Cesar Cui - good composer or harsh critic?

[stevie]

this dude was hilarious, he wrote the most scathing reviews of other people's music and this implies that 1 of 2 things are possible -

1 - he was actually a great composer and everyone else sucked

or

2 - he sucked, and was jealous of everyone


his critique of rachmaninov's 1st symphony is particularly famous, he described it as a musical depiction of the plagues of egypt(which for some reason, i think would sound cool) and this ruined rachmaninov's confidence and made him deeply depressed and self-critical. he did recover and go on to compose his 2nd piano concerto..but his music was less and less as heart-on sleeve as it once was( his most overtly emotional music are his piano trios, i feel)

so cui, ruined his career, stopped him from being even greater? or was this depression the very reason his music was so good? cui was a blessing in disguise?

in any case, cui was a funny looking bald grumpy man, who happened to be hilarious, but was his music any good?

[Barbosa-piano]

Cesar Cui made just "plain music", some of it good, and some not that special. I like some of his 25 Preludes for piano, especially the first one, Allegro maestoso. I don't know why he made those reviews... But I will tell you, Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances where written at his older age, as it is evident in his memoires, and they are filled with expression. But Rachmaninoff's first symphony is great, inspite of that stupid review and Glazunov's being drunk during the performance.

[stevie]

i completely agree, especially about the 1st symphony, but when i say that rachmaninov's music got less heart-on-sleeve, i only mean comparitavely to his earlier music, he was still of course very emotional.

[Barbosa-piano]

 Now I understand, and agree in a way, Rachmaninoff also described on his memoires that he wouldn't compose a single line, after the concert life, and constant moving. He said: "I just don't feel like it". Maybe because he was cut from his supply, the inspiration of Russia. This is relative, for example, everytime he was in a place that he felt confortable and inspired, he composed very great music, such as the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, he composed it after moving to a house by a beautiful lake in Switzerland. He said, because of the wars, having to move around, cut him from the places that sustained him. I guess that makes sense.

[00range]

Great artists through the centuries have been plagued by leeches, it sounds like Rachmaninov was no exception.

[stevie]

i also think schumann was disgustingly critical of alkan's op15.

[jas]

I don't know much about Cui, beyond the Russian Five thing, but something I have always wondered is how you pronounce his name. Anyone know?

Jas

[pianiststrongbad]

you pronounce his name as if it were spelled Cwee I believe.