Interpreting Beethoven the Silly Way

Pianism is technical artistry or skill at the piano.

Interpretation is bringing out the meaning of the composition.

You sometimes unfortunately see Pianism without Interpretation. I mean, people have the fingers flying and a great piano but the music doesn't say a lot. That's not good, especially when it is great music that could have had a lot to say. Sure, the player has technique, but the music isn't meaning anything to him, and consequently nothing of beauty or import gets across to the listener.

You sometimes see Interpretation without a lot of Pianism, too- People who really do have something to say with their music, but something is preventing them from pulling it off, usually slips in their accuracy or technique or nerves, or unfamiliarity with the piano, or whatever.

It is important to practice for accuracy and skill so your fingers convey the message instead of cloud the message of the music.

It is also important to know to get know your music away from just the keys, too: knowing that the music has something to say. It is good to listen to it in your head, hearing how interesting/beautiful/exciting it can be apart from however you are currently playing it. But I haven't thought of Interpretation without Pianism in quite the same way since I saw this:

The Piano Player

Rowan Atkinson studied very carefully to pull off this comedy stunt: he mimes parts of two Beethoven Sonatas- starting with the Grave (pronounce that "Gra'-vay") section of the Pathetique Sonata in C minor Opus 13 and interrupting it (after looking at his watch!) with the third movement of the "Moonlight Sonata" (Op. 27 No. 2 in C sharp minor). He is utterly silly, but you also see that he gets the music! He understands the "conversations" in music and the times where the music feels exhausted, or heats up into a frenzy.

Doesn't that make you think more about what music can say? It's fun to pull up other Beethoven Sonatas and listen for the dramas to unfold... without the mime- just: Beethoven.

Musicians are Peculiar #1

Beethoven wrote five piano concertos, and the one that tops my list of favorites is number four.

I used to dislike the second movement, but it grew on me, and still does.

The following is an interesting introduction to the movement. I chuckled over one person who commented something like, "I really like to listen to Lang Lang, but I have to put a bag over his head first." That makes me wonder -how uncomfortable are we watching up close someone who has complete freedom in expressing his own Transcendental Weirdness? Is he convincing? Or is he a clown? He seems to walk the line between the two!

Lang Lang talks about Beethoven Concerto No. 4.

By the way, when Lang Lang is telling a story when talking about the second movement, he is referring to classic tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, which, if you are a musician, you'll see that it pops up once in a while. (If you avoid myths with gods and goddesses, skip it.)