Ferenc Rados was truly legendary in his creative use of words –– even in his 5th or 6th language. In 2009, I started a tribute page on Facebook called “The Rados Files”, calling for everyone to contribute, among other things, the best insults hurled at them by Rados.
Some of these sound quite mean, but one has to imagine the chuckle and the twinkle-in-the-eye that usually accompanied these similes and analogies. It was an honor to be on the receiving end of such creative, utterly insightful burns!
Here are some gems from the original page. You are cordially invited to add to the treasure trove.
On Ravel’s “Valses nobles et sentimentales” #3:
“This sounds like limbs falling off an operating table.”
“You are an unsuccessful terrorist. You have blown yourself up and you did not even destroy the bridge."
(To a student)
”Forgive them father, for they know not what they do.”
“You play like upper middle class, you are not rich, but also not poor, you dont believe in God, but you still go to church..”
On the second movement of Beethoven's op. 31 No. 3:
"you are playing this like a crocodile stuck in a puddle".
<after RF demonstrated a certain 'eingang' passage>
Student: Is this passage so free?
RF: Free? Free from what?
<pause>
RF: Not free. It's not free from the system....
But the system is free!
(HaHahAehehe - cackle cackle)