In Reply to: Wonderful CD's you may have forgotten about in your own collection? posted by Chris from Lafayette on July 7, 2012 at 12:58:14:
Never heard of it.
As for Kocsis, he's one of those artists [a word that applies to him more accurately, rather than to some gun-toting rap star] who immediately trigger cognitive dissonance.
Can a pianist really be a true conductor? Sure, most conductors played piano; many quite well. But, there's a difference. Firstly, learning piano, or some instrument, are required during study at conservatory, or majoring in music [or even minoring] at university. Most average listeners don't know that, I think.
Secondly, artists who start out primarily as pianist, but switch to conducting, do so very early in their lives, thus devoting themselves fully to mastering the orchestra, score reading, and the orchestral literature.
Thus, I've never fully trusted Ashkenazy as a conductor, because he really was, and still is, actually a pianist. I recall reading an interview with him when he made the switch in the mid-80s. With refreshing candor, he said that maintaining the skill necessary to be world class concert pianist was incredibly difficult, and more than he was interested in continuing. Thus, he was turning to conducting.
Now, yuo've made it even worse by revealing that Kocsis is an orchestral arranger. Do you know how hard that skill is? There are composers who've never mastered orchestration! This guy's a pianist!
Immediately, my instinct says, "he can't be any good". How could he? And, yet, there he is. Taking on...Debussy. Debussy!
Boggles the mind.
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Follow Ups
- Budapest Music Center label and Disbelief - Mike Porper 13:00:55 07/09/12 (11)
- Ashkenazy? - Amphissa 15:44:36 07/11/12 (3)
- RE: Ashkenazy? - Chris from Lafayette 18:31:50 07/11/12 (2)
- RE: Ashkenazy? - Amphissa 19:06:20 07/12/12 (1)
- I was very, very much turned off Ashkenazy - jult52 13:20:33 07/23/12 (0)
- Ashkenazy - pbarach 15:14:28 07/09/12 (3)
- I've played in SF Sym with him, he is a great musician in every respect. His - oldmkvi 10:43:43 07/11/12 (0)
- I agree re Ashkenazy as a conductor - Chuck Y 09:48:51 07/10/12 (0)
- Yes, It's a mental block - Mike Porper 07:35:36 07/10/12 (0)
- RE: Budapest Music Center label and Disbelief - Chris from Lafayette 14:39:23 07/09/12 (2)
- Thanks for the Berkshire Tip and that Schoenberg/Brahms - Mike Porper 07:44:06 07/10/12 (0)
- I have the Kocsis Hungaroton and it's good - srl1 16:41:02 07/09/12 (0)