And to further the point I made yesterday, this video for your consideration:
Notice how much the orchestra is looking at this clown? That’s right, they’re not looking at him AT ALL. Which is what he deserves. Disgraceful. Entertaining, to be sure, but disgraceful. It’s all about him, not the music.
8 replies on “I rest my case…”
this on p. 24 from “testimony: the memoirs of d. shostakovich” (as related to and edited by soloman volkov):
“i hate toscanini . . . what he does to music to music is terrible . . . he chops it up into hash & then pours a disgusting sauce over it. toscanini ‘honored’ me by conducting my symphonies. i heard those records too, and they are worthless.”
the whole passage is worth reading.
d-bob sez, check it out.
I’m not commenting on their interpretations, just how they convey them to us orchestral musicians. I’ve read Testimony a couple times, not sure how much of it is actually from DSCH’s mouth, though.
he looks like the child snatcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!
How can they not burst out laughing? Who is this magical maestro?
the “testimony” topic continues to be debated.
when i took a copy with me to Poland during 82-85, many of my polish musician friends were virtually standing in line to read it. needless to say, it got passed around in a clandestine manner. it was unavailable in the eastern block.
i once had a conversation with krzysztof meyer on the topic (1984 in krakow). meyer knew DS, played 4-hand pieces with him in his apt. in moscow & wrote a bio on DS that was published in the DDR. meyer told me that the content of “testimony” is 100% true.
Oh, how very “Three Stooges…”
This video brings up a salient point-all too often, not just in music, self expression is mistaken for leadership but it makes a very poor substitute.
Reminded me of Daffy Duck as Robin Hood:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw9vaNS3b0s