In Reply to: Today's conductors vs the greats of yesturyear posted by Dr. T on March 12, 2000 at 20:07:53:
I think Heyman was indulging in a bit of salesmanship. If all modern Orchestras sound just as good and are better than those of the past, then why not just buy the budget releases on Naxos? I have to add, though, that judging from the few Naxos CDs I have, he may also have a point (about modern Orchestras sounding alike)/>"The idiosyncratic interpretations of the old conductors wouldn't be
>acceptable today--the Mengelbergs, Furtwanglers, Weingartners. Critics
>would say, 'he's distorting the music.'"How does anyone know what any music composed prior to 1900 was supposed to sound like? I'm willing to bet that the "approved': performaces for most works is a long way from what the composer originally intended.
I credit the assembled cognescenti here for making me realise that the conductor is foremost a musician whose instrument is the orchestra. That had never ocurred to me before. It will be a great shame if blind allegiance to some perceived orthodoxy results in the supression of individual creativity.
-Joe.
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Follow Ups
- Well, he would say that - JoeII-K 10:34:39 03/13/00 (0)