What did Father Christmas bring?

RdS, you sound like those self-appointed "experts" that internet is unfortunately loaded with. Your opinions are in no way more "correct" than mine or anyone else's. You are not a musician. Mr Jarrett is. Get the glorious Jarrett record and listen. And dump those stinking Rousset, Leonhardt and Moroney records.

 

You must be joking, right? Your statements are usually more opinionated than mine. And, by the way, I *am* a musician. I'm not sure I liked your post.

 

Easy guys ...
IMHO the main difference between the Classical and other threads here is that people generally know what they are talking about (some of you are obviously very knowledgeable, full-fledged musicologists) and can take someone else's opinion.
Let's keep it that way OK ?

 

I was only joking - don't kill me!

Of course I was joking - gotcha RdS, ha-ha!. I have enjoyed your reviews a lot.
OK you are a musician, if you say so. I am nothing. But still I don't quite understand why everyone should prefer your opinion of Bach to Mr Jarrett's opinion. In principle it COULD be possible that you have bad taste and Mr Jarrett hasn't.

 

Come on! Of course all I say is in a IMO bases! Keith Jarrett is a wonderful musician (I love in Köln Concert) but I don't like the way he plays Bach. Mind you: a friend of mine lent me a record with Jarrett's own pieces on the clavichord. He doesn't quite master the instrument (or perhaps he wants certain notes not quite stable in tune) but it is rather interesting and sometimes quite beautiful. I do think he is a marvelous musicia, even if I don't like to *watch* him play: that may work for him, but I find it rather distracting to see the pianist jumping about, and all that choreography. Still, this is not a critique: Bob van Asperen, playing the harpsicjhord seems to play an imaginary bass line with his feet. Brendel (an ugly man if ever there was one) puts up all sortds of faces in order - he says it, not me - to get the meaning across to the audience! I like to watch Kempff play. All the serenity, the beautifully high forehead, and all his marvelous musicianship...

As an apart. You won't catch organists pulling faces. You see, the sit hidden from the public. The only one I know that does, Jean Guillou (I met him last summer, and was invited to the console!!! That means he honoured me greaty (I am half French and my French name is rather impressive). He was quite a gentleman and good God, how marvelous is his technique!!! - well I lost track. The only one I know that pulls faces (but solemn ones) had an electric console put in the middle of the church and everyone sees him. Quite impressive, too, as he is a very elegant man.

All this is beside the point. I'm glad you were joking. I apologize if I was over toutchy. I often am, so I do apologize.

And, in all humility, I don't think 'everybody prefers my opinion to Jarrett's' as you say. This is a free world - well, up to a point. And finally it is true that I am a musician: I play the organ and the harpsichord and was formally trained. So that makes me a musician even if just an amateur.

 

Here's another organ face-puller, RdS:

http://www.stewartmusic.freeserve.co.uk/

or at least he was when I met him in the 1970s. He was studying in Geneva under Lionel Rogg and he sometimes played the organ in the English Church (Anglican) in the rue du Mont-Blanc on Sundays. You could see the console from the congregation and he pulled all sorts of faces (especially in a piece like Widor's Toccata). Perhaps he doesn't any more.

 

I don't know if he pulls faces but Wolfgang Rübsam is the handsomest organist:

 

Or visit: http://www.wolfsbarbershop.com

This is Wolfgang Rübsams homepage with nice pictures
of himself and his family, and some of his work as a hairdresser.