Piano Recitals

[Peter Tregear]

This is an excellent and thought-provoking post from Terry Teachout.

I, for one, hope that we can indeed develop more flexible approaches both to the presentation of classical music recitals, and the manner that performers approach the score. The undue reverence, if not quasi-religious aura, we give to both, is indeed historically uninformed, and - arguably - also off-putting for many a potential new audience member.

Thoughts?

[Friedrich Kuhlau]

This from Terry's article stood out particularly for me:

Even when these pianists stuck to the notes on the page, they played them with a rhythmic elasticity that is unknown today. Not only did they employ a wide and unusually flexible rubato, but many of them also indulged in what Hamilton calls “asynchronous” playing, in which the individual notes in a melodic phrase are struck slightly before or after the bass notes accompanying them. The purpose of this custom (which was popularly known as “breaking hands”) was to make the melody stand out in higher relief and give it a “singing” quality, in much the same way that a soprano might sing the melody of an aria in a freely improvisatory manner while the orchestra in the pit accompanies her with rhythmic strictness.

I've not heard Andras Schiff's recent ECM traversal of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas, but I do hear that he employs something similar to the 'breaking hands' technique mentioned above. If so, is this a deliberate nod by Schiff to the older ways of playing? Certainly, his lectures on these sonatas seem to indicate that he wants to 'correct' the way some of them are heard today - the 'Moonlight', especially. And the fact that he gave these lectures at all shows he clearly wants to engage his audiences; there is, after all, as much humour in his talks as technical analysis.

FK

[Louise]

A long post from Terry Teachout - 5 pages - so bite-size responses as time permits.
The world's greatest artists in major concert halls do not need to talk to their audience, nor would the audience really expect it.. We're there for fine interpretations of musical masterpieces. Choice of repertoire is an interesting one; there are many factors involved,sometimes including input from the venue itself. But a quick look at the Southbank's Pianist series also shows nothing contemporary, and little from the 20th Century - some Messiaen, Berg, Schoenberg, a little Janacek..

[Peter Tregear]

I think that is right (self-evidently so), Louise. We still go to 'top level' recitals and behave (and expect to behave) as if it is a kind of quasi-religious event. And I doubt, as you say, that most in the audience would want it otherwise.

I wonder if part of the relative neglect of twentieth-century repertoire is that a lot of it (through grotesqueness or subversion of nineteenth-century norms, or through the use of 'alienating' tonality) actively subverts this atmosphere of reverence?

Hmmmm


Louise said:

A long post from Terry Teachout - 5 pages - so bite-size responses as time permits.
The world's greatest artists in major concert halls do not need to talk to their audience, nor would the audience really expect it.. We're there for fine interpretations of musical masterpieces. Choice of repertoire is an interesting one; there are many factors involved,sometimes including input from the venue itself. But a quick look at the Southbank's Pianist series also shows nothing contemporary, and little from the 20th Century - some Messiaen, Berg, Schoenberg, a little Janacek..

[Friedrich Kuhlau]

That's an interesting idea, Peter, about 20th century music subverting an 'atmosphere of reverence'.

Perhaps the venues in which music from the middle of the last century onwards is played should be different to those better suited to 17th, 18th and 19th-century repertoire. Would Babbit's piano works, for instance, be more apt if performed in a gallery that celebrates post-modern art? Should we hear Nancarrow's player piano studies in a quirky, underground bar? It wouldn't surprise me if either of these situations came about.

FK

[Louise]

FK's suggestion prompted me to google 'Babbitt recital', and the following appeared -
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE4DB1439F931A157... - .an interesting recital in non-chronological order. I find it puzzling that the writer of the article under discussion seems unaware of such programming which is innovative and exciting, even if it isn't in Carnegie Hall.

[Friedrich Kuhlau]

Well, I wouldn't want to comment on Rockwell's awareness (or otherwise) of such programming, Louise, but I do like his writing/reviewing style.

FK

[Louise]

Apologies for lack of clarity; the article to which I refer is that by Terry Teachout, reached via the link in Peter's original post.

[Martin Le Poidevin]

Alex Ross blogged about the Hamilton book last year along with another one, and I read that blog avidly. At the time I was doing a lot of thinking about the Beethoven sonatas, one aspect of which was whether or not Beethoven would have expected them to be performed as we perform them (doh! no, he would not).

I have all sorts of thoughts crowding around my head right now. I was just listening to the Red Priest recording of the Vivaldi Four Seasons. A serious rethink of the traditional performance practice, with introductions and links rather like (and yet, I suspect, not exactly like!) the ones Terry T was talking about. I wonder whether it's similar to modern pop music sheet music as opposed to the actual performance. Sheet music is usually comparatively sparse, with just a simple 'realised' (in the sense of a figured bass realisation) piano accomp, the melody/words line and guitar chords. If you were to take the sheet music as your only starting point, having not heard the actual song track as recorded by the artist, you would never be able to reconstruct the recorded performance. I wonder how true that is of classical music? Terry T implies that we're lacking something in most performances nowadays. I agree with him.

[I've recently, due to family circumstances, been exploring the world of High School Musical in its sheet music and recorded versions, so I know what I'm talking about. If only they'd be brave enough to put in a b****y modulation every now and then. :-( ]

As for concert rules, doesn't the sit-quietly-and-impassively-in-your-seats rule exists because it offers a certain amount of personal security? Nobody invading your personal space. That doesn't necessarily appeal to the younger generation, which is why we need to help them find a new concert model. Classical music is equated with the classical concert - which is an equation which doesn't have to exist. 'Classical music' [you know what I mean - let's not argue semantics on this one] can exist outside the traditional concert hall.

BTW I was devoted to the Schiff podcasts which FK refers to above. Agree with it or not, Schiff's argument about the first movement of the Moonlight is a riveting example of alternative, authentic performance-driven thinking.

[Louise]

Re recital atmosphere , here is a thoughtful view: Elaine Fine describes the communication within an audience and between performer and audience -
http://musicalassumptions.blogspot.com/2005/11/why-do-people-go-to-...


And Brendel writes in his essay ' On Recitals and Programmes' from 'Music Sounded Out' -

....' I feel it ought to be a matter of personal pride for younger performers to play a fair share of the new repertory...Among all the programmes I could name, those promoting important new music get my highest marks. Of course, as we live in an imperfect world, the attention and credit such concerts earn is often scanty......The programme is the player's visiting-card. But make no mistake - an intelligent, ingenious programme does not guarantee convincing performances. It still needs to be projected, generating a spiritual link between composers and listeners but also turning into an intense physical experience, an event unique and unrepeatable...All being well, the executant's grasp of his programme and his audience will be surpassed by the grip of an unseen hand that keeps its hold over player and listener alike for the duration of a few timeless moments'.

Says it all, really.

[Peter Tregear]

Yes, it probably does I think. Nice that he does it in the same paragraph as promoting contemporary composers too. Does this 'aura' of live classical music performance amount to a categorical difference, or at least a fundamental difference of ambition, between classical and commercial music performance, or can we really say (and maybe we can) that something similar occurs at a rock concert, for instance?

Louise said:

Re recital atmosphere , here is a thoughtful view: Elaine Fine describes the communication within an audience and between performer and audience -
http://musicalassumptions.blogspot.com/2005/11/why-do-people-go-to-...


And Brendel writes in his essay ' On Recitals and Programmes' from 'Music Sounded Out' -

....' I feel it ought to be a matter of personal pride for younger performers to play a fair share of the new repertory...Among all the programmes I could name, those promoting important new music get my highest marks. Of course, as we live in an imperfect world, the attention and credit such concerts earn is often scanty......The programme is the player's visiting-card. But make no mistake - an intelligent, ingenious programme does not guarantee convincing performances. It still needs to be projected, generating a spiritual link between composers and listeners but also turning into an intense physical experience, an event unique and unrepeatable...All being well, the executant's grasp of his programme and his audience will be surpassed by the grip of an unseen hand that keeps its hold over player and listener alike for the duration of a few timeless moments'.

Says it all, really.

[Friedrich Kuhlau]

Louise said:

Re recital atmosphere , here is a thoughtful view: Elaine Fine describes the communication within an audience and between performer and audience -
http://musicalassumptions.blogspot.com/2005/11/why-do-people-go-to-...

I just commented on Elaine's post to agree, in particular, with her closing paragraph.

FK

[Friedrich Kuhlau]

Martin Le Poidevin said:

Agree with it or not, Schiff's argument about the first movement of the Moonlight is a riveting example of alternative, authentic performance-driven thinking.

Wasn't it just?

FK