Hi Daniel, > >> >> Edin is an specialized lutenist (one of the best around, I should add), >> ... >> > Ariel: I wish Edin, the CD and any spill off into the lute community at > large great financial and artistic success. But I have to say that your > comment really gets under my skin. Do you mean that Edin is tops at his > published specialty (Bach and Britten on an archlute)? Then I would > completely agree. Do you honestly believe however that he is one of the > best professional lutenists around or at least a top Dowland interpreter? > If so, do you have any criteria other than friendship?
I do believe that Edin is one of the best lute players today, and not necessary a Dowland expert. I heard him playing many different times, and I don't think friendship is the main criteria here, but of course feel free to thing the opposite. I love the way he plays Weiss, Zamboni, and Bach, for instances. For other music, I'd go for other players, I guess. In any case, Daniel, don't take my words so personally. I'm a professional player like many other on the list, and my taste and criteria do not have to be shared by anyone else. I never meant to disqualify other people, obviously. I just gave my opinion on Edin's playing. > > Art is art and artists shouldn't be ranked like world tennis players. > Nevertheless I don't think it is too unreasonable to at least think in > terms of broad bands of technical and artistic ability. No need to > quibble about specifics, but there is definitely an "A" list that > includes people like POD, McFarlane, Hoppy, Satoh, Lindberg, Barto, > Stubbs and North. I must say that I find the "A" list quite arbitrary and unbalanced for my own taste, but if it is based on personal perception and values, I'm ok with that. There is another top group who aren't quite as well > known or broadly recorded but whose recordings really impress me, like > Wilson, Eguez, Held, and Lislevand. Same as in "A", to be honest. There are others whom I have > heard in person and on the occasional recording that also play at a very > high level like Richard Stone, Andrew Maginley, David Dolata, Scott > Pauley, Lucas Harris, amongst others. Of course everyone on the lutelist > will have a different personal preference list, and I know that Roman can > produce a list of people whose names I have never heard of and whose > names would yield extremely high Scrabble scores whom I have never heard > play but I am sure are very talented. The Scrabble thing is good! ; =) I guess I'm one of Roman's list. > > Nevertheless, do you believe that based on his 2 recordings, Edin's > technical and artistic levels exceed those of the arbitrary and highly > personal list I just came up with? > The way you put it makes it difficult to answer... I'll place Edin in the "A" list, but probably wouldn't take as a parameter these two recordings. His live performances are of a much higher level that what he shows on the cds. Of course, you may not like him. Some people consider some players to be simply amazing, while many other find them awful. This is quite obvious, and that very same thin thing applies to Edin's job. If Edin's thing wasn't as successful, we wouldn't be talking on the same terms, I'm sure. Just in case, I have my own musical life (although not with pop stars) and I'm Edin's friend as well as I'm Mascardi or Egüez friend. I have no deeper reasons or motivations to defend him. Saludos, A To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
