Musical performers to avoid

[Barbirollians]

I rather agree. The only time I've seen her live was in Die Schöne Müllerin with Ian Bostridge. She drew far too much attention to herself one way and another, with face-pulling and also mouthing (probably singing) the words. She was enjoying herself, but she wasn't being considerate towards the singer or the audience. It was very off putting.

Was that at Snape ? I was there that night and decided in the end to close my eyes and then I enjoyed it enormously !

[gradus]

Argerich, whose speed and effortless virtuosity comes first too often (imv), I remember her putting the Schumann concerto to the sword at the Proms a few years back.
Leif Ove Andsnes gave one of the least engaging piano recitals I have attended a couple of years ago at Snape, no doubt he's a fine pianist but it put me off bothering to hear him again. Contrast with the magnificent Steven Osborne who had performed at the same venue a week earlier and held the audience rapt throughout.
I'm afraid I don't like the sound of the Lindsays in their Beethoven quartet recordings, something about the leader's vibrato that grates. Whereas I am a fan of the Belceas!
Callas in her later recordings was awful but in her earliest work wonderful. No votes for Emma K here either.
Squeezebox effect string playing once common on hipp recordings.

[Barbirollians]

Callas seems to have had two modes when it came to talking about her female colleagues/peers - patronising (Sutherland) or bitchy (Tebaldi). That's when it wasn't open war (Cossotto). All to distract from her own vocal inadequacies.

That sounds pretty bitchy RT !

She had a point about Tebaldi in my opinion.

Now who was saying Argerich is too fast - fighting talk . Try her Kinderszenen surely one of the very finest on record.

[Barbirollians]

Argerich, whose speed and effortless virtuosity comes first too often (imv), I remember her putting the Schumann concerto to the sword at the Proms a few years back.
Leif Ove Andsnes gave one of the least engaging piano recitals I have attended a couple of years ago at Snape, no doubt he's a fine pianist but it put me off bothering to hear him again. Contrast with the magnificent Steven Osborne who had performed at the same venue a week earlier and held the audience rapt throughout.
I'm afraid I don't like the sound of the Lindsays in their Beethoven quartet recordings, something about the leader's vibrato that grates. Whereas I am a fan of the Belceas!
Callas in her later recordings was awful but in her earliest work wonderful. No votes for Emma K here either.
Squeezebox effect string playing once common on hipp recordings.

All so personal isn't it

1 I remember that Schumann concerto - absolutely thrilling from first bar to last - I have an off air recording somewhere must dig it out

2 Steven Osborne very good in some repertoire but a performance of the Beethoven Piano Concerto No 5 I heard last year on Radio 3 was much the worst I have ever heard .

3 Emma Kirkby a complete star

Agree about those scratchy Lindsays though.

[Richard Tarleton]

That sounds pretty bitchy RT !

Miaouw!

Agreed re the sainted Emma

My only problem with the Lindsays is/was Mr Cropper's hideous facial expressions - I love them on disc!

[Stanfordian]

Hello gradus,

I never thought that I would ever hear someone mention Martha Argerich in the same breath as the term 'Musical Performers to Avoid'. This must be a wind-up?

In truth I'm not especially comfortable with this topic for slagging-off performers. There are two or three performers that I would not pay to see again but I usually try to adopt the view that one man's meat is another man's poison.

[Mary Chambers]

Was that at Snape ? I was there that night and decided in the end to close my eyes and then I enjoyed it enormously !

No, it was at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. Perhaps I should have thought of closing my eyes, but I wanted to watch Bostridge - though that can be a mixed blessing!

[amateur51]

Hello gradus,

I never thought that I would ever hear someone mention Martha Argerich in the same breath as the term 'Musical Performers to Avoid'. This must be a wind-up?

In truth I'm not especially comfortable with this topic for slagging-off performers. There are two or three performers that I would not pay to see again but I usually try to adopt the view that one man's meat is another man's poison.

At last!

If I may ...

[Padraig]

Hello gradus,

I never thought that I would ever hear someone mention Martha Argerich in the same breath as the term 'Musical Performers to Avoid'. This must be a wind-up?

In truth I'm not especially comfortable with this topic for slagging-off performers. There are two or three performers that I would not pay to see again but I usually try to adopt the view that one man's meat is another man's poison.

I can go along with this.

[Bryn]

At last!

If I may ...

Indeed, and so sad to find a number here who seem wedded to the sickening ubiquity of orchestral string vibrato (yuck!) from which the great Sir Roger Norrington seeks to liberate the music of Mahler, Elgar et al. There is so much greater emotional depth in his reading of the final movement of Mahler's 9th than there is in any of the modern wobbly finger brigade.

[Petrushka]

Indeed, and so sad to find a number here who seem wedded to the sickening ubiquity of orchestral string vibrato (yuck!) from which the great Sir Roger Norrington seeks to liberate the music of Mahler, Elgar et al. There is so much greater emotional depth in his reading of the final movement of Mahler's 9th than there is in any of the modern wobbly finger brigade.

It's all entirely personal but I couldn't disagree more with this if I tried.

[Ariosto]

I saw him often - solid and competent I'd say. John Pritchard, his predecessor with the RLPO had more flair IMO.

Sometimes plain is OK though, and I think there are some decent recordings by Groves - they won't make your hair stand on end, or have you leaping from your chair, but that may not always be appropriate.

He was quite a nice bloke, but boring as a conductor. I used to fall asleep when playing for him.

[Ariosto]

Decided that this is a bit too negative and in any case as far as conductors are concerned ... it's not worth mentioning.

[Don Petter]

In truth I'm not especially comfortable with this topic for slagging-off performers. There are two or three performers that I would not pay to see again but I usually try to adopt the view that one man's meat is another man's poison.

I rather feel the same way. There have been concerts with performers or conductors who have really disappointed, but it may have been an off day for them and without further sampling, which has not happened, I am loath to name and shame in a thread like this.

Recordings, of course, give wider scope for personal condemnation, but then, as you say, it's the old poison syndrome.

[richardfinegold]

I rather agree. The only time I've seen her live was in Die Schöne Müllerin with Ian Bostridge. She drew far too much attention to herself one way and another, with face-pulling and also mouthing (probably singing) the words. She was enjoying herself, but she wasn't being considerate towards the singer or the audience. It was very off putting.

I think she just gets overcome with enthusiasm because she lives and breathes the music. I attended the Marlboro Festival in rural Vermont a few years ago.
She and Richard Goode are the current Festival co directors. Her performances wee characterized by many of the traits (?faults?) that have been mentioned in this thread, but what impressed me about her the most was when she wasn't playing. She would sit in the audience with the rest of us, utterly absorbed in the music, and rush the stage after a performance to share her enthusiasm with the performers, virtually trampling anyone in her path. I don't think it is intentional rudeness, just complete absorption in music. I stopped watching her face and just concentrate on the music with my eyes closed, and none of that should be an issue with (audio only) recordings. Her Schubert Impromputus are marvellous.