I had mixed feelings about sending my first diatribe on the Gershwin
CD. I wanted to provoke some discussion on the music in the mechanical
music field and I guess I did.  It was great to hear the opinions of
others, especially those who obviously know a lot more about music and
about Gershwin than I do.  I just know what I like and sometimes
understand some of the reasons but my formal knowledge of music is very
limited.

   I like music with personality and a sense of performance. I like
reproducing piano music to sound like what I believe the original
editors intended. I don't believe it to be any sort of final word on
the styles or abilities of the recording artists any more than that is
necessarily the case with recorded music today.

   I visited a friend who owns a fine new recording studio and asked
him to play the CD and give his opinion. He is an acomplished pianist
and also a piano technician with player and reproducing piano
experience.  He also owns likes and records Yamaha pianos.  His
suggestions were very helpful in helping me understand my reactions to
the CD. We listened to the CD in his mixing room on what is certainly
the best stereo in the best listening environment I have experienced.
The music was not bad. It is certainly smooth and edited to perfection.
I don't even disagree with the choice of dynamics. My friends opinion
is that the recording was made in a large empty hall and miked at a
distance.  This gives the oposite effect that I expect from a
reproducing piano.  The base is virtually non existant. The long
persistant reverb (which I initially and incorredtly attributed to bad
recording techniques) lends a very discomforting and lonely effect. It
sounds like a machine playing with no one listening. This is the
oposite of what I expect from a reproducing piano, especially a
recording of a showman like Gershwin. On my pretty good stereo at home
I just kept increasing the volume, hoping to hear the performance but
just kept hearing more more volume.

   If anyone is interested in hearing a fine recording of a reproducing
piano performance (this one might not really count according to some
criteria) check out, Dick Hyman Plays Fats Waller, recorded on the
Bosendorfer SE.  I would certainly buy this piano roll.