Performers or the performed?

Last night, KVOD broadcast Haydn's Cello Concerto #1. The announcer, Stephanie Wendt, praised the cellist, Matt Haimovitz, raising expectations about the performance. As I listened I wondered about his performance. What could I really sense about his playing? How did it rate compared with others? Could I tell? More importantly, could I tell over the radio?

I go to many live concerts. Live artists are always at risk during the playing. What if they flub a note, miss some, go out of tune, etc? You can watch and feel the intensity of playing and appreciate the artists' skill. But can you judge that over the radio? For me, no -- it's an imperfect medium for judging talent. Radio just can't compete against a live performance.

It turns out that the Haydn Cello Concert #1 has been performed 5 times thus far this year on KVOD. Twice by Truls Mork, twice by last night's Haimovitz and once by Jacqueline du Pre. So is it the intention of the radio station to show us different artists or to play music? I don't know. Personally, I'd rather hear different music rather than different artists playing the same piece.