New Thoughts on Piano Performance (2017) is a London International Piano
Symposium publication, which presents interdisciplinary research, the overarching
goal of which is to expand the frontiers of knowledge in the field of piano
performance, by exploring the interface between skilled artistry and scientific
research. It is a work of central importance to those musicians who are seeking
to achieve elite performance, as well as researchers, pedagogues, clinicians, and all
those who are passionate about the piano and its future development.
In this collection of fifteen essays by distinguished international researchers
and performers, issues which have rarely been addressed, and which should be
a vital part of the education of pedagogues and performers are presented here.
Among these issues are: that the value of musical training, is a powerful source of
intellectual stimulation and cognitive development in children; that the role of the
body is foremost in the production of sound at the piano, yet remains the most
neglected issue in the education of performers; that obsessive practice is not the
way forward; that the memory may be enhanced by developing a mental map in the
course of preparing a work for public performance; showing that recordings can
exert particular influence as salient historical documents of performance practice;
that understanding the correlation between a particular musical work and the
visual art that inspired it, may bring greater understanding of the meaning of, and
deeper insight into the work for the pianist who is preparing to perform the piece;
defining issues such as sound, touch and timbre, which are a phenomenon with
both a subjective as well as physical dimensions; that musical performance is shaped
more by the mind and body behind the instrument than by the score in front of
the person; and last, but not least, ways in which technology can be used to increase
our understanding of the body as the instrument, and the conveyor of expression.