07.16.09
Has Proust Defined the Ultimate Pianist?
“…so fine a pianist that one is no 
longer aware that the performer is a pianist at all, because (by not interposing all that apparatus of digital effort, crowned here and there with brilliant effects, all that spattering shower of notes in which at least the listener who does not quite know where he is thinks he can discern talent in its material, tangible reality) his playing has become so transparent, so imbued with what he is interpreting, that one no longer sees the performer himself - he is simply a window opening upon a great work of art.” ~ The Guermantes Way, In Search of Lost Time Volume III, Marcel Proust.
.
sopraninigabi said,
July 16, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Yes I daresay he has. :) Thanks for sharing!
Indeed, this applies to all life as well, and not just for musicians… we must never forget that all our acts should go towards revealing/worshipping Something Greater Than Ourselves
elaine said,
July 16, 2009 at 8:46 pm
this is nice. thanks
mika said,
July 16, 2009 at 9:42 pm
grabe si proust! what insight! that’s the exact experience i have when listening to great musicians. even when performing on the piano, my best playing comes when i can forget about myself and just disappear into the music…
Miracle ♪♫ said,
July 17, 2009 at 6:46 am
To Gabi:
You’re most welcome, Gabi!”"
Gabi, I’m not surprised that you’ve recognized a correlation there. I truly agree with you. “…interposing all that apparatus of digital effort, crowned here and there with brilliant effects, all that spattering shower of notes in which at least the listener who does not quite know where he is thinks he can discern talent in its material, tangible reality” also made me think of hypocrisy, and by not doing this, the person gives room for the work of art to operate deeper beyond the surface and more holistically in him.
¤ ¤ ¤
To Elaine:
It’s a pleasure, Elaine.
¤ ¤ ¤
To Mika:
I knooooowwww! And to think this was just a fleeting passage, Mika. Our narrator wasn’t even talking about music that time. But as I’ve told Mama, and as I’m sure you’ve noticed too, Proust does not have insignificant passages. Every line, every word, is significant.
That’s true, Mika. There was a time when I played and was so “into” the music that it was only afterwards that I realized I was crying.
You know who entered my mind after I read this passage? Horowitz! I think he best fits the description. But because of reminders like these, and even though we are not Horowitzes, we are prodded to strive for improvement.