Search the Community

The Guardian runs a lighthearted set of series of interviews with classical musicians here: https://www.theguardian.com/music/series/facing-the-music Standard set of questions to which the musicians respond, usually bringing out a breadth of interest and a down-to-earth approach to music a million miles away from the mythologies that get constructed around them. I'm always especially fascinated by What single thing would improve the format of the classical concert? An amazing number mention the performers actually talking to the audience, something that I'm noticing more and more (yippee!). The most recent response from Pekka Kuusisto is a good one: "Improvisation. Not only in the music being performed but in everything that happens inside the concert hall. I think we should try different gestures more often, even when there’s a risk of looking like an ass. Maybe especially when there’s a risk, or rather, an opportunity, to look like an ass. I’m not particularly excited about the persona of the performer overshadowing the repertoire, but I often feel the nature of the concert makes us performers seem detached and alien in a way that might actually obscure the message in the music. The audience should not always be allowed to sink into a comfortable familiarity at a concert, but they should be derailed in all kinds of ways that scratch the skin of whatever organs they receive their experiences with."