musical anecdotes

[cziffra]

This is a post for interesting anecdotes featuring pianists or other less significant musicians

On the Planets' debut album, Classical Graffiti, producer Mike Batt introduced a 60 second silence as a divider to set off the CD's twelve proper tracks from four remixes, entitled it "A One Minute Silence" (in homage to John Cage's famous modernist silent work 4' 33", composed in 1952), and credited the track to "Batt/Cage." The Planets were a resounding commercial success.
"Then one day, after the record had been on the charts for two months, I was sitting with my mother on our patio," Batt recalled. "My secretary brought in a letter from the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society, or the M.C.P.S., whose job it is to collect and forward royalties. It informed me that my silence was a copyright infringement on Cage's silence."

The letter went on to note that an initial payment of some four hundred pounds had been made to Peters Edition, the publisher which administers the Cage catalogue.

"I roared with laughter," Batt recalled. Still, he acknowledged the potential severity of the situation. "The Planets are very successful," he explained, "and the final amount could be tens of thousands of pounds, or more. It turns out it was worth fighting for."

The fight?

"In a decision that would have delighted Cage, the two parties agreed to meet and play their respective silences in front of an audience. This summer, in a rented London recital hall, Batt conducted the Planets in a performance of 'A One Minute Silence.' Then Riddle introduced a version of 4' 33" played by a young clarinettist. 'The Cage piece was first performed on a piano — the piano lid was raised and lowered to signify movements — but the clarinettist did a fine job, playing with a kind of theatrical gravity,' Batt said.

"Afterward, Batt and Riddle debated the legal intricacies. The tone was gentlemanly but firm. 'This is intellectual property that needs protecting,' Riddle said. 'I can see Mike's side, but I think he should see our side more clearly. He is a creative artist — he has a vested interest in a system that protects creative work — so in some ways he's sawing at the legs of the very stool he's sitting on.'

"Riddle added that whenever 4' 33" was recorded by other artists, as it had been in 1993, by Frank Zappa, for a Cage tribute album, full royalties were paid."

Batt later released 'A One Minute Silence' as a British single and further irked Riddle by registering hundreds of other silent compositions, ranging in length from one second to ten minutes. "I couldn't get four minutes and thirty-three seconds, obviously, but I got everything else," he remarked.

Indeed, notable among his registered copyrights are 4' 32" and 4' 34". "If there's ever a Cage performance where they come in a second shorter or longer," he enthused, "then it's mine."

[Update: "John always said the duration of his piece may be changed," Riddle later remarked, "so The Planets' piece doesn't escape by virtue of its shorter length." Batt's reply? His silence is different - because it was digitally recorded: "Mine is a much better silent piece. I have been able to say in one minute what Cage could only say in four minutes and 33 seconds."]

[cziffra]

wow!  how popular is this post!?

[eddie92099]

I like the idea of this thread, but have so many anecdotes to tell. I will start with just the one, fresh in my mind since I just watched Barenboim's Schumann Concerto. He was playing it in a concert once and the orchestra started when he was not ready in the first movement, so he mucked up the opening passage a bit. In the second movement, he thought he would get back at the conductor and started with those four chords before the orchestra were ready. Needless to say since then conductors always checked that he was ready to go,
Ed

[bernhard]

In 1947, Katharine Hepburn played Clara Schumann in Clarence Brown's Song of Love (a film based on the lives of Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms). When Hepburn learned that Brown planned for her to fake Clara Schumann's playing at a wooden piano (with Arthur Rubinstein supplying the real music for the soundtrack) she was not amused. "Nonsense!" she exclaimed. "What's nonsense?" Brown asked. "The idea that I'm going to pound at some goddamned keyboard," Hepburn replied. "I'm going to play a real piano. Rubinstein can carry the bulk of the works, but I'm going to lead in with the first few bars, and I'll bet nobody knows the difference!"

[Hepburn, having worked with a professional musician for several weeks, was proven right. "That woman is incredible," Rubinstein later remarked. "She actually does play almost as well as I do. And when she ends and I begin, only I in the whole world could tell the difference."]

*****

One night after a rehearsal with the London Symphony Orchestra, Andre Previn retired to the Westbury Hotel bar for a drink with the soloist.

Seeing a young American composer whose work he admired, Previn beckoned him over and ordered him a drink. "I heard your orchestra a few nights ago," the young man remarked. "It sounded absolutely marvelous. It was the night Beethoven's Sixth was played in the first half."
Oh, God," Previn replied, "that was the night Pollini was supposed to play the Fourth Piano Concerto in the second half, and he cancelled, and we were stuck with one of those last-minute substitutions, that really appalling third-rate lady pianist. I'm really sorry you had to suffer through that."
"That's all right - I didn't mind," the young man replied with an icy nod. "That pianist is my wife."


*****

The famous German conductor Otto Klemperer who was making records for the Vox company was complaining to its director George Mendelssohn, a descendant of the composer, that he could not find any of his - "That can't be" - Mendelssohn answered. - "I will take you to the biggest record shop downtown and you'll see by yourself".

They both arrive at the shop. Klemperer asked a shop girl Beethoven's 5th symphony conducted by Klemperer. The shop girl looked at the records and said: "I am sorry. I have it by Toscanini, by Walter, by Furtwaengler but not by Klemperer". Then Klemperer turned toward Mendelssohn and shouted: "You see, I never can find any of my records in the shops and it is the same thing everywhere in the world". He turned toward the shop girl again and said: "You are stupid, you must have records by Klemperer, they are wonderful records and I am Klemperer myself". Then the shop girl thinking she was dealing with someone more or less insane said to him: "Oh yes, and your friend must be Beethoven". Klemperer shouted: "No, you are stupid. He is Mendelssohn!

****

Karajan, Furtwaengler and Boehm sit together and talk. "Yes, my friends, it's quite clear, I am the best conductor" Furtwaengler says. "Wait a minute" Boehm replies. "Yesterday I had a dream. God pointed at me and said: "You are the best conductor of all times". Karajan then says: "I beg your pardon but I never said that".

[thracozaag]

I like the idea of this thread, but have so many anecdotes to tell. I will start with just the one, fresh in my mind since I just watched Barenboim's Schumann Concerto. He was playing it in a concert once and the orchestra started when he was not ready in the first movement, so he mucked up the opening passage a bit. In the second movement, he thought he would get back at the conductor and started with those four chords before the orchestra were ready. Needless to say since then conductors always checked that he was ready to go,
Ed

 Graffman told me a story once ( I think it's in his book) about playing the Rach 2nd concerto with Ormandy.  In the 2nd movement, towards the end, there's a passage that ends in a rather long trill before the orchestra joins in.  Graffman asked Ormandy if he could have some extra time on the trill.  Ormandy gave him a funny look, but nodded. (Graffman was just starting out, I think this was his first performance with Philly, and Ormandy was well, Ormandy).  
 In the performance Graffman got to the trill, got the extra time, and looked up towards Ormandy to signal the orchestra to come back in, only to see Ormandy blissfully looking away towards the heavens.  In a panic, Graffman continued trilling, built the crescendo back up and down, then desperately looked towards Ormandy again, who then thankfully brought the orchestra in before Grafmann's arm fell off.  

[liszmaninopin]

This is a site that has some amusing little stories and anecdotes about composers:

https://www.geocities.com/ilian73/composers/index.html

[bernhard]

Good site!
Thanks.