The Norwegian violinist, whose disc we review in our December issue, shares her insight on warding off boredom in performances
1. Never allow complacency to win
One should never think, ‘this is enough.’ Music does not work like that. There is always something else to say. So you should have the curiosity to push yourself to try something new, be that a completely new interpretation or a new soundscape.
2. Let your subconscious do some of the work for you
If I play a Romantic piece, it can sound very happy or sad or loving, depending on what is happening in my private llfe. One example of this is the Love Song by Suk, which I play on my new CD. This is a piece I was introduced to when I was about 10, but it was also something I was playing when very difficult things happened in my life, such as my father passing away. It became my go-to piece to express the way I was feeling, and that changed the way it sounded.
3. Don’t be afraid of knowing a piece too well
People might think it’s easy to get bored of a piece if you have to play it 20 or 30 times in a row. But actually that kind of familiarity is comforting, because the better you know a piece, the more freedom you have to try something different each time. Besides, all the daily things that take place in your life, whether it’s meeting someone who makes you happy or receiving some news, these are enough to make a piece sound different every day.
Read our review of Eldbjørg Hemsing’s Dvořák and Suk CD.
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