To be A Connoisseur

The Wall Street Journal has a very nice profile of David Dubal and his program "Reflections from the Keyboard":


""Where else, within a six-minute span, can you hear a movement of Schumann's 'Carnival' played by Rachmaninoff, Cortot, Hess, Arrau, Godowsky and Michelangeli?" asks Mr. Dubal, rattling off some of the greatest names in the history of piano playing. "Each one is so different it's hard to believe--some reflect the passionate side of Schumann's character, some the Apollonian." Read the rest here.

This is something I think I a lot of piano devotees do at home: listen to lots of recordings of the same work. Dubal is an excellent guide thru the literature and history of pianists. Dubal raises some interesting points (though I'm not sure I agree completely with his assessment of pop music).

You can hear Dubal's program online over WQXR's webcast here.