Hate Mail

I have no idea what that little brace of Duncan's Dunces were talking about, I didn't even know Duncan took piano lessons and if they think I'd be against someone trying to learn even one page of Beethoven's Sonatas - well, that's the kind of stuff that makes Duncan's Dunces dunces.

Why Duncan, who confesses he learned only part of a page of one of the Sonatas (I hope it was at least from Op. 10, not Op 49) feels like he could play them, well, we all have our fantasies.  Beethoven's Sonatas, even when they are relatively easy technically, are some of the most challenging in the repertoire.  As one of their greatest interpreters, Arthur Schnabel said,  it was music that was greater than could be played.  I have studied them and taught some of them, there are lots of them that I wouldn't have attempted in my best years and these days there aren't many of them that I'd even think of playing in a private recital. I don't have any problem with Duncan having his fantasy life over music but what he said is silly.  And I wouldn't have even read it if someone didn't flag what the dopes said about me concerning it.

I'm not that impressed with Ashkenazy's Beethoven playing.  Schnabel, of course was great, so have been Pariah, Kempf, Brendel, and so many others.  Rudolf Serkin is still my favorite Beethoven player though Russell Sherman's cycle has had a more profound influence on how I conceive of them than anything since hearing Serkin.  As always, even the things I thought were kind of nutty in his approach when I first heard him, he backed up with scholarship in the record of contemporary description of Beethoven's own playing.  I'm not sure that even Serkin and Schnable read those. 

Maybe the Sonatas are the hermitage I've been thinking of retiring to.  Though I'm still considering finding a cave someplace.  Can't keep a piano in one of those. 

As to the snark from the snobs about my state, read what I said about snobs yesterday.    It was New York's Senator who threw Franken under the bus as part of her presidential hopes.  I suspect Duncan has more of a chance of playing the Hammerklavier.

I'd give Duncan a lesson, if he paid me my full fee.  I only waive that for students too poor to pay or who are interesting to teach.  He can do one and I doubt he'd be the other.

Update:  I have to confess that they should never have let me know now much that bugs them.  Having wasted too many hours among them, before following the other adults who fled, leaving Eschaton to the perpetual jr. high population, I got their number. 

Update 2:  Geesh, I'd forgotten just how histrionic they are over there.  Happens with a bunch of attention seeking children, all that sturm und drang, they should be careful of that at their ages.  They might harsh Duncan's mellow.