Paul Zukofsky, violinist and conductor, dead at 73

[jserraglio]

http://slippedisc.com/2017/06/death-of- ... iunist-73/

A Galamian student at Juilliard, Paul Zukofsky made his Carnegie Hall debut in a Mozart concerto, aged nine. He went on to apply himself to new music, working closely with John Cage, Elliott Carter and the minimalists. He gave the world premiere of Philip Glass’s violin concerto and appeared in the role of Einstein in Einstein on the Beach.
He made at least 60 recordings, all of modern music. Among other composers in his portfolio were Milton Babbitt, George Crumb, Morton Feldman, Ralph Shapey, Charles Wuorinen and Iannis Xenakis. He also taught extensively and greatly encouraged many young violinists.
In the early 1990s, Paul was head of the Arnold Schoenberg Institute when the University of Southern California decided to throw it off the campus. Paul assisted in the process by which the Schoenberg Nachlass was transferred to Vienna. He was also the custodian of the works of his own father, the poet Louis Zukofsky.
- See more at: http://slippedisc.com/2017/06/death-of- ... wQdMe.dpuf

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Zukofsky

[jbuck919]

He made the first (and possibly still the only) recording of Roger Sessions's excellent violin concerto. (He must have been all of 20 years old.) I'm having difficulty embedding it, so here is the link. I don't love every composer whose works he played, but there is something admirable about devoting oneself only to new music. Still, read j's links, especially the Wiki entry. Interesting stuff there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZwndZGzTPM

[jserraglio]

[jserraglio]

[Lance]

Oddly, this is one violinist who shows ZERO in my catalogue. I wonder why? Perhaps it is his repertoire?

[jbuck919]

Probably the first (and also the last) time I'm one up on you, Lance. How are you with Paul Jacobs (the pianist I mean, not the organist)?

[barney]

I'd never heard of him either. Embarrassing.

[jbuck919]

I'd never heard of him either. Embarrassing.

Not at all. There are certain corners of contemporary music I know just a little about (very little, actually) because they were in fashion when and where I was in college. There was another pianist named Robert Miller whom I heard premiere a piece for piano and tape by Milton Babbitt at Alice Tully Hall. He had to work as a lawyer to make a living and unfortunately died of cancer at the age of 51. (Paul Jacobs also died early, and the 70 to which Zukofksky made it is not old by modern standards.) Among vocalists, Bethany Beardslee (who I am happy to say is still alive) was a favorite.

[Lance]

I am a great fan of both Paul Jacobs and Gilbert Kalish. Both were Baldwin piano artists. I have Jacobs' Debussy recordings on Nonesuch/Elektra CDs and a number of LPs on Nonesuch with him, which are fabulous. Unfortunately, Jacobs seems almost totally forgotten. But also a great fan of Gilbert Kalish as well, except in contemporary music. Oddly, I have Jacobs performing Elliott Carter's Piano Sonata, but haven't listened to that in years and years. Carter is not a favourite of mine.

Probably the first (and also the last) time I'm one up on you, Lance. How are you with Paul Jacobs (the pianist I mean, not the organist)?

[diegobueno]

I was not an admirer of Paul Zukofsky's playing. He could play the bejeezis out of the technically demanding contemporary music he favored (such as the Penderecki Capriccio), but in the more traditional end of his repertory, such as the Ives Sonatas (for him Ives is traditional), which he recorded with Gilbert Kalish, he sounded dull and mechanical (I never realized how much more music there is in the Ives violin sonatas until I heard Perlman play the 2nd sonata in Ithaca some time in the 1980s). This made me wonder how much more music there is in the Carter Duo, for instance, that I wasn't getting because Zukovsky was just sawing away at the notes.

At some point, it must have been while I was at Ithaca College in the 70s, I heard him conduct a thoroughly unmusical performance of Stravinsky's Pulcinella Suite.

His Schuman violin concerto with MTT and the Boston Symphony is pretty darn good, though.

[jbuck919]

I was not an admirer of Paul Zukofsky's playing. He could play the bejeezis out of the technically demanding contemporary music he favored (such as the Penderecki Capriccio), but in the more traditional end of his repertory, such as the Ives Sonatas (for him Ives is traditional),

Well, isn't he for you?

)

[diegobueno]

Yes, it's the 3rd sonata that I found most deficient in the Zukofsky set, because it is the longest and the most conventionally romantic. It was clear from the looking at the score that Zukofzky was not giving the music the expression that it needs, that the tempos were dragging, and the climactic statement of "I need thee every hour" did not have that sense of religious ecstasy that Ives was clearly aiming for. Ives indicated that it should be played an octave higher than what Zukofsky played. I felt that Zukofsky just didn't understand what Ives was getting at.

[jbuck919]

Yes, it's the 3rd sonata that I found most deficient in the Zukofsky set, because it is the longest and the most conventionally romantic. It was clear from the looking at the score that Zukofzky was not giving the music the expression that it needs, that the tempos were dragging, and the climactic statement of "I need thee every hour" did not have that sense of religious ecstasy that Ives was clearly aiming for. Ives indicated that it should be played an octave higher than what Zukofsky played. I felt that Zukofsky just didn't understand what Ives was getting at.

Or possibly, when he realized what he had taken on, didn't care? (Not intended as either a compliment or an insult to Zukofsky.)

Interesting thoughts from you, Mark. Now I have to add the Ives sonatas to my list. It's at about 1000 pieces now, partly thanks to you.

[John F]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/20/arts ... cutor.html

Most likely, today's New York Times wouldn't review Zukofsky's debut concert.

[THEHORN]

According to the Times obituary , Zukofsky was a very difficult, cantankerous character whowas not easy to get along with and who disparaged more famous and conventional violin contemporaries of his such as Perlman and Zukerman .