Classical Performers: Has/did their music evolved or stayed a single course?

[Bogey]

What performers, pianist or others, have you seen evolve over the years and which, to you have held a single course.  For me, Anne-Sophie Mutter is one where I enjoyed her earlier work more and as she moved through her career I felt she became a bit unbridled with her playing and I found I did not enjoy her as much. 

[DavidW]

Klemperer slowed down over the years.  When he was moving at a decent clip, his performances were top notch.  I think that his late recordings are just way too slow, they are for die-hard fans like Sarge!

Harnoncourt went through a phase of opulent, rich, romantic performances that don't fit with the style before and after that phase.  I like him when he is true to his HIP roots.

[Mirror Image]

I agree with Bogey about Anne Sophie Mutter. I think she did some great things early in her career and she still has performed the best version of Berg's Violin Concerto that I've heard, but lately, I just don't hear anything remotely worthy to make an investment in. I don't like the direction Paavo Jarvi is going in and he has produced many lackluster recordings (most notably on the Telarc label). His early work with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra is some of the best work I think he's done so far. But Paavo is still young, so he has time to improve. Gustavo Dudamel has been very disappointing to me in core repertoire like Mahler and Tchaikovsky, but give him a piece of Latin American music and he works wonders with it. Young violin phenoms like Hahn and Fischer are still evolving and have made many great recordings. I think Gil Shaham is becoming creatively stale. He started off quite strong and his recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is still a fine performance. His Korngold was also quite good. Joshua Bell seems like a joke to me at this point. It's almost as if he's becoming a parody of himself. Leila Josefowicz continues to evolve and become more and more involved in contemporary and 20th Century music. I like where she's going. I really wish oboist Albrecht Mayer would do some 20th Century oboe works. He seems like he's stuck in a single mode right now, but he's still young and his career could go in many directions.

There are so many....

[Bogey]

Who seems to be holding serve to me is Hilary Hahn.  I thought she and Joshua Bell would be on the the same path that MI pointed out above.  However, I would not mind having any efforts on her part, where as Bell I do not care for either.

[DavidW]

I strongly disagree on P. Jarvi, MI.  I think that his Beethoven symphony recordings are the finest in recent years (well his lvb 9th could be better).

[Brian]

I strongly disagree on P. Jarvi, MI.  I think that his Beethoven symphony recordings are the finest in recent years (well his lvb 9th could be better).

MI isn't much of a Beethoven fan or he'd definitely agree with us, Dave.

The evolution of Daniel Barenboim has been a most interesting thing.

And I'll go ahead and join the Joshua Bell Un-Fan Club. I heard a clip of his Sibelius on the radio recently and came to the conclusion that, though he has the star power to manipulate the music as he pleases with portamenti and invented dynamics and new phrasings, he does not have the good taste required to do so well. I was really put off.

[DavidW]

The evolution of Daniel Barenboim has been a most interesting thing.

As conductor, pianist or both?

Bernstein comes to mind as changing.  His early recordings on Sony sound heavily influenced by Toscanini.  He's lean and mean.  His later recordings on DG sound much more relaxed.