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"Feelings" and feelings about Rachmaninoff Posted by Zoltan on February 26, 2010, 12:53 pm Message modified by board administrator February 26, 2010, 1:31 pm When Mr. Hedley writes about the performance of Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Leonard Slatkin: "[L]istening to this performance, one doesn’t get the feeling that the conductor is totally convinced by the work, still less that he loves it." he is mostly trying to persuade the reader about his (appalling) view of the work and not the performance. He may bash Rachmaninoff's piece but certainly not in a record review. ........................ I think Mr Hedley made his point very clear in the first three paragraphs. This is a difficult work to pull together And he did not think Slatkin was able to do so. Len Mullenger

Re: "Feelings" and feelings about Rachmaninoff Posted by Zoltan on February 26, 2010, 2:34 pm, in reply to ""Feelings" and feelings about Rachmaninoff" 129.69.229.78 Which is *exactly* why I think he cannot "measure" whether Slatkin is able to do so or not. How can somebody review a performance of a work if that person thinks that "the music is [sounding] better than it really is"? Isn't it more probable that the person might be reacting to the music he a priori dismissed *regardless* how the performance is? For Mr. Hadley even the best performance of the world "must somehow disguise the episodic nature of each of the movements". He no less thinks that about *every* major work of the composer! This is not reviewing a performance, it is not even reviewing the work. It is a review of the composer. One only needs to imagine done the same to a composer who is more revered out there. Would somebody think about reading a review of Mozart's music that has in its first paragraph the opinion that "most of Mozart's music is only suited for cocktail-parties of shallow people and has less range of emotions than a paramecium"?

Re: "Feelings" and feelings about Rachmaninoff Posted by Paul Serotsky on March 3, 2010, 9:50 am, in reply to "Re: "Feelings" and feelings about Rachmaninoff" 121.72.3.72 It's fairly common knowledge that Rachmaninov, like Tchaikovsky and any number of contemporaneous Russians, wasn't too hot on "organic continuity" (of musical argument). I don't suppose there are many people who would claim that they could bolt their symphonies together anything like as solidly as (say) Beethoven or Brahms; simply, it doesn't come naturally to Russians. If you happen to regard organic continuity as an essential element of a "good" symphony, then you are bound to think of those Russian symphonies as "inferior" IN THIS RESPECT. Admitting the episodic nature of the music hardly constitutes an "appalling" opinion. Other comments of Mr. Hedley's show that he himself holds the music in considerable affection - it's not his, but Slatkin's affections that are in doubt here. Not only is Mr. Hedley entitled to invoke these considerations when reviewing a recording, he is to a considerable extent OBLIGED to do so - particularly as they have a significant impact on the quality of performances. Mr. Hedley is thus not disqualified from arguing his case, but able to reach a much more informed, far better argued conclusion. And, it seems to me, that's exactly what he did - so what's REALLY your problem?

Re: "Feelings" and feelings about Rachmaninoff Posted by Ford on March 5, 2010, 1:35 am, in reply to "Re: "Feelings" and feelings about Rachmaninoff" 152.76.1.244 All reviewers have opinions about the musical works they review. Far better that they should state this up front, than dissemble and run a hidden agenda.

Re: "Feelings" and feelings about Rachmaninoff Posted by Zoltan on March 4, 2010, 4:09 pm, in reply to "Re: "Feelings" and feelings about Rachmaninoff" 129.69.229.78 It seems to me that we have a *very* different understanding of what "organic continuity" in a symphony should be, even when you argue with "fairly common knowledge", and then continue with a generalization based on the composers nationality. We also seem to have understood Mr. Hedley's words very differently ("he doesn't like this music" <--> "he likes this music", hence our conclusions), and since I'm unable to rephrase my thoughts I will just once more give the most relevant quote, the very first sentence of his review: "A successful performance of almost any major Rachmaninov work will leave the listener thinking that the music is better than it really is" I've already given this "review" more attention than it deserves and give up in explaining my frustration with it.

Re: "Feelings" and feelings about Rachmaninoff Posted by Don Satz on April 23, 2010, 2:03 am, in reply to "Re: "Feelings" and feelings about Rachmaninoff" 76.113.85.143 Zoltan did not mention the fact that Leslie Wright also reviewed the Slatkin disc and found it exceptional. I don't think it's "fair play" to grouse about one review while ignoring the other.

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