Unlike 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.
Stephen HoughRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the distinction between receiving criticism on interpretations versus original creations, with the latter being more personal.
In this quote, Stephen Hough highlights the emotional weight of receiving criticism on one's own artistic creations compared to interpretations of established works, like those of Beethoven. While he indicates openness to feedback on his performances, he also expresses the deeper personal connection he has with his own compositions, emphasizing that critiques of original work are not just about technique but touch upon his identity as an artist.
Themes
ArtCriticismCreativityIdentityMusic
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about artistic expression during a lecture.
More from Stephen Hough
All quotes →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.
Stephen HoughRead
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
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.
Stephen HoughRead
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