After any major war, civilization changes. And that includes music. Think of the difference between the music of the pre-French Revolutionary War -- Mozart -- and of post-French Revolutionary War -- Rossini -- or the difference between the music of the pre-Great European War -- Mahler -- and of the post-Great European War -- Stravinsky. And so it was before and after the Second World War: think of the pre-war pianists -- Hoffmann, say, or Cortot -- and the postwar pianists -- Leon Fleisher in America or Julius Katchen in ...
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After any major war, civilization changes. And that includes music. Think of the difference between the music of the pre-French Revolutionary War -- Mozart -- and of post-French Revolutionary War -- Rossini -- or the difference between the music of the pre-Great European War -- Mahler -- and of the post-Great European War -- Stravinsky. And so it was before and after the Second World War: think of the pre-war pianists -- Hoffmann, say, or Cortot -- and the postwar pianists -- Leon Fleisher in America or Julius Katchen in England. Out were less than polished technique and ruminative interpretations, and in were super-virtuoso technique and streamlined interpretations. Take for example this four-disc collection of Julius Katchen's recordings of Beethoven's piano concertos, Choral Fantasy, Diabelli Variations, and Opus 111 Piano Sonata. Katchen's technique is flawless, his tone is brilliant, his rhythms are clipped, his tempos are fast, and, compared with pre-war performances, inflexible. For some,...
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