The Classical Music Guide Forums

Werner

Having gone on record remembering Ralph on the Pub thread, let me join all the friends who have posted here. Ralph brought the light of his intellect and knowledge to every issue he dealt with, and I join all the friends here in saluting an exceptional man and highlight of these e dicussions. And gr...

Werner

All the best, Rob - happiness, and fulfilment

May all your wishes come true!

Werner

It's too soon have to say farewell to one of the bright lights on CMG. He inspired respect from many directions with the profundity of his thoughts and the way he managed to respect those who differed with him. The return - however temporary, of Corlyss and Barry bears this out. Thank you, Ralph, fo...

Werner

I don't see much point in guessing, Garrett.

Why do you speak English? Why do you compose as you do?

I'd say it's a matter of native language - or using the medium we was most comfortable with.

And it's hard to argue with the result, isn't it?

Werner

Nice post, John. Gladf you've matched some famous lifespans. Keep at it - next: Elliott Carter?

Werner

Now we confirm our suspicion
what the "919" in your screen name stands for, John!
Best wishes for manu happy and healthy returns from the Islers you've met. And let's lkep hearing from you!

Werner

I'm sorry to have missed your lecture, Tarantella - I'm sure we'd have many things we both love.As for Schubert hitting his stride with d960 - well yes, but let's not overlook that whole set of the last three sonatas -that uncanny similarity to Beethoven's three, achieved after a nuch longer life sp...

Werner

Right you are. We do have some on this board - good friends and music lovers all - who disparage Schumann. I'm not with them on that, but I do believe that Schumann's romanticism and passion go far beyond the slimplicities of Schubert - not that there isn't enough to treasure in them all. If you'll ...

Werner

No shortage of admirers here - and just ly so. John, with all due respect, I don't see the issue of length the way you do - am thinking, rather, in terms of Schubert's "Heavenly lengths," marked by a typically Schubertian simplicity, which seems to me unique, and disappeard pretty well by the time C...

Werner

Among all the great performers listed here, I miss one nems: Leon Fleisher. A few years ago, there was a CD listed under the title "Two Hands." Evidently ro celebrate his return to the twoo-hand repertoire, this has to be lsted as onf ot the alltime great performance, IMO. The Schubert takes up abou...

Werner

I'm happy to see John's characterizaion of Tommasini as "amiable."I like the attitude of informed respect he displays toward music and performers - a wholesome departure from Henahan's attitude of superiority - well written as he occasionally did. My favorite among Times chief crititics was Schonber...

Werner

Thank you, Agnes, for the story about Selby & Friends. I apologize for my slow response to an item that should attract attention on a growingly international forum like CMG. I think the sttory of S & F and our connection to its leading figure is of interest, and, like too many interesting stories, i...

Werner

Long one of CMG's leading lights, We mixss yu, Ralph, and are glad that Donald was able to see youand give us a positive repoert. I had the good luck to meet both Ralph and JBuck19 on the same day a few years ago. John and I met at 'Neil's, scene of further CMG gatherings on a hot summer's day. John...

Werner

The subject seems to have taken a great deal of spce here - whether it's excessive I'll leave to the exprrts who present their opnion. Some comments are from multi-cultural sources. Perhaps we can do some justice to the argument by recognising its German source, and end is with a German riposte{ "Nu...

Werner

A small corection, Tarantella: my cpmments re "denuncaition' were not directed at you, but Garrett's comments of Mozart "boring him silly." That to me msakes no sense at all because it strikes me that he haas not abssorbed when makes Mozart Mozart. Similarlthings can be said about othe composers of ...

Werner

Paying a liitte more attention to you, Tarantella (is IS late at night) do I see some grace notes in sme of your Mozart comment? And can we agree that none of us can know "it all,'' and some of your comments about Mozart sonatas point the way to a more generous snd less presumptive view of our knowl...

Werner

I won't speed time reading Rosner's essay - nor Tarantella's, with all due respect to the latter. I'm of the generation that's come to live with Mozart, and have a son who is a capable interpreter of Mozart - and late Beethoven, for that matter, too. Not knowing Tarranella's qualifications, I'll ref...

Werner

I', so glad you programmed the entire "Dichterliebe," Lance. What a masterpiece it is, done full justice in this performance.

Werner

Nice to see your back here, Chalkie! As to Gould, while there is no denying his genius and extraordinary pianism, which have left us many memorable performances, his Mozart sonatas seem to show that he did rethink them. I remember reading a comment by one of his colleagues that hidden in Mr Gould wa...

Werner

For the moment I'd be willing to dispense with comparisons with other performers, or discussions of whatever psychiatric syndromes, just to welcome an evidently fantastic new Bach player.

What more may we have to expect from him as the years go by?

Werner

Lance, that was a wonderful tribute to a monumentally great artist. The operatic excerpts document his versatility, and I don't remember hearing the cantata in its full length in years. But to me, the Lieder repertoire brings out the full extent of his special mastery, as the four songs at the begin...

Werner

If you can consider anyone seventy years YOUNG, look at our riend and CMG quiding spirit, Lance. Knowledge, enthusiasm for music, and just a good friend and guide - many happy returns, Lance!

Werner

As far as I remember, Seemann's recording career with DGG was roughly contemporary with Aeschbacher's. Both recorded a lot of standard repertoire which was later done by names that acquied more prominence and replaced Aeschbacher's and Seemann's in the catalogue. I must admit that I don't own any Se...

Werner

Right, Mark!

Werner

THE FOLLOWING RESPONES ARE ABOUT PIANIST HAMISH MILNE Another example of someone (yours truly) trying to pay attention to going-on in a field I thought I knew fairly well, and here you present an artist in his Seventies who seems to have played all over the place, and I've never heard of him! Does ...

Werner

It looks like a fine choice to me. We've hear Langree over the years at Mostly Mozart, which he brought to ne life when he took over from Gerald Schwartz. His pwerformances tend to be rigorous and energetic, and over the years he'sone a large vareity of works. They should like him in in Cincinnzate....

Werner

Dear Agnes: It's good to come back online and see the good news. Your treatment of Constanze is as a friend and advocate - something her reputation could use. Good luck with the interesting idea of a book for children "from Bach to Bartok" - an instriguing idea. And Rob reminds us that you have more...

Werner

Better late than never - and a special greeting to JBuck - due to stay young for some time yet -who turns ouy to be some guy to put a witty fsace on the most routine os anniversaries.

All the best to y'all!

Werner

With the sound on, you'd have been impressed.

Werner

Serve as an informant? Irritant?

Werner

I still have the LP - somewhere - "Hommage to Gerald Moore," with his speech and that solo transcription. "An die Musik" seems an appropriate dedication for that occasion.

Werner

It's not quite 4 AM, Lance, but I've just come across the Vignoles clip, and I like it, too. I also feel that the term "Accompanist" demeans the performer's keyboard partner. So any time I write about that sort of repertoire, I prefer to use the latter term. An indication of the problem is in Moore'...

Werner

I felt that Leinsdorf's time in Boston was a good one. I'd felt that his Beethoven was an improvement over Munch's, not to mention Ozawa. That doesn't strike me as surprising, considering his eminence in the German repertoire at the Met. And he took an active part in the pedagogical work at Tanglewo...

Werner

Two examples of our current politics and their implications:

The loss of an esteemed member of the opposition party - when such people should have special respect - and the House Intelligencw Commitee's approach to bipatisann cooperation/

Werner

A sign of hope in this age of partisan conflict?

Thanks for posting this story, John. May it contain the seeds for a better future. Three generations of Isler descendents, among others, depend on it.

Werner

Thank you, John for posting this. It seems a generous sample which makes me regret that I heard so little Schnittke in my concert-going days.

Werner

Well, Sean, life keeps gettng moe complicated all the time, and so I can'tt help adding to your conundrum re distractions from your current interest in Baroque music. Of course ity's a great field, with many outstanding works and performances. And of course you could potentially go broke, delving in...

Werner

I know this is slightly off the subject of this thread - but you're talking of great pianists and complete sets, which could not include Leon Fleisher.Certainly he's a great pianist, but I doubt if he'll have the time to give us much in the way of complete sets. Yet his current Schubert sonata - jus...

Werner

Exactly. There was only one Schubert. He was unique. As it happened, I'm right now looking at an example in two Schubert fragments played by Aeschbacher and published currently by Donald on his KASP label's second Aeschbacher Historical Release. They are two charming sonata movements, each with D nu...

Werner

I must admit that I'm not at all curious to hear this. I remember that a similar project coincided with our CMG dinner at O'Neal's in 2009. That evening's concert across the street, which several of us attended, was by the London Philharmonic conducted by Vladimir Jurowski, whom we had previously he...

Werner

Thank you, Holden - I feel honored that you'll listen to the best I could do before I quit playing. Not that I ever entertained hopes of music professionally, but years of friendship with professionals gave me some standards to try for. Of course you realize that in 1966 CDs were far into the future...

Werner

Thank you all! I didn't know that Chalkie and John were historians - now all you need is to bring it a bit up to date!

Anyway, I'm flatered!

Werner

Thank you, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! I'm overwhelmed by all the friends heard from on this occasion - it almost looks like I'm getting older and slower in my response (a useful excuse, perhaps?) Friends from across the United States, from Ireland and Australia, phone calls from Brazil, London e...

Werner

It's some kind of an ideal, isn't itt?

Werner

Heck, one might say that after your lovely report, nothing further is needed to affirm this happy occasion - but with the struggles and competition for recognition it's nice to see both artist and "reporter" reach this level of performance and mutual acknowlegment. Your report pictures a great artis...

Werner

Does it seem, just from the quotes cited on this thread, that we've seen more than enough or Mr. Gingrich? Does his character show up quite plainly from his record? There must be more than a few people better qualified for the Oval Office than the range offered by the Republican Parrty this time aro...

Werner

A bias for performers "at the expense" of composers? Isn't the idea that composers benefit from the work of performers? (at least, if the performers know what they're doing?) At least, the composer's work is to reap the benefit. So I've always seen it - maybe the twenty-first century has brought a c...

Werner

Talking about half-vetted candidates, how can they be vetoed before they do damage?

Werner

That must have been a most satisfying experience. Congratulations and best wishes for the future.

Werner

Thank you both, Lance and John, for this illustration of the magic the German Lieder repertoire can work as treated by a master. I know you originally intended to credit Thomas Quasthoff, who fully deserves the tribute on the occasion of his retiement - but it still stirs the emotions to see the old...

Search found 4131 matches