Posted by Andrew Cockburn on September 22, 19100 at 05:52:00:
In reply to: Re: Mr. Taylor & G. D. Madge
posted by John Gavin on September 21, 19100 at 18:27:23:
: : Since my teen years I have been a Godowsky enthusiast. I would seek out any and every score and recording of his music. Having said that I must say that Mr. Madge simply doesn't possess the technical equipment to properly convey Godowsky's intentions. Without fear of exageration I can say that his recording of the Grande Sonata in E Minor is simply shocking in its inadequacy, inept pedaling, and ill-prepared fingers. The Triacantameron is perhaps somewhat better, but not much. : I'm sorry to have to be so negative, but his Chopin Studies set cost $60 dollars, and that's simply too much money to throw away. : With fabulous pianists like Hamelin, Budjiardo, Libetta, Grante, and Scherbakov tacking these works, there is no reason to settle for anything less. I am interested in the comments which have been made about the Godowsky Sonata. It was my good fortune to hear this wonderful work played (when I was in my 'teens) many times by maestro Paul Howard. It has left an indelible impression. I was delighted when I saw that the work had been recorded, but was profoundly dismayed by the result. Madge's performance is, unfortunately, a travesty. Apart from the glorious Suite for Left hand alone - which Godowsky considered, along with the Passacaglia, "my most mature compositions" - the Sonata is one of the most neglected of his works. This seems a pity, as it contains some marvellous music. But it is a long and complex work. Perhaps Sherbakov, or Grante, of Libetta could do it justice. (I;ve heard that Hamelin doesn't like it: shame.)
: : In response to Mr. Taylor's posting (#221), I would think it is the responsibility of anyone devoted to Godowsky's cause to warn others of such gross misrepresentations as Madge's recordings. Other site visitors, who had not heard the Madge CDs, had inquired about them, and a frank exchange of views is clearly one of the purposes of the bulletin board. Since when is a commercially-released product immune from legitimate criticism? And regarding Nyiregyhazi [note the correct spelling], Mr Taylor's remark has unfortunately backfired: the International Piano Archives at Maryland (IPAM), of which I have been curator since 1993, was not involved in any way with the production of the Nyiregyhazi recordings. These were undertaken over 25 years ago by an entirely separate entity known as International Piano Archives, Inc.