Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2002-10-12 03:37
One does not generally attend a football game while wearing a tuxedo nor dine formally dressed in a striped pullover shirt and athletic shoes. Of course, if one's goal is to draw attention to oneself, unexpected or counter-traditional action is a sure pathway to success Likewise, I would be both disappointed and miffed if I were to attend any performance to find that the unannounced interpretation offered is contrary to anything previously imaginable. For example, perhaps Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor could be done marvelously well in a jazz idiom, but please don't sell me a ticket to Bach and then spring something like *that* on me. I'd likely ask for a refund, hoping to get out of there before the organist could assume the opportunity to break into the Toccata from Widor's Fifth done in a country-swing motif.
Interpretation of any sort sometimes just doesn't make it. I recall having been somewhat disappointed when attending *Evita* during its initial run. The keynote song, "Don't cry for me, Argentina" seemed especially lacking. Later hearings of that selection also left me cold. But then, for the film, Madonna (one of my very least favorite contemporary "popular" performers) sang it straight. Pale, white sound, no heavy breathing, no tragedy projected in her voice, just singing the notes and words... and to me, for the first time, that music seemed packed with emotion. Because performing it straight allowed the (sometimes hard-to-find) artistry of the composer and author to emerge uncontaminated by interpretive "meddling." Now and then, fooling around with what's on the chart helps not at all.
My thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. And to you, michal, for starting it. This truly has been a great thought-provoking discussion.
Regards,
John
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