Rugby
7/1/2010 1:43:00 AM
On Jun 30, 7:35 pm, "Sol L. Siegel" <vod...@aol.com> wrote:
> So, however, does Deacon - or at least he did back in January, when I
> first noted this offering at Berkshire. At that time he clearly stated:
> "Great price for a wonderful first recording of those sonatas."
>
Deacon earlier:
> ... The young generation of pianists seems to be looking
> for a new way of approaching Beethoven,which is refreshing. They seem
> unhindered by stereotypes, theirs an approach that often appears in
> sync with what one hears in the late Quartets. To his credit, Lewis
> has a distinct,original voice here,alone refreshing in this
> competition-cookiecutter world, as legitimate as the often lethargic
> playing of Arrau, occaisional banging of Serkin and Richter,or often
> superficial Kempff. Rugby >
LOL!
If Lewis ever rises to the level of either of the four gentlemen
mentioned above, it will be long after I depart this mortal coil. I
would hardly make a virtue out of Lewis' inability to make in the
competition game. Nor does his voice sound in the slightest
"refreshing". Did you perhaps mean "sleep-inducing"?
I am on the last disc of the available sets from Lewis.
Genteel is one word I would use. Beethoven's thunderbolts sheathed in
velvet, so as not to disturb us too much. Polite is another word.
Soft-
centred is yet another.
Lewis is musical, of course. Nothing to distract one's attention from
the smooth progress of the musical message. And he has nice
independence of hands. Basics of piano-playing, really. But is this
Beethoven? Certainly not my idea of him.
I will hear him in person in a couple of weeks in Paris. It will be
interesting to see if his actual piano sound is as PC as it sounds on
record. And he will follow Sokolov the next evening.
Hmmmmmm. An interesting comparison.
TD