Between the Keys and Life
My Blog.
A journey through music, life, and inspiration
This is a personal space for sharing the passions that define my days.
As a pianist and teacher, I explore the world not only through 88 keys, but also through the stories, places, and people I meet.
Episode I – “The Magic of Chopin…”
07/11/2025
I recently worked with a student on Chopin’s Etude, Op. 10, No. 3. It’s one of those pieces I could listen to over and over again and never grow tired of.
Have you ever experienced that feeling? The sudden smell of a familiar scent, the taste of a dish from your childhood, or the sound of a loved one’s voice—that instant sensation that fills your heart and calms your soul?
Just a few seconds is all it takes to be transported to another dimension. This is exactly how I feel when I listen to or play the very first notes of this etude. It almost feels strange to even call it a “study.” There is nothing to study here, except maybe the tricky middle section. This piece is pure emotion, transformed into clouds of sound.
It’s a piece that has to melt beneath your fingers. But how do you teach something like that? It’s like trying to teach someone how to love.
Of course, the first step is to pay close attention to the subtle markings for dynamics, phrasing, and agogic accents. Doing this alone will make your teacher very happy! But what is that one ingredient that elevates a good performance to an extraordinary interpretation?
It is sensitivity—the unique ability to truly understand and embody the composer’s vision. It’s about carrying and representing the ethereal gift he left for all of humanity. It’s a universal language that communicates more than a thousand words ever could.
Episode II – “The Challenge of Measuring Musical Interpretation”
05/05/2026
I recently listened to an interview with a Polish pianist, a jury member of the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. He was asked about his impressions of the contestants’ level, especially regarding their performance of traditional Polish dance forms like the Polonaise, Waltz, and Mazurkas.
Well, I think some of you may have been following the Competition via YouTube streaming, as I was. Obviously, I didn’t hear every pianist (you’d have to be a real fanatic to sit through three whole weeks of hearing only Chopin, often repeating the same pieces!).
Anyway, my overall impression of the contestants’ level was highly positive. It’s unnecessary to point out that the general technical level of piano performance has grown in an amazing way over the last 10 or 20 years. But also, many of the interpretations I heard were extremely well-curated and transmitted a world of emotions.
So, returning to the initial topic, the words of that jury member honestly left me speechless. He affirmed that the Competition level gets worse each time (meaning, in the case of the Chopin Competition, every five years) and that he hadn’t heard a “real” performance of a Polonaise or a Waltz (save for a very few exceptions). He went on to argue that pianists these days only try to find the easiest and shortest way in their interpretations, and that there’s too much ego and self-presentation, along with a lack of correct text reading, and so on. In short, he used very harsh words, and personally, I found this criticism unfounded, unfair, exaggerated, and offensive towards all aspiring pianists.
Then, we should consider that a huge part of these contestants have studied with established pianists and pedagogues with great traditional backgrounds. Every “serious” piano teacher will first of all pay attention to the composer’s score (or “text“). After that, it should be obvious that the pupil “adds” their personality to the interpretation. Otherwise, following that jury member’s critique, only ONE “correct” interpretation of each piece should be established…
The Polonaise, Waltz, and Mazurkas obviously contain some “rules” regarding the tempo, accents, and character that must be respected, but always within a range of variables. We must remember that Chopin used folk songs and dances as an inspiration, not as a form that had to be copied or performed in exactly the same manner as in traditional Polonaise events in court or by popular Mazurka dancers.
We are talking about human creativity, and if we go in the direction of exaggerated rules and restriction, we risk losing our personal expressivity. To judge a musical interpretation shouldn’t be a matter of exaggerated self-conviction, but requires the capacity to be open to other points of view. My teacher, Hans Leygraf, used to tell his students: “You don’t have to play like I would, but the important thing is that you convince me.“