Submitted by J.D. Gottlieb, May 3, 2008 20:33

I humbly beg to differ: for me, the ninth of Dvorak under Masur, was a demonstration of grace and delicacy. It is true that it can be played strong, quick and loud, as it usually is. But I am not sure that that implies the obligatory standard for this piece. It is rather improbable that such standards exist.

And if somebody, of the talent and musical stature of Kurt Masur, chooses slower tempi, a perfect balance and gradually built tuttis, instead of noisy ones, I think that is more what music is about.

Maybe it is related to age. When I was young, I was looking for excitement, and I was using quite often the word boring. Now I seem to prefer the beauty brought forward by a wise and knowledgeable musician.

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