Steinway Hall-Part 2

Last night’s posting (Steinway Hall - Part 1) about the gifted Laura Garritson got me to thinking. I suppose if you haven’t read that one yet, you might go there first. It got me to thinking about greatness in performance.

As a young man I came to New York to study acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater. There I spent two intense years under the tutelage of world-renowned teacher, Sanford Meisner.

There I learned to act, but interestingly enough, I’ve always liked to say that it was there that I learned more about composing music than anywhere else. At an acting school. Had I ended up being a sculptor, I really believe that this acting school would still have been my high point in study.

It was there that I learned what makes an artist tick – an understanding of the reality of doing. That acting is reacting. To act before you think. That there is no indicating in the reality of doing.

It was there that I found my inner sense of emotion and experimented with and finally figured out how to bring myself to my art – whatever the medium. It’s something I’ve thought about and taught all these years since my student days.

The other night with Ms Garritson, my student days simply continued. I doubt she’s ever been to acting school. After all, when you master both the violin and the piano in 25 years, who would have the time? It always brings a smile to my face when I see someone who has accomplished so naturally what I’ve spent all this time learning. I’m not jealous. Rather I’m excited and proud of our human and spiritual abilities to grasp so fast the fundamental.

Most people grow up with terrible misconceptions of what performance is. Moms and Dads push children into so many bad habits as they encourage them to find their greatness. It’s not Mom and Dad’s fault. They don’t know any better, but many artists spend much of their time trying to break bad habits developed when young. Occasionally, either because of good teaching or simply a natural understanding, young artists come through the learning process unscathed. But I digress.

When one achieves a certain level of technical performance, the ability to perform the tasks of one’s art mistake free, then greatness becomes possible. But we all know that a mistake free performance does not ensure greatness. The mastering of the technical is only half the problem. The mastering of the reality of doing is the other half. Hopefully, in the best of scenarios, it’s a balancing act – a balancing act between the technical and the emotional. If one half is developed far beyond the other, there are always problems.

To be a great technician, but not have the ability to pour your emotions through your work makes for art that comes off ‘intellectual’. To do the opposite is to simply lose the confidence of your audience no matter what the art form.

The other night I watched this young lady work with this proper balance. She stood out because of the balance; whereas the others lagged behind somewhat because of their relative imbalances concerning just this issue. I’m not saying that Laura played perfectly and with total emotional focus. I’m sure she would agree with me that she has some growing to do on both counts. There’s always a way to go on the growth scale no matter how great the artist. But she balanced the two on the level of her abilities at this time in her career.

And that balancing allowed me to trust her in the moments of her performance so that I ceased to be the audience, the observer, the watcher. Instead, I left my seat and joined her in her exploration of the music. She took me on the ride. She allowed me into her soul and filled the space with her artistry. Her craft was solid and so I did not have to worry about her making mistakes and her emotional commitment was balanced so that, again, I did not have to worry about her reality of doing.

Consequently I was able to become completely absorbed into the performance. No need to analyze, no need to pull back and protect myself from the abuse of mistakes, no need to doubt. Because of the totality of her commitment, I too could commit to my part of the performance — to be a totally absorbed listener.

And so I did. But it was really she who did. As I said, I just went along for the ride. It was only afterwards that I began to analyze what had happened there in Steinway Hall. It’s why, when Laura Garritson finished, I stood and applauded. I had already left my seat minutes ago.

~ Peter Link

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For more inspiring music you can download
and information about Peter Link, please visit Watchfire Music.

Steinway Hall-Part 1

Steinway Hall - Part 1

I went to a classical music concert at Steinway Hall here in NYC the other night. It was presented by my alma mater, Principia College. The whole evening was extremely well done and the talent fierce. Students, faculty and alumni performed a variety of music – all inspired. While the others were all excellent, one alumna totally blew me away.

Laura Garritson, pianist, is some performer. Probably in her mid to late 20s, she is not only a wonderful pianist, but also an accomplished violinist. She played both instruments in this concert and, for my money, dominated the evening.

Later on, reflecting back, I asked myself why. Besides her technical excellence, she played with a total deep commitment to the passions of the music. Her strength was evident in the way she stood, the way she sat, the way she walked on stage. At one point she turned pages for another pianist. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Her focus at turning the pages was that complete. Her commitment to even that job was total.

In the power of her playing, she ‘showed’ nothing – no emotional shenanigans, no facial grimacing, no indicated emotion. She was real. I’m not saying she had no emotion. Oh she had plenty, but instead of showing it in her body and face, she simply poured it into the music and let the music carry it. Consequently, the music she played moved me deeply. I experienced both the composer’s intentions and Laura’s interpretation of those intentions through the viewpoint of her own life and feelings for the music.

She’s on to something very special, this girl. She’s a centered performer who has found the delicate mix of the reality of emotion through her commitment to the music. Whether instinctual or learned, she understands the balance of pure performance. I remember thinking of my favorite tribute line: “She’s got a lot of music in her”. And it made me think more deeply about what that means. She has the ability to get herself out of the way and let the music pass through her unscathed by pretense, but shaded by the force of her emotional understanding and commitment to the moment, to the music. End result? She’s a powerful performer with a great future.

I walked away from the evening inspired – inspired to go home and get to work, write some music, think more deeply about my work – practice. It’ll be fun to watch this woman grow. I will not forget her.

~ Peter Link

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For more inspiring music you can download
and information about Peter Link, please visit Watchfire Music.