Posted by Jim Andrada on July 17, 2002 at 16:49:12:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: John Williams Tuba Concerto posted by Anthony on July 17, 2002 at 11:51:40:
Well, well, well.
As expected I seem to have stirred up a few folks with the "cutesy ranking system".
I can hardly think that saying someone has superb or outstanding technique is a cheap shot, by the way.
And I think I clearly used the word OPINION - everybody's will differ, I hope
But I think the point,as Anthony and Rick seem to clearly realize, is that musicality and technical proficiency are two different things.
Both GOOD THINGS to be sure, but DIFFERENT things.
And why did I use my wife as a reference? Well, because as a tuba operator (not much of either musicality or technique) myself I tend to be blown away by technique at times and forget that it's about music. My wife, on the other hand, is inherently unimpressed by large brassy sounds so she's a more critical, albeit perhaps more opinionated, listener.
And as to whether we have the right to state opinions, I think there can't be any doubt. We spend a lot of time and energy and $$$ listening to music, both live and on CD, we both put in a lot of rehearsal and performance time, and we're pretty serious about it.
Over the years we've listened many times to Yo Yo Ma, both in person and on recordings, and I think (opinion!) that he illustrates this - in the earlier years we were both astounded by both his virtuosity and musicality, but recently we're not so impressed - it's as if (in our opinions!) his mastery of the instrument was so complete that his interests turned in other directions (a la the electric cello)in order to challenge himself. So much of classical music lies in restating the works of others and after a while I think this must, to the true superstars at least, become in some way confining, leading them to branch out in other directions.
Which is fine - but as listeners we don't necessarily want to branch out in these same ways, so our interests diverge and impressions of musicality diverge. We still respect the technique, we just lose our desire to listen to it.
So in some sense musicality and technique are sort of independent variables, technique perhaps more subject to measurement, quantification, analysis, musicality to opinion, feeling, emotion.
And each peformer (at least those who are capable of both) have to make their own call as to which to emphasize.