Keeping mistakes

[distantfieldrelative]

An artist should know which mistakes he makes he should keep.
If you play an Alkan etude in a very new way and the reception is very bad, do you realize you made an artistic mistake or do you play it the way you want to play it?

Obviously if someone dislikes how you play a passage then it is no problem. But if everyone says the same thing, do you accept that maybe the way you played is "without taste".

How do You decide which mistakes you keep?
When do you draw the line and no longer give in to popular opinion regarding a piece or passage?


(If you think that you never yield to popular opinion you need to stop lying to yourself)

[adodd81802]

What are your thoughts on Glenn Gould. Often given questionable performances on the one hand and on the other a genius interpretor of Bach. He hummed during his playing, had a ridiculous chair and posture and scolded his hands before performances.

Do you think he yielded to any opinion other than his own? and yet he still got an audience.

[distantfieldrelative]

I thought his interpretations were magnificent. I still think that his Goldberg Variations are unequalled.
The WTC are both marvelous and the standard for me personally.

That being said, his odd behavior and habits are of no concern. Whatever people need to do to get what they want from the instrument, that is theirs to worry about.

But that doesn't really matter. The music matters and when Gould plays somthing at half tempo and everyone applauds why is it that he is loved? How do musicians like him decide when to no longer yield to popular opinion?

[klavieronin]

I think it's important to be honest. If your interpretation is what you truly believe sounds best then you should keep it not matter how it is received (you just have to accept that nobody agrees with you). On the other hand if you come up with a Gouldian interpretation in order to get people's attention, that seems a bit dishonest to me. I suppose if people like it though there's no reason to stop.… who knows? Just thinking out loud… sorry.