Angela Hewitt

["Houpt, Fred" <fred.houpt@rbc.com>]

In the May 2009 edition of BBC Music Magazine, in the letters to the editor section is a letter which I will now quote in its entirety.

 

"Angela Hewitt regards her previous work as too 'straight or square'. (I thought it was rather lifeless.) [this is in the letter to the editor] As a child she may have been even more so, and it is no wonder that she considered Glenn Gould's performances 'crazy'.  Those of us who love Gould do know that his work is often far-out, but we love it because of, or maybe in spite of, that.  'Crazy' seems to indicate not only far-out but wrong in some way.  There are no wrong ways.  If Bach were to be played with a boogie-woogie beat, most would not like it, including me, but who can seriously call it wrong?  Now Hewitt says that she is more 'daring and authoritative'.  Perhaps she is entering her middle period and becoming less 'average' in her performances.  In effect, she is moving closer to Gould.  I will give it a listen...." from: William F Wallace, Mississippi, USA.

 

Take that Angela and the BBC music mag!! Like I've always said, there are no wrong performances.....just different interpretations.  Mind you, if the late Frank Zappa had decided to take a whirl through some classical music it might have come out "wrong"; but with tongue in cheek, can you imagine "Don't eat the yellow snow" done to a Bach Cantata?  As well, don't forget the famous 60's group "The Swingle Singers" who did a version of Bach that was very interesting but now would be put to the torch by the original instrument/authentic crowd.  Then again, there is Switched on Bach by Wendy Carlos.  I could go on but I've made the point.  Hewitt is a fantastic performer but she should be careful how she refers to her older and much beloved Canadian icon. 

 

Kind regards,

 

Fred Houpt

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