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Bruce Brubaker on all things piano

Marshall Plan

October 18, 2010 by Bruce Brubaker

MARSHALLLOGO.jpgWilliam Kapell, Van Cliburn, Glenn Gould, Leon Fleisher, Gary Graffman, Jacob Lateiner, Eugene Istomin. These were among post-World-War-II American piano ambassadors. In the 1930s and ’40s, so many artists, scientists, and intellectuals came to America. Then, in the ’50s, these American-trained, fresh faces went into the world to reread the Classical music canon, part of the accidental urban-renewal of European culture.

What happened next? To most of these musicians, harsh accidents and disabilities. The change in geopolitical climate, and the perception of the United States in particular. And the rise of the brave art future of Europe itself.

The usefulness of this Marshall Plan of piano playing was short-lived. So much so that by the end of the 20th Century, a leading German manager could ask me, “Can an American really play Beethoven?”

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: America, glenn, Glenn Gould, gould, Graffman, Istomin, Jacob Lateiner, kapell, Lateiner, Leon Fleisher, Marshall Plan, North America

Comments

  1. Katherine Carleton says

    October 19, 2010 at 7:31 am

    I’m sorry: are you really trying to tell me that Glenn Gould was an American-trained, American pianist? I will grant the US plenty of things, and plenty of game-changing pianists, too: but Glenn Gould was CANADIAN, and remarkably so.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Gould
    Bruce Brubaker:
    Perhaps I missed something. Are you suggesting “American” can only mean “estadounidense”?

  2. Herbert Pauls says

    October 19, 2010 at 3:01 pm

    Glenn Gould is Canadian. We are very proud of him up here, and he himself identified very strongly with our vast northern landscape.
    Love your blog!
    Herbert Pauls, Winnipeg

  3. Peter Rosen says

    October 20, 2010 at 10:35 am

    Glenn Gould was Canadian, and had nothing to do with America, and avoided performances here.
    Peter Rosen
    Bruce Brubaker responds:
    Greetings Peter. As far as I can tell Canada is still on the North American continent. And of course, the whole history of Gould’s public career and early recording life was tied to New York.

  4. Katherine Carleton says

    October 21, 2010 at 9:55 am

    Yes, I guess your Canadian readers are trying to tell you that that’s exactly how we feel – most particularly when you’re associating “American” with the Marshall Plan and the stars and stripes.
    Bruce Brubaker responds:
    Thank you Katherine. I’m interrested in the European sense of this. Perhaps I am overpersonalizing, yet I was recalling the response of a musician who heard a recital (including music by Haydn) that I played in Paris. “Only a North American could play like that!,” said he.

  5. Herbert Pauls says

    October 23, 2010 at 10:08 am

    Hello again,
    For Canadians, there is a big difference between saying “America” and “North America”. I sometimes identify myself as North American but never as American. Also, having lived in Germany for three years, and having traveled quite a lot in Europe, I also know that when Europeans say “America” they generally mean the US. Otherwise they say “Canada”. Slipping the word “North” in changes the meaning considerably.
    Just a technical matter! As a avid lover of all things piano, I look forward to your blogs!
    Best, Herbert Pauls

  6. George Katz says

    November 21, 2010 at 12:01 am

    How could a leading German concert manager not know the work of Richard Goode and Murray Perahia? Julius Katchens’ recordings of the Beethoven concerti, Diabelli Variations and Opus 111 have been re-released as CDs. The 2nd movement of 111 is extraordinary. He should be listed among the Marshall plan unfortunates, but Abbey Simon, who I believe is underrated, must be listed among the survivors.

Bruce Brubaker

Recordings like the new American piano music albums I make for ECM, InFiné, Bedroom Community, and Arabesque reach millions of listeners, and break through some old divisions of high culture/pop, or art/entertainment. My fans are listening to Billie Eilish, The Weeknd — even the occasional Mozart track! Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube are allowing music lovers to discover music they could not have found so easily before. Live performances begin to reflect what’s happening online. My performances occur in classical venues like the Philharmonie in Paris, the Barbican in London, at La Roque d’Anthéron, at festivals such as Barcelona’s Sónar and Nuits Sonores in Brussels, and such nightclubs as New York’s (le) Poisson Rouge. Read More…

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Bruce Brubaker

Recordings such the new American piano music albums I make for ECM, InFiné, and Arabesque reach many listeners, and seem to break through some old divisions of high culture/pop, or art/entertainment. My fans are listening to Cardi B, Childish Gambino, Ariana Grande — even the occasional Mozart track! Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube are allowing music lovers to discover music they could not have encountered so easily in the past. Live performances begin to reflect what’s happening online: this year I play at the International Piano Festival at La Roque d’Anthéron, traditional concert venues in Los Angeles, and Boston — as well as nightclubs in Berlin, Hamburg, Paris, Lyon, Geneva, and New York’s (le) Poisson Rouge.

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