Thanks so much for this. It made my morning. I'm a GG list lurker who lurks because of stuff like the live vs. Memorex flap that never goes away. "Just deal with it"--I'd write just those four words to the list, but that would feel like I was just throwing an egg from the sidelines. I'm sure you speak for many in the GG lurker gallery.
thanks again,
Richard Gess
________________________________________
From: f_minor-bounces@email.rutgers.edu [f_minor-bounces@email.rutgers.edu] On Behalf Of Anne French [afrench6@cox.net]
Sent: Sunday, May 31, 2009 5:09 AM
To: maryellen jensen
Cc: f_minor@email.rutgers.edu
Subject: Re: [F_minor] Fogelsong und die Mensch Maschine
I can't believe that the beat goes on and on and on like this about recordings vs. concerts. They are two distinctly different experiences, just as film vs. theatre, live lectures vs. reading a transcript, watching the sunset vs. seeing the photograph. ?Isn't that obvious? ?I just don't see the need for discussion other than to make a case for one's personal preference - ?as GG so eagerly did.
Concerts and recordings each have their own appeal for both the artist and the audience... and I do not think one is less of a pure artistic _expression_ than the other. ?Was it Rubinstein who said, "Even my mistakes are beautiful."? ?Whoever it was, it was a pretty arrogant remark, and there are those who would rather hear a flawless performance. But when I go to a concert I too do not sit on the edge of my seat waiting for the artist to self-destruct. That probably was a bit of projection on Glenn's part, since it is far more likely that he was waiting for the mistake and not the audience. So many variables in live performance that simply cannot be controlled... how could someone with his need to control be expected to enjoy that?
But really, this need to complain about splice and dice is just silly, so long as the integrity of the music itself holds up. ?If I want to actually hear music the way Gould heard the music in his head, what better way than to use everything technology can offer? ?And I think it actually takes MORE artistry than a live performance when you are as exacting as GG was about the product. When Les Paul invented multi-tracking, he was considered a genius who revolutionized the entire recording industry. Did that diminish his purity as an artist? ?I think not. ?But that was a different kind of music, so I guess we apply different standards.
And the singing? ?Why bring Schenker into it? ?Just deal with it. You know it's going to be there every time you listen to Glenn Gould, and it baffles me (like they baffled him to cut the distraction) why it was and is such a contentious issue. ?Oh well, that's why we have critics I guess... to overstate the obvious, understate the marvelous, and try to turn the sublime into the ridiculous.
The only good thing is that we're still talking about GG so passionately! ?Putting ourselves on the record, as it were.
Regards to all,
Anne French
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