Like most music students, I've heard a lot about the intent of the composer, and early in my studies, wondered, “Why is it so important that the performer preserves a composer’s intent?” Surely, given the varied personalities, talents, and viewpoints among musicians, music would be much more interesting if everyone played music differently. Intent is a two-way street. Now that I’ve been … [Read more...]
Pianists: Do You Love or Hate Giving Pre-Performance Talks
One of the competitions I entered this past year has an interesting requirement: the participants must speak about some of the repertoire they play in the competition. More than my piano performance, this was the scariest part of the competition for me. Not all pianists are comfortable as speakers I’ve always been a relatively introverted person in matters not related to music. I don’t … [Read more...]
