Digital Pianofest Concert, No.2
Dear Friends,
I came across an article I wrote in 1996 that had to do with musical conceptions and performances that did not include the physical presence of an audience. One inspiration for this article was a poem by Robert Browning, a portion of which reads:
I, painting from myself and to myself,
Know what I do, am unmoved by men's blame
Or their praise either. Somebody remarks
Morello's outline there is wrongly traced,
His hue mistaken; what of that? or else,
Rightly traced and well ordered; what of that?
Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp,
or what's heaven for?
(From Robert Browning's Andrea del Sarto)
The article inspired by this is presented below. Because the Pianofest season was necessarily canceled this year and also because artists everywhere have to deal with the prospect of performing remotely from their audiences, I thought this reprising of that Director's message was appropriate:
Welcome to Pianofest, 1996. As I'm sure you know from previous years, much of my teaching is focused on helping students project music to an audience across the footlights. We know, too, that one of the primary concerns of the talented students who attend Pianofest is preparing for international competitions. But what I want to talk about here is another side of music, one that is less known and discussed, and that is the aspect that approaches music without any audience in view. It is music as a personal, spiritual, inner quest. It involves measuring yourself against the greatest artistic creations and artists of all of history.
With the vision of a perfect work of art in front of you to inspire you, it raises the whole concept of interpretation far above the requirements of memory and mechanical skills merely to provide entertainment and self-display. This higher purpose is realizing the music-score without compromise. In reality, indeed, every performance is a compromise. A compromise because of the impossibility of guaranteeing a perfect instrument, perfect acoustics; and the human difficulties in performing an 18th century Mozart sonata on a 19th century instrument (a grand piano) to a 20th century audience. And even though the compositions are written for and played on a piano, sometimes composers ask for what a piano cannot produce. A crescendo on a single tone is sometimes asked for, clearly an impossibility on a piano - where the tone dies after the hammer strikes the strings (perhaps the composer was inspired by the potential of the human voice or an orchestral sound). So the only ideal performance can be accomplished in the mind of the performer. When a composer sets a note to paper, it is a symbol for what he hears in his mind.
Only in an ideal artistic world, without concern for the approval of others, can the artist wholly and truthfully immerse himself in the universe of the score, the moral, aesthetic world of the composer. Here is the best chance of great music being able to mold and shape the character of the artist, converting insight and awareness into feeling and self-revelation.
This is one example of the mystical side of music. Music has always been associated with the unknowable. It is this dynamic, ideal quality of music which attracted the poets to try to simulate the quality of music in their writing in order to reveal to their audience the mystery and complexity of life. Our mind can always conceive more than our bodies can perform. The young musician stimulated to find a new vocabulary for his own thinking, can achieve for himself the ideal performance, sharing the same dream of music and beauty with the composer. Only in this way will the performer be able to have the depth and clarity of insight to project a sufficient vision of the musical work.
As William Hazlitt wrote: "A mathematician who solves a profound problem, a poet who creates an image of beauty of mind that was not there before, imparts knowledge and power to others, in which his greatness and fame consists, and upon which it reposes."
Best wishes,
Paul Schenly
Director
Digital Pianofest Concert, No.2
Welcome to Pianofest performances online. This is our second installment of highlight performances from the past, curated from different venues by our Sound Engineer/Videographer in Residence, Matthew Griswold. In addition, this program also features interviews by Konstantin Soukhovetski with the pianists Mike Lenahan and Matt Harikiani, as well as the composer Polina Nazaykinskaya.
Keeping the Pianofest family together during these difficult times is very important to us. We look forward to staying in touch with you virtually, and then in person as soon as it is possible. Meanwhile, please enjoy these recorded highlights from the past at Orient Point and the Avram Theater at Stony Brook University Southampton.
Program
Polina Nazaykinskaya - "Sparks"
Konstantin Soukhovetski
Anton Arensky - Waltz from Suite No. 1, Op. 15
Mike Lenahan and Matt Harikiani
Frederic Chopin - Scherzo No. 3
Lin Ye
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Pianofest is working hard to continue to serve its musical family during these challenging times. We look forward to your support now more than ever. We are not only preparing an enhanced online presence for our audience, but we are also trying to remain prepared to resume our normal schedule and activities once circumstances allow us to do so.
Thank you in advance for your consideration.