Posted by donald manildi on September 20, 19100 at 15:22:09:
In reply to: Re: Donald Manildi On Geoffrey Douglas Madge
posted by J. Brent Taylor on September 18, 19100 at 00:54:10:
Mr. Madge will no doubt be pleased to discover that someone, after 11 years, has finally stepped forth with something positive to say about his recording of the Studies.
The mere fact that Madge requires 226 (count 'em) minutes to painfully plow through the same music that Hamelin easily manages in 153 minutes should be a sign that something is seriously wrong. Madge, in fact, could not "reduce the music to technical stunts" if his life depended on it. The main concern here should be Godowsky's tempo preferences, not the pedalings or fingerings (how could anyone tell whether Madge observes the latter?) The fact that Madge plays a 1928 Steinway is irrelevant. The difference is not one of approach, it is one of simple pianistic capability (or lack thereof in Madge's case). One might also legitimately ask why anyone ought to bother with a recording that is "far from ideal"? It will be interesting to see if Mr Taylor still stands up for Madge after he gets around to hearing the Hamelin version.