Highly acclaimed author Susan Tomes takes up various topics of perennial
interest: how music awakens and even creates memories, what
'interpretation' really means, what effect daily practice has on the
character, whether playing from memory is a burden or a liberation, and
why the piano is the right tool for the job.
In several decades as a distinguished classical pianist, Susan Tomes has
found that there are some issues which never go away. Here she takes up
various topics of perennial interest: how music awakens and even creates
memories, what "interpretation" really means, what effect daily practice
has on the character, whether playing from memory is a burden or a
liberation, and why the piano is the right tool for the job. She pays
homage to the influence of remarkable teachers, asks what it takes for
long-term chamber groups to survive the strains of professional life,
and explores the link between music and health. Once again, her aim is
to provide insight into the motives and experiences of classical
performers. In this fourth book she also describes some of the
challenges facing classical musicians in today's society, and considers
why this kind of long-form music means so much to those who love it.
SUSAN TOMES has won a number of international awards as a performer and
recording artist, and in 2013 was awarded the Cobbett Medal for
distinguished services to chamber music. For fifteen years she was the
pianist of Domus, and for seventeen years she was the pianist of the
Florestan Trio, one of the world's leading piano trios. She is the
author of three previous books: Beyond the Notes (2004) and Out of
Silence (2010), both published by Boydell, and A Musician's Alphabet
(2006). She gives masterclasses, writes and presents radio programmes on
music, and sits on international competition juries. Her blog on
www.susantomes.com has a loyal following.
