If they say they don't like the way I play Beethoven, then I can swallow that, and maybe they're right. But if they don't like what I've written, then it's about me.
Stephen HoughRead
There are artists who delight listeners with their wild and daring individuality; there are others who uncover the written score with reverence. There are few who can do both.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the dual talent of musicians who balance creativity with fidelity to musical scores.
Stephen Hough's quote emphasizes the rare ability of certain artists to embrace both individuality and tradition in their performances. While many musicians may excel in expressing their unique styles or in adhering strictly to the written notes, it is the exceptional few who manage to harmoniously blend these two approaches, thus enriching their artistry and offering a more profound experience to their audience.
Themes
ArtIndividualityCreativityMusicPerformance
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in discussions about the role of creativity in music education.
More from Stephen Hough
All quotes βUnlike sport, music is not about winning or keeping fit or promoting your town or school; it's about celebrating, to a level approaching ecstasy, the deepest human longings.
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Life is an incurable disease leading to death, but it's also an unrequested gift, which, if we can manage to keep giving it away to others, can keep giving back everything to us.
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All things of beauty can speak to us of God, and I'm very happy to listen to and be inspired by people of every religious background.
Stephen HoughRead
Live in the present moment. The past and future are nonexistent. Only the present can be grasped or, better, embraced.
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In Britten or Berg, there's a tension between the sweet and the sour, between the familiar and the unfamiliar, the tonal and the atonal, the happy and the sad. That, to me, is what all western art is about - that tension. It's why we want to say anything at all.
Stephen HoughRead
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