Author: Bobo
Date: 2008-05-29 15:59
Drew, it's a good theory - that oboists who don't like Holliger's sound are envious of his overall virtuosity - but I must dissent! It's not surprising that non-oboists without the pre-conditioning we oboists have would be more receptive to Holliger's tone - they are rightly evaluating the whole package as opposed to analytically dissecting his strong and weak points. I have read somewhere that brainscans of professional wine tasters show all kinds of analytical regions of the brain lighting up as the taster separately evaluates all the structural components of a wine - acidity, fruitiness, tannin content, finish, etc. The amateur taster apparently has a much blunter response - the pleasure center either lights up or not, but the analytical faculties of the educated consumer are not brought into play. Now, I would be the first to argue that the professional's tastes shouldn't necessarily be held in higher esteem than the amateur's. After all, wine and music are there for enjoyment as much as anything else. When it comes to the oboe, I find myself shuffling the deck as to who I am most appreciative of at any given time - an oboist I'm blown away by one day may seem less impressive on a relistening (and vice versa) - temporal context is crucial! The environment changes, we change... But envy as a negative influence doesn't come into it in the least for me...in fact, I am most envious of the oboists who in my perception of the day seem to have the total package, so it's quite the other way around. For the record, on this particular day, that would be Izotov, Mayer, Klein, Daniel...on the other hand, come to think of it, I've never heard Izotov play a baroque piece and I don't know whether Daniel is a great ensemble player, so you never know! And I'm a bit more critical of Klein than I used to be since I've come to the conclusion that he is not consistently amazing. I am, however, in awe of all of them and treasure their recordings (though not uncritically). Holliger? Right now, I'm not feeling so envious...but that could change!!
Post Edited (2008-05-29 16:01)
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