Few people have been able to distill the essentials of how to practice music as effectively as Stephen Hough in his most recent blog post for The Telegraph.
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
Hough’s insights have passed through the ever-finer sieves of necessity — of needing to find time to perfect his art while engaged in a very busy performance calendar. But the beauty here is in how he relates the practical necessities with larger, artistic goals.
Along the way, he relates the point at which performer and audience member intersect — and become bonded beyond the immediate moment:
You may be Brahms’s secretary in the practice room, but on stage you are his mouthpiece. And a composer’s message is always more than words: it’s a drama in which you and Brahms are as one character.
The whole, concise, eloquent lesson is well worth reading, whether you’re a player or a listener — especially when Hough’s wisdom applies so nicely to everything we do in life: “The mind’s clear vision is not a stare: it needs to be able to focus near and far with flexibility and wisdom.”
Read it here.
John Terauds
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
