Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site zehntel.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!zehntel!zinfandel!berry
From: berry@zinfandel.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: (Classical) Note-perfect but dull pe - (nf)
Message-ID: <1458@zehntel.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 4-May-84 04:29:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: zehntel.1458
Posted: Fri May  4 04:29:13 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 7-May-84 00:27:00 EDT
Sender: berry@zehntel.UUCP
Organization: Zehntel Inc., Walnut Creek, CA
Lines: 30

#R:olivej:-16100:zinfandel:8500030:000:1091
zinfandel!berry    May  1 16:26:00 1984

Like Greg Paley, give me a performance with life, breath, energy,
fire, emotion or whatever any time.  

Rubenstein, for instance, hit whole handfuls of wrong notes all the time,
but his concerts sold out and his albums go like hot-cakes.  (well,
for a classical album).

I was once priveleged to participate in the West Coast Premiere
of Olivier Messiaen's "The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus
Christ", with Kent Nagano conducting the Berkeley Symphony and the
Contra Costa Chorale in Davies Hall in San Francisco, May 28, 1981
(I have the poster on my office wall -- well OK, on my cubicle partition).
Kent said he wanted to do this with the Contra Costa Chorale (with
which I was a first tenor at the time) not because we were technically
excellent, but because we showed more musical excitement than many
so-called 'better' groups.

Did it work?  Was the performance good?  I will always treasure the
memory of Maitre Messiaen standing in the wings as we filed off the 
stage, tears in his eyes, saying "Bravo choro -- bravo choro".

After that, the applause meant nothing.


--berry