Piano Blog

There is No Middle of the Road in Art

Great works of art and great performances are never middle of the road.

Some of my favorite performers, like Richter and Argerich, also elicit my most negative reactions. Rudolf Serkin's concerts were incredible or disastrous, but rarely mediocre. Beethoven has a large collection of worthless compositions. So does Mozart.

This is the nature of real art: this is my world and to hell with you if you don't like it. The artist doesn't aim to please but to create -- even if the creation polarizes, offends, or falls apart completely. 

 

We are Human

"You do feel emotion don't you?" I once asked in exasperation. I couldn't stand one more soulless note. Especially not in late Beethoven.

"No." She replied.

This student did not last long. 

We are human -- there are thoughts, feelings, and deeply felt life experiences. We carry this into art. 

Today we seem to be in the business of producing thousands of piano-robots; automatons who can play the right notes in the right order in an emotional vacuum disconnected from their own lives and experiences. 

Scriabin gave the following advice to Horowitz's mother: "Your son will be a great pianist, but please, let him be an overall cultured man, and make him understand not only music, but other important aspects of life. There are the arts of painting, of philosophy, of literature. Only then will he be an all-around musician."