Weissenberg: Rachmaninoff: THE LINER NOTES!

[ramseytheii]

In the liner notes to Weissenberg's Preludes recording, he is interviewed a bit and says among other things,

"There are artists who are extroverts, whose warmth and enthusiasm are contagious.  The audience sits back and does not have to do a thing.  Other artists draw the audience toward the stage.  I believe the audience should participate as much as possible.  A performer should leave the last measure of emotion to the audience; this makes his performance more interesting and dramatic."

It's a good description and I can imagine a lot of pianists who fit both moulds!  But what do you think he means, about leaving "the last measure of emotion to the audience."  He certainly isn't referring to playing objectively; he was far from an objective pianist.  It reminds me obliquely of this description of Chopin performing Beethoven's op.26:

"How did Chopin play Beethoven's op.26?  He played it well, but not so well as his own compositions; neatly, but with no contrasts - not like a romance, mouting from variation to variation.  His mezzo voce was a whisper, but he was unapproachable in his cantilena, endlessly finished in coherency of construction - ideally beautiful, but womanish!..... as we drove back together, I was quite sincere when he asked my opinion.
'I indicate,' he remarked, without any touchiness - 'the listeners must finish the picture.'"

Any ideas?

Walter Ramsey

[henrah]

And here's LangLang making classical music more accessible by overtly showing his emotions.

I think the Rachmeister has a point, and so does Chopin. It is up to the audience to make the music played what they want. After all, it is art, and art is what you make it.
Henrah

[ramseytheii]

And here's LangLang making classical music more accessible by overtly showing his emotions.

I think the Rachmeister has a point, and so does Chopin. It is up to the audience to make the music played what they want. After all, it is art, and art is what you make it.
Henrah

But Weissenberg was suggesting there was a way of performing that invites the audience to provide te final piece of the picture.  What is that?  Of course, whether you have a performer of the first type he mentions or the second the people are going to "make of it" whatever they please, but still, how can a performer actively leave a piece for the audience to complete.  Was he, after all, referring to objectivity?

Walter Ramsey