when i was in college, i had a conducting teacher who had a problem
with the way i had interpreted a movement of a mozart symphony. he said my
version was wrong. i said "yeah, i know but, i like it that way."
several months later, we heard a performance of brahms' requiem together.
he told me he had a dilemna. he thought the performance was beautiful but,
it was all wrong. i took the cheap way out for both of us by taking his
program and writing in "brahms' requiem as arranged by blank (writing in the
conductor's name)". we both had a laugh and that was the end of it.
often, we determine our appreciation of something by our expectations.
if something meets our expectations, we are satisfied, if something exceeds
our expectations, past the point of what we had expected, we are delighted
and, of course, if something falls short of our expectations, we are
dissapointed. it is very rare, i find, for us to appreciate that which is
just different from our expectations, lumping the results together with that
which falls short though, that which is different is often perceived to be
disturbing. yesterday's outrage often becomes today's 'classic' ('le sacre
du printemps' for example).
a performance practice that is based on the infallibility of the
composer, seems arbitrary to me (we all know that only the pope is
infallible). even though there is a large body of 'classical' works that i
can't imagine being improved beyond the composer's intentions, the
restriction against doing so seems to be philosophically flawed (limitation
without reason). the fear of what would happen if performers started doing
whatever they want, would destroy 'classical' music, is a little akin to
those who don't wish to view certain television programs, not being satisfied
with just not watching the programs themselves but, insisting that no one
else gets to watch them as well.
lloyd, in your post making the distinction between 'classical' and
'popular' music performance practice (which i largely agree with), you have
given an out to anyone who wishes to do what they will with a piece of
classical music. if someone objects, all they need do is say "oh, i'm a pop
singer."
mike
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