So often I am asked how I manage to do what I do. How do I have the courage to walk on that empty stage and sit down at the grand piano for a two-hour recital.
Is it courage? is it boldness? Some might say it’s insanity, or is it an act of faith and trust? Pianists spend many hours practicing so we can stride out on the stage with confidence and the knowledge that we have something to say that can make people listen and make them feel. We want to take them on a journey to a magical place, miles away from the world in which they normally dwell.
There is a need for all artists to share—to share why we love music so much. Without words, we can communicate a passion that has made such a difference in our life. As the English psychiatrist Donald Winnicott wrote, “it is the need of the artist to create symbols”— to better navigate the world in which we live. More than a need, it is a responsibility that the performer has to the composer as well as the listener—a sense of mission, a fulfillment of a god-given talent, a need to speak truth.
Frankly, my life could not function without music and the piano. It provides meaning— structure. It defines who I am and has taken me on the magical journey of discovery. It allows me to look deeper inside my soul without fear, so that I can tap into what the composer is trying to say, hear his message, and communicate it more directly. In so doing, the performer allows music to touch souls while he himself travels into that higher realm.
I remember reading a wonderful quote by the late popular country-singer Hank Williams. His words seemed to understand the role of the performer.
“Everyone has a little darkness in them. They may not like it. They don't know about it, but it's there. And I'm talking about things like anger, misery, sorrow, shame. And they hear it. I show it to them. And they don't have to take it home.”
And perhaps that says it all- the performer can take you to all those dark places but you don’t have to stay there. As Williams said, “You just have to listen to me sing about it.” Much easier to deal with that way! You immerse yourself in the total experience but can leave anytime with your soul more intact. Pure transference!
A remarkable fact about music is that no two people will listen in exactly the same way. Each will bring their memories, associations, their own set of baggage to the experience. But the important thing is to listen— to connect—to feel and experience the passion and the joy of the moment. And to use it to pry open the heart! Sounds like I am describing a good therapy session!
No words necessary and definitely much easier than singing a Hank Williams song!