Too Many Notes
Benjamin Zander, 79, the British-born musical director of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, says orchestras play Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony wrong. Generally, they play the symphony, which “some” regard as “the greatest symphony ever composed,” Zander says, way too slowly, taking about 100 minutes to play it when it should be played in about 80 minutes. Beethoven’s clearly specified tempo instructions shouldn’t be “taken literally,” he insists, and he intends to issue a recording by London’s Philharmonia Orchestra that’s more faithful to what the composer “intended” — 80 minutes. He plans to include a recording with that album explaining precisely why he has sped up the various parts of the symphony. That recording will be 160 minutes long. (RC/London Telegraph) ...Which most any other conductor could explain in about 20 minutes.Original Publication Date: 22 April 2018
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 24.
This story is in True’s book collections, in Volume 24.
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