John Ogdon - Living with Genius

[ahinton]

Maybe we were in the same uncertain territory with the Joyce Hatto drama-doc

But, even if so, that would be as far as any meaningful comparison could be expected to go, the two cases being entirely different.

[Lordgeous]

Those reports were true. I saw both pianos in their respective apartments, although the grand was in the basement and the upright (which was rented) was on the ground floor.

A nice photo of you in the recent book AH!

[ahinton]

A nice photo of you in the recent book AH!

Well, a photo, anyway!...

[johnb]

I've just come across this very thoughtful and sympathetic article by Andrew Clark in the FT. Worth reading IMO.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/7a0627b2-be48-11e3-961f-00144feabdc0.html#axzz33stJ96zy

[Richard Tarleton]

I've just come across this very thoughtful and sympathetic article by Andrew Clark in the FT. Worth reading IMO.

Indeed. A desperately sad programme just now. I haven't read the recent biog - but don't think I could. A chance to observe Brenda's body language - watch the narrowing of the eyes, the pursing of the mouth - as she blames everybody else.

[pastoralguy]

Indeed. A desperately sad programme just now. I haven't read the recent biog - but don't think I could. A chance to observe Brenda's body language - watch the narrowing of the eyes, the pursing of the mouth - as she blames everybody else.

Agreed. Just so very sad. A truly great man in an inhospitable world.

[Nick Armstrong]

Indeed. A desperately sad programme just now. I haven't read the recent biog - but don't think I could. A chance to observe Brenda's body language - watch the narrowing of the eyes, the pursing of the mouth - as she blames everybody else.

I'm just about halfway through, and it's a gripping watch, about an artist about whom I know too little. I haven't got to the sad times yet. But Brenda is an extraordinary figure, not necessarily in a good way, as one observes as you say her body language. Rodney Friend is a particularly compelling contributor.

But about 30 minutes in, what on earth is that circus of a performance of those wretched Franck Symphonic Variations?!? With Ogdon, solo, on an empty opera stage, and the orchestra down in the pit! And was that Karajan conducting?! What the hell was going on?!

[Mary Chambers]

Very interesting, very frightening. I never heard him play, but I remember hearing a lot about him and his terrible problems.

I do, wonder, though - I've often wondered this - if a performer can ever be called a genius. Doesn't a genius have to create things rather than perform them? The composer, not the performer of them, is the genius. The term seems to be applied when a performer appears superhuman, and perhaps that's right. I remember thinking Nureyev was a genius when I first saw him. Jacqueline Du Pre had an element of it, too. They seem possessed. Is there anyone like that now?

[Barbirollians]

Very interesting, very frightening. I never heard him play, but I remember hearing a lot about him and his terrible problems.

I do, wonder, though - I've often wondered this - if a performer can ever be called a genius. Doesn't a genius have to create things rather than perform them? The composer, not the performer of them, is the genius. The term seems to be applied when a performer appears superhuman, and perhaps that's right. I remember thinking Nureyev was a genius when I first saw him. Jacqueline Du Pre had an element of it, too. They seem possessed. Is there anyone like that now?

Argerich .

[johnb]

Very interesting, very frightening. I never heard him play, but I remember hearing a lot about him and his terrible problems.

I do, wonder, though - I've often wondered this - if a performer can ever be called a genius. Doesn't a genius have to create things rather than perform them? The composer, not the performer of them, is the genius. The term seems to be applied when a performer appears superhuman, and perhaps that's right. I remember thinking Nureyev was a genius when I first saw him. Jacqueline Du Pre had an element of it, too. They seem possessed. Is there anyone like that now?

Mary, the best I can do is to refer you to the last two paragraphs of the article in the FT that I posted a link to earlier. (I would paste the extract but the FT asks users not to do so.)

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/7a0627b2-be48-11e3-961f-00144feabdc0.html#axzz33stJ96zy

[Serial_Apologist]

Very interesting, very frightening. I never heard him play, but I remember hearing a lot about him and his terrible problems.

I do, wonder, though - I've often wondered this - if a performer can ever be called a genius. Doesn't a genius have to create things rather than perform them? The composer, not the performer of them, is the genius. The term seems to be applied when a performer appears superhuman, and perhaps that's right. I remember thinking Nureyev was a genius when I first saw him. Jacqueline Du Pre had an element of it, too. They seem possessed. Is there anyone like that now?

I would think jazz to be the field in which they are most easily to be found.

[Mary Chambers]

Thank you, John. I wonder if it's true he'd have 'gone nowhere' today? It's true he'd have been a marketing nightmare, but I think he might still have won competitions. Being 'physically in attractive' is less important, sadly, for a man than it is for a woman. There are quite a few physically unattractive performers around.

I know he did compose, but the bits I've heard of his work don't sound anything special to me. I doubt if his composing shows the 'genius' his playing does.

[Nick Armstrong]

Bloody odd presentation of the concert after on BBC 4 wasn't it? Odd soft focus on La Derham's particularly bouffante hair-do - it practically only needed a wind machine to complete the strange filmic effect - and an odd audience... and 4 DSCH Preludes and Fugues captioned of which we only got 2 (unless in the producer's mind 2 x Preludes and 2 x Fugues = 4 Preludes and Fugues )

Bit of a lash-up I thought.

[Mary Chambers]

. 'physically in attractive' .

Sorry. I meant 'unattractive', of course. Autocorrect didn't want me to say it.

[ardcarp]

Agree about the presentation of the Donohoe recital. The piano sound was a bit too direct, maybe, but I enjoyed his playing very much. I love those Shostakovitch P&Fs, even if we only got two.

Going back to the JO programme, indeed Brenda came over as rather scary. That sudden wide-mouthed smile was unsettling. OTOH, it is a demanding and sometimes frightening thing to care for someone with mental health problems. It takes its toll. We shall never know whether pressure from Brenda, JO's agent, or both, triggered the psychosis and depression which was probably latent in JO's personality.

BTW, that clip with Ogden on the stage and the orchestra in a pit was indeed extremely odd! Sometimes the material the producers had at their disposal was not joined up coherently...and there was a bit of 'cheating' with freshly made clips. But than goodness there was no idiotic presenter cavorting on camera.