I have just learned that the pianist Charles Rosen has died in New York City, just one month after the composer he had championed for most of his career, Elliott Carter. He was 85. I last saw him play at Tanglewood in 20008, performing the piano in Carter's Double Concerto opposite Ursula Oppens.
Mr. Rosen was not only a great pianist. He was also one of my favorite writers on music. I have learned more on the subject from The Classical Style than from any comparable text. His short monograph on Arnold Schoenberg is indispensable, and his essays in the New York Review of Books — especially those that followed the header "Charles Rosen responds" — were enlightening and wickedly entertaining.
Lordy, who will save us from Richard Taruskin now?
3 comments:
I hope Boulez is watching his health!
Someday perhaps his recordings will come back into print. I have Rosen lps of Schoenberg/Stravinsky; Debussy; Haydn; Boulez; Schumann; and of course Bach and Beethoven. All pretty great.
Amazing to slowly realize that the collected works of Carter and Rosen can now be officially tallied up for good.
(That's a pretty wicked ending of your post, Joe!)
Who will save us from Richard Taruskin? Here you go: ttp://www.searchnewmusic.org/cox_review.pdf
A third comment, which was sent to me via email:
Joe, your exclamation, "Lordy, who will save us from Richard Taruskin now?" is not only funny: it's heart breaking. Looking for commentary about my old teacher (CR), I stumbled on your blog, which means I have yet another person to share a treasure trove of live recordings I posted several places a couple of days after Mr. Carter died. Look at the attached and feel free to download anything you'd like. I've got more stuff that didn't make it onto that list. Maybe later.
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