We started by recognizing our own critical baggage, then listened to the music – compared his performances to other pianists – and by the end, arrived at two clear points of view, but left plenty of questions to ponder. Instead of a traditional review, I've called in two experts – Anne Midgette, chief classical critic at The Washington Post, and pianist Patrick Rucker, a critic for Gramophone magazine – who sat around a table with me to explore ideas far beyond the perfunctory thumbs up or down judgement. With such a long hiatus – and Pogorelich's track record – the release demands a certain critical wrestling to the ground, in terms of his once-lauded genius, and of broader questions, including where performers draw the line between artistic freedom and obligation to the composer. 22 and 24) and Rachmaninov (Sonata No.2, revised version). Now, at age 60, the mercurial artist is releasing his first album in 21 years, a recording of piano sonatas by Beethoven (Nos. In 2006, New York Times critic Anthony Tommasini closed a Pogorelich review by saying: "Here is an immense talent gone tragically astray.
Blessed with a dazzling, seemingly effortless technique and a searching mind, the pianist routinely gave eccentric performances, pulling familiar music out of shape. He told one journalist he could get a review just by cleaning the dust off his piano.īut Pogorelich became polarizing. With a brooding pout, movie star looks and a high-powered record deal, Pogorelich was an instant celebrity. Naturally, the dustup helped launch his career.
In 1980, when the 22-year-old whiz kid from Yugoslavia failed to reach the final round of the International Chopin Competition, the revered pianist Martha Argerich, who declared him a "genius", stormed off the jury in protest. National Public Radio, US - August 22, 2019Ĭontroversy has seemed to follow pianist Ivo Pogorelich at every move, even from the beginning.
0 kommentar(er)
