A good performance is one that moves me. But it is not only the passion and emotion expressed in a performance that move me, it is also allowing the clarity of the structure, as well as the different characters, to shine through, a well-judged balance, a sense of architecture of the whole piece and, at the same time, a sense that it unfolds naturally from the first note to the last.
Mihai Ritivoiu, Romanian pianist.
“Young Artist Interview: Mihai Ritivoiu”, The Musicians’ Company, https://wcom.org.uk/news/yeoman-interview-mihai-ritivoiu/, accessed 21 February 2021.
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Dance of the Knights (Prokofiev)
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Never bore your listenersConductor and pianist Seymour Lipkin (born 1928) recalled piano lessons with his teacher, Bohemian-born pianist Rudolf Serkin: He said so many memorable things to me that I continue to pass on to my students. A few examples: “The worst crime you can commit as an artist is to bore your listeners”; for another, “People who […]
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The here and now“It is a mark of soulfulness to be present in the here and now. When we are present, we are not fabricating inner movies. We are seeing what is before us.” – John Bradshaw (1992) Creating Love: The Next Great Stage of Growth. United States: Bantam Books, p.127.
