Daring to disturb the classical-music establishment is a good thing

Ihave attended a few concerts where musician Tom Beghin played classical pieces on period instruments. I am not surprised that passions flared up on July 9, when his interpretation of Beethoven sonatas was bluntly criticized by Gazette music critic Arthur Kaptainis (“What would Beethoven do?”).

Beghin’s work has merit because it questions today’s renderings of classical music and seeks first and foremost to be faithful to the composer. Although I am not a musician, I have been lis- tening to classical music for more than 40 years. My father had a collection of more than 100 LPs, all of them recordings of leading conductors and soloists. As I listened to these recordings, I started comparing different interpretations of the same pieces, including ensembles playing with period instruments and respectful of forgotten voice registers.

Not only did I get to perceive different takes on well-known pieces, I drifted into the discovery of medieval, renaissance and baroque music, which showcased lutes, harpsichords, violas and other instruments long out of fashion.

This learning process led me to appreciate authenticity. It also leaves me irritated by truncated adaptations of classical pieces.

Beghin explores the past, makes rediscoveries and shares his findings. To spend time and money, as he does, bringing period instruments back to life means having to face prevailing winds, ignore goût du jour and question the evolution of public taste and technology.

Beghin leaves himself open to critics who flatter their readers into believing that they live in privileged times, this apex of human evolution that allows us to listen egotistically to electronically enhanced music between two métro stations – and to hear Beethoven played on a Steinway. It is certainly easier to dislike unconventional interpretations of famous sonatas and forgotten masterpieces than to address the accuracy of their rendering on period instruments.

Fortunately, we have a Tom Beghin in Montreal – a city constantly debating questions of culture, but without a musical genre to uphold like Vienna or Leipzig. As a musicologist, he is visibly disturbing the established order in his quest for authen- ticity. Beghin is enthralled by a rigorous search and rendering of the composer’s mindset and musical environment. He has the talent and generosity to let us share in his findings.

I am a music lover who can only react to what he hears, without the risk of becoming a party in an academic dispute. What I have heard from Beghin has always been original and interesting. And I am sure that an audience driven by quality will appreciate his respect for authenticity.