Josef Suk

[Chris]

Originally posted by Rod:
These matters are also important. Tempering has always been an issue, for which there is no easy answer, unless you can provide me with one! This could be a topic in its own right. But regarding the frequency of A, todays standard is clearly too high for music of this period and earlier.

Rod

Right, and aren't there a lot of period recordings that don't take these things into consideration?



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"Wagner's music is better than it sounds." - Mark Twain

[Rod]

Originally posted by Chris:
Right, and aren't there a lot of period recordings that don't take these things into consideration?

With regard to the frequency of A certainly do. Regarding tempering, musicians were arguing about this 100 years ago I'm sure. I'm not sure what the standard was in Vienna when B was alive. But this whole business is a matter of compromise between negatives as far as I can see. I doubt if this issue is of overriding importance in this debate. The important factors are the piano's action and the manner of playing it. If fps are not tuned authentically I'm afraid I can't tell you why. They sound so different anyway, I am not sure I can tell how they are tempered.

Rod

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"If I were but of noble birth" - Rod Corkin

[Chris]

It was a seperate question. I was just wondering what you thought.

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"Wagner's music is better than it sounds." - Mark Twain

[Zevy]

I'm going a bit off the original subject here, but I like a slow tempo myself in the violin concerto. My favourite recording is of Zino Francescatti with Bruno Walter conducting the Columbia S.O. Excellent stereo recording and a broad, steady pace with a rather nervous, edgy sound from the soloist which prevents the whole thing becoming too bland, which it can easily do. Incidentally,today somebody gave me a loan of the new clarinet arrangement of the concerto! Michael Collins is the soloist and the Russian National Orch is conducted by Mikhail Pletnev who arranged the work and also wrote the cadenzas. I have only heard a bit of it so I can't give a proper opinion, but I think the Mozart concerto is safe enough for a while! The new version may grow on me, but B.'s own piano arrangement of the concerto has yet to do that.
Michael

I was just listening to the arrangement for clarinet of the violin concerto. IMHO it is superb. This is as opposed to the arrangement for viola of the clarinet concerto. That was terrible.

[Chris]

Wow, bumping a 12 year old thread!

[Michael]

Yes - it's weird reading something you posted 12 years ago.

The old expression "Never put it in writing" really applies to the internet. It will always be out there somewhere and will come back to haunt you.

(Needless to say, I am not casting aspersions on the deathless prose delivered by the members of this revered forum!)