There are a number of lutenists that compare with other instrumental virtuosi, and there are/were a few guitarists of that caliber too. RT ______________ Roman M. Turovsky http://polyhymnion.org/swv
> From: "Mayes, Joseph" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Gosh! Stuart > That's hard to argue with - unless one were to point out that the same > would hold true for any other (splinter)group of musicians - say lute > players > > Joseph Mayes > > ________________________________ > > From: Stuart LeBlanc [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Sat 4/2/2005 5:39 AM > To: lute net > Subject: RE: mesmerization > > > > > To the extent that guitarists only compare themselves to other > guitarists, they > will have no bona fides as musicians. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Michael Thames [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, April 01, 2005 8:53 PM > To: lute net; Stuart LeBlanc > Subject: Re: mesmerization > > > I had dinner this evening with a couple of guitarist's from Houston. > They > recently saw a concert in Houston of the Brazilian guitar quartet. I > asked > them how it was. > They were quite pived that they showed up on stage with music. > She said it was really no fun sitting there all night watching four > guys > with their nose's buried in their music, and never looked up once at the > audience, the whole time. Ouch! > Michael Thames > www.ThamesClassicalGuitars.com > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Stuart LeBlanc" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "lute net" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> > Sent: Friday, April 01, 2005 1:28 PM > Subject: RE: mesmerization > > >> >> In fact Beethoven called his pieces "sonatas for piano and violin" and > they are >> considered to be solo vehicles for both instruments. So according to > the > logic >> of some people, both the pianist and violinist should play from memory > if > they >> wish to achieve artistic credibility. >> >> A program by Kronos Quartet which I attended a while back began with a > piece >> performed from memory. It began with the room completely dark, and as > a > slow >> melody emerged from the cello, a spotlight gradually revealed the > player > with >> her shock of fair hair against an all-black set. The other players in > turn made >> their entrances both theatrically and musically, beginning their parts > backstage >> and continuing to play while walking to their respective seats on the > stage. It >> was all effectively done, and some of the audience thought they had > witnessed >> something very profound, probably the same ones who rave about organ > recitals >> with lightshow. I suppose they are also the same ones who equate > memorized >> music with "the soul of the artist" or some such. >> >> Another interesting program I heard was a duo recital by Eliot Fisk > and > Manuel >> Barrueco. They some things from the score, some from memory. > Opinions > tended >> to fall strongly into one of two mutually exclusive groups, which were > either >> 1)Eliot Fisk is a vibrant performer who knows how to engage an > audience, > or >> 2)Manuel Barrueco is a consummate artist who knows how to make music > on > the >> guitar. >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Howard Posner [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Sent: Friday, April 01, 2005 10:16 AM >> To: lute net >> Subject: Re: mesmerization >> >> >> Michael Thames wrote: >> >>> try repeating the words, solo,,,, solo,,, solo,,, this >>> may help. >> >> It doesn't, though the absence of plurals with apostrophes is > heartening. >> Is a violinist playing a Beethoven sonata playing "solo"? If he is, > does > he >> lack "professional stage presence" if he has the music in front of > him? >> What about the pianist playing with him? Does he lack "professional > stage >> presence" if he plays with music in front of him, as he almost > certainly >> will? What if it's a trio? I've never seen a string quartet play > without >> music in front of them. A "soloist" will often play a concerto with > music >> in front of him, particularly with period-instrument ensembles. >> >> So no, repetition of a mantra is no more helpful here than mindless >> repetition usually is. I don't know if you've ever thought about > where, > in >> the continuum from one musician alone on a stage to 100 musicians on a >> stage, the musician playing from music no longer lacks "professional > stage >> presence" if he has the music in front of him. But your personal > answer > to >> that question is probably of use only to you. It wouldn't interest > me, >> because I don't share your view that it's unprofessional for musician > to >> read music in concert. >> >> BTW, I would hope to avoid a concert where someone was sightreading. > That >> would be unprofessional. And I can't imagine a musician "site > reading." > I >> suppose web browsers and surveyors do that. >> >> HP >> >> >> >> To get on or off this list see list information at >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> >> >> > > > > > > --