“Just play it again, please!” I liked the way he feigned exasperation. So I started playing the piece again. After a while: “I can’t believe you changed it again.” “Well, not by much. This is just how Busoni would have played it if he had altered Liszt’s version.” “Can’t you just play the Bach the way Bach wrote it?” “But Bach never wrote it for guitar. He may not even have written it for the harpsichord. In fact, we’re not even sure it’s by Bach at all.” “Forget I asked.” “Okay, okay. No need to get so worked up,” I said. It was my turn to feign grudging acquiescence. “This is the Bach as
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