This is a delightful introduction to a wonderful piece by Mozart. And it's also a reflection on art in general and the notion of artistic completion. I really liked the way you connected your discussion of the Fantasy in D Minor and the Alice Neel painting. I had to share a quote from this passage.
Thanks for sharing the links to the three performances of the piece. Great for an evening's listening!
Glad you enjoyed! This was definitely one of my favorite essays to write to date. Making connections between Mozart and Neel made my heart soar, and I love asking big questions without having to provide comprehensive answers. 😂
Michael! Per usual I went down the rabbit hole (even YTing someone breaking down all the sections as he practiced for his exam). Including three interpretations was a MUST in your piece. I have so many thoughts!!
Though Fazıl Say, I could see why some enjoy the Major measures, the delight, like sun drops falling into his outstretched hand. You also witness the mastery it commands of the pianist!
But then, listening to Mitsuko Uchida I hear something much different. It’s in the almost nervous catch of those 32nd notes in the second/main motif. The piece becomes almost literal and a story unfolds. There’s initial anxiety, followed by waves of hesitation, then pushed violently aside by the toll of fixed determination... all leading up to the Big Scene where the character has to bite the bullet and perform someone else’s story (like walking on stage in a play or clicking “present” in a PowerPoint ha!!) Once the scene is over, however, the self doubt returns and it’s the left and right hand (brain) exchange, wrestling with whether or not that performance was any good. The final resolve is no resolve. “It is what it is and it’s behind me now.”
Finally, Ólafsson’s interpretation takes the most somber route and it’s absolutely gorgeous. I had to laugh at the one commenter who was like “The opening is Adente!” To which someone replied “ok boomer” 😂😂 But it led me down the aforementioned hole to learn more about the tempo (as well as the dynamics) because there is LOT of both going on in this piece. So much so that it opens it up to the subtle, but identifiable range of interpretation. Full circle. It’s like, maybe some people prefer Leonard’s to Jeff’s “Hallelujah” and we Jeff fans have to throw up our hands and say “To each his own!”
Finally, finally, your inclusion of Alice Neel’s work just gave your whole piece that extra delicious layer of frosting. While I do appreciate the storytelling in Uchida’s style, Ólafsson’s interpretation is mesmerizing in that it’s beyond the brain. It’s weather... you feel it on your skin but it’s hard to explain so you might as well let it wash over. Sometimes we need only a glimpse and the rest we feel instead.
Thanks for this most excellent way to wind down my Sunday night! 💙
Oh, Katie — this deep dive you took makes my heart soar!
You've hit the nail on the head with this one. The combination of the fantasy's free form and the fact that Mozart didn't apply any dynamics, tempo markings, or style notes to his manuscript means every performer has the chance to put their interpretive stamp on the work. It was so wild during research to listen to dozens of recordings and hear that no two artists perform the work in the same way. Endless possibilities for listening pleasure! (Also, love that you brought up Jeff Buckley, one of my favorite voices in the world. Funnily enough, he's going to make a cameo appearance in the next piece I publish here!)
The imagery you offered about Ólafsson's interpretation is so well said. It does feel as if the music slowly enters our being, first as chills on the skin before we become one with the energy of the sound he creates.
Glad I could help you end your weekend in a place of calm and curiosity!
AH!! I'm stoked we're riding the same wave!! And can I just give a shoutout thankyou to Wolfgang — wherever his spirit may dwell — for letting this piece exist as an uncut gem for the brave souls who dare to approach it differently? Oh, and as I thrive in synchronicity city, today I listened to "Lofi" Classical and *of course* Fantasia in Dm is on the playlist. Speaking of Sync City... Jeff Buckley, seriously!?! Unreal! And two weeks is now EXTRA long!! Hahaha! Well, I'm sending you all the juicy keystroke luck. Until then, my friend!!
You bring back great memories of playing that clarinet concerto! What a wonderful piece and fascinating and apt comparison to Neel’s portrait. I like it “unfinished” as finished. And I think it’s the reason I also enjoy the Icelandic recording you include. Uchida’s more subtle finish is also a beautiful mysterious ending. But I agree that the unresolved tension is a way to make the music’s sound and ideas both last a little longer with the listener. I’ve shared this with my professional pianist friend to see what she makes of it. Thanks for a great read, Michael!
I’m glad you enjoyed, Kathleen! I, too, was a clarinetist and loved spending nearly two decades working on Mozart’s fabulous works for the instrument. (Playing his Clarinet Quintet at a little church on the Williams College campus on a sunny June afternoon was one of my favorite performance experiences in my short-lived career.)
Isn’t that recording from Vikingur so arresting? I love the atmosphere and sense of spontaneity he brings to the work. Thanks for coming along for the musical journey today!
This is a delightful introduction to a wonderful piece by Mozart. And it's also a reflection on art in general and the notion of artistic completion. I really liked the way you connected your discussion of the Fantasy in D Minor and the Alice Neel painting. I had to share a quote from this passage.
Thanks for sharing the links to the three performances of the piece. Great for an evening's listening!
Glad you enjoyed! This was definitely one of my favorite essays to write to date. Making connections between Mozart and Neel made my heart soar, and I love asking big questions without having to provide comprehensive answers. 😂
Thanks, as always, for being here, Dennis!
"Or is Neel's portrait a complete work of art, in that it speaks to the fragility of life, the countless unknowns that shape the human experience? "
I loved this part
Thanks, Caryn — so glad that resonated with you.
Michael! Per usual I went down the rabbit hole (even YTing someone breaking down all the sections as he practiced for his exam). Including three interpretations was a MUST in your piece. I have so many thoughts!!
Though Fazıl Say, I could see why some enjoy the Major measures, the delight, like sun drops falling into his outstretched hand. You also witness the mastery it commands of the pianist!
But then, listening to Mitsuko Uchida I hear something much different. It’s in the almost nervous catch of those 32nd notes in the second/main motif. The piece becomes almost literal and a story unfolds. There’s initial anxiety, followed by waves of hesitation, then pushed violently aside by the toll of fixed determination... all leading up to the Big Scene where the character has to bite the bullet and perform someone else’s story (like walking on stage in a play or clicking “present” in a PowerPoint ha!!) Once the scene is over, however, the self doubt returns and it’s the left and right hand (brain) exchange, wrestling with whether or not that performance was any good. The final resolve is no resolve. “It is what it is and it’s behind me now.”
Finally, Ólafsson’s interpretation takes the most somber route and it’s absolutely gorgeous. I had to laugh at the one commenter who was like “The opening is Adente!” To which someone replied “ok boomer” 😂😂 But it led me down the aforementioned hole to learn more about the tempo (as well as the dynamics) because there is LOT of both going on in this piece. So much so that it opens it up to the subtle, but identifiable range of interpretation. Full circle. It’s like, maybe some people prefer Leonard’s to Jeff’s “Hallelujah” and we Jeff fans have to throw up our hands and say “To each his own!”
Finally, finally, your inclusion of Alice Neel’s work just gave your whole piece that extra delicious layer of frosting. While I do appreciate the storytelling in Uchida’s style, Ólafsson’s interpretation is mesmerizing in that it’s beyond the brain. It’s weather... you feel it on your skin but it’s hard to explain so you might as well let it wash over. Sometimes we need only a glimpse and the rest we feel instead.
Thanks for this most excellent way to wind down my Sunday night! 💙
Oh, Katie — this deep dive you took makes my heart soar!
You've hit the nail on the head with this one. The combination of the fantasy's free form and the fact that Mozart didn't apply any dynamics, tempo markings, or style notes to his manuscript means every performer has the chance to put their interpretive stamp on the work. It was so wild during research to listen to dozens of recordings and hear that no two artists perform the work in the same way. Endless possibilities for listening pleasure! (Also, love that you brought up Jeff Buckley, one of my favorite voices in the world. Funnily enough, he's going to make a cameo appearance in the next piece I publish here!)
The imagery you offered about Ólafsson's interpretation is so well said. It does feel as if the music slowly enters our being, first as chills on the skin before we become one with the energy of the sound he creates.
Glad I could help you end your weekend in a place of calm and curiosity!
AH!! I'm stoked we're riding the same wave!! And can I just give a shoutout thankyou to Wolfgang — wherever his spirit may dwell — for letting this piece exist as an uncut gem for the brave souls who dare to approach it differently? Oh, and as I thrive in synchronicity city, today I listened to "Lofi" Classical and *of course* Fantasia in Dm is on the playlist. Speaking of Sync City... Jeff Buckley, seriously!?! Unreal! And two weeks is now EXTRA long!! Hahaha! Well, I'm sending you all the juicy keystroke luck. Until then, my friend!!
You bring back great memories of playing that clarinet concerto! What a wonderful piece and fascinating and apt comparison to Neel’s portrait. I like it “unfinished” as finished. And I think it’s the reason I also enjoy the Icelandic recording you include. Uchida’s more subtle finish is also a beautiful mysterious ending. But I agree that the unresolved tension is a way to make the music’s sound and ideas both last a little longer with the listener. I’ve shared this with my professional pianist friend to see what she makes of it. Thanks for a great read, Michael!
I’m glad you enjoyed, Kathleen! I, too, was a clarinetist and loved spending nearly two decades working on Mozart’s fabulous works for the instrument. (Playing his Clarinet Quintet at a little church on the Williams College campus on a sunny June afternoon was one of my favorite performance experiences in my short-lived career.)
Isn’t that recording from Vikingur so arresting? I love the atmosphere and sense of spontaneity he brings to the work. Thanks for coming along for the musical journey today!
Sounds like a wonderful concert at Williams. Such a beautiful campus