[jacquesm]

Different renderings of classical pieces can be night-and-day difference. There are some pieces that have been worn grey from over exposure and then you hear that one special version and it's like it is a completely new piece all over again.

[vunderba]

Now just imagine you lived during the romantic period of music where the virtuoso's highly personal interpretation of the piece was not only encouraged - it was downright expected.

Even today where the printed note is considered sacrosanct - you'll still find that artists are able to inject quite a bit of their own personality into a piece.

Great example is the Well-Tempered Clavier as performed by Glenn Gould versus Sviatoslav Richter.

[djtango]

Despite all that I still find myself so drawn to interpretations by Rubinstein and Perahia that prize themselves on their restraint.

Although Argerich is my goddess so who knows

[nullhole]

Dvorak's cello concerto in b minor, Rostropovich vs Yo-Yo Ma

(I'm strongly in the Rostropovich camp, myself)

[graycat]

Some Rostropovich, second movement of the Dvorak Cello Concerto, as at

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

[koverstreet]

Jacqueline du Pré played this with fire.

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

[esafak]

Vivaldi's Four Seasons is like that for me; it has to be completely re-imagined, like Max Richter's "Recomposed", to pique my interest.

[jacquesm]

Try this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8zbPcuIvSM

[kleton]

The Ivry Gitlis interpretation of the chaconne is wild

[jojobas]

https://xkcd.com/915/

[jacquesm]

XKCD is just a high brow version of the reaction gif. But it carries just as much value.

[lukan]

Nope. Really does not apply here.

[KaiserPro]

As someone who grew up bathed in baroque orchestral and medieval choral music, I can imagine that to the outside this applies.

after all a genre that you're not familiar with tends to sound the same.

[kashunstva]

…which of course is a good reminder not to make assumptions about domains in which one has limited or no knowledge. I too have spent my entire life in classical music - I’m a collaborative pianist. But I have to guard against making judgements about popular genres which I don’t regularly listen to.