Life goes on, it's Friday afternoon and it's high time we had a Friday Historical from one of my pianistic goddesses, Dame Myra Hess. Here is some all-too-rare film of her: this was recorded at one of her National Gallery Lunchtime Concerts during World War II. It will soon be time for the National Gallery's annual Myra Hess Day and I'll post more details nearer the time.
2 comments:
Quite wonderful. I recall her pupil and incomprehensibly overlooked pianist, Stephen Kovacevich, talking about the video and commenting particularly on the power of her left hand, and generally the enormous technique which, like Solomon, she preferred not to have front and forward, where the music should be. I've never understood the occasional murmuring that she was somehow lacking in technique and power. I well recollect one reference to her as a 'feminine' pianist, the implication being playing of a delicate sort. I ask you, does she look like the delicate sort? Anyone who holds these views should listen to her concert performance of the Brahms second concerto with the NYPO and Bruno Walter, available on IDIS (and in the Naxos Music Library. Naxos is, by the by, now the distrutor for EMI and Virgin, and they are now busy adding all their catalogues to the NML. They estimate that it will take three months to upload EMI alone. There are already many wonders waiting to be streamed.)
A little tip. The NML now has about 55000 discs on about 300 labels, many of which issue remastered recordings from...I'm not going to use 'The Golden Age', but you know what I mean. So many CDs and so many historical wonders, it's a bit overwhelming. If the annual subscription is beyond you -- and for many these days, it may be -- here is what you do. Go to the Toronto Symphony website (tso.ca). Sign up for their e-newsletter, which comes about every six weeks, and then accept their invitation to sign up for Beethoven on Demand. When you sign in to BoD, you'll find yourself in the Naxos Music Library. Gave me a shock. The TSO has an arrangement with Naxos, this is free, and it may be the best bonus to be found on the internet.
How marvellous to see and hear her. What an artist.
Thank you.
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