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Hello All:
I should start by saying that
I've only been on this list for a week and was planning to watch, wait and read
for a while to determine whether or not I had anything worthwhile to say.
I will say this..... so far, I've been fascinated with all the dialogue that's
been taking place so far on this list.
Background wise..... I have to
honestly say that I first became aware of Glenn Gould through the efforts of
Yehudi Menuhin's Music Of Man series back in '78 or '79 on CBC
T.V. I was immediately struck by the forcefulness of the personality of
this artist Glenn Gould , watching him spar with Yehudi Menuhin over the
pros and cons of studio recording versus live performance.
Later, I was able to read portions of the transcripts of these coversations in
the Music Of Man book and also in David Dubal's book Conversations
with Menuhin. I came to realize the merits of what GG was
saying in regard to live performance versus recording. I actually
came to be informed of the death of Glenn Gould while I was sitting in the
audience at a chamber music recital, having just purchased a copy of that
particular week's Maclean's magazine on the way to the
concert.
One thing I would like to inject
into this conversation is: Although I find the conversation about Gould
fascinating in the extereme, I would ask myself - and anyone else interested -
what is the ultimate goal of our interest in music? At the end of the day,
are we primarily interested in music itself, or are we interested
primarily in the artists who make it? Be it the current crop of
charismatic soloists, great conductors, or whoever. Are we more interested
in the music, and the lives, times and personalities of the people who wrote the
music in the first place -- the composers -- or just the
personality cult of the interpretive artists. Which do you think is more
important?
Sincerely,
Tim Hitchner
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