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Beautiful Sound: Where did it go?

February 3, 2010 at 11:54 PM

 I rarely attend live concerts because I  am almost always disappointed. I don't listen to many modern recordings of string soloists for the same reason..

Well I tried last night. I went to an all Brahms program at the local music school. Three star faculty members (including two BIG names) performed sonatas and the c minor trio. 

The pianist is very accomplished and the program was clearly a tour de force for him. But the violinist and the cellist were huge disappointments. Every thing was grunting, squeezing and groaning. The violinist, in particular, made me think that he was having a severe case of cramps. (His gestures didn't cause me to think otherwise but if I had been blind folded I would not have thought differently. 

The hall seated no more than 300 but both string players flexed their bows into the string as far as they would flex. The violin was bruised and beaten and couldn't do anything but groan. 

If my intention was to single out these players I would name them but I am afraid that they represent the best of modern playing. They received a standing ovation from the capacity audience. But only those who are caught up in modern violin playing could have thought it worth listening to. I can't imagine that an ordinary non-musician would have been even slightly charmed. 

On the way out I ran into a graduate wind student acquaintance. Didn't I love it? No. I replied there was no tone made all evening. She looked at me like I was crazy. She doesn't know scraping and sawing from tone. What have we come to?

When I arrived home I put together this list of links to real violin playing. 

Greetings,

I know exactly what you mean and I find it profoundly inexplicable.   I actually have to compartmentalize a greta dela of the time.  What I mena by this is that if I am listening to one of today`s acknowledged greats I have to focus attention on what is marvellous and enjoy that.  But the worst thing I find then is to go awya and listen to Perlman,  Huberman,  Seidel,  Milstein or even Perlman or whatever soon after.  The modern player soudns thin and boring in comparison and i include in that even plauers who are said to have a massive sound.

What is the cause?  idle speculation points me at among otehr things, synthetic strings . Of course they are beautiful at times but to my weary ears they do lack a range of color and complexity and even what Milstein called `ugliness.`  Ther eis no uglineess (or character) ther eis only a monotonous `beauty `  or a note that isn`t sounding.

Or maybe we just can`t hear things anymore.  We are so inunndated with @ggod@ but not great things that it all starts to sound the same?  Perhaps modern players are just too busy to sit down and refelct.  In the old days many greta palyers took months off every year to prepare a more limited repertoire for the coming year,  or they went to Malboro and played under Casl`s baton.....

I console myslef with a few modernb players who seem to get it but they are few and far between. That may actually have been true in the old days too.

Weldschmertz,

Buri

 I think that there is a lot to what you say.

I also think that the ignorant imitation of Jascha Heifetz is another of our modern failings. Heifetz was a great player but he didn't pass his art along and people who listen to him and try to reproduce his sound (i.e. most modern players) don't have a clue. But no one tries to imitate Kreisler, Elman, Thibaud, Ysaye or the other tonal wonders of the violin. They probably don't because there is no possible way to learn it just by listening unless everyone around you played that way. 

Many thanks, Corwin, for these wonderful links, which in turn led me to many others. A treasure indeed!

"I rarely attend live concerts because I  am almost always disappointed. I don't listen to many modern recordings of string soloists for the same reason."

and I thought I was alone in this...enlightened to find that I am not

We are so wrapped up in modern violin playing that I don't think we see it with outside eyes. I think if Fritz Kreisler were around today he would think that the violin playing he heard was closer to this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awYlLATPFB0

than anything he ever did.

Virtuosic, amusing but not violin playing.

 Thanks for the youtube recordings!

I have two or three modern idols and a lot more "oldies".  I know what you mean so much and as a 21 year old, it'a shame I don't want to like more "modern players".  Sure some would say it's a crime to complain when I can't do what they do but I don't see it like this.  Many people with good ears aren't even able to play anyway. 

My hypothesis from my 'listener's" and scientific (well I mean observations) point of vue

- the shoulder rest... Yes some manage just find with it. But I noticed that the players before vs after the shoulder rest don't have the same built, the same look.  Much more varieties of people have been able to play with the rest (which is good in itself!!!) but we lost the ideal "ergonomy" of violin playing. The principles and techniques with which these old masters played. Much more tension today... On the down side in that era, a significant portion of the population were excluded because they "physically" couldn't play.  (notice the uniformity in the short bucked up necks of the old players and very often big hands/arms).   

- the strings.  Even my mom and non-musician relatives at my amateur competition last week commented on these caracteristics from me: more power, more sweetness and darkness, better tone,  resonating (sure I'm not telling it was perfect).  Imagine if gut strings do this even for novices what it can do for pros... The minute I put them, I noticed my violin had more of this "golden tone" but though I was crazy. The downside...  it was slightly out of tune and the tempeture gaps between the stage and backstage almost made me died...

- the mentality and social behaviours. People are so so obsessed with beeing good at a young age. They prefer a shaky student with an hard piece.  People all want to be more powerful than the neighbour.  Why not be powerful to serve beauty... (as the old masters). Otherwise, this boxing round will sound awful.  I hate when the players sound as if they were fighting an agressive dangerous beast. 

- The teaching have become so commercial. The master/apprentice old fashion way of learning was nuch better. I and many many students take 1 hour lesson per week but I know it's a joke really.   To master something like violin you should spend way more time with your teacher, playing-practicing-analyzing etc 

- the show.  Why is it that today's artists must make a "show". Isn't it ennough to have to have talent, they must in addition be cool in interviews, sexy, young and dance while playing.  I think it's beeing too demanding to ask for all this!!! They have to cut somewhere to achieve all this no???  Again I'm sure a good proportion of talented violinists nowadays get eliminated if they don't have posses the "extras" I talked about. In the old days, a significant higher number of players didn't posses all these "extras" and were still highly famous and admired.  

Well it's just my two cents.

Anne-Marie

Wonderful composers, where did they go?

ok ok I'll save you from this one this time but I think it too!!!

Anne-Marie

 We live under the tyranny of facility. He can do it and you can't so shut up. And because he can do it what he does is good.  I am with you Anne-Marie. I don't like it and I will say so.

In my grandparents day many families had Fritz Kreisler recordings. Some one sang a setting of The Old Refrain at my grandfather's funeral after he passed away at age 101 in 1996. The Old Refrain may be based on a Viennese tune but it was made popular in America by Fritz Kreisler's setting (much more than an arrangement) which morphed into many things. That kind of violin playing was very popular and even non-violinists loved it. I don't think non-violinists care much for modern violin sound. They may enjoy classical music generically but the average person who just likes a good tune is not interested in the sound of modern playing.

"They may enjoy classical music generically but the average person who just likes a good tune is not interested in the sound of modern playing."

exactly and the same for almost atonal compositions that are suppose to be music either. Oups I said I wouldn't interfere with this ; )

Anne-Marie

There's sometimes an aggressiveness to contemporary playing I find disturbing.  It seems to be a contest to see who can play a piece the fastest and who can break the most bow hair in the process.  A couple of years ago I saw one of the biggest names around in recital.  The player sped through the Beethoven Kreutzer Sonata at a tempo that completely destroyed the structure and intelligibility of the piece.  And yes, the stage was littered with horsehair afterward.  A couple of contemporary pieces fared better.  Perhaps they were written in a way so that this pervasive style of playing didn't destroy them.

On the other hand, I saw Gidon Kremer play a few years ago, and it was one of the most enjoyable recitals I've seen.  No fancy clothes, no antics, just great intelligence and beauty that night.  His bow hair all stayed intact, too!

 I consider every hair broken a failure of my bow technique.

HAve you tried Zukerman? I had the opporunity to see a masterclass of his and a concert.

Everything he talked about was meant to enhance the sound. no superfluous, extraneous motions, and his playing really showed it. Just the sound of a few measures of the walton viola concerto he demonstrated on the violin floored the whole audience and was stuck in my head for days.

Perhaps, zukerman is not completely consistent, but when he's on, i think his sound matches up with anybody.

Do you know of a living player who can make this sound?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91XsUZyC0N4

or this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMt-NmkU8OY

I cannot be drawn into a discussion of specific moderns..

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