Posted by JoeS on January 21, 2003 at 16:11:31:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Vaughan-Williams Concerto with Jacobs posted by Jay Bertolet on January 21, 2003 at 15:29:54:
Of course it's me. Look at the ISP. And I'm not ashamed of anything...except perhaps some of the humor that I used to deal with a couple of other posters' mis-directed rage.
I still suspect that you and Dale are confusing your warm-fuzzy feelings for Arnold Jacobs (I have warm-fuzzies for Mr. Jacobs, too.) with the quality of that recorded performance. And if I might address both you and Dale in this post, there are amazing recordings of (again) violinists, pianists, etc., etc., etc., from well before the mid-1970's. I hardly find the date of the recording to be a valid excuse or apology. As to the advancement of tubas over the past quarter century, I've played a few Besson 4V comp F's over the years and they are easy-to-play nice little tubas...again, more excuse-making. Roger Bobo's first l.p. ( ' talk about an F tuba that could be used as an excuse) came out well before the Jacobs Vaughan Williams recording...as certainly did Bill Bell's l.p. Is Dale really saying that the intonation and technical errors in the Jacobs recording are because of recording techniques and lack of development/advancement in the instrument?
Mr. Jacobs was a very fine player. Though his style was strange by today's standards (his "signature" fp thing at the beginnings of sounds followed by intense vibrato) it is quite obvious from listening to the "Portrait of an Artist" stuff (some of which I've heard long ago on old recordings) that as a young and middle-aged man Mr. Jacobs was a virtuoso-level player. The decision to record a concerto for a major label as an aging player was his . Once done, the recorded performance is subject to criticism, regardless of how well he once played, how nice, how generous, how influential, and how historic was his career. Having listened to my formerly-owned copy a handful of times, it's not a recording that I would care to hear again. No man, regardless of their legacy, scores a bullseye in every pursuit. The late Arnold Jacobs' career stands up just fine - including this recording - without 21st century apologists, regardless of whether these apologists truly admire the concerto recording or whether they just feel uncomfortable blurting out that it is less than great.
Be ashamed if you like. I also don't like one of my old grey suits. You have my permission to be ashamed of that opinion also.