Posted by Richard on May 30, 2001 at 19:19:41:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Pictures posted by to each his/her own ... on May 29, 2001 at 18:56:14:
I managed to follow him ok when I had the great good fortune to work with him as a young player. Certainly Stokowski was not a "conventional" conductor, and one has to ask on some occasions, "is that what he really FEELS, or is he faking it?" And we'll never really know for sure. But one thing we CAN be sure of is that Stokowski played a major role in establishing the very high standards of orchestral playing for which this country's orchestras are known. First in Cincinnati, then in Philadelphia, with an influence that carried over to that generation's students at the Curtis Institute, and later in New York, with various orchestras that he founded with young players, and by guest conducting and recording on a global scale. And he did it by placing very high demands on his players, wide dynamics, molto espressivo (and it had to be the appropriate expression - even crudity if THAT was appropriate) and no toleration for pedestrian playing.
I'm not a Stoky worshipper, and some of his interpretations and transcriptions are downright hokey and unidiomatic to thier sources. But it has to be recognized that in the pre-Bernstein era, it was Stokowski who drew audiences to classical music, and expanded the audience beyond the society dragons of the day. He tirelessly promoted new music. And he knew how to get an orchestra to sound and to play beyond itself. He certainly was controversial, but he was a great and highly communicative performer who always delivered.
Any other readers of this bbs play under Stoky? If so, please speak up.