Hey -- if you love a great pianist, you can't do better than big H. I always wished to be at certain special concerts like Horowitz playing as Toscanini conducted. I did get one opportunity that I cherished which was a rendition of Shostakovich's 5th symphony conducted by his son. I love that kind of stuff. Also, I played with a summer concert orchestra that did Shostakovich's 5th so I knew every note by heart.

Yes! . she might have had the talent to start with a background in
Russian and make a mastery of English, but she was a rare one
in that and a few other regards, I believe. . I bought a steel
guitar, having always loved perfect pitch and the "bell" sound
of a well-played steel. . hard to move into artistry on one of those,
I am here to tell you!!! -- j
.

"and accuracy ARE wonderful." . computer error.

pianists study style and fingering and speed and a zillion other things
which blend into "rendition" for the rest of us -- another great
story, sir!!! -- j
.

Not at all. There have been some since, as great as Horowitz, but certainly, none better. Most people have no idea how hard those people work to attain their mastery. I knew a fellow who wanted to be a concert pianist, and he would practice until his hands swelled up and he had to soak them in salt water. With all that, he became very good, but not great. That's where the natural talent comes in. Which is why A.R.'s "Tabula Raza" doesn't always work.

Those old guys could teach the young up & comers a few things. Another great was Schnable. (Can't remember first name.) All his recordings were pre-hi-fi. I had recordings of his in 78 rpm in pure shellac. They didn't survive. Here's a Rubenstein story: A young violinist was attending a Rubenstein concert with two of his pianist friends. I believe the violinist might have been Mischa Elman. The young pianists were there to criticize Rubenstein for his "overly" careful exposition. After the 1st movement of the concerto one of them said, "That's terrible." Elman smiled and said, "Only for pianists."

One of our nearby neighbors invited me and my wife "over for dinner" some years ago.

Five distinct courses, each one preceded by a unique wine selection and followed by a unique 'palate-cleansing interlude.'

Absolutely fantastic, and we're very lucky we could even Walk Home after all that wine!

There is No Way we could have repaid them in kind, although later, when we did have them over to our house, I discovered that of the four of us, three of us self-identified as "libertarian."

That was a fine dessert, right there!

Yep, and that's me, too...

One of my co-workers once put it this way...

Alan, you're great at deciding "which hill to take," and I'm great at "taking the hill you point to.... but I HATE deciding Which Hill To Take and you're lousy at Taking A Hill."

He was spot on... we'd have been a wonderful team if our company and organization could have let us operate that way. They couldn't.

He quit and went elsewhere. I hung on for a while, then retired.

Life in The Big City...

You're only 'excess' if there's no one in the free market willing to buy your services.
If you were one of a thousand choices of "chef" in the Gulch, you'd have to be pretty damned good to stay in business... but the odds of having that many tough competitors is probably pretty slim.

Lately, as an aging retiree, I look at my wife's and my preferences for food and I see a Baby Boomer shift possible... to Easy-To-Prepare simple meals and Good Restaurants for great Dining Out.
Undoubtedly, many Gulchers would enjoy preparing their own meals... we've got several family friends who are wonderful at that! But our grocery store purchases have come to include a LOT more frozen veggies, and NOT the Family-Sized bags, either... even good leftovers get boring after a while :) .

So we'll let you know whether you're 'excess' or not... :)

and here's Chet:::

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsePs...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Svm_...

-- j
.

my identification with Richard Halley hung me up, I guess,
and I thought that -- given the stressful times in AS -- that
Horowitz' drive to totally dominate the piano and wring
the full range of legitimate sounds from it was that of
a Richard Halley-type performer. . projection, I know --
totally my fault. -- j
.

that's good! . can't top it. . I'll go listen to some Rubinstein. -- j

this is delicious::: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9QLi...
-- R with Reiner --

Rubinstein is definitely gentler with the piano than H, but his phrasing
and accuracy is wonderful. . I wish that I could find a Horowitz recording
of Rachmaninoff's pc2 to compare, side-by-side. . I have another
rendition . . . . . where;;; who??? . it is spicier.
.

Another story that yours reminded me of. The world series of 1945. I believe it was St. Louis & Detroit. Both teams were decimated with most of the good players in the military. After looking over the rosters, a sports commentator said, "I don't think either side can win." -- told by Dave Diles

now that's a good story! . H loved Wanda thoroughly
and must have had some amazing stories of his own --
and he was about 1 1/2 feet taller than Toscanini, it appears.

your story reminds me of a general foreman in our big
machine shop at the manhattan project k-25 plant who,
on a morning when it had snowed heavily, remarked,
"They ain't enough people here to piss out a match."

he was a card. -- j
.

I will go back and listen to R some more, thinking of your points here.
like Rand, though, I fell for H when I first encountered him
and have never strayed. -- j
.

OK.
I won't try to compare them, but Rubenstein's phrasing and exposition are a revelation, that was adopted by many who came after him. However, I am not one to judge. It's like trying to compare Mozart and Beethoven, Both great, but very different.

Horowitz's father-in-law was Toscanini.
You reminded me of an event in my life that I think you'll appreciate. When I was a student at Wayne University in Detroit, it was about a mile down the street from the Masonic Temple Auditorium which was where the Detroit Symphony performed as well as guest orchestras, ballet companies, and other cultural events. I had a job ushering there one weekend per month. I didn't get paid but got to see & hear all the great performances that happened on my weekend. Toscanini and the NBC Orchestra was going to perform there and I mentioned to my English Prof. who was a young guy, that I could probably sneak in to the rehearsal since everyone knew me and no one would stop me. Toscanini was known never to allow anyone into his rehearsals. That never stopped me, either. So picture this: My Prof. and I crawling down the carpeted aisle of the plush auditorium, and squeezing in to the raised seats so only our eyes and top of heads were visible in the darkened auditorium. They were rehearsing Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov. I never realized that Toscanini was so small. He was barely 5 feet tall and he wielded a baton almost as big as himself. The trumpet player missed his entrance. Mr. T. glared at him and said, "Again." The trumpet missed again. T is barely controlling his fury. "Again." By this time the trumpet player must have been flustered and he missed the note. Toscanini exploded. Standing on his tip-toes, he pointed the baton at the poor trumpeter and shouted, "If those valves were on fire, wouldn't piss on them!" Of course, me and my friend burst out laughing. Toscanini turned and looked into the auditorium. I swear lightning was flashing from his eyes. "Out! Out!" he shouted. and we sheepishly exited as quickly as we could without running.

oh, sir, I prefer Horowitz by a large margin -- he made the
piano his instrument of passion, his tool of instruction and
destruction -- the potential in the machine came out in its full glory!!!

Rubinstein, in comparison, was a mild-mannered piano servant
who entertained with plinks and plucks ... he never made the thing
work for him, it seemed to me. . In My Humble Opinion. -- j
.

Vlad the piano impaler.
Horowitz was superb. 2nd only to Artur Rubenstein, but I'm in pretty rarefied atmosphere and which performer is a better performer is up for grabs.

check this out, if you have the time -- Horowitz:::

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PKLL...

-- j
.

A guy that can cook for 50 faster and better than I can cook for myself is a man that frees me to pursue the work in which I excel. Love you man.

Amen.

Chef, I think that you have an idea, now, that your talent
is well respected here. . Welcome, and bon appétit!!! -- j
.

at design? . those who can see a design falling into place
before the numbers are crunched are few and far between!!! -- j, mechanical PE, retired
.

like Chet Atkins playing so "effortlessly" or Vladimir Horowitz
putting Rachmaninoff to shame, on his own work -- it's
amazingly easy, it seems. . May The Chef Be Praised!!! -- j
.

While I share Robert Heinlein's view that "specialization is for insects," I'd much rather enjoy a dish prepared by an expert in culinary skill than have to prepare and eat my own meals. I think I might come closer to uselessness than you, for sure.

I'm an engineer, but not the craftsman sort. When I lay hands on tools, the effort can be catastrophic, worthy of Tim the Tool Man. My "skill," such as it is, is having an instinctive insight into whether or not a design is going to work properly, and advising how to make it work as intended. I've been told I think of engineering more like an artist than a "real" engineer, since I don't pay attention to the math, focusing on principles and the entire system, rather than concentrating on details. Would there be a place in the day to day activities of the Gulch for someone like me?

My only saving grace is that I'm a pretty good shot.