Names to avoid, according to Ivan Hewett

[ShineyMcShineShine]

In an article in the Telegraph titled "The 168 best classical music recordings", http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/classical-music/best-classical-recordings/  the author, Ivan Hewett, wrote:

Names to avoid: Karajan, Ashkenazy, Kissin, Lang Lang, Maazel, Mrs Mills and Richard Clayderman. Forget you ever knew these people.

I understand this advice should be taken with a grain of salt, but I'm curious: why do these people deserve shunning? I know Karajan's style has fallen out of favor, but I've never heard the rest disparaged before. (In fact, I've never even heard of Mrs Mills and Richard Clayderman before.)

[Todd]

I know Karajan's style has fallen out of favor

With whom?  Certainly not the author, who cites Fluffy's Falstaff.

A quick perusal of the author's list shows a fairly conservative list.  (And really, Kovacevich in Grieg/Schumann over, say, Lupu?  Erich over Carlos in Der Rosenkavalier?  Bosh!  Flimshaw!)

[Brian]

As my pal Bugs Bunny would say, "What a maroon."

I also don't know who Mrs. Mills is. But even Lang Lang has his occasional virtues - I find much to like in his Chopin, for instance.

[(poco) Sforzando]

I also don't know who Mrs. Mills is.

I imagine Mr. Mills does.

[Todd]

I also don't know who Mrs. Mills is.

She's a competitor in the worst album cover category.

[(poco) Sforzando]

She sounds like an even funnier version of Liberace.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs_Mills

[ShineyMcShineShine]

With whom?  Certainly not the author, who cites Fluffy's Falstaff.

Perhaps I should have said that, in contrast to the rest, I've heard Karajan criticized more than once for being out of fashion.

[ShineyMcShineShine]

She's a competitor in the worst album cover category.

Apparently the Telegraph's readership is comprised of people who might still be listening to Mrs Mills?

[Brian]

She sounds like an even funnier version of Liberace.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs_Mills

"her stable-mates The Beatles, with whom she shared space at Abbey Road Studios"

Thanks for this link. I think, contra Ivan Hewett, it's time to celebrate Mrs. Mills for the totally unironic joy she must have given innumerable people. Why pick on someone like that? It's like a painting critic taking time out of his historical survey to mock Bob Ross.

[Todd]

Why pick on someone like that?

Because she's dead and he's not.

[(poco) Sforzando]

"her stable-mates The Beatles, with whom she shared space at Abbey Road Studios"

She sounds like a horse.

(Sorry, for once in my life I am really LMAO typing this.)

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

I'm sure Maazel has some good recordings out there...I haven't heard much stuff I really am fond of from Kissin but I don't know enough of his piano repertoire to make a well informed judgement. I don't think I've even listened to any complete work played by Lang Lang, so I can't say anything a both him....I also have no idea who Mrs. Mills is and I don't think I want to, but Richard Clayderman is someone whose music I wish I never heard.

Karajan is a conductor that I've listened to many recordings of, I don't consistently dislike his interpretations as some of his very early recordings are OK at best, but his Strauss is terrific in my opinion. Everything else sounds saccharine and imbalanced to me.

[The new erato]

Perhaps I should have said that, in contrast to the rest, I've heard Karajan criticized more than once for being out of fashion.

Fashion is exactly that, fashion. Stuff that once was out of fashion suddenly is in again.

[The new erato]

I prefer this:



Not to mention this:

[zamyrabyrd]

Name to avoid:
Ivan Hewett

[SimonNZ]

Name to avoid:
Ivan Hewett

Darn it...where's that "like" button?

At first I thought it was all meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but no:

"Late 20th-century composers you should profess to like: Boulez, Messiaen, Ligeti, Grisey, Birtwistle, Stockhausen, Xenakis, Berio, Dallapiccola. And those that you might actually enjoy: Messiaen, Ligeti, Rautavaara, Silvestrov, Adams, Reich, Glass, Copland, MacMillan."

Some remarkably terrible advice all the way through that article.

Is there another thread for criticizing his list of essential recordings?

[ShineyMcShineShine]

I prefer this:



Not to mention this:

I think I'd prefer Mrs Mills over R.E.M.

[Jo498]

The "problem" with Karajan is rather that until fairly recently (o.k. maybe more like 25 years ago) when you entered a record/CD store you were flooded with his recordings and many of them were also standard recommendations because he simply was by far the most famous conductor (alive or recently deceased). Some connoisseurs avoided them, of course, or at least were much more picky. And while I am everything but a Karajan fan (and for several reason I only "grew up" on a couple of his recordings) it also seems silly to avoid them on purpose. For Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Strauss one could probably do worse than get Karajan's recordings (one can usually also do better).

[The new erato]

I think I'd prefer Mrs Mills over R.E.M.

A favorite band with superb qualities.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

The "problem" with Karajan is rather that until fairly recently (o.k. maybe more like 25 years ago) when you entered a record/CD store you were flooded with his recordings and many of them were also standard recommendations because he simply was by far the most famous conductor (alive or recently deceased). Some connoisseurs avoided them, of course, or at least were much more picky. And while I am everything but a Karajan fan (and for several reason I only "grew up" on a couple of his recordings) it also seems silly to avoid them on purpose. For Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Strauss one could probably do worse than get Karajan's recordings (one can usually also do better).

Karajan was eccentric. He used recordings to build himself a monument so people can worship his ego.....

My bottom three conductors for Beethoven include Karajan, but there ARE two that I like less

3rd least favourite: Karajan (particularly for the 80s Beethoven)
2nd least favourite: Thielemann (reminds me of soggy bread for some reason)
Absolute least favourite: Maximianno Cobra (I simply cannot express in words how much anyone should avoid his Beethoven)