Word: rubato
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...marvellous. I could understand almost every word, even in the contrapuntal sections. By itself the Radcliffe Choral Society sang three madrigals very well indeed. The best of these was Four Arms, Two Necks, One Wreathing by Weelkes. In some of the madrigals, however, Woodworth conducted with too much rubato. In this music the note values always slow down when the text demands it; the beat of the conductor need never do the job of the composer...
...climax of the evening came in Robert Freeman's reading of the Mozart Piano Concerto N. 22. He imparted all the clarity the score demands, yet never thumped the keys; his runs contained generous coloring, yet were without excessive pianistic mannerisms. Freeman's use of rubato may be circumspect to some, but it certainly never passed the bound of good taste. A particularly delightful detail was his articulation of the finale's main theme. Because of his slight stress on the last note of the motive, its repeated rhythm could never even approach monotony. The orchestra provided superb accompaniment...
...Brahms Variations, long and repetitions, need a varied, carefully proportioned performance if their basic grandeur is to get through. Beyer's contrasting treatment of the heaven-storming passages and the more flippant variations was enormously effective. He sometimes injected a bit of ham by excess rubato and uncalled for rolling chords, but at least it was obvious that his interpretation was the result of careful thought...