This BLee “bpslee” review is a sad piece of pianistic ignorance. First, Rachmaninov never called Simon Barere a genius: actually, the great Russian composer-pianist is on record criticizing his compatriot for “equating tempi with speed itself”. Second, to say that Barere was a superior technician to Horowitz borders on the grotesque. Technique is much more that mere digital speed, Barere’s strong point. However, Horowitz’s digital fleetness was on a par with Barere’s and was much better controlled, and Horowitz used it only when he felt the music needed it. Take, for comparison purposes, Barere’s famous recording of the Schumann Toccata, Op. 7 from the 30’s. He certainly dashes off quicker than anyone else, but in the middle-section octave fireworks and in the climactic run at the end, Horowitz, in his first (monaural) recording, is FASTER than Barere (if you don’t believe me, time the versions). The same goes for Scriabin’s Etude Op 8 n° 12, where Horowitz out-speeds Barere in the more virtuosic passages. And in terms of independence of hands, equality of finger and ability to juggle complex polyphonic strands, Horowitz was far superior to Barere, as witness his ultra-complicated transcriptions of Liszt’s Hungarian rhapsodies. Barere was never capable of equalling such level of tightrope acrobatics. And, last but not least, there is the matter of sound. Horowitz’s dynamic range and tonal control, not to mention his portentous sonority, simply put Barere to shame. For this, just compare Barere’s 1947 rendition of Chopin’s Ballade in G minor, Op. 23 with Horowitz’s recording of around the same time: it’s the difference betwen a black-and-white picture and a colour one.
amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de … 8&v=glance
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH DIZ IZ REVEALED
but, da FACT dat da BARRIZTAHZ REC iz on DIZ MOFZ WISHLIZT sayz mo den diz entire review
it impliez dat - diz mofo HAZNT EVEN TRULY HERD DA BARRIZTAH
n da diz mofo iz SEEKIN OUT DA LEGENDARY RECZ, in spite of hiz random GOD-LYK RESPEC FO DA HO
