Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2017-04-13 04:16
Karl, I was thinking in terms of individuals' temperaments. Some people are keyed tighter than others, and it is reflected in their personal style of play. They aren't uncontrolled in projecting something other than they intended, but they do take risks, both technical and musical, and sometimes audibly push themselves right along the edge of disaster. Listeners rarely hear their playing as "effortless". Often these artists are controversial, and "rushed and frantic" might in some of their performances be apt descriptors.
I'm somewhat familiar with classical pianists. Three pianists who often have displayed the kind of nervous temperament I refer to come quickly to mind: Horowitz, Cziffra, and Argerich. They've all been frequently accused of rushing and/or nervously energized playing. Among clarinetists, Martin Frost; though he's certainly capable of fully controlled "effortless" playing, whenever I've heard him do it he was not as interesting as when he allowed is wilder temperament free rein.
On the other hand, there are many great musicians whose temperaments tend much more toward control in every dimension. They do sound like their playing and interpreting is effortless and natural. In their performances, everything necessary is there and perfectly proportioned, and that's it. Pianist Artur Rubinstein and clarinetist Robert Marcellus (the little I've been lucky to hear of him) were like that.
I'm glad there's such disparity. I'd never advocate against developing control in every aspect of playing. But neither, if an individual is by nature fire rather than ice, would I want them to hamper themselves.
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