Nikolaus Harnoncourt ha sido capaz de añadir a su impresionante trayectoria como intérprete y director, un no menos denso e influyente repertorio de escritos y análisis sobre lo que podríamos denominar la «filosofía de la música antigua». Publicado originalmente en 1984, la presente colección de ensayos recoge algunas de las más jugosas contribuciones de Harnoncourt al pensamiento musical de nuestro tiempo. Considerado por muchos como el auténtico «credo» de una de las voces más autorizadas de la interpretación musical histórica, los textos aquí reunidos son una excelente compilación de treinta años de experiencia y reflexión en favor de una mejor comprensión de la música antigua, y muy particularmente la barroca. Una música que nos habla desde un código que el intérprete y el oyente de nuestro tiempo debe conocer para comprender cabalmente el «discurso sonoro» de cada época.
A thoughtful and serious man, whose humor comes through in rehearsals sometimes (see Youtube) and in his bulging eyes (see the Neujahrskonzert 2003). Despite the title, Harnoncourt covers slightly more than Baroque music, e.g., Mozart. He probably does the best Schubert 4th (Tragic) I've heard, although I haven't heard every recording ever made.
A book of collected speeches and lectures by Harnoncourt. He speaks about how music is understood today, how music where understood during Baroque times and the differences and contrasts between the two. He speaks about why he thinks we should change our approach to early music, in order to better understand and appreciate it and its purpose, among other subjects. Being based on vast amounts of experience and research, it has, at least for me, some mindblowing passages. On the downside, that the book contains such a vast variety of subjects makes it fragmented in its layout.
These are the ideas that revolutionized how music from Bach and before is performed today. Also Harnoncourt's recordings, as cellist and as conductor, are genius at work.