Piano Recitals

[Peter Tregear]

This is an excellent and thought-provoking post from Terry Teachout.

I, for one, hope that we can indeed develop more flexible approaches both to the presentation of classical music recitals, and the manner that performers approach the score. The undue reverence, if not quasi-religious aura, we give to both, is indeed historically uninformed, and - arguably - also off-putting for many a potential new audience member.

Thoughts?

[Phil Best]

We do get so caught up in what is the right way to perform classical piano music! The twentieth century saw an increasing preoccupation with "right" interpretation. Recordings were compared and criticised and great recorded performances were emulated. This classical karaoke effect is quite destructive. The way that classical piano playing is generally taught, its obsession with passing examinations with set repertoire that is played by rote, clearly reflects this trend. At the top end, piano competitions similarly set requirements of playing and repertoire that leave little room for individual expression but focus on what is "right". Presumably, the golden age was different in this respect. Perhaps pianists played the piano with their fingers - from their hearts! They were fluent musicians who could improvise well. Ask your average modern pianist to embellish a Mozart slow movement creatively and they may well be completely stuck. The last century also saw an obsession with trying to reinvent the musical language. The originality of music was judged in this way rather than flowing naturally from having a fluent grasp of the musical language and an individual, expressive voice. And of course, it was a wonderful, fertile period! Spoons in the piano strings may or may not be your thing but you have to admit, the twentieth century repertoire is an extraordinary, rich and varied one!

So what now? We can't go back! Those halcyon days of Liszt and Chopin playing in aristocratic salons are not likely to return. But I love the spirit of this discussion: we do need a return to the passion and enthusiasm of a time when the pianoforte was a new and exciting machine. Whether or not pianists should play with more or less rubato, rework whole sections of a work on an improvisatory whim or play on instruments that sound exactly like the ones the composers wrote for seems to matter far less to me than whether or not there is an expressive power, spontaneity and thrilling engagement in the playing. If we hope to attract the enthusiasm and curiosity necessary to ensure an audience in the future, then there does need to be a change. Perhaps it could start in music education and training, where a genuine celebration of individual voice in all its diversity is needed, where fluent improvisation and rhythmic energy could be championed. The electronic age provides much that is new and exciting in terms of instrumental possibilities. If pianists communicate with the public in ways that are relevant and thought-provoking to the present age, my belief is that we can rediscover the autonomy of expression and undeniable magic of a solo piano recital.