Let's talk music, no genre boundaries

@mahgister @frogman 

As I have told you, I have little formal education in music. It seems to me, however, that a number of "modern" conductors change the timing of music to enhance its lyricism and power. By lengthening some notes and shortening others, as well as silences between notes, they find interpretations that are often more "romantic." 

Although there are composers like Carlos Klieber (recognized by other conductors as perhaps the best conductor of the 20th century) who stick to the score with rigorous timing, but somehow enhance a piece of music to its utmost. Kleiber's recording of Beethoven's Fifth is a good example. His timing seems to my ear to be exacting, yet you cannot find a classical forum that does not list him as one of the best, if not the best, conductor of Beethoven's Fifth. I have also found this to be true of Karl Bohm. I have a record set of him conducting Mozart's later symphonies and also Beethoven's 6th. He is the only conductor whose 6th I enjoy as much as Bruno Walter's.

I have read that different historical periods produce different types of musical interpretations. I have seen a number of performances, as well as owning a number of recordings, by musicians who "deconstruct" a musical score and reconstruct it with very "modern" interpretations. I have heard Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla, (whom I believe will be one of the 21st centuries great conductors) tear apart Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and produce something which I wouldn't have recognized, at least in some passages. 

I have a boxed set of Fazil Say playing Mozart's piano concertos and he changes timing and dynamics in drastic ways which to my ear convey the "story" that I think @mahgister was talking about.

Hopefully @frogman will weigh in.

Save some miraculous exceptions, there is no perfect interpretation...

But my point was that music exist when a musician interpret it...

Musical work are resilient and able to support many interpretation perspectives...

The main point is listening to the musicians not to a dead corpse ( written score)...

Not enough time to give the subject its due, but, a couple of thoughts:

There is a (mistaken) tendency on the part of many music lovers to be too quick to deem a particular work, performance, performer, or conductor the “best”, “greatest”, “most soulful”, etc. without keeping matters in perspective and context. Think about it, many of the great works being discussed are a direct product of societal/political forces at play at the time of the composition, or performance.  That is what artists do.  Their work is an expression/reflection of the time, with all of the societal/political forces at play at the time.  So, to judge a work or performance through a more current lens only is a necessarily incomplete judgment and ultimately pointless.  A performance that is “more romantic” is not necessarily a good thing.  The works of Shostakovich, for instance, with all the turmoil in the world at that time are seldom “romantic”; nor should they be.

BTW, while “timing” is a very important element of “interpretation”, it is only one factor.  Instrumental balance, tonal color, dynamic detail and contrast are every bit as, sometimes more, important choices that a great conductor coaxes from the orchestra to make a great performance.

Sorry to be so brief.

@frogman 

Thank you for your input. It really puts things in perspective. The two conductors I know best are Essa-Pekka Salonen and Gustavo Dudamel, both of whom have been music directors and principle conductors of the L.A. Phil. They are quite different, but I like them both. 

When Dudamel first arrived in L.A., everygody was excited. My first impressions were that he had tremendous enthusiasm and vigor. In comparison, Salonen seemed to have more control. As Dudamel has been with the L.A. Phil longer, I am beginning to hear the inner color he develops. When he conducted The Firebird (entire ballet), with which I was very familiar, I could really hear his control over all the instruments. He still produced a vigorous Firebird, but the tonal color and dynamic detail were also obvious to me. Because I do not play a musical instrument, and I have not studied music theory, it takes a long time for my ear to pick up on things like that. Thanks again.

@audio-b-dog 

For those who have said they do not enjoy Beethoven, I am posting his most lyrical symphony, his 6th, Pastorale. 

Very nice. I wonder if it's available as a standard redbook CD. Will look...