Angela Hewitt's WTC
John Thomas
Classics Today has anointed the new combined Bk I-II reissue as a
"Reference" set, while inexplicably awarding it only a 9/9 rating. At
less than $40 on Amazon any "Reference" set would be tempting, but I
have to ask fellow WTC fans: does Hewitt's version offer anything that
someone who already owns Feinberg, Richter, Nikolayeva and Schepkin,
among others, needs to hear?
--
jwt
JohnGavin
I don't know the set - but if you like Hyperion's sound, as I do,
that's one recommendation. I've never been completely convinced,
however by Ms. Hewitt's playing - except perhaps for her Francois
Couperin in which the composer's style matches the pianists' pretty
well. She's fastidious, dutiful, serious - but also tends to prettify
and manicure the music she plays. She's a little bit of a female
Perehia IMO. I shouldn't say this, but I imagine her fan base as
being very well-bred young women piano students with perfectly
conditioned hair and lovely outfits from well-to-do suburbs. Don't
take that too seriously, but you get the point, I'm sure.
td
I did. And I have to say I agree. Except to the bit about her
audience. It would seem to be much more wide-ranging.
TD
Bob Lombard
news:1190900594.2...@n39g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
---------
Mr. Gavin is 'illustrating a mindset', Tom. That wide-ranging audience may
include many members who don't possess that physical appearance or
residency. I agree about that relative affinity with FC's style, too. I
don't share that affinity, which may be why I find Louis' keyboard music
more interesting (it works better on harpsichord though).
bl
johnlew...@sympatico.ca
She's fastidious, dutiful, serious - but also tends to prettify
> > and manicure the music she plays. She's a little bit of a female
> > Perehia IMO.
That about sums it up, although she's easier to listen to in
performance, than in her recordings. The "hyperion sound" of her WTC
was good for its day, but seems to be the norm these days. I have 40
+ recordings of the WTC on piano, and hers is in no way definitive.
Not to sound like a "broken record," but you're not going to do much
better than Richter Bk1 and Feinberg Bks 1 & 2.
Other not necessarily well-known but interesting if not, I think,
"great" piano WTCs are by Julia Cload, Barenboim (OK... I know that
will be disputed, but I did say "interesting"), and Pienaar. There
are many more very interesting recordings of various individual
preludes and fugues. For example, the Schiff set--which is almost
totally boring--suddenly comes alive at the end of Book 2. Then, of
course, there is the early Richter recording of Book 1, which many
folks prefer to the reverberant later version.
Personally, I would LOVE to see a high quality reissue of the Demus
recordings...the 1968 account, that is.
Also, there is the famed Loesser version, which I have never heard,
but which seems to be much loved by those who own it.
JG
Simon Roberts
says...
"Miss Hewitt" certainly has a certain aptness.... I had previously thought of
her in much the same way and was thus rather taken aback when a highly respected
professional pianist friend (who should remain anonymous) told me he thought her
WTC contained some of the ugliest piano playing he had ever heard and wondered
if I agreed. Not having heard it (assuming it would be as genteel as the rest
of her Bach), I was in no position to, but I later sampled some of it in a store
(not the best way to listen, of course) and thought I could tell what he meant.
At any rate, I didn't hear anything that made me want to buy it. As for the
original question, that would depend on John Thomas's taste: sure, she offers
interpretations/playing that add to what those listed provide, but whether he
would want what she adds I'm in no position to say.
Simon
JohnGavin
> In article <1190899752.260341.282...@o80g2000hse.googlegroups.com>, JohnGavin
>
> - Show quoted text -
I would be curious to hear anyone's thoughts on Miss Hewitt's other-
than-Bach recordings. There's a Schumann Humoresque and F# Minor
Sonata coming out, there exist Chopin Nocturnes & Impromptus,
Beethoven Sonatas, Ravel complete, Chabrier and Rameau. Anyone heard
these?
mpe...@comcast.net
I know Hewitt's Bach keyboard concertos, in which she struck me as a
bit of a Canadian
Schiff, with the attributes you describe. I like Perahia's Bach
somewhat more than hers,
particulary his Goldbergs.
Marc Perman
johnlew...@sympatico.ca
The Ravel is excellent.
JG
HvT
<johnlew...@sympatico.ca> schreef in bericht
news:1190960270.8...@g4g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
> On Sep 27, 2:15 pm, JohnGavin <dagd...@comcast.net> wrote:
> The Ravel is excellent.
It is not one of the great Ravels but it is certainly a very good one.
Angela Hewitt is an excellent instrumentalist.
Henk
William Sommerwerck
news:1190947292.9...@22g2000hsm.googlegroups.com...
> I know Hewitt's Bach keyboard concertos, in which she struck
> me as a bit of a Canadian Schiff, with the attributes you describe.
> I like Perahia's Bach somewhat more than hers,
> particulary his Goldbergs.
Perahia's keyboard concertos are excellent, Hewitt's are nearly in their own
class. They are lively and dance-like. I highly recommend them.
Russ and/or Martha Oppenheim
<johnlew...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:1190904330.9...@19g2000hsx.googlegroups.com...
>
>
> Personally, I would LOVE to see a high quality reissue of the Demus
> recordings...the 1968 account, that is.
>
Is that the one on MHS LP's (OR 443-447) ?
Russ (not Martha)
johnlew...@sympatico.ca
wrote:
> <mper...@comcast.net> wrote in message
I agree. But I don't think Perahia's concertos are not nearly as
nuanced, layered, or sophisticated as Hewitt's. You listen to them
once and that's it; you've heard it all.
Hewitt's WTC sounds strained or forced to me, as if she were telling
herself: "This is how it must be played; so I'll do my best to play it
precisely that way." Her Concerti are more relaxed and spontaneous.
She really seems much more more comfortable in these recordings. The
Aussies somehow managed to get her to let her hair down. They mess
her up a bit, and her playing is better for it.
JG
Steve Emerson
JohnGavin <dag...@comcast.net> wrote:
> On Sep 27, 1:18 pm, Simon Roberts <s...@comcast.net> wrote:
> > In article <1190899752.260341.282...@o80g2000hse.googlegroups.com>,
> > JohnGavin
> > says...
> > >I don't know the set - but if you like Hyperion's sound, as I do,
> > >that's one recommendation. I've never been completely convinced,
> > >however by Ms. Hewitt's playing - except perhaps for her Francois
> > >Couperin in which the composer's style matches the pianists' pretty
> > >well. She's fastidious, dutiful, serious - but also tends to prettify
> > >and manicure the music she plays. She's a little bit of a female
> > >Perehia IMO. I shouldn't say this, but I imagine her fan base as
> > >being very well-bred young women piano students with perfectly
> > >conditioned hair and lovely outfits from well-to-do suburbs. Don't
> > >take that too seriously, but you get the point, I'm sure.
> >
> > "Miss Hewitt" certainly has a certain aptness.... I had previously
> > thought of her in much the same way and was thus rather taken aback
> > when a highly respected professional pianist friend (who should
> > remain anonymous) told me he thought her WTC contained some of the
> > ugliest piano playing he had ever heard and wondered if I agreed.
> > Not having heard it (assuming it would be as genteel as the rest of
> > her Bach), I was in no position to, but I later sampled some of it
> > in a store (not the best way to listen, of course) and thought I
> > could tell what he meant. At any rate, I didn't hear anything that
> > made me want to buy it. As for the original question, that would
> > depend on John Thomas's taste: sure, she offers
> > interpretations/playing that add to what those listed provide, but
> > whether he would want what she adds I'm in no position to say.
> I would be curious to hear anyone's thoughts on Miss Hewitt's other-
> than-Bach recordings. There's a Schumann Humoresque and F# Minor
> Sonata coming out, there exist Chopin Nocturnes & Impromptus,
> Beethoven Sonatas, Ravel complete, Chabrier and Rameau. Anyone heard
> these?
Not a recording, but I saw her play the Liszt sonata at Mills College a
few years ago, and there was no Miss Hewitt about it, no Perahia, no
suburbs, etc. I don't think anyone would have called it a mannered or
insufficiently extroverted performance; there wasn't the ugly playing
Simon's friend alludes to either. It was pretty terrific.
None of which is to be argumentative; very few musicians seem to be as
uniform as we assume them to be.
SE.
William Sommerwerck
news:emersn-5BC16D....@nnrp-virt.nntp.sonic.net...
> Not a recording, but I saw her play the Liszt sonata at Mills College
> a few years ago, and there was no Miss Hewitt about it, no Perahia,
> no suburbs, etc. I don't think anyone would have called it a mannered
> or insufficiently extroverted performance; there wasn't the ugly playing
> Simon's friend alludes to either. It was pretty terrific.
> None of which is to be argumentative; very few musicians seem to be
> as uniform as we assume them to be.
Agreed. Ms. Hewitt's Bach is variable -- some performances superb, others
tinkly-winkly.
ukr...@yahoo.com
>
> - Show quoted text -
And I really enjoyed the Chabrier - excellent as well. Her best Bach
for me is the disc with the Italian Concerto, 4 duets, etc. Very
enjoyable.
JohnGavin
> In article <1190927759.694879.86...@50g2000hsm.googlegroups.com>,
>
> - Show quoted text -
Thanks for this post Steve. It is a reminder that it is a mistake to
preserve opinions in amber so that they become set. People can
change, and musicians can grow - also, qualities can come out in live
performances that might be blocked in a studio due to caution.
td
> <johnlewisgr...@sympatico.ca> schreef in berichtnews:1190960270.8...@g4g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
>
> > On Sep 27, 2:15 pm, JohnGavin <dagd...@comcast.net> wrote:
> > The Ravel is excellent.
>
> It is not one of the great Ravels but it is certainly a very good one.
> Angela Hewitt is an excellent instrumentalist.
I almost read "harpsichordist" in that last word. Not that you
intended me to read that, of course. It's just the association which
lept to mind.
I co-hosted the live broadcasts of the GG Bach Competition which AH
won back in 1985. She did, as I said at the time, grab the gold ring
with both hands and won the event legitimately.
Since then her style of Bach has grown more and more mannered, in my
opinion. One word for it would be "prettified". It is simply not to my
taste. Bach's music is sturdy stuff from my vantage point and doesn't
really suit the rouge and lip-gloss treatment. Her Bach becomes the
very height of coy. Dreadfully cutesy-poo. For those who like that
sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like. I simply don't.
The same Victorian love of lovely lace doilies affects a great deal of
the rest of her work. Ravel needs sparkle, spine and rhythmic
vitality. Instead she makes it, well, "lovely".
Her Granados? A monumental mismatch. It shows what a mediocre musician
she is when she is put side by side with AdL in this same music. The
comparison is almost comical.
I haven't investigated the Beethoven, and likely won't.
Her adoption by the critics in the UK is unsurprising. The adoration
of the decorous has always been a weakness of that part of the world.
Raw virtuosity, on the other hand, has always been thought as a trifle
vulgar, or even, dare I say it, "professional".
Long Live the Amateur!
TD
HvT
"td" <tomde...@mac.com> schreef in bericht
news:1191093083.5...@w3g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
> On Sep 28, 2:34 am, "HvT" <hvtu...@xs4all.nl> wrote:
>> <johnlewisgr...@sympatico.ca> schreef in
>> berichtnews:1190960270.8...@g4g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
>>
>> > On Sep 27, 2:15 pm, JohnGavin <dagd...@comcast.net> wrote:
>> > The Ravel is excellent.
>>
>> It is not one of the great Ravels but it is certainly a very good
>> one.
>> Angela Hewitt is an excellent instrumentalist.
> The same Victorian love of lovely lace doilies affects a great deal of
> the rest of her work. Ravel needs sparkle, spine and rhythmic
> vitality. Instead she makes it, well, "lovely".
I don't hear the lace doilies in for example her Gaspard. Compared with
Tharaud's Gaspard hers is very down-to-earth (but very well played).
Henk
JohnGavin
> "td" <tomdedea...@mac.com> schreef in berichtnews:1191093083.5...@w3g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
Certain editing has made it appear as if I stated that Miss Hewitt's
Ravel is excellent. I've never heard her Ravel. That was written by
somebody else.
Matthew B. Tepper
letters to be typed in
news:1191096918.1...@r29g2000hsg.googlegroups.com:
> Certain editing has made it appear as if I stated that Miss Hewitt's
> Ravel is excellent. I've never heard her Ravel. That was written by
> somebody else.
By Joyce Hatto, perhaps?
--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!
My personal home page -- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/index.html
My main music page --- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/berlioz.html
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
War is Peace. ** Freedom is Slavery. ** It's all Napster's fault!
HvT
"JohnGavin" <dag...@comcast.net> schreef in bericht
news:1191096918.1...@r29g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
> Certain editing has made it appear as if I stated that Miss Hewitt's
> Ravel is excellent. I've never heard her Ravel. That was written by
> somebody else.
That was my (mis)editing. I believe it was Grant who said that Hewitt's
Ravel was great.
Henk
johnlew...@sympatico.ca
> Ravel was great.
>
> Henk
I confess.
JG
td
I have heard Tharaud perform GdlN in public, in Brussels, before his
set came out. What surprised me was the sinister quality he brought
out in Scarbo.
I don't remember details of AH's Scarbo. But other things I do recall
- Sonatine, for example - were perfect examples of the beautification
efforts she seems to favour.
TD
td
You're forgiven.
TD
Gabriel Parra
As usual I agree with Tom. I find most, if not all, of her Bach
playing thoroughly execrable. Quite "correct", to be sure, but there
is not an inspired, or inspiring, note in her playing. And I have
heard her Beethoven, and it is among the worst I have ever heard. She
is surely in the running for most overrated pianist of all time.
Andrew Clarke
Does she also appeal, perhaps, to very well bred young male piano
students with perfectly conditioned hair and lovely outfits from well-
to-do suburbs? Do people refer to them as 'Friends of Angela'?
Andrew Clarke
Canberra
JohnGavin
> On Sep 27, 11:43 pm, td <tomdedea...@mac.com> wrote:
>
> > On Sep 27, 9:29 am, JohnGavin <dagd...@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> > > I shouldn't say this, but I imagine her fan base as
> > > being very well-bred young women piano students with perfectly
> > > conditioned hair and lovely outfits from well-to-do suburbs. Don't
> > > take that too seriously, but you get the point, I'm sure.
>
> > I did. And I have to say I agree. Except to the bit about her
> > audience. It would seem to be much more wide-ranging.
>
> > TD-
>
> Does she also appeal, perhaps, to very well bred young male piano
> students with perfectly conditioned hair and lovely outfits from well-
> to-do suburbs?
>
> Canberra
No, they go for either Murray Perehia, John Tesh, or the late
Liberace, depending on their level of seriousness, and just how lovely
their outfits are.
Matthew B. Tepper
> No, they go for either Murray Perehia, John Tesh, or the late Liberace,
> depending on their level of seriousness, and just how lovely their outfits
> are.
Then there's Myleene Klass, whose fanbase consists of dolts who fall for any
sort of pop-style PR they encounter and who have never heard anyone else.
Bob Lombard
news:Xns99BD4B07B64...@216.168.3.70...
> JohnGavin <dag...@comcast.net> appears to have caused the following
> letters
> to be typed in news:1191329459.3...@19g2000hsx.googlegroups.com:
>
>> No, they go for either Murray Perehia, John Tesh, or the late Liberace,
>> depending on their level of seriousness, and just how lovely their
>> outfits
>> are.
>
> Then there's Myleene Klass, whose fanbase consists of dolts who fall for
> any
> sort of pop-style PR they encounter and who have never heard anyone else.
>
> --
> Matthew B. Tepper
----------
I find myself wondering whether John and Matthew are confusing appearance
with performance, or ignoring the distinction to make a point; because I get
no hint of Perahia's sartorial preferences in his playing. I've never heard
Liberace play (that I know of) without knowing who was playing. His
appearance does color his music then.
bl
Josep Vilanova
> Then there's Myleene Klass, whose fanbase consists of dolts who fall for any
> sort of pop-style PR they encounter and who have never heard anyone else.
>
Has that woman reached the US? She was first known as a contestant,
and winner, in a TV program that pre-dated American Idol. In that
particular program instead of a sole singer they were looking a group
(two boys and two or three girls, can't remember now). They were
popular for like 5 minutes and then they disappeared. Mylene was part
of it. They were beyond awful and I was amused when I heard, after the
group was gone, that she wanted to do classical music. Never heard a
note played by her, then I can't comment on her abilities (but if her
pianistic abilities are comparable to her part-of-a-pop-group
abilities, she is likely to play even worse than me, and that may be a
difficult feat to achieve).
Regarding Perahia, I was surprised to talk to, at least, 2 gay men
that have told me he was their favourite pianist. I don't know why. He
certainly doesn't look like Liberace. Or like the openly gay
Thibaudet.
j
Matthew B. Tepper
following letters to be typed in
> Regarding Perahia, I was surprised to talk to, at least, 2 gay men that
> have told me he was their favourite pianist. I don't know why. He
> certainly doesn't look like Liberace. Or like the openly gay Thibaudet.
Maybe they like Perahia's interpretation and musical technique?
JohnGavin
wrote:
> "Matthew B. Tepper" <oyþ@earthlink.net> wrote in messagenews:Xns99BD4B07B64...@216.168.3.70...
>
> > JohnGavin <dagd...@comcast.net> appears to have caused the following
> > letters
> > to be typed innews:1191329459.3...@19g2000hsx.googlegroups.com:
>
> >> No, they go for either Murray Perehia, John Tesh, or the late Liberace,
> >> depending on their level of seriousness, and just how lovely their
> >> outfits
> >> are.
>
> > Then there's Myleene Klass, whose fanbase consists of dolts who fall for
> > any
> > sort of pop-style PR they encounter and who have never heard anyone else.
>
> > --
> > Matthew B. Tepper
>
> ----------
> I find myself wondering whether John and Matthew are confusing appearance
> with performance, or ignoring the distinction to make a point; because I get
> no hint of Perahia's sartorial preferences in his playing. I've never heard
> Liberace play (that I know of) without knowing who was playing. His
> appearance does color his music then.
>
> bl
I hesitated to use the suburban well dressed women allusion in the
first place - now you can see why - it's just a half tongue-in-cheek
concept taken too far. And people wonder why I say "just kidding :)"
after making a joke. This is why.
William Sommerwerck
news:1191340795.7...@d55g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
> Regarding Perahia, I was surprised to talk to at least 2 gay men
> that have told me he was their favourite pianist. I don't know why.
> He certainly doesn't look like Liberace. Or like the openly gay
> Thibaudet.
Perhaps they just have good taste.
Steve Emerson
"William Sommerwerck" <grizzle...@comcast.net> wrote:
Or in this case, bad.
SE.
td
> In article <n-2dnbpOxIhTSZ_anZ2dnUVZ_sytn...@comcast.com>,
> "William Sommerwerck" <grizzledgee...@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> > "Josep Vilanova" <josepvilan...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> >news:1191340795.7...@d55g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
>
> > > Regarding Perahia, I was surprised to talk to at least 2 gay men
> > > that have told me he was their favourite pianist. I don't know why.
> > > He certainly doesn't look like Liberace. Or like the openly gay
> > > Thibaudet.
>
> > Perhaps they just have good taste.
>
> Or in this case, bad.
As they say in French: Chacun a son mauvais gout!
TD
Simon Roberts
Vilanova says...
[snip]
>Regarding Perahia, I was surprised to talk to, at least, 2 gay men
>that have told me he was their favourite pianist. I don't know why. He
>certainly doesn't look like Liberace. Or like the openly gay
>Thibaudet.
Would you have been surprised if at least two straight men, or two straight
women, or lesbians, or bisexuals of either gender, said he was their favorite
pianist? In other words, why were you surprised?
Simon
Josep Vilanova
> Would you have been surprised if at least two straight men, or two straight
> women, or lesbians, or bisexuals of either gender, said he was their favorite
> pianist? In other words, why were you surprised?
>
> Simon
I wasn't actually surprised for the relationship between being gay and
liking Perahia. The of being gay was far less relevant, in that
particular case, than the socio-economic status: people working in the
City in London with big salaries and, in those cases, without much of
a musical knowledge. What it surprised me, at least with the person I
spoke for longer, was the fact of mentioning Perahia at all, as he is
not the best known pianist in the world and that person didn't really
know about other pianists. It let me wondering whether the marketing
effects of Sony were that effective in reaching out to parts of the
public outside the life-long classical music fans.
Simon Roberts
says...
I don't know to what extent Sony marketing is responsible, but he's certainly
heavily promoted in London, where the musical press and whoever organizes CD
store displays frequently suggest he vies with Brendel as the most important
pianist alive. (When I attended Mustonen's Goldbergs in the QEH in early March,
I was somewhat amused that Perahia's recording was the only one being sold at
the stand in the foyer.)
Simon
Josep Vilanova
> I don't know to what extent Sony marketing is responsible, but he's certainly
> heavily promoted in London, where the musical press and whoever organizes CD
> store displays frequently suggest he vies with Brendel as the most important
> pianist alive. (When I attended Mustonen's Goldbergs in the QEH in early March,
> I was somewhat amused that Perahia's recording was the only one being sold at
> the stand in the foyer.)
Yes, that's true. And I guess that's the reason why those two people
mentioned him. Maybe, they are from the same social group that, if
asked 40 years ago, would have answered 'Rubinstein' or 'Horowitz'.
They would have liked the pianist who was popular, well promoted and
who played with a beautiful tone. Both Rubinstein and Perahia are
pianists 'user-friendly', that can be appreciated by people who look
for different things in the music they listen (and I am not saying
that this is a bad thing, as I like both of them).
I am just thinking that Decca has been trying to market Thibaudet as a
pianist for that group (with all those jazzy albums, and those 'night
songs'... Perahia has never done that) and they may not be succeeding
in the same way (although maybe the situation is different in
France).
j
j
Matthew B. Tepper
letters to be typed in news:fe0rn...@drn.newsguy.com:
> I don't know to what extent Sony marketing is responsible, but he's
> certainly heavily promoted in London, where the musical press and whoever
> organizes CD store displays frequently suggest he vies with Brendel as the
> most important pianist alive. (When I attended Mustonen's Goldbergs in the
> QEH in early March, I was somewhat amused that Perahia's recording was the
> only one being sold at the stand in the foyer.)
Sony has aggressive marketing? Ya think?
Simon Roberts
says...
>
>Simon Roberts <sd...@comcast.net> appears to have caused the following
>letters to be typed in news:fe0rn...@drn.newsguy.com:
>
>> I don't know to what extent Sony marketing is responsible, but he's
>> certainly heavily promoted in London, where the musical press and whoever
>> organizes CD store displays frequently suggest he vies with Brendel as the
>> most important pianist alive. (When I attended Mustonen's Goldbergs in the
>> QEH in early March, I was somewhat amused that Perahia's recording was the
>> only one being sold at the stand in the foyer.)
>
>Sony has aggressive marketing? Ya think?
There's a difference between "aggressive" and "successful".
Simon
John_H...@msn.com
> In article <1190899752.260341.282...@o80g2000hse.googlegroups.com>, JohnGavin
> says...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >On Sep 27, 8:58 am, John Thomas <abrasax...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> Ms Hewitt's Bach doesn't get a lot of respect on this ng but I see that
> >> Classics Today has anointed the new combined Bk I-II reissue as a
> >> "Reference" set, while inexplicably awarding it only a 9/9 rating. At
> >> less than $40 on Amazon any "Reference" set would be tempting, but I
> >> have to ask fellow WTC fans: does Hewitt's version offer anything that
> >> someone who already owns Feinberg, Richter, Nikolayeva and Schepkin,
> >> among others, needs to hear?
>
> >> --
> >> jwt
>
> >I don't know the set - but if you like Hyperion's sound, as I do,
> >that's one recommendation. I've never been completely convinced,
> >however by Ms. Hewitt's playing - except perhaps for her Francois
> >Couperin in which the composer's style matches the pianists' pretty
> >well. She's fastidious, dutiful, serious - but also tends to prettify
> >and manicure the music she plays. She's a little bit of a female
> >Perehia IMO. I shouldn't say this, but I imagine her fan base as
> >being very well-bred young women piano students with perfectly
> >conditioned hair and lovely outfits from well-to-do suburbs. Don't
> >take that too seriously, but you get the point, I'm sure.
>
> her in much the same way and was thus rather taken aback when a highly respected
> professional pianist friend (who should remain anonymous) told me he thought her
> WTC contained some of the ugliest piano playing he had ever heard and wondered
> if I agreed. Not having heard it (assuming it would be as genteel as the rest
> of her Bach), I was in no position to, but I later sampled some of it in a store
> (not the best way to listen, of course) and thought I could tell what he meant.
> At any rate, I didn't hear anything that made me want to buy it. As for the
> original question, that would depend on John Thomas's taste: sure, she offers
> interpretations/playing that add to what those listed provide, but whether he
> would want what she adds I'm in no position to say.
>
> Simon- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -